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Caption: Cinque Terre Part 2 - Manarola
31 March 2017
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Caption: ... continued from Part 1 of the Cinque Terre series.
I arrived in Manarola station and simply followed the throng of tourists.
That's the one thing I appreciate about Cinque Terre; it's very easy to visit. I didn't have to do much research except figure out which towns to visit in my limited time there, and how to get to each of those towns.
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Caption: I saw a gelateria advertising vegan and dairy-free gelato and obviously I had to check it out. Neither vegan nor lactose-intolerant, but food with displaced ingredients fascinate me.
The gelateria was called 5terre. I ordered an Affogato - figured I could use a morning coffee - and it was 4euros. I topped my affogato with lactose-free white chocolate gelato.
It was yummy. My gelato was not very sweet (yay for my old man tastebuds) and still had the richness of milky gelato. I guess I'm lactose intolerant from here on.
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Video of Manarola
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Picture of Manarola
Caption: There's a specific scene that is often used as quintessential Cinque Terre. It was in Manarola and it's what I call the Money-rola shot.
Like money shot. No? Ok.
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Picture of Manarola
Picture of Manarola
Picture of Manarola
Caption: I was dressed in light hiking gear but most of the trails I wanted to do were closed. This is common; you don't actually know which trails are open until you arrive and check with the tourist office. Landslides and flooding and stuff.
You need a park pass to hike some trails, but when I was there, the park ranger said "Don't worry about it, they won't check this time round. Off peak!"
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Caption: FYI, mornings are terrible for a good Money-Rola shot (still no? Ok.) due to backlight. I hung around till noon-ish and managed better photos.
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Picture of Manarola
Caption: I think I spent about two hours just exploring Manarola. At one point I stumbled upon a cemetery perched atop a cliff and facing the Money-Rola (I don't give up easy. No? Ok.).
I wouldn't mind spending my last earth days here.
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Caption: It was peaceful.
Though I did freak myself out because I thought I heard angry voices and no one appeared for a long while. Turns out it was just a tiny old lady screaming at her friends to wait for her. She had a bad back so I couldn't spot her when I was looking. Did I mention she was tiny? Such loudness from such a tiny person.
Such rude friends though.
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Picture of Manarola
Picture of Manarola
Caption: The Nessun Dorma Cafe faced the Manarola village cliffside and opens at 12 noon.
I was looking forward to having a proper lunch, but the menu only had mostly appetisers and bites. I saw that they had anchovies, and since those were suppose to be a specialty, I ordered some.
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Picture of Manarola
Caption: I couldn't get past two bites. The stuff was so salty, even with extra paddings of the ciabatta.
Not sure if I'm eating wrong, or maybe my tastebuds disagree with the saltiness. But anchovies and me? No thanks.
Lovely views though.
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Caption: Nessun Dorma Cafe does have a lovely view.
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Caption: After that I made my way closer to the train station and browsed the nearby shops... before catching the train back to Monterosso, and then the train back to Milan.
Boo.
Cinque Terre is definitely worth more than a half day trip, but sometimes you have to work with what you got. Or don't got.
Till next time (for sure) Cinque Terre!
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Picture of Manarola
Caption: Souvenirs include lovely ingredients (my favourite Italian pepperoncini), pasta, spiced olive oils and handmade soap.
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Caption: Ciao Cinque Terre!
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Caption: My time there was too short, it's definitely worth at least an overnight stay there to be able to visit all of the Cinque Terre villages.
Till next time, grazie Cinque Terre!
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Caption: Instagram:
www.instagram.com/shalikewow
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#goexplore #travel #travelphotography #italy #cinqueterre #manarola
