Travels with GG

Riomaggiore, Le Cinque Terre, Liguria

We woke up in Firenze in good time, but with waits and delays finally arrived at Riomaggiore after 1 pm. We found the reception and checked in to the assigned accomodation. The rooms allocated were not at that site but higher up somewhere in the cliff-side village.

The reception woman directed us to the steps that would take us to our rooms, and asked us to wait at the top, where another woman would appear and take us to our rooms. The stairs appeared to wind around so we couldn't see the end of them. When asked how many there were, the reception lady shook her head and said "very steps!"

With a 40 pound suitcase and two backpacks, we began the ascent. With GG and me taking turns, panting and sweating in the oppressive weather of the Cinque Terre, we arrived at the top of the steps. It was a Herculean feat. As we looked around feeling silly waiting in the middle of a road, another woman indeed appeared to take us to the room. We were soon to realise that the second leg of the journey was another set of "very steps" too!!

I was annoyed, but it wasn't the poor woman's fault. She was only the cleaning lady who had to make the same journey, sans suitcase, everyday to do her job.

GG counted about 400 steps on our way down!