Day 5: Cinque Terre in 5 days

It is now day 5 and our last full day at the Cinque Terre has arrived. Logically, we would now visit Corniglia, the last village that is left, but this is going to be a little different.

Where do we start?

At the beginning of the week we decided to go on a canoe trip sometime this week. Not because I myself am so sporty and like adventurous things. No, not that. But my company likes it and I'm not the least.

No sooner said than done. We exchange the white chair on the terrace for a strange bench in the canoe. Or rather: kayak. We're going kayaking. In Riomaggiore you can rent a kayak for 50 euros per day. You can then sail anywhere throughout the day, as long as you are back before 19.00 pm. You can also rent a luxury dinghy for a few hours, then it's a tenner per hour.

What we do

We're going for the kayak. Our valuables go in a waterproof bag, which you hope is really waterproof, but halfway through the trip we tested that and yes: it is waterproof. We get a life jacket and paddles. And a kayak of course. We are taken to the sea via a slippery ladder covered with algae and left to our own devices. 'We see you before seven.' And we're gone. Loosen the ropes and we start the day in good spirits. 

What do we see?

It is fantastic to see the five villages from the sea. They all have the same atmosphere, yet they are so different. Riomaggiore with the colored houses against the rock. Manarola with the beautiful harbor. Corniglia all the way on top of the rock. Vernazza with its lighthouses and lastly Monterosso, the real city.

We are less than half an hour on the road and think that we might stop somewhere at a deserted beach. Just for the outdoor feeling. Right on the coast and after a few minutes we wash up at a beautiful deserted beach. The canoe is glistening in the sun, and we take a dip. This way you see Italy from a completely different perspective and it seems as if you are actually somewhere else. No tourists, no selfie sticks, but real peace and quiet. 

Nice beach, but is there still kayaking?

Of course. After floating in the water for a few minutes, we decide to kayak to Monterosso. View of the last village from Riomaggiore. "It's probably not too bad how far that is." When we are near Vernazza, it turns out not to be easy. But yes: there is no point turning around, we are hungry and craving pasta. Just keep going until we reach Monterosso.

Where do we eat?

We land in Monterosso. We put our kayak on the beach but are almost immediately sent back into the water by an Italian David Hasselhoff because he has a private beach. If we put the kayak one meter to the left, we can. Fine, David. We take the valuables with us and believe in the goodness of human beings. We leave our kayak unmanned. We smell the pasta and have lunch with a Genoese pasta (because we hadn't had enough yet) and a lot of bread. Concentrate for the return journey. 

All the way back?

We have to. Our big orange kayak didn't have the pocket size to take on the Cinque Terre Express unfortunately, so we have to go back. And yes: the return journey is very difficult. It's long, very long, It seems like the kayak won't move and not even the Pot of Fat or My Bonnie will help us. But time is ticking, because we have to be back before 19.00 pm. With an hour left on the clock, we imagine our way through the blue sea. Here and there we see a jellyfish, we hope that the high waves won't knock us over, and we see Riomaggiore getting closer and closer.

Saved?

Yes! At 18.55 pm we return the kayak to our Italian friends. Where we went today. They don't believe us. Monterosso? Act normal. We hand in our orange boat, and then, yes, we jump off the rocks in Riomaggiore. The hundreds of tourists don't bother us for a while. We're hot, maybe overheated, and need to cool down. We survived the journey, did not turn over, everything still works and above all: the end of a fantastic holiday at the Cinque Terre in Bella Italy!