forse non sono normale

// maybe i'm not normal

Am I a failure at culture for comparing the Cinque Terre to Dunsborough, and thinking that the waters at Dunsborough are a little cleaner, the beaches nicer, and the tourists refreshingly less ignorant?

In truth, it really is beautiful here, not to mention miraculous that it exists at all. Dry stone walls, hundreds of years old, scale the steep hillsides, supporting wild flowers, vineyards, and houses. Considering how much effort it takes just to walk along the established pathways, it's incredible to think that somebody once built all of it. The walls have been calculated to be at least equal to the length of the great wall of China.Even today the hills are so steep and the paths so narrow that people carry their groceries up by hand, with the occasional assistance of a sort of train style elevator contraption that runs up to a certain point.

For mum and I, the main beauty of the hills and the towns clinging to them lies in the way they show people's defiance in the face of the impossible. Just to get to our room from the street it's 41 steps! Of course, far from being a mere triumph of engineering, the terraced rails are pretty too, especially covered as they were today with wild flowers. Mum was annoyed to see so many flowers growing wild that refuse to take root in her garden at home.

We also had a little excitement on our first day. After finding a room and settling in, we went for a wander with some wine and olives and sat on the pier, watching tourists walk past with their walking stick/ski pole things (honestly, if you need those on the bloody jetty I really don't think you should tackle the trail tomorrow). We were treated to a spectacle when a bunch of cops suddenly appeared to greet a boat with Danny Devito on it! Ok, so it wasn't Danny, it was actually the minister of work according to a nearby Italian guy, but he was certainly short enough to be Danny. He thanked everyone profusely and he and his standard issue token blonde girlfriend posed for a few pasted smile photos before wandering off to do whatever, and returning half an hour later. The locals got a kick out of it and made jokes about short men,

It's a lovely place with plenty of people to watch and some really pretty places to see. Still, if you've been to Dunsborough, don't expect the tiny black beaches, overpriced souvenirs and the pale blue ocean to impress you all that much.

Of the five lands we are in Vernazza, which we think is the most picturesque, the perfect place for a picturesque meal on the beach, freezing our butts off and telling ourselves that we are more cultured because of it. At least we don't have hiking poles.