Wednesday, September 24

After more than nine hours sleep, I got up at 8:00 am -- totally drained.  As I was not feeling well, Maritza went out to get us breakfast while I stayed in bed.  We finally ventured out around 11 am to an area that people told us is a "pretty walk."  I knew there were villas in the area, and I assumed this was their version of 17-Mile Drive in Pebble Beach.  Never assume.  We had no trouble parking near the walk entrance and had lunch by the ocean.  It was a leisurely meal and we enjoyed watching the people, the dogs, and the yachts.

Our walk, that took about two hours, was not at all what I expected.  We saw no homes, although we knew they were there.  Instead, we walked alongside a stone wall over rocks, up and down stone stairs.  We felt as if we were again walking to Corniglia.  Even though the drop was only 10-15 feet instead of 100 feet, it was dangerous.  Several times we wondered what the heck we were doing there.  Yes, the view was pretty, but we were exhausted and not prepared.  Along the walk we passed many people.  I asked a man to show me on our map where we were.  It turns out he had lived for a bit in Los Angeles.  He was very nice and helped us up and over a difficult climb.  We were relieved when we finally reached a paved road.  There was a point there when I thought I wouldn't make it.

Once back at the hotel we settled in for the evening and played cards until we couldn't stay awake any longer.  For dinner I went out and brought in a ham and cheese sandwich (jambon et fromage) for Maritza and excellent couscous with chicken for me.  The restaurants were pretty and inviting, but we just didn't have the energy.