Tuesday 30th August

Not much was ever going to happen today – well not planned anyway. We went to the market at the top end of town to get some fish for dinner tonight and ended up with a bag full of fruit and vegetables, wine and suntan cream and focaccia. Home for lunch but that took all morning including a trip to Salty Dog for coffee and download. Thanks Nic for your lovely email, it’s so good to hear about the girls dancing, oh and other bits, life hasn’t changed much whilst we have been away for you? Lunch was great again and the focaccia is wonderful – you would love it.

After lunch we went to the beach. First off we went further along the beach from the boat harbour where there were waves, I thought that I would have a bodysurf. The beach was gravel and then sand down at the waters edge. So after finding someplace to sit which is not easy amongst thestones I took to the water. Slowly waded in and at about waist deep amongst the waves found that the bottom was rather large boulders and stones. Although I went out into the deep was not keen to body surf in case a dumper put me on the bottom amongst the rocks. I don’t mind getting bashed onto the sand but didn’t want a face full of rocks. Jannie wasn’t at all keen to even swim here so we packed up and headed for the boat harbour which has the same bottom but doesn’t have the waves.

Whilst sitting amongst the rocks I found that the sole of my ever faithful sandals was peeling away so after a shower we headed back to town to get some glue. Back home and it’s 32 deg at 6.30pm and it’s my turn to cook so at present we are having focaccia dipped in olive oil and wine. Eat your hearts out!

Wednesday 31st August

This morning we went to the market which we would not have known was on save for Nynke telling us. Jannie was looking for tops and skirts both of which she managed to find. However she wanted me in a pair of long board shorts and fortunately every shop we went to had sold out of my size!!

We eventually got home for lunch and a beer and then a bit of a read. We had decided to walk to Bonassola which is the next town north of Levanto. To get there we had to walk about 2.8kms through five tunnels, the shortest of which was 90m and the longest about 600m. This last tunnel was a long curving one and at no stage could we see both ends. The tunnels were originally for a train and are about 5m wide. The surface is tarmac and is divided into three and lines are painted on the pathway, two for bikes (one lane in each direction) and the third for pedestrians. We were definitely in a minority as probably 75% of everyone going in either direction was cyclists.

The tunnels are well lit so you could go there for dinner and walk back afterwards. The good part for us was that it was cool being out of the sun. The tunnels were old and the sides were made of square stone and from about 3m high the curve and roof of the tunnels were all brick. Every time we came out of a tunnel, the part of the coast between the tunnels, faced out to sea with huge boulders and rocks on the foreshore and cliffs and promontories that protect the magic of these coves. People were sunbathing and swimming at all locations. People were snorkling as it is the most unpolluted of all the coastline of Liguria. When we reached Bonassola we were greeted with a long curving bay and hundreds of people sunbathing. I think that sunbathing is the number one pastime of this entire area. People lay around on the stones, on the pebbles, on the gigantic boulders and they are brown, brown, brown. The grannies with skimpy bikinis, barely covering all and the younger sect baring it all.

Bonassola is a small village that appears to have no industry but does have three churches. There is obviously a road out of the village as there were cars on the streets. The coastline and beach is set between two spurs of rock that jut out into the Mediterranean. There are some gorgeous houses set into the rock faces and from which must have the most wonderful vista. However the tracks to these are not for the faint hearted.

We picked a spot on the fine granules of stone, very easy to walk on and not like we have found so far in this part of the world. Between us and the beach are bigger pebbles and our tender feet take a real pounding when walking across these. The beach (I will call it that) drops away quite sharply towards the water and the waves are just breaking on the shore. Me in first as someone has to stay with Jannies bag and the worldly goods. I pussie foot across the stones and then drop down towards the water, feet sinking into the stones even when I get into the water. I then dive into the next wave and am out of my depth and continue swimming out past the wave peaks. When I look down into the water everything below me is crystal clear and I can see my feet and the stones and sand on the bottom. I don’t think that I have ever seen such clear water before!

When Jannie went for her swim I stood and watched just so I could keep an eye on her. Well just her head showed above the stones on the waters edge and that give you an idea of how steep the beach was. It was very difficult to get out and I found that if you surfed in on the last wave you could then clamber your way up the slope on hands and feet. After a couple of swims and it was nice to dry off by sitting on these small grains of stones that were multi coloured we showered at the beach provided showers ( much colder than the sea water) we went up to the bar on stilts and had a beer and they bought us out a bowl of olives and a bowl of potato chips. A nice way to end the day at Bonassola.

We walked back through the tunnels and to home , showered and got the dinner on and settled back with a glass of wine and looked out at the sun going down and listening to the babbling stream that passes by out terrace. Lovely.