Shit happens

As i open the two doors to my room a big blue sky awaits my trek. My leg feels 95% better and the Cinque Terre is waiting for me. It's a bit cool and it's going to get colder as i head further north, Monaco will be decent but Paris and everything after will be back to brrr cold. Thermals are all washed and ready!

The Cinque Terre is a series of hiking trails that wind up and down hills and you can access all of the little villages in between. Lately the area has had some heavy rain and they had closed the majority of the trails. I knew this the previous day and i had hoped that it was still accessible, but it wasn't. I believe there is a 9km hike on one of the trails. The train took me to Riomaggiore, the first of the towns on the Cinque. This is the only trail that is open, it's a measly 900 metres and took bugger all time to finish.  It was wide and accommodating and hardly the challenge i had prepared myself for. The worst part of my entire trip happened while i was doing this tiny excursion. I was trying to take a picture of these little port holes the shadows etc, bit arsty. When I looked at my picture there was a big black line running diagonally across my screen. Hmm my first thought was sensor damage from the sunset shots I did, i have heard that direct sun exposure to the sensor can damage it. Took another shot, it was still there. I detached the lens from the camera to see if it was a lens issue, like one of the aperture blades not folding in properly....nope. Put the lens back on, took another shot, it was fine. Oh thank God, Jebus, Oprah Winfrey. Three shots later it's back. There is a function on my camera that locks the mirror and shutter curtain up so you can manually clean the sensor. Newer models now clean the sensor automatically. The reason you need to clean the sensor is that every time you change your lens any dust (dust anyone) that may be on the lens will fall onto the sensor and create spots on your photos. That is because the tiny dust spots are blocking the light from hitting the sensor. I took the lens off, selected the sensor cleaning function and checked out the damage. And damage there was. The shutter curtain was damaged and creased, basically fucked! Now with a camera like mine this is how it works. When you look through the camera you can see the image p, with the help of a mirror and when you actually take the photo you cannot see anything, the viewfinder goes black. I'll briefly tell you why. When you press the photo taking button (shutter release) the mirror which is at a 45 degree angle flips up to block your sight but it's to let the image you were looking at make it's way to the sensor. But there is another obstacle in the way of the image before it makes it's way to the sensor, the shutter curtain. It's basically like a compact fan that retracts and folds into itself and the side of the camera. These things happen very quickly. That is why they are called SLRs single lens reflex. I don't know how the curtain got damaged, and why it happened now but it has a crease and it will not go back inside the camera unless it's pushed back inside. So that's what i did, i grabbed a lens cloth so my finger didn't hit the sensor (very expensive part) and pushed it back up, it went up then when i took another shot it stayed down again. Opened it again, and noticed that there was some residue and a scratch that must've come from the lens cloth. So my 8 year old camera had finally packed it in, it's given me so much joy and so much expense over the years. I was so guttered, the Cinque Terre is such a beautiful place and i didn't have the right equipment to capture it. I still had my little canon sx1 in my bag so i always had back up, and luckily the batteries lasted the rest of the day. I have seen it in my bag turned on many times as something must've bumped it on. So i wasn't expecting it to have lasted the day. I don't know what to do. I have five lenses, many memory cards and accessories for my canon. Is this some kind of sign that i should give it up? I have just re-ignited my passion for photography and this has happened. Two options, well three. But a new camera, one not as expensive but something so i don't waste this passion and lenses, two sell everything when I get home or keep using my little camera and get the big camera fixed when i get home, but it's already 8yrs old...... I'll have to look online and see what i can get for my money. Paris might make a nice camera sale soon. I wanted to yell at the top of my voice, nothing g-rated either! Would have got a great echo too. Accept the things you cannot change as i say. 

Back to the Cinque Terre. The views from the two towns of Riomaggiore and Manarola were stunning. I found several no Cinque Terre paths that led to some great little spots. Beautiful cliff faces littered with houses, the gorgeous water and it has such a charm to it. Now I'm carrying the back up camera so little exposure changes are difficult and it's just not giving me the finesse i like when I'm shooting, but at least I'm getting shots. And is that one died, i had my phone! After finishing the emotional 900 metre walk to Manarola i decided to get the train to Monterosso. The second last town before my town of Levanto. I had overheard someone say it was the most beautiful, so skip Corniglia,Vernazza and head straight there. I found a little path that was open so i headed in that direction. It was steep narrow and had minor landslides along the way. After the first trail i had noticed that the normal path from Manarola to Corniglia had two massive landslides, from the top of the hill to the sea. Now i understand why the trails were closed!! A damn good reason! There was a little sign that had Monterosso back, Vernazza up. I had a train to catch in over an hour and luckily that particular train went through Vernazza, so up i went. At this point I'd like to point out i was in two minds about this. The trek was extreme, really tight, really steep, slippery and a good workout. Saw some very cool things along the way. Hopefully I managed to get the shots right on the little camera. It took me about 50 minutes to get to the top of this climb from the train station. This was the time to turn back if I didn't think I'd make the train. i had 50 minutes until the train i needed to catch back to my hotel so i can get my bag out and not be charged another night. At the top i couldn't make out if there was a town in the valley below. It was heavy terrain, but i thought how far can it be, it's downhill so that will make it easier. I was bounding down steps, walking along narrow ridges and keeping to what seemed to be a footpath, it had the white and red lines which meant this was a path, and you came across man made steps for a while so I'm on a path. Ok, now just cause a heap of people before you have walked in that direction doesn't mean they knew where they were going. And this was not the time to get lost. I had jumped down paths, fought through prickly bastard trees (i think that is their latin name) and slipped and slided my way to the area i like to call, realization area. I could hear a waterfall and the ocean. Couldn't see much through the trees canopies, not even a hint of part of a roof, wall, boat....bugger again. There is no town in this valley. So i had to make my way back up the hill that i had mainly slid down. And now i have 40 mins before my train goes without me. No reception on my phone to call the manager and tell him I'm a bit lost but I'll be there eventually. So I have to high tale it back up this slippery shitty prickly area. Just have to remember the way I came down...... Yeah you guessed it, took a wrong turn, didn't recognize anything. See when you descend you don't look backwards to see what it tools like from the other side, or you'll slip and you will get hurt especially in these areas. I had a map but it's not in any detail. All I was thinking is go up, there was man made brick walls so the path will be here. But where i went down there was a path but the red and white stripes and man made steps ended ages ago. Remember just because someone else has gone that way doesn't mean they knew where they were going. Found a somewhat of a clearing, got up there and the next part was all prickly bushes everywhere, like rose thorns but with no pretty flowers. Luckily i had long sleeve shirt and long pants, tucked my hands into my sleeves and pushed through it, ah dammit (it's like when radioactive man says "the goggles, they do nothing") it helps that hey aren't digging into my skin but they are digging into my pants and shirt and scratching the hell out of me. But this was too hard, this wasn't the way i came through. It took 10 minutes to fight my way back out and find the right path. Precious minutes lost, and energy lost. For a split second in the prickly ass shitty area (new name) i thought I'm not going to get out of this. But i jumped back down a few levels and found the route I had taken on the way down. Got back up the to top very quickly, keeping my head down to avoid getting thorns across my face (cant make it any better but sure can make it worse) jumping, pulling myself up with tree roots, some secure rocks and some not so.
I was exhausted, i had only an apple for breakfast, good one too and it was now 3:15, i knew i would make it now, it was a matter of watching every step and concentrating on deep breathing because everything was lethargic and legs were getting a bit lactic acidy. But i made it, thankfully. And it was a good workout! Made it back to the apartment which my room was called the Audrey Hepburn room! All pink, and pictures of Audrey Hepburn! Felt like such a princess. Got my bags, paid the manager and headed to the beach for one more Italian sunset!! I had all my bags with me and just plonked on a park bench. The same old couple from yesterday were there, so cute and looks like a tradition a great tradition. It's the simple things in life, especially with the one you love. I want to and will make my own life that simple. I could spend a lot more time here, there is so much more to explore. Loved it!

Off to Ventimiglia for the night, it's right next to the Monte Carlo Italian border, the perfect start off place for my venture in to the principality tomorrow. I'll walk my favourite F1 track that our own Mark Webber won this year (by a mile i might add), and then the afternoon train to Paris. Hmm better touch up on my french. 

Bonsoir