Tuesday May 30, 2023
It is nice not having to get up to make a train, bus, or boat and not having a full day of things to do. Still, we do not sleep in that late today even with no alarm set. We enjoy a nice home cooked breakfast and then head out. We have decided to do another hike this morning. When we went to the top of the island on Sunday, there were two paths to take, one said it was longer. Today we start out on that path. We do not plan on going all the way to the church but this other path joins path 1 at the village of Cure so we will go to that and then descend back down.
We immediately notice that this is not the path well traveled to the top. Where Trail 1 was wide and well trodden, Trail 2 is more like a normal hiking path, a foot wide and the occasional vegetation creeping in on it. It is nicely shaded which helps keep the sweat down and to start, it is a gradual climb. At one point, I hear movement in the leaves to my left and then suddenly a big black snake crosses the trail in front of me and goes down the right side. It is surprising how fast it was moving and I watch in amazement as it goes flying down the steep slope on the right. I watch it hit branches which actually slow its descent slightly until it is out of sight. Way too fast for a picture. Later, I identify it on the internet and determine it was most likely a black whip snake. Anyway, it was cool to see.
We continue along paying way more attention to the rustle of leaves and undergrowth as we hike. Before the snake, it was mostly lizards and that seems to be the case again. Or is it? I hear rustling and do not see anything. Thinking it must be a lizard, I keep going until Carol calls me back. She sees something moving in the leaves and it is bigger than a lizard. I come back slowly and watch for movement. There it is ever so slightly but what is it exactly. Getting closer, it becomes more noticeable and I cant believe what I am seeing. Carol can make it out now also and we have never seen one of these in the wild. Monty Python fans may remember Dinsdale and we have found our own. It is a hedgehog. It is trying to blend in to the leaves and forest floor as it obviously knows we are here. I climb carefully up the hill to get some pictures and it does me the favor of not scampering away. Very cool and unexpected. We both love seeing critters and these two sightings make us glad we picked the path with no people.
The rest of the hike is uneventful. We get some nice views, hike through another small village as the climb becomes less gradual and more steep. Past the village we pas some open fields that flatten out near the top of this knoll. We continue to the village of Cure and join trail 1 for the descent down. On the way we meet a nice girl from Finland and talk with her for about 20 minutes. Funny enough, she asks if we have seen any snakes as she has them where she lives in Finland and does not like them. We tell her yes but not on this trail. We descend the rest of the way without anymore wildlife encounters. When we hit the road above our apartment, we turn onto it and go back to Trattoria Al Campel to eat lunch. They are only open for lunch today but we look forward to more of the excellent seafood. We do not get a three course meal today. I get the pasta with lake fish and Carol gets the char again. A liter of wine with it to sit and enjoy the al fresco dining with. The lady remembers us and then goes in the back and brings out our umbrella which we left behind the other night, when it was threatening rain but didn’t. Another excellent meal with friendly owners. She asks where we are staying and we tell her the name of our apartment. Turns out Matteo is her cousin, a small island indeed.
After lunch, we stop at the bakery to buy dessert for later. Then we relax in the afternoon until about 1500. It is fairly sunny out so we decide to take the bikes and ride to the beach we saw yesterday. We get there and lock up the bikes, then head to the dock which has ladders to get in the water. Carol goes first and bravely gets right in. I am duly impressed as she usually is not the one to want to go in. After, I get some pictures, she comes out and it is my turn. I take a bit longer than her to get in but finally succumb to her harassment and sink into the cool lake water. It is not super cold but not exactly warm either. Carol rejoins me for a bit and then goes back out for good. I stay in about 20 minutes having now gotten used to the temperature. It was very refreshing for sure. Some girls that had shown up and were watching us ask if it is cold. That leads to the where are you from which turns out to be the Netherlands. We have some nice conversation before heading back to our bikes.
There was a gardener who had been mowing the lawn and weed whacking. He is near our bikes and stops when we get closer. I thank him and tell him to have a nice day in Italian. He asks where we are from and if we went swimming. Then he says the water is cold and I tell him not compared to Colorado mountain lake water and that it was not too bad. He says that if an Italian went in it, they would cry like a baby saying it is way too cold, they do not go swimming until August here. Pretty funny.
We ride our bikes back and stop by a sign about the trees we have been seeing in the lake water. I had correctly diagnosed them as bald cypress and the sign confirms this. They were planted here and I am surprised to see them as I associate them with swamps in the United States. They seem to be doing alright in this cold and clear lake water. It was a nice afternoon outing. Later, I walk to a place to get a pizza for dinner. Luckily I brought the umbrella that was returned to us earlier as it pours down rain for my walk back to the apartment. No worries as we can sit on our covered balcony and watch mother nature. Tomorrow, we move on again but we are glad that we spent three nights on this island with nothing to do. It has been a great stay in natures beauty.
Expenses Lunch at Trattoria Al Campal 47E Pizza from Tre Archi 6E Dessert and breakfast from bakery 5E. Casadina Apartment 90E Walked 6.2 Miles Biked 4.0 Miles
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