With that warning, here it is:
After we had
determined the dates for our Trinidad trip, we considered the cost of returning
home via Europe as Mary-Anne and I had wanted to visit Katie’s host family in
Italy since she had returned home in
2008. We would only do this if we could
have Katie as our guide in Italy. Katie
was keen and able to get the time off.
The cost of a round the world ticket was only marginally more expensive
than a return ticket to Trinidad. All
the stars aligned, so the planning started.
The basis of our plan was to spend a weekend in Germany with Melanie,
our German “daughter”, a weekend in Atripalda with the De Santis family, and
fit other touristy adventures around this.
As a result, we spent a few days in Ireland, a couple of days in
Scotland, a weekend in Germany, a day or two in Switzerland, and the rest of
the time in Italy. Three weeks seemed
long enough after our three weeks in Trinidad and Tobago. I was happy to leave the details of this trip
to Mary-Anne and Katie. The following
notes and photos are reminders of our trip
29-30 Apr Saturday - Sunday
Dublin
We arrived at the airport together then went our separate ways. Mon and Andy set off to Houston then onto Brisbane after overnighting with the Cosgroves. Mary-Anne, Katie and I headed for Ireland via Miami and Frankfurt. We were impressed by the double decker plane from Miami, the first time for any of us. We had a very comfortable flight to Frankfurt, then a quick dash to get the plane to Dublin. Some of us were verging on panicking, especially when I was in no particular rush. We made it to Dublin then caught a bus to what we thought might have been near to our hotel (a bit over a km?) It was the first time that we walked any distance with our full bags so was more difficult than we expected. It was indeed good to get to the hotel. After a refreshing shower and small rest we decided to not waste the day and set off for the Guinness Brewery in the slight mizzle. The walk was longer than we thought and we had difficulty finding the entrance to the Guiness Factory. Eventually we got to the end of a long line where we were informed that it was a 45 minute wait to get in. This we did in the increasing mizzle. When we got inside, barely 30 minutes before it was due to close for the day, all was forgiven despite the dense crowd. It was an amazing building with detailed description from the growing of the barley to the production of Guinness as well as a whole floor on Guinness ads from the start of its history. It did not take us too long to make our way to the top and retrieve our complimentary pints of Guinness while surveying Dublin below the heavy cloud cover. Mary-Anne and Katie needed help with their guinness, so I was happy to oblige. We bought an umbrella in the souvenir store which did the trick of keeping the rain away for most of the remainder of our time in Europe. For dinner, we went to the oldest pub in Dublin with the intention of taking in a hearty meal and soaking up the local live music. We had had our share of walking so travelled in one of the horse drawn carriages to the pub. The meal was excellent and the guinness delightful but the music was not due to start till 11pm and we were done by then so took a taxi home. After such a big day, I had no trouble sleeping, not sure if the same could be said for Katie in our first room for three.
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| Mary-Anne and I right at home in Guiness Factory with example of their early advertising |
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| Katie, I and Guiness |
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| Outside the oldest pub in Dublin |
1-May Monday
Gortahork
The bus to
Gortahork was due to leave at 12:30pm so we thought we had heaps of time for a
leisurely breakfast and a walk in the parks nearby, on what was a beautiful
day. It was a public holiday so local
cafes were not open. We settled for a
flash brekky at our hotel - a good decision as it allowed us to have an
excellent feed , ready for a big day ahead.
It was very pleasant walking in the nearby parks. By the time we got back and packed up, it was
time to leave. Fortunately the taxi rank
was outside our door. We thought we had
lots of time to get there in the taxi but as it turned out, we cut it quite
fine. The bus driver was loading the
last of the luggage when we turned up and squished into nearly the last three
seats on the bus. It was a pleasant trip
with bright blue skies and interesting scenery.
The five hour trip passed very quickly.
On arriving at the hotel in Gortahork, we were directed to a room on the
ground floor with windows to the street outside. Not looking good, so we managed to swap for a
first floor room with a better view although it was a bit less roomy. We contacted Sadie, Jeff's friend's mother
and she arranged to meet us after dinner (9 o'clock). Being twilight, it was still bright then. It was a big
meal at the hotel as we went for all three courses, to make up for the nibbly
lunch we had on our way up in the bus.
In true Irish style, we found ourselves eating potatoes done three ways
- baked, mashed and fried, all with a
side of various meats. Sadie and her
son showed us around then took us to her sister's bar for a drink before dropping us back to the hotel.
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| Sadie and Mary-Anne in the pub |
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| Katie & I in the Corner Bar |
2-May Tuesday
Gortahork
Sadie and her daughter picked us up from the
hotel and took us to the Donegal Airport to pick up the hire car we had
arranged. After that Katie, Mary-Anne
and I went for a drive around the countryside.
This proved much less stressful driving that in Trini or US despite the
winding roads. We found a castle with a
very flash garden that we explored. This
allowed us to get in a 2 km walk up to the castle then catch a bus back when we
were done. We then spent the rest of the
afternoon taking in the sights while looking for art galleries. We even went up to a spectacular lookout,
Horn Head, which involved a very narrow road that probably did a circuit but I
chickened out when we could not see the end so managed to negotiate a 20? point
u-turn. After dinner again at the hotel,
Sadie picked us up and took us to her home where Katie and I managed to check
out the cows in the barn and Katie the sheep with their newly born lambs in the
fields, while Mary-Anne was the good guest and remained chatting with Sadie,
her sister and her daughter while taking in the views from the house. We then adjourned to the bar across the road
from our hotel to take in local live music while having a few pints. The crowd was small, but pleasant enough till we retired about midnight.
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| Castle in Donegal |
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| Katie & Mary-Anne partaking of a balanced diet - a cake in each hand |
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| View near Donegal Castle |
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| View near Gortahork |
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| Whoriskey sheep and lambs |
3-May Wednesday
flight to Glasgow
Best Western Glasgow City Hotel Rooms: 1 27 Elmbank Street, Glasgow, G2 4PB
Mary-Anne and Katie strolled about Gortahork to take a few identifying photos before we took the car back to the airport and waited for our flight to Glasgow. We only wanted the car for one day so we settled for a long wait at the airport, a couple of hours before our 2:30pm flight. It was another perfectly clear day so the flight on a small aeroplane was magic with amazing views of the countryside and waterways between Ireland and Scotland. We took a taxi from the airport to our hotel which was just as well as the hotel was disguised as another old building in the city. This room was on the second floor with a view across the street at an old school. It was a huge room with a separate semi-area for Katie. They could have easily fitted another four beds if they needed to. The shower taps were tricky being back to front to what we were used to. Once settled we went for a stroll to find dinner. Found a pub for food, nothing special but adequate. After dinner we escorted Katie back to our room as she was a bit worn out - 3 nights sharing a room can do that to you. Mary-Anne and I went on a search for a coffee shop. That was when we discovered iCafe. Our order of a large cap and a small cap resulted in us being served a bucket and a mug of very nice coffee. The menu looked enticing so we resolved to return in the morning for brekky. MA contacted her cousin Iain so we were all teed up for touring Glasgow in the morning.
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| Katie proving she was at Gort a Choirce = Gortahork |
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| Gortahork Chapel |
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| Through the window on flight from Donegal to Glasgow |
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| A bucket of coffee |
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| View out our bedroom window in Glasgow |
4-May Thursday
Best Western Glasgow City Hotel Rooms: 1 27 Elmbank Street, Glasgow, G2 4PB
We returned to iCafe for breakfast and ordered another bucket of coffee. This time we asked the manager if we could buy the bucket so he gave it to us for free. After brekky, we met Iain, Mary-Anne’s distant relative, back at the hotel. The plan for the day was to take a taxi to the other side of the city and walk back so that we could get a good feel of the place. Our start was a very old cathedral, then an adjacent hill which had posh graves and an excellent view of the city, before checking out the oldest building in Glasgow. This was a sort of priest’s house back in the day. With Iain as our excellent guide, we strolled the streets, enjoyed a tasty lunch on the way then visited an old “terrace house” that had been maintained close to its original state from many years ago. Iain bade us farewell mid-afternoon as he needed to prepare for a road trip to Berlin the next day. There was a theatre very close to our hotel with a show currently running so we booked in, got tidied up and searched for an early dinner. We settled on a relatively quick-served dinner at an Italian restaurant, reluctantly eating italian in Scotland, but time was pressing and options limited. The play was “Under the Tuscan Sun”. It was a one woman show that really was a hoot delivering lots of laughter, in the ancient yet comfortable theatre. It was an excellent day in Scotland.
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| Katie, Iain & I with Glasgow Cathedral |
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| Mary-Anne & Iain |
5-May Friday
GermanWings flight 4U9361 12:00 arrives Dusseldorf 14:40
Melanie - Burchert Family
Our last meal in Scotland was breakfast at iCafe again, having stuck to a good thing. We were not disappointed. By the time we ate and packed our bags, it was time to head to the airport for our 12 noon flight to Dusseldorf. Our time in Scotland provided fine and mild weather, quite different from the cold and wet we might have expected. All went smoothly for our short flight. We were met at the airport by Melanie and her father, Wolfgang, then taken to our lodgings for the next three nights - the Burchert family home. Melanie lives in a apartment not too far away, but came back home while we were there. Mary-Anne and I had the luxury of the attic to ourselves - tw o single beds and an ensuite. It had two huge skylights through which we could view the night sky or close to give darkness. Melanie’s mum, Maria, welcomed us with a giant meal - delicious five meat stew with rice and spaghetti and multiple side dishes. Wolfgang had bought a selection of German beers and insisted I try them all to determine which I liked best. It was a tough task, but from memory, I settled on a dark variety. Melanie’s boyfriend, Alex, joined us for the meal and most of the weekend. After our meal, we all went for a long stroll. This was very pleasant in the twilight with a full moon rising. On our stroll, we came across quite a few rabbits which caught me by surprise. When we got back it was suppertime washed down with more beer.
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| Bread and cheeses at Burcherts |
6-May Saturday
Melanie - Burchert Family
After breakfast which included a variety of fresh breads from the local bakery, boiled eggs, a selection of meats and cheeses, we ventured forth for the day. For starters, we visited a nearby recently shut down steelworks. It was massive. A common theme with German things which I am sure are bigger than you could find in Texas. Next we were off to an old part of one of the cities that were in close proximity. Apart from being old, this area was noted for its speciality in sweet delicacies. Katie got right into photographing the numerous pieces of sweet art. Afterwards most of us partook of our favourite - I think it was for morning tea, but it might have been lunch, with the long days and the many “meals” it is easy to confuse what is when. I had some soup as sweets are not really my forte. To dissolve some of the calories, we all went for a long walk through the village and along the banks of the Ruhr River. We came across a large dam so opted for a ferry cruise. This was a very pleasant way to spend the best part of an hour enjoying the scenery enhanced by a sailing boat regatta in progress at the time. As we meandered back to our cars we appreciated the local architecture. Chalk marks on the pavement suggest HHH were present in this part of Germany. Having had our exercise for the day, it was time to sample a genuine German beer hall. Katie’s friend, Jones, joined us for dinner - big long sausages with sauerkraut washed down with a very tasty black brew. We slept well that night.
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| German sweets - tempting |
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| German sweets - tucking in |
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| German friends - Bob, Katie, Melanie, Alex, Wolfgang & Maria on dam wall |
7-May Sunday
Melanie - Burchert Family
We went off to mass in the local church a short walk away to start this Sunday. It was Melanie’s sister Verina’s birthday today so we journeyed to Cologne to have a special afternoon tea with her. As only five of us could fit comfortably in the car, Melanie opted to take the train from her apartment and meet us there. The cathedral in Cologne is famous for its size and because it survived the war. Because of its age and the sandstone that it is made of, the building is constantly being rejuvenated with a workshop on site constantly repairing and replacing damaged blocks. It was very impressive inside and out. Adjacent to the cathedral is a bridge over the Rhine which is famous for the multitude of locks attached to it due to the practice of friends or lovers snapping on a lock and throwing away the key. Katie and Melanie placed a lock there when Katie last visited in 2012 and amazingly we were able to find it again amongst the millions of locks, the density of application had to be seen to be believed. Apparently this practice is now outlawed due to the extra weight added to the bridges in Germany. We ate at a very flash cafe specialising in sweets (notice a recurring theme?) This place was the only time that I have ever seen movies showing in the gents. We had takeout pizzas for dinner, another win for Italian cuisine, washed down with more beer.
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| Tourists in Cologne - Verina, Maria, Wolfgang, Melanie, Katie, Bob, Mary-Anne |
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| Locks on Cologne Bridge Katie & Melanie's lock is in there somewhere |
8-May Monday
Train to Switzerland
ibis Luzern Kriens Rooms: 1 Industriestrasse 13, Kriens, 6010
Another big breakfast despite an early start - the bakery had just opened in time for us. Wolfgang and Maria dropped us at the train station on his way to work so that we could start the next leg of our European adventure. Tearful goodbyes were the norm. Our first train experience went relatively smoothly allowing us to enjoy our trip to Switzerland. When we arrived in Lucerne, it was a little bit tricky finding out how to get to our hotel which was out of town a bit, so we were told it would be a waste of money catching a taxi, just take a local train then it was a short walk. Still wary of our Dublin experience, we set out with some trepidation. Mild panic ensued when we got off at our stop and examined the tourist map we were given. Eventually we made it to our hotel, swearing that in future we would always get a taxi to any new destination when we had our full bags in tow. After a settling beer and a snack, we unpacked our bags and headed off in search of proper food. With nothing suitable in sight and having free train travel, we opted to head back to the city centre. There we took in some of the scenery while wandering around looking for a budget option of local fare. No success in this direction so we settled on a flash establishment on the waterfront. Here they had rugs for your legs and fur coats in case you were cold. The loos were ornately decorated, so much so that you needed all your wits about you to prevent distraction. Excellent food for a big price, but what to do when on holiday? On our way back to our hotel we passed a group getting ready to practice their long stemmed Swiss horns. Another good day despite being a little bit cloudy and mizzly.
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| Our train stop at Kriens outside Lucerne |
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| Approaching our hotel at last |
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| Flash restaurant in Lucerne - hand basin |
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| Flash restaurant in Lucerne - urinal don't confuse with wash basin above |
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| Lake in Lucerne |
9-May Tuesday
ibis Luzern Kriens Rooms: 1 Industriestrasse 13, Kriens, 6010
This was the day we wanted to go up the mountain. It was heavily overcast in the morning but we booked the cable car anyway hoping it might clear somewhat by the time we got there. Meanwhile, we spent the morning walking around the crystal clear lake, checking out an interesting old church, buying a watch for Mary-Anne and indulging in chocolate at a recommended chocolatier. Apparently it is a rule that you cannot visit Switzerland without sampling and returning home with, Swiss chocolate. The journey to the top of the mountain began with a shortish bus ride before a pleasant walk took us to the cable car. For a fair way up, we could enjoy clear views of the countryside and snow remnants on the ground below while coping with the swaying cable car. Then we were completely enveloped in cloud. At the top, there was limited wide viewing but heaps of snow that we could play in and build mini snowmen. Great fun. Mary-Anne could reminisce about her favorite storybook character Heidi . We posted a card to Nan from the post office at the top. It was an awesome experience going up in the cable car and back down, especially going in and out of the cloud. That night we treated ourselves to the flash restaurant near our hotel as it had been a very big day.
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| Katie & I admiring flowers in Lucerne |
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| Mary-Anne and her snowman |
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| Lots of snow for Katie and I |
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| Up into the clouds |
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| Katie showing where we are |
10-May Wednesday
Train to Florence
Le Stanza del Duomo, Via Martelli 8, Duomo, Firenze, 50129
We awoke to bright blue skies and a stunning display of snow capped mountains outside our breakfast window. The train trip to Florence was an experience of eye-opening beauty as we passed by lakes alongside picturesque villages snuggled into green hills backdropped by white capped mountains. Frequent tunnels gave us a chance to catch our breadth. We had a short stop to change trains just after we entered Italy. On this trip, we were fortunate to encounter a forgiving conductor who let us correct our Rail Passes which should have been filled out before we got on the train. It seems like we could have been charged a couple of hundred Euro with an extra fine on top. From thence we were very careful to read the fine print and do the right thing. When we got to Florence, the fun began as we looked for our hotel. Despite having a tourist map, we did not count on the Italian system of sometimes giving the streets different names on different sides of the same street plus different sets of numbers. The fact that the hotel was not a stand alone building but a floor within a building did not help. It was with a huge sense of relief that we found our lodging for that night. We needed to do washing desperately so we went searching. Fortunately, the laundromat we found was located next to a small restaurant. This led to a delicious meal while doing some of our laundry. On the way back to our hotel, I was struck by the realisation that there seemed to be no stand alone buildings in this city centre - the only gaps were roads/laneways.
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| View near our hotel on our last morning in Switerland |
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| Pretzels - lunch on the train between Switzerland and Italy |
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| Mary-Anne & I in Florence El Dormo in the background |
11-May Thursday
Le Stanza del Duomo, Via Martelli 8, Duomo, Firenze, 50129
This was to be our one full day in this ancient city. Mary-Anne and Katie were keen for shopping, especially for leather jackets for which Florence is noted. I was not. I volunteered to do the rest of the laundry, not knowing when we might next get an opportunity. We split up. This was not as daunting as it might have been as our hotel was very close to El Dormo, a well established landmark. ‘When we got back together the clothes were clean and dry and flash leather jackets had been procured. All were happy. Next we went on a long walk to check out he city sights. This took us along a river bank and up to the top of a nearby hill where we could take in excellent views of the city and surrounds while licking a getati cone. We got back to El Dormo in time to meet Katie’ friend from Urbino Uni, Katalin who travelled back to Florence to meet up with Katie. We walked lots more till hunger set in and we got lucky in choosing a place on the river bank where you paid a nominal sum and they provided you with food and a drink. It was excellent tasty filling food so there was no need for dinner. We wandered back towards our hotel to have coffee plus sweets or, in my case, grappa before Mary-Anne and I retired leaving Katie to hit the town with Katalin.
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| Florence from across the river |
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| Gelatis in the foreground, Florence in the background |
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| Angle or parallel parking does not matter for a small car |
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| Katie & Katalin celebrating catching up after a long time apart |
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| Katie, Katalin, Mary-Anne & I in Florence |
12-May Friday
Train, bus & taxi
Hotel Civita Via Manfredi 124, Atripalda, 83042, Italy
An early start was necessary to catch the train to Naples. This was a particular struggle for Katie after the night before. It also meant we missed brekky. From Naples we caught a bus to Avellino where Roberta was to pick us up. Unfortunately, a slight hiccup in cross language communication and no Wi Fi had us stressing for awhile before we managed to hire one of the three taxis in Avellino to take us to our hotel. From there it was plain sailing as we reconnected with the De Santis family using the hotel Wi Fi. We met the De Santis family or at least a large part of it and were treated to a wonderful lunch. After lunch Katie crashed for a few hours while Mary-Anne and I strolled back to our hotel with Nando De Santis as our guide. It was less than 10 minute walk from the De Santis house to our hotel. Mary-Anne and I chilled out for the rest of the day while Katie caught up with the De Santis clan before sleeping at Frederica’s place. At least the sleep she might have missed out that night was her own doing, not Mum and Dad’s.
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| Extended De Santis family with their Aussie visitors |
3-May Saturday
Hotel Civita Via Manfredi 124, Atripalda, 83042, Italy
Nando and Mamma Franca took the three of us to see the local sights, this included a ride in a cog railway up to a monastery which provided excellent views of the region. Afterwards we were treated to an Italian BBQ at the De Santis’ country block where they had constructed a comfortable dwelling among the fruit trees. Sometime ago this was to be the basis of their home before they acquired the apartment that they now live in. It was indeed a feast washed down with copious amounts of local red wine. The rest of the day was quite low key for Mary-Anne and I.
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| Nando, Katie & Franca at a local monastery |
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| Looking on and helping out at Italian BBQ |
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| Much meat at Italian BBQ |
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| Nando and Katie enjoying sweets at Italian BBQ |
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| Once a teacher, always a teacher |
14-May Sunday
Hotel Civita Via Manfredi 124, Atripalda, 83042, Italy
It was Mother’s Day and we got the opportunity to go to Gerard Majella’s church. This required an hour or so drive through the countryside on another perfect day. Masses ran almost back to back so we were able to catch on arriving before having a close look around some amazing displays of mangers, baby stuff and historical Gerard Magella materials. Back in Atripalda, Roberta was busy preparing home made lasagna for us to feast on when we got back. Later that afternoon and into the evening, Mary-Anne and I wandered around the Town Square where there was a special celebration for Our Lady of Fatima followed by a large procession. This kept us entertained until it was time to return to the De Santis family home for our last meal there. Brought in pizzas were the centre piece of the meal but there were lots of complementary side dishes and sweets. Mary-Anne and I were really privileged to meet the De Santis family and be taken in so wholeheartedly.
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| Example of detailed managers at St Gerard Magella's church |
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| Celebrating Our Lady of Fatima in Atripalda's town square |
15-May Monday
Train
Oasi Madre della Pace - Sorrento Rooms: 1 Via Parise 22, Sorrento, 80068
Nando picked Mary-Anne and I up from our hotel before collecting Katie from Federica’s place. On her last night with her Italian family there was not much sleep happening. Today we had no specific travel bookings as the buses were regular and there seemed like plenty of time for the 12 noon all stops from Naples to Sorrento. This was our first experience of wall-to-wall people in Italy, made all the more interesting with our full load of luggage. Somehow we managed to squish into the same carriage. Mary-Anne fortunately managed a seat while Katie and I stood with our bags. The next few hours were not particularly pleasant as Katie and I fought for our personal space while keeping our eyes peeled for suspect characters. Both of us experienced attempts at pickpocketing - I looked down one time to see some fingers near my jeans pocket and my wallet seemingly coming up for air. A gentle tap sent the fingers scuttling away. Katie noticed her bag partially unzipped, luckily nothing seemed to be missing. That certainly heightened our alertness for the remainder of the trip. Unfortunately Katie had the added displeasure of a sleaze using the crowded conditions to come far closer to her body than was comfortable. Luckily there was a bit of lightness on the trip to ease the density of the air that pervaded the carriage. On one of the 26 stops along the way, a trio of musicians with their instruments, squeezed on and began playing music. This just cracked up most of the non local crowd. It was good to get off at Sorrento. Our lodgings were again out of town, so with a high degree of uncertainty we found a bus. Thankfully the driver was very helpful and stopped at the correct spot for us to get off. After the bus had departed, there were no buildings in sight, only a very steep lane going up. Up we went with our full load praying this was the right place. I soon worked out that reverse was the best gear as my backpack was pulling me up the hill rather than dragging me back down with the heavy bag I was dragging alone. Praise the Lord, we found where we were supposed to be going. Although we knew that we were staying at a convent, it caught us by surprise, particularly when we were shown to our room and took in the long list of what we were not allowed to do. Do not put anything on the other two beds in the room, was one of those things. We were much more pleasantly surprised by the awesome views of Sorrento, the coastline and surrounding countryside.
It was mid-afternoon and Katie was done - no doubt from the stressful train trip plus her lack of sleep during the three nights in Avellino catching up with the De Santis family. As she had been feeling unwell for most of the trip, her body finally said “Stop! I need a rest”. She rested while Mary-Anne and I went off exploring and searching for food. Up seemed the best way forward. We enjoyed the walk with the stunning views but had minimal luck in the search for food. The nibbles and beers we brought back to the unit were sufficient to give us strength for exploration downward in search of a proper dinner.
Katie had sufficiently recovered to join us. Our best bet seemed to be downward to the town of Sorrento which seemed a long way away. One of the nuns assured us it was a mere 30 mins walk if we followed a short cut rather than the road. Off we headed. When we reached civilisation, we were sufficiently impressed by the first eating establishment which had sea views and seafood on special. It was indeed very good. With a short after dinner stroll through the town towards our bus stop, we ensured we were ready well before the last bus for the night was due to depart. What a full, eventful day. Thank goodness for twilight.
16-May Tuesday
Oasi Madre della Pace - Sorrento Rooms: 1 Via Parise 22, Sorrento, 80068
We had booked a day tour of the Amalfi Coast at Katie’s insistence that this was the most beautiful part of Italy. On this perfectly blue skied day, a medium sized bus picked us up from the main road below our hotel. We were the first of about 18 that would almost fill the bus as we pieced our way through the streets of Sorrento collecting the others. It was an amazing trip. Smashing views of the coastline as we negotiated narrow bends with precipitous drops on one side and solid rock on the other while our guide provided clarifying commentary without being over the top. The driver was a magician. How else could he have negotiated those hairpin bends while passing other buses and not severely scratching either vehicle. Amongst this, there were buildings etched into the mountainside. How these were built beggars belief if you did not witness the scene with your own eyes. Paintings and photos give only half the story. We stopped at Positano for lunch. The bus parked near the main road and we sauntered down through the narrow lanes towards the sea. The beach was comprised of tiny dark pebbles which became very hot in the sun, in storng contrast to the cool clear water. I entered the waters of the Mediterranean to above my ankles then plunged them into the hot pebbles from which they emerged warm, clean and dry. For the record, I took a photo of the sea and beach with a person strategically placed for perspective. There were lots for sale in the stalls that abounded in this small town directed particularly at tourists. Mary-Anne bought a painting from an artist at work near the beach. It made it safely back to Australia carefully rolled in our baggage. Our bus stopped another couple of times before retracing our path back to Sorrento. These stops gave us an opportunity to stretch our legs and soak in the local atmosphere. Our return trip gave us the different perspective of the views from the other side of the bus. That night we dined at our lodging where the nuns prepared a sumptuous three course meal including red wines made from their own grapes and finished off with a glass of home made Lemoncello from their own lemons. Katie was right. This is indeed a beautiful part of the world
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| Sampling refreshments at Amalfi Coast |
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| Cool lemon drinks |
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| Local artist at work on Almalfi Coast |
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| Drying my feet on the warm pebbles after a dip in the sea |
17- May Wednesday
Oasi Madre della Pace Sorrento Rooms: 1 Via Parise 22, Sorrento, 80069
Today we opted for a relatively cruisy day looking around Sorrento with the main aims to sample gnocchi, Sorrento’s signature dish, and purchase souvenirs of Lemoncello to take home with us. We also made it down to the sea to dip a toe in toe in, at least I did. Again we took more photographs, this time there were no inappropriate additions for perspective. After a pleasant morning looking and topped buy an excellent gnocchi lunch overlooking the sea, we returned to our lodgings for an afternoon rest before heading upwards to a pizza restaurant with a view. That was another excellent choice by us. Definitely the best dinner view of our trip as the sun set over the sea. Likewise, we were served the best pizza we had encountered on our travels. It was a most appropriate way to spend our last evening in this exceptionally beautiful part of the world. Unfortunately the high quality of the food all day and the weakness of my willpower led to turmoil in my tummy.
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| Sorrento seaside |
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| Mary-Anne & I sipping red wine, overlooking the sea, waiting for gnocchi |
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| Sorrento has a reputation for excellent gnocchi - we can vouch for this |
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| Perfect pizza, pleasant view, positively beaming - last night in Sorrento |
18-May Thursday
Bus & train
Hotel Nardizzi Rooms: 1 Via Firenze 38, Rome, 184
We were so not looking forward to our return multi-stop train trip back to Naples. We made sure we got there early enough to maximise our chances of getting seats. This plan worked. It was even more comfortable when we put in place the tip about putting our bags under our seats. it was amazing how much room was there. The train hardly filled up so we enjoyed the scenery while still keeping our eyes peeled for any dubious characters. We had a small stop at the Naples Station before back to the comfortable first class train to Rome. By this time my stomach was settled but I was still low on energy. Katie on the other hand was pumped. Rome is her favourite city and she was itching to show us as many of the glorious sights that she could, I was a wet blanket, tired of crowds, unimpressed by old buildings and just wanted to cool my heels for the afternoon. We struck a compromise and went back to our hotel, again just a floor in an apartment building, for a short rest before exploring that afternoon and evening. As there was so much to see in a relatively small area, it did not matter where we went. We got to the Trevi Fountain, of movies fame, then went looking for the Vatican where we had booked a tour the next day. The logic here was to minimise the panic that usually arose when we needed to get to a particular place at a particular time. After beings satisfied we could find our way quickly in the morning, we looked for dinner. We found a quiet Tapas Bar and enjoyed sufficient snacks with our drinks to sate our appetite. I enjoyed getting to sleep that night.
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| Tossing it in Trevi Fountain |
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| Katie showing how it is done |
19-May Friday
Hotel Nardizzi Rooms: 1 Via Firenze 38, Rome, 184
Our Vatican Tour was to be at 10 am so we headed to our local train station with confidence as the trains were very regular. We had not factored in how crowded they might be at this hour of the morning. After letting the first train go as it seemed definitely too full and our thinking was that the next might have more room. This was an incorrect assumption. When it came we felt maybe the following trains would only get more full so on we attempted. Katie could have easily fit in the smallest gap but there was the equivalent of five Katies to get on. Oh well, here goes, Katie in easily, Mary-Anne half in, me three-quarters out. Rather than deal with any damage that might be caused when the doors closed, I just pushed with all my might. Luckily this resulted in making sufficient room for only a slight brushing of my behind by the closing doors. On reflection, I think that was the first time that I have actually pushed my wife around. Necessity is indeed the mother of invention.
We made our rendezvous with our tour group in time. Rumour had it that there would be a lot of people lining up to see inside the Vatican. That only slightly prepared me for the giant scrum of people before us. I was very pleased that we had booked before, we were in an organised group, and I did not suffer from claustrophobia. Still it was an amazing?incredible?fantastic? experience. We moved slowly, but not too slow. Our guide knew her stuff and was easy to understand. There was such a lot to see and the background information made it all the more relevant. I would have been impressed by two or three works of genuine art, the five or six rooms full of pieces were incapable of being absorbed.
This tour had the added extra of St Peter’s Basilica. For sheer size it was overwhelming, not withstanding the beauty of so many things within. For scale, the sizes of large Cathedrals worldwide were marked in the aisle inside. We had thought that the Cologne Cathdral which we visited in Germany was ginormous. It was only the third biggest and utterly dwarfed by this one. Back in the day, size must have really counted. I came away from this site grateful of the opportunity afforded me to increase my understanding of The Vatican, popes and ancient Roman history.
By now we were quite peckish so managed a meal nearby. It was not up to the high standard we had become accustomed to but that is the price of being a tourist. Our appetite sated, we went in search of the shop with 150 flavours of gelati. Katie tried to guide us based of past memories but they were too dim. We tried following a map and that led us near but not too it. Even asking the local coppers only got us more confused. Eventually we found it. Still as we were wandering and looking, we saw lots of incredible sights, tall columns, ancient buildings, clever buskers and escaped being robbed. one of the sights we stumbled on was the Panthenon. It was awesome - so old, so round, so puzzling how they attached the marble to the bricks used to build the structure. I was beginning to get interested, even excited, by the cobblestone streets, and how these old buildings were put together. We dined that evening at an eco-friendly cafe close to our hotel. Another worthwhile day of our travels was topped off by a thunderstorm that evening, the first wetness we had come across since Dublin, our first day in Europe.
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| Outside St Peter's Basilica |
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| One of the very many sculptures on display in the Vatican |
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| Inside St Peter's Basilica |
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| Selfie including the ceiling of St Peter's Basilica |
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| Headless Italian busker |
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| The Pantheon |
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| The scale of the Pantheon |
20-May Saturday
about to fly home
When we awoke on our last day in Europe it was overcast with a few showers. Our flights were that evening at 8 pm so we had the best part of a day to see what still needed to be seen and celebrate my 61st birthday in style. Katie insisted “The Colosseum” was a definite “must see”. There was no arguments so we aimed to hit this monument close to opening time. No problem getting there or nor getting in despite a few scuds of rain. Inside it was another incredible experience again dominated by sheer size. Fortunately despite the mostly open air nature of the building, there were sufficient covered areas to shelter the multitudes during the heavier showers. The walls of the covered spaces had lots of information posted on its history, so again we topped up our education. When enough was enough inside, Katie suggested we stroll around the outside to get a better idea of the enormity of the structure. Another great call by our resident tour guide. The other plan for the day was to have lunch at a flash restaurant very highly recommended by Katie’s friend. Searching high and low, armed with a map and the address, we had no luck. Tensions were rising. Annoyingly no restaurants opened before 12:30 pm. We found a small pizza place and asked politely if we could come slightly before opening time. Success. We could order and eat shortly thereafter. It was magic. The pizzas were perfect, the wine very good, the family atmosphere cosy, comfortable but not crowded, and the bill much less than we were prepared to pay. We could not have planned it better. It was a little bit drizzly as we made our way back to our hotel to pick up our bags en route to the airport. It was interesting to get the different view of Rome from a taxi rather than a train or on foot. Mary-Anne and Katie did some last minute duty free shopping before we boarded. For my birthday, Mary-Anne gave me a very nice looking bottle of grappa, a most appropriate gift at that time. Our stopover in Zurich was non eventful as we then headed for Singapore.
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| Outside the Colosseum in the rain |
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| Inside the Colosseum |
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| To show we were there |
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| Enjoying my birthday lunch |
21-May Sunday
Arrive: Singapore (SIN) , Terminal 2 4:55 PM 21 May 2017
Qantas Airways (QF) 52 Economy Depart: Singapore (SIN) , Terminal 1 8:50 PM
We had a few hours wait in Changi Airport before pour last leg to Brisbane. Unfortunately, I had the grappa gift with me as our main luggage was booked through from Rome to Brisbane. The Singapore authorities would not let me take the grappa on board as I had not purchased it in Singapore. This presented a dilemma - drink the grappa now and suffer the consequences on the plane, or just have a few swigs and tip out the rest to save the bottle. The swigs were tasty and smooth. Even Mary-Anne thought it the most palatable grappa she had tasted. We poured the remainder into an empty water bottle and left said bottle in the lounge. Hopefully someone got a pleasant surprise. Our last flight home was not uncomfortable even though the person in front of me kept reclining his seat. I should have been sleepy but was probably far too excited with the prospect of returning home. We made it. It was indeed great to be back in our wonderful country Australia.
21-May Sunday
Arrive: Brisbane (BNE) , Terminal I 6:15 AM
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