Day 22 - Venice

Not good at using the mobile GPS and doesn't talk to you. We will definitely bring the real one next time but this time we were trying to travel light for the final flight out of Greece.

A truck is always in front of the sign to turn off too. Took the final entry ramp into Venice and made it into the car return garage.  Ronnie is pleased.

Venice is amazing.  Can't believe people built here.  The water is a pale aqua and smells beautiful.  The buildings are all old and the tiny footpaths suddenly open into piazzas.

Day 21 - Bellagio

Beautiful gardens. Beautiful lake.  Lovely.  Sigh.

Day 20 - Lake Como - Bellagio

Spectacular.  Took the easy route from Lecco to Varenna and then the ferry across to Bellagio.

But the lady at the hotel said we would be fine on the Bellagio - Lecco road.  She didn't say we'd have to breathe in - but we know that now about Italian Roads.

 View from our balcony!

Day 19 - Riomaggiore

Took the boat to Portovenere.  Saw two weddings on the one day. Saw the 15th century fort. 
It was too rough for the boat to pull into each of the ports but on the way  home they tried to get into Riomaggiore - successfully - but required incredible boat skills. 

They have landslides frequently all along the coast here.  Taking away parts of the Cinque Terre paths and the road and peoples vinyards and houses.  Dramatic way to live.

Day 18 - Riomaggiore

Walked along the famous coast trail from Riomaggiore to Manarola.  The track was closed from Manarola to Corniglia so we caught the train to Monterossa.  Walked from Monterossa to Vernazza.  It started to rain fairly heavily and for the first time in our lives we weren't prepared with wet weather gear so we decided not to walk from Vernazza to Corniglia and took the train back to Riomaggiore.

Walked up 500 steps to get a pizza.  When does one get fit?

Day 17 - Riomaggiore

Have adjusted the settings to allow comments by anyone since some people seem to want to do this!

We stayed at Il Limoni studio.  Fantastic view. 

Sunny here in a pretty perfect setting.

Our apartment!

Day 16 - Florence

This was my favourite sculpture of the whole trip.  At pitti palace Bobolo Gardens. Tindaro Screpolato sculpture by Igor Mitoraj.

We walked and walked and walked.

Uffizi gallery, David, Pitti Palace.

Takeaway pizza for dinner at Trattoria Gigi, via Giampaolo Orsini.  The best pizza of the entire trip. 

Not David but a cutie:

Day 15 - Florence

There are thousands of tourists here!

We walked and walked and walked.

Dinner at Ristorante Il  Beccaio.  Fantastic food and you could not get better service. Unbelievable.  I had potato tortellini with goose ragu. Excellent marachino lemon gelato. 

Photo of Duomo in Florence: The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore

Day 14 - Florence

Drove to Florence via Positano and Sorrento which was an easier way than via Salerno which we came in on.  We avoided Rome and anything that looked like a town.

It was a long trip and pretty exhausting as Ronnie is still getting used to the left hand drive.  The windscreen wipers come on often, especially when he is under pressure - for instance when a big truck is pulling into our land without indication.

Went to "happy hour" at the Hotel David and met two other couples and we just chatted over free drinks, wonderful food (supposedly appetisers) and cake. Didn't realise we hadn't had dinner until it was 11:30 and it was too late so we just went to bed!

Would you  believe we travel half way around the world to photograph a rowing club - Florence Rowing Club - and give an assessment of their rowing skills - excellent for about 50 metres then they stop, feign exhaustion, and start over.  We could blitz them.

We could whip the pants off the rowers in Rome too.  Even I could see they lacked style.

Day 13 - Positano

Went to Positano for a few hours.  Very touristy.

Returned to the hotel for a swim and had drinks with people we met on the Capri tour and then out to dinner.

Day 12 - Walk of the gods

Took the local bus up a steeply winding road with numerous hairpin bends to Bomerano. 

The walk is right on the top of the ridge of hills along the coast.  650 metres down to sea level in 8km.
This was the best walk of the whole trip.  Stunning views and so very quiet. Hardly anyone on the track which winds around the side of the hills and gives access to lots of little houses and vineyards along the way.  Saw lots of little shrines along the way.  Very magical experience.

Fantastic views but very pleased we did the downhill option as I would have died on the uphill option. Was supposed to take 4 and a half hours but took us 2 and a half even allowing for stops for photos and to enjoy the view (not rest stops, of course).  Overtook a family with two five year olds which was the highlight of the trip and made me feel very fit.

The last section we descended 200 steps to find a sign that said: "1700 steps to Positano"

Took two days for my calf muscles to recover.

Day 11 - Capri

Took a boat tour around Capri with 8 others.  The Captain was awaiting news of his wife's ultrasound to find out if he was to have a girl or a boy (it will be a girl).

Fantastic trip.  Saw the blue grotto, the green grotto, the white grotto, the lover's grotto and the mermaid's grotto and took the funicular up the top of Capri to see the view.  Had a pizza on the esplanade. 

Met some Australians with whom we had dinner the next night at a fantastic little fish restaurant on the water eating fish they had caught that day.  Just like home really!!

Photo below:  Goats hide here so they don't get eaten.

Day 10 - Pompeii

Can't believe how apt the name of this blog is.

Italian road signs are big green signs with an arrow pointing left - translation: go straight ahead.
We got lost in Pompeii following road signs.

Continued on to the nightmare roads of the amalfi coast.  Italian drivers are insane.  Best approach is to close your eyes and pray.  Luckily Ronnie is driving.  Also, when hiring a car in Rome hire the smallest one possible as breathing in doesn't help.

One of the people who didn't survive the eruption in Pompeii.

Day 9 - Rome

Miraculous resurrection.

Borghese Galleria & walked around Rome.
Discovered why restaurants in Rome open at 8 - because roads are so tiny and convoluted that it takes until 8 to find the restaurant you want, even if you start out early.

The Pantheon:

Day 8 - Tipping

Roberto, the guy who owns our apartment, says you should not tip in Italy.

The Italians think it puts you in a Master to their Servant situation and they do not like it as they consider you are being condescending.

If you do tip they will not treat you with respect or give you good service.

Day 8 - Rome - Vatican

Walked from Trastevere to the Vatican, walked around the Vatican, walked through the Vatican.  Listened to 6 and a half hours of information on a Through Eternity Tour and learnt a lot.  Walked back to Trastevere.  Died.

Day 7 - Rome

In Trastevere and a lot of Rome there are no lane markings on the road.  Are there two lanes or three?  Who knows, certainly no one cares. If someone doesn’t move the second the lights change horns will blare everywhere.  If you are a driver and not happy you just lean on your horn until you are happy.

Trastevere, where we are staying, is very like Surry Hills NSW.  The streets are narrow so cars park very close so close that they often touch getting in and out.  Every single car we have seen so far has at least one (and generally two or three) dinged corners.  Little smart cars are parked perpendicular to the curb.  Sticking out too far?  Let’s just back up onto the curb.  The Italians park around the corner, sometimes three deep.  There doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of regulation around here.

The Carabinieri, the military police wear superb uniforms.  But it is usually the Polizia (state police) who you see rushing around in their tiny cars with sirens blaring but no one takes any notice so one officer has to hang out the window waving a red dot on a stick to let people know he wants to get through.

Street vendors are everywhere and if they suddenly whip everything away you know the polizia are somewhere close.  The polizia wait around the corner until all the vendors have gone then they walk down the street.  

V

Fabulous Italian bakery: Il Fornaretto di Trastevere panificio Valter Scacchi, 6 via luigi santini.

Bridge from 306 AD:

Day 6 - Rome

Flying BA economy to Rome.  I think we were spoilt by premium econ! 

Colosseum and newly opened underground. 

On the train from the airport into Rome there were another couple, us and a guy in our carriage.  About the second stop another guy boarded.  He came towards us so I put my hand on my luggage in my usual paranoid fashion.  He went to get off the train but then came back and sat down.  As we pulled out from the next station the couple at the other end of the train started swearing (in English) the guy had picked up one of their bags and walked off the train.  They couldn't do anything but watch as he casually walked down the platform as the train pulled away from the station. 

Ronnie's now as careful as me. 

We dropped off our gear at the apartment we found through Sleep in Italy at via Oreste Tiburzi in Trastevere and went for a walk.  We walked past all the major sites and headed towards the colosseum. 

The colosseum underground tour was the highlight of the colosseum tour.  Fantastic.  We got to go to the third floor as well - usually locked off to tourists - for a great view over the city. 

Colosseum Underground and Colosseum from the outside:

Day 5 - National Gallery

Walked over to the Southbank to take photos of Big Ben and Houses of Parliament.

Then to the National Gallery. Not my style of painting. 

Walked down the Strand and Fleet Street to Somerset House (Ron’s favourite) which houses the Courtauld gallery which was fantastic.  Walked past St Paul's Church-Inigo Jones. We arrived at St Paul’s Cathedral-Wren-for choir practice which was brilliant. Can’t believe how good the tube is.  Trains every 2 – 3 mins on every line and they are fast.  Announcements to tell you where you are and where you are going and if you are slowed down the driver announces what the problem is and how long it will take to get going again.  Usually you have caught up to the train in front and have to wait 1 min.

Stayed at the Sofitel Heathrow to catch the early morning flight to Rome.  Luxurious 5 star hotel 2 mins walk via internal bridges to terminal 5 and absolutely no aircraft noise.  Dinner at Terminal 5 - Carluccios Italian to prepare ourselves for tomorrow. 

Day 4 - Greenwich

Took the City River Cruise to Greenwich.  We had all the sights pointed out by commentary on board which was great.  The trip took an hour and was really beautiful.  The tide in the river is up to 7.5 metres so the the current was really strong when the tide turned.  Boats floating as we went down the river were high and dry when we returned. Boats are mostly moored on barges in the middle of the river to cope with the tides. Greenwich observatory was a bit of a disappointment but the naval museum was good.  They wanted 10 GBP pp to stand either side of the Greenwich meridian line (they just brought this charge in for the Olympics next year) Ron thought it was crass commercalisation and refused to pay.  There weren’t many people going through and there a person doing a survey about why not.  Tough one to work out. 

Day 3 - Kew Gardens

Spend the day at Kew gardens.  Fantastic weather, beautiful gardens.  Saw the botanic drawing exhibition, World Garden photographic exhibition and all of the glasshouses. The smallest glasshouse-the desert glasshouse-was the most spectacular with thousands of tiny plants.  The Australian section of the gardens was pretty pathetic and they misspelt Australia (Austrailia) and Budawang (Budawong).  

  

Day 2 – Lost Already

Arrived in London and used oyster cards to dropped bag off at Premier Inn in Earls Court.  Headed for the station to go to Victoria Station to buy paper travel cards for the 2 for 1 deals.  Found the right platform so I jumped on the train, only to find Ron wasn’t next to me but still on the platform as the doors closed. My mother always told us if we get separated or lost you go back to the last place you saw the person and wait.  I got off at the first station and returned to Earls Court as I knew Victoria is one of the largest train stations in the world and I’d never find Ron.  I eventually got the Transport Police to put an APB out on him and he returned to Earls Court and we started the day again.  Needless to say the Transport Police are incredibly helpful and very nice.

Went on a London walk past Big Ben, Westminster, St James’ Park and Buckingham Palace.  Saw the changing of the guards accompanied by the marching band.  Very spectacular.  Walked with the guard from the palace to the barracks and back again then saw the horse guards changing as well.  Then walked to Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square, Piccadilly and finished at the National Gallery.

Had lunch at Pret a manger and went on another walk to the British Museum.  Returned to the hotel and had dinner there as we didn’t have the energy to go out and find somewhere to eat. 

Day 1 - Europe - UK Italy Greece

Sydney to London Flight

Arrived at Sydney Airport at 11:30 to be told that we had to come back to the check in desk at 12:30.  We had lunch then returned right on 12:30 to find a huge queue of about 300 people.  We obediently joined the end- blocking the concerted efforts of a little old lady to push in front (her son refused to push in front so she eventually retreated). A BA person came down the line asking for anyone who had checked in on line and voila we were led to new aisle that was completely empty.  We walked the gauntlet in front of all those 6 winding queues and went straight to the front of the line at “bag drop” and went through!  Immediately rang number one son to ask if he had checked in online but this is not offered by Jetstar with whom he was flying to Canada.

On board we had seat 23 A and B in Premium economy which were an aisle/window seat just behind the wing.  We had an excellent roast dinner chicken and a constant flow of food and drink. Despite the comfy seats it was difficult to sleep because of the noise of the aircraft. 

We stopped at Singapore and reboarded to find we’d been upgraded to Business Class.  This was because they had overbooked economy and we are frequent flyers.  Ron thinks this was a con on our part since we’ve never flown anywhere just shopped our way into frequent flyer status. Seat 15 E and F were two seats together facing towards the back.  It was an excellent seat if you are travelling together as there is more room, no one walking past and totally private.    We were offered champagne and beer (I didn’t indulge) and a constant flow of mineral water and other drinks.