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Europe May 18

May 2018 - May 2024
An open-ended adventure by Karen Read more
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  • Karen CottonEurope May 18
    Day 6

    Wildflowers of Capri

    May 11, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    So today Graham decided he liked taking photos of wildflowers.
    Here is a selection. I told him I'm going to enter him in the photo section of the Royal Show along with his chilli jam.
    Anyone who is invited to slide night of our holiday have been warned.Read more

  • Karen CottonEurope May 18
    Day 6

    Mt Solaro, Capri

    May 11, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Whilst in Capri we caught the chairlift up Mt Solaro. There is a photo of me on the chairlift. That is not a smile, it is a look of sheer terror. Graham said the view was beautiful. I'll take his word. The gardens up the hill were a mix of vegetables, lemon trees, wildflowers and weeds all growing happily together and they really are lovely. That's the look we're going for at home.
    There's a photo of us at the top with nothing behind us. There would be a beautiful view behind us but we were in the clouds. Weirdest thing ever.
    We had read that you can hike back down the mountain to Ana Capri so thought that sounds nice. Found the stairs and headed off. After about a dozen stairs it becomes an incredibly steep track of mud, rocks and pebbles that only a mountain goat, serious hiker or us would attempt to walk down. How we didn't roll an ankle I don't know, and there were some muscle groups used today that have not been used for a very long time. But the view half way down over the bay (still with the odd cloud) was spectacular.    Read more

  • Karen CottonEurope May 18
    Day 7

    Pompeii

    May 12, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Toured Pompeii this morning. Our guide was sorting out free entry for under 18s and Graham put his hand up and said "I'm 16". "Sorry sir" she replied - "no senior discount". I lost it!
    Pompeii was incredibly interesting. It was buried under metres of volcanic ash in 79AD and then forgotten about until a farmer above fell down a well and discovered a city underneath. History lesson over.
    Really enjoyed seeing the fast food outlet, bar and of course the brothel, with the menu painted above the rooms. It is amazing to see what they were able to build, like the sauna room in the public baths with under floor heating. And not an engineer in sight.    Read more

  • Karen CottonEurope May 18
    1
    Day 7

    Herculaneum and a tour of Napoli Rail

    May 12, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    After Pompeii we headed off the Herculaneum, which was hit but the same eruption as Pompeii but the inhabitants died from being burnt alive by the lava and volcanic ash.
    Caught the train to Herculaneum but missed our stop. No problem, we will get off the next stop. Except our train is now express. Finally got off. Crossed to the other platform and boarded the next train, which was heading in the same direction as the one we just got off. Got off another train and waited, and waited and waited and eventually a train came. We must have looked pathetic as an old Italian man with no English made sure we made it to the right stop this time.
    Herulaneum is smaller but much better preserved than Pompeii so you get a much better insight into how colourful their homes and businesses (there were many pubs) were.
    You are given a map and an audio guide. Follow the numbers 1, 2, 3 all easy and then it turned into a treasure hunt. Down one road back up the road you were on then backtrack back to where you just came from. They must have got bored after 3 and decided the next 38 will be allocated at random.
    The most interesting thing we learnt is we went to an ancient laundry and they used urine as bleach. So you send off your dirty clothes to be weed on.
    Today was a huge day. Got home at 7.30 pm just in time to get ready for dinner. Lucky the restaurants here don't close on Perth times!    Read more

  • Karen CottonEurope May 18
    Day 7

    Sorrento at Night

    May 12, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    The best thing about Sorrento is the evenings. Restaurants, shopping, gelato until late at night. And then a homemade limoncello when we get back to the room.
    Went to a fantastic new pasta restaurant last night. Loved the food and also loved that we felt like we were in an episode of Fawlty Towers. Graham ordered a glass of white wine - out came a red. Sent it back - out came a glass of sparkling wine. Third time was a charm. Meals were delivered to the wrong table, meals weren't delivered. It was hilarious. But the food was amazing and free entertainment! And best of all - dessert pasta. Graham had chocolate spaghetti, I had mini canelloni filled with cream and the weeniest little strawberries you have ever seen. I wanted to lick the plate but hadn't had enough to drink. :)Read more

  • Karen CottonEurope May 18
    Day 8

    Ischia

    May 13, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Headed over to Ischia, the sister island of Capri. Much less crowded and bigger than Capri, we preferred it actually.
    Spent quite a few hours at Castello Aragonese, which was built on a rock off the mainland of Ischia in 474BC as a fortress. Has had many uses and upgrades since then. You'll see a photo of what looks like toilets, but when the nuns at the monastery died they would be propped up on these with a bucket underneath to decompose.
    Would have like to have gone to the thermal spas but ran out of time. Caught the last ferry home. Won the battle of the couple trying to push in front of the line (we won't mention their nationality). With a large backpack and elbows you can repel any attack.
    And once again we were eating after 9pm. This was our last night in Sorrento and we really enjoyed it and were sad to leave.    Read more

  • Karen CottonEurope May 18
    Day 9

    Washing Day and Positano

    May 14, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Whenever we travel laundry day is always very entertaining, and today was no exception. We were sitting waiting for our wash to finish when a couple came in. They were looking at the instructions, looking at the machines, looking at the coin operated soap dispenser, back to the washing machine. They said something to Graham so he jumped up and asked where they were from and they were from Argentina and spoke Spanish. Not a word of English. And we, not a word of Spanish. So thanks to google translate Graham was able to show them what all the products on the soap dispenser where and how to use the machine. He hadn't quite finished when the next lot came in and started asking him in Italian how to use the machines. He was jumping from one to the other getting their powder and working the machines for them. He should have been paid by the laundromat commission.
    Wash finished, we left our new friends to work out the driers for themselves and caught a very expensive taxi to Positano. The views here are spectacular but unfortunately the weather is not. Our room has a balcony looking out onto the ocean - pretty special.
    Spent a lazy afternoon drinking limoncello and vino down by the waterfront and playing fetch with the owner's poodle. You would be disappointed if you came here for a sunbathing holiday as it is quite cold. Apparently next week will be warm (or so the locals keep telling us). We are rugged up like we are in Antarctica and people were swimming!
    Had a lovely dinner and a four piece roving Italian jazz band came and played for a while. They were so fabulous that we bought two of their cds. Look out everyone!!    Read more

  • Karen CottonEurope May 18
    Day 10

    Testing Waterproof Jackets - Positano

    May 15, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    Woke up in Positano to a morning rain shower, but we wouldn’t let that deter us. Headed up the hill in our waterproof jackets to catch the bus to Amalfi. Halfway up the hill the heavens really opened. There was rain of biblical portions. The streets turned into a river. Cars were going by splashing us with water. You know how funny that is on tv, well it is not funny in real life. Our shoes, jeans, backpacks, face, in fact everything outside of the waterproof jacket was saturated. So A+ for the jacket.
    Went back to the room to change and regroup. Bought some umbrellas. Decided this time to try heading down the hill to the ferry to Amalfi. Much easier. Amalfi looked very pretty coming in from the ocean as you get a great view of all the homes and hotels up the hill.
    Caught the bus to Ravello, which is a lovely little town but very cold today. Not as touristy as others on the coast. Were going to do the 1,700 stair Ravello climb but as luck would have it the climb is to Ravello, not from Ravello, so we got to do the downhill version. Halfway down got lost, like we always do, so took the main road which winds around all the Amalfi Coast towns. Surprisingly we only passed two others walking this route, but were passed by many other tourists whizzing past in their coaches. There is no footpath, so we were on the road with all the cars and buses, squashed up against the wall as the buses screamed past. Or maybe that screaming was me.
    Graham did ask if I had seen a no pedestrian sign before we headed off. How would I know?
    Anyway we survived to tell the tale and eventually arrived in Amalfi just as it started to rain again. Celebrated making it alive by having gelato in the main town. There were four gelato stores directly opposite the one we were at. How do they all survive? There must be whole dynasties built around the gelato industry. Caught the ferry back to Positano in rough seas; one of my favourite activities – NOT.
    So now the rain has set in for the evening so we will have to sit in this restaurant overlooking the ocean drinking vino.    Read more

  • Karen CottonEurope May 18
    Day 11

    Castle on the Hill

    May 16, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Collected our hire car in Sorrento and drove across the Appenino Mountains to Lopreto Aprutino. Despite the signs warning of snow, deer, moose and even a bear (really?) our trip was uneventful, apart from the terrible drivers. If you are doing 20km over the limit you need to be in the slow lane.
    The scenery on the way was superb; lots of villages perched on the side of the hills. It was just like a postcard.
    We are staying at Castello Chiola; which dates back to 846AD but now is converted to a magnificent hotel sitting over the village. Photos show the view from the castle, which we can see from our room.    Read more

  • Karen CottonEurope May 18
    1
    Day 11

    Castle on the Hill part 2

    May 16, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    More castle photos. Our room is huge! We have our own private sitting area outside of the room, as if we needed more chairs to sit on.
    There are also photos of the atrium dining room, whose roof is the full four stories of the castle.Read more

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