• Cayte Campbell

Croatia, Italy, Paris & Berlin

Four holidays in one! So lucky Lue lisää
  • Matkan aloitus
    13. elokuuta 2024

    Sydney

    13. elokuuta 2024, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Last view of the Hume Dam for 6 weeks. Rest up in Sydney before hours and hours of sitting on a plane. Bonus start though - Ian did not lose his prescription glasses on the Alb-Syd leg this time 👍

  • Arrive Dubrovnik

    15. elokuuta 2024, Kroatia ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    Finally after far too many hours sitting in airports we arrived in Dubrovnik. We had flights delayed and our stopovers were not short, though to be fair I did enjoy the time in Frankfurt airport. I managed to converse in German a bit, & successfully 👍. A total of 38 hours from our door in Sydney to our door in the Old Town in Dubrovnik - and worth the wait. Our Uber driver gave us the 30 minute short history - they are Roman Catholic, there is no crime, the water is drinkable and the sea is crystal clear (he was very right with this one). the place is very clean with no visible rubbish, we could see Bosnia/Herzegovina from the cab, and that we would definitely be back as in his mind it is the best place in the world. Our accommodation in the Old Town is amazing and the weather is beautiful, if a bit humid.
    We went to explore the town and then checked out a local bar. The place is full of young tourists. One thing I did not expect was the steepness of the town and its surrounds. Quiet dinner and then collapsed.
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  • A day in Dubrovnik

    16. elokuuta 2024, Kroatia ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    Our city tour started just outside the Old Town. Apparently today is the day to be here. On about 5 days in the year it occurs that there is not a cruise ship in town - and today is that day! The crowds are much less which is great for us. The tour of the Old Town was really interesting. This place has been ruled by different sovereign states (6 of them in the last 100 years) but has managed to maintain its own identity. The worst damage was caused in 1667 with an earthquake which flattened all but two buildings and then 1991 when they broke from Yugoslavia. We went around much of the town and found out about its history from 12thC onwards. Quite an amazing little place. Then caught the cable car up to the top of the mountain for some spectacular views. Lunch at a sandwich bar where they are famous for their home made bread. Then I collapsed for a bit while Ian toured some of the local museums. The heat is stifling and it is very humid - a worry if I am complaining about the heat! Went out to for a lovely meal to one of the local seafood restaurants - a tip from our guide.Lue lisää

  • Meeting Rozi

    17. elokuuta 2024, Kroatia ⋅ ☁️ 33 °C

    Started the day early conquering the walls of Old Dubrovnik. The heat was oppressive even at 8am on the top. But it was a great way to view the town and the surrounds and we discovered a nice little bar with a view which we chased up later. Part of the deal for the day was brekky on the Main Street in the city so got to enjoy a well earned feed and people watch at the same time. Checked out of our quaint motel and explored the town some more. Then off to the Harbout where out boat Rozi awaited us with Cici and Reeve as crew and our other 6 boat mates for the week. 4 other Aussies - 2 from Newcastle and 2 from Sydney and a couple from Jacksonville Florida. Made our way out of the harbour and put anchor down about 3 hours away, where we all had a swim and then Reeve made us a lovely dinner of salmon. So peaceful!Lue lisää

  • Rozi Day 2 - Mljet

    18. elokuuta 2024, Kroatia ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    After a great nights sleep we woke to a fresh breakfast. We then motored on towards Mljnet Island. Got to the island around lunch using just one sail - the jib. Anchored and swam for a while before going in to Polace on the island. It is mainly National Park and we all hired e-bikes and headed off to explore. Found a lazy river where we floated on current between some tidal lakes - good fun. Some very old buildings around including a Roman fortress. Found a cute little pub for very cold beer before heading back to the boat. Tea was on shore - a specialty of the area, an “under a bell” dinner which we had octopus and lamb. Amazing feed washed down with a local grappa. Huge storms overnight with lightning and thunder, but very secure moored in our little cabin.Lue lisää

  • Rozi Day 3 - Korcula

    19. elokuuta 2024, Kroatia ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    Woke up to a leisurely breakfast before getting clearance for our berth for the next island. Then all hands on deck and full speed ahead to race the lightning, wind and rain to Korcula. We had a wait in the bay for our berth and then Ci-Ci manoeuvred the boat into the tightest of spots. Then off to explore Korcula Old Town - historic old citadel right on the water with Gothic and Renaissance architecutre, similar to a mini Dubrovnik. And of course a bell tower to climb. Rained most of our walk around but still very pretty. Dinner in a local restaurant where Ian had the biggest bowl of mussels ever! Moored overnight in the dock - a good thing as quite a bit of wind still around.Lue lisää

  • Rozi Day 4 - Hvar

    20. elokuuta 2024, Kroatia ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Another amazing breakfast. Reeve is such a good cook. Had to wait to get out of the dock as we were so tingly fitted in, but got away by 10ish. Toured via Porterusha beach - a tiny bay and lovely looking beach - many sea urchins though so had to be careful. Had a go at snorkeling today. Such a display of wildlife in and out of the ocean before motoring on to Hvar. Sadly the winds are not at all favourable for sailing a catamaran - so five hours of motoring which was still lovely as the sun was out. Caught a “James Bond” water taxi into Hvar from our mooring in a bay around the corner from town. Climbed up to the old fortress - the hills are so steep in this part of the world and then checked out the local church - probably the prettiest one we have seen since being in Croatia. Then went down to the town centre to a cute restaurant with a view and an amazing seafood platter for dinner. The taxi ride back was fun - ocean in the dark at speed with Dave insisting that he had to “help”. Then a few drinks on the deck before retiring.Lue lisää

  • Rozi Day 5 - Stari Grad

    21. elokuuta 2024, Kroatia ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Up and a swim with the fish before breakfast. Lots of sea bream and a trigger fish! Then we headed off and finally got to sail! As the conditions were not ideal for the way we wanted to go we headed off the wrong way and then tacked back and finally ended up on motoring towards our destination of Stari Grad which is still on the island of Hvar but the other side of the island. It is one of the oldest towns in Europe, Mooring was an experience as it was windy but finally tied up. Then 6 of us headed to a local winery called Hora where we did some wine tasting and had a plate of antipasto. They are more white wine based but did really like their Rose. We then explored the farm. Our taxi driver was a font of information about the town. When back we went for a wander around the port and got a bite to eat which we took back to the boat - and a really good ice cream 😀Lue lisää

  • Rozi Day 6 - Solta

    22. elokuuta 2024, Kroatia ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    We meandered out of the Stari Grad harbour. Such a pretty place and so clean. The plan was to go to a bay where there was a submarine cave for a swim, then move on for lunch and then put down anchor in one of the bays of the island of Solti - but there were s many boats around we had a look at both places and then headed straight to the island of Solti for a late lunch and a a swim. As it was our last night on the boat CiCi and Reeve made us cocktails and we had another lovely meal on the boat, keeping cool in the water and soaking the views and the very pretty sunset. Played some cards - introduced them to Five Crowns which was a huge hit! All just sat around after dinner and had some interesting conversation ….Lue lisää

  • Rozi Day 7 - Troggir

    23. elokuuta 2024, Kroatia ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Woke up knowing we were getting off today - rather sad, but must admit I am looking forward to a proper bathroom. Would then happily resume the sailing lifestyle. But we must move on. Sailed into Troggir and packed up our stuff before getting transport into the city of Split. We are again staying in the old part of the town where we found our accommodation - a very quaint little apartment with kitchen. Went for a wander to the top of the hill - apparently equivalent to 32 set of stairs (???) before opting for an easy dinner in, a shower and an early night.Lue lisää

  • Split Day 1

    24. elokuuta 2024, Kroatia ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    First things first - sorted our washing! Then headed into town for the free walking tour around Split. Our guide Rocco is a local and took us for 90 minutes through the centre of town and the Diocletian Palace - built as a retirement home in the 4th Century for himself but really more of a fortress and a monument as Diocletian believed himself a god. In the Palace there is a turret area without a roof where local singing groups perform for tips as the acoustics are really good. Was great to listen to. We went down the narrowest street (70cm wide). The early afternoon was filled attending the museum of Illusions. So much fun. An interactive museum where nothing is quite what it seems - and I even managed to solve a puzzle or two. After the museum we walked around out the town - and found an excellent gelato shop - yum. The town itself is quaint with winding streets with everything built from stone. I think I prefer here to Dubrovnik. Then of course up the bell tower and down to the crypt. We had tea at an amazing little restaurant where I had the scampi which is more like crayfish.Lue lisää

  • Split Day 2

    25. elokuuta 2024, Kroatia ⋅ ⛅ 35 °C

    Off to Krka Falls for the day. Had to be up early and met our guide Gabby for the 90-minute journey away from Split. Krka Falls are cascading natural falls in the Krka National Park - apparently one of the sunniest areas of Croatia which we have worked out means the driest areas. We wandered around the park checking out the wildlife and more - so many fish - with little falls all the way around until you get to the main event which was lovely. From there we had a cruise to the quaint little cobblestoned town of Skradin, whose origins date back to ancient times - so of course we climbed to the top of the fortress. The weather was so hot and humid making this hard work. We then checked out their pebble beach (give me sand any day) before heading off to a local winery to taste their wares and then dozing all the way back to Split. Cooked our own dinner as we had a kitchen.Lue lisää

  • Split Day 3

    26. elokuuta 2024, Italia ⋅ ☁️ 36 °C

    Due to issues with dates today is the day that we have to change accommodation. Managed to drop our bags at the new place as we left the old one which was handy. Other side of town and an unusual place - but comfortable. Right near the main beach. So went down and spent some time just watching the goings on at the beach. The sand was more like mud than sand but everyone seemed to be quite enthused about it - it certainly was busy enough. Then off to Diocletian’s palace to explore the underneath further - they have a museum down there. It was so good (and cool as almost underground). This area is where Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones kept her dragons. Ran into our Seattle friends from the winery part of the Krka tour and caught up on both our days
    Went over the road to TOC for tea and then sat and watched YouTube for bits of the Game of Thrones that was filmed in Croatia before retiring for the night.
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  • Split Day 4

    27. elokuuta 2024, Italia ⋅ ☁️ 35 °C

    Checked out of our accommodation and put our baggage in store at the port. Then headed off to the Archeological Museum. A fair walk but worth it. So much Roman stuff from the 1st to the 4th century. Ian was in his element. But if figured if you want the family portrait to last, best so it in stone 🤣. Wandered back to the old town and decided to do dessert first - the ice creams here are really good - and so many gelato shops. With dessert done we did lunch. Ian finally got his sardines and I had scampi tacos - amazing 🤩 . .Then went to the Natural History Museum - interesting but …. But we scored the free day so that worked well. Then off to the port - quite a wait before we boarded our boat where we had a cabin on board - not a lot of room, but our own bathroom! And at 7.30 we headed in on our way to Italy. It was beautiful watching the port and Croatia disappear into the distance. And a surprisingly good nights sleep.Lue lisää

  • Rome Day 1

    28. elokuuta 2024, Italia ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Woke up as the ship berthed, gathered our things and then walked the 30 minutes to the train station for our train to Roma Termini. The countryside is more diverse than I expected. Huge rock hills on the Adriatic coast to farmland in the middle, interspersed with villages. Found our accommodation - again good except this one is not hear public transport so there will be lots of walking. First stop was the Castle of the Angels - Castel Sant’Angelo - probably one of my favourite places in Rome. Explored the whole site, sadly the Pont Sant’Angelo (bridge) is under reconstruction so only a limited view of all of Bernini’s angels. Weaved our way back through to our accommodation and a nearby dinner - just walking the streets is lovely.Lue lisää

  • Rome Day 2

    29. elokuuta 2024, Italia ⋅ ⛅ 35 °C

    While getting up early in Croatia meant no crowds, it is very different here. Sirens, lots of cars and people. Breakfast was a custard croissant - which I liked even though the man struggled with the concept that I did not like coffee (and gave me an orange juice even though it was not an option). Headed to the tour start and saw their free video which was a reconstruction of Ancient Rome - very interesting. Then off to the catacombs of Domatilla. There are about 28km of corridors on four levels. We started in the underground Basilica and then followed our guide (single file only) through lots of corridors of catacombs and family crypts - some open but some still sealed with their occupants in them. From there we made our way by public transport (always interesting) to the Museum and the Crypt of the Cappuchin. The Cappuchin monks are one of three orders that was founded by St Francis. They live in poverty helping the poor and needy - but have some strange practises - including flagellation. And their crypts were something to be seen - decorated with bones of friars past. After that we walked home, past the Trevi fountain (so many tourists), the Pantheon, the Church of St Ignatus and the Piazza Navarone with the Chrurch of St Agnes and some beautiful fountains. This large space is important as it has been maintained since 86AD - enhanced but not actually changed. Our accommodation is only a 5 min walk from here. Stopped for a glass and then some pizza (we are in Italy 🇮🇹). Crashed.Lue lisää

  • Rome Day 3

    30. elokuuta 2024, Italia ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Up early to get to the Forum. Walking again so half an hour there and then lots more steps, and worth every minute. What was built by the Roman’s and the size and complexity of the buildings that make up the Forum was really quite amazing - including all the that is left from the Romans in the 1st/2nd centuries and what has been restored or even enhanced since. Some great views and peaceful gardens too. Then over the road to the Colosseum. The security to get in was more than getting into Italy. I really like this building. You can really see how it functioned - sort of reminds me of the MCG. It was a centre of entertainment for the masses with the cheap seats at the top. One thing I was amazed about was that they had elevators to bring up participants through trapdoors in the floor. Then Ian headed off to a Roman museum overlooking Navarone piazza and I wandered off to St Peter’s (for a look outside only as the crowds were ridiculous) and then managed an ice cream from the Old Bridge shop - our haunt last time we were here. Legs need a rest - 25,000 steps today.Lue lisää

  • Off to Positano

    31. elokuuta 2024, Italia ⋅ ☀️ 36 °C

    Quiet day today as mainly travel. So to start two good photos from Rome (as I am limited to 10 photos a day on this). First is self explanatory. Second is the Rome equivalent of our Fireman’s calendar - every time I see one of these (and they are everywhere) i must say it makes me giggle 😆. Packed up and headed into Roma Termini and found that our plans worked and we met Anne where and when we said. - who would have thought. Must have been all that practise in 1984 😀. Then headed off to Positano - train to Naples, train to Salerno and ferry to Positano. So pretty all the way. Paid to have our bags taken to our apartment and thank goodness - it was all stairs. But the apartment was worth it. Views amazing. Required us to buy a bottle of wine and sit on our deck before dinner.Lue lisää

  • Positano Day 2

    1. syyskuuta 2024, Italia ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Up early and headed off to the bus (via a small diversion in the local shops). Caught the bus up to Nocelle. The roads are wide enough for one car most of the way so there was a bit of negotiation to be done. But scary - the drop off in many places is straight down. Worth the trip as we checked out Nocelle before having lunch at Santa Croce - with the best view and yummy seafood. Then we walked down via the “Path of the Gods” through Montepertuso back to Positano. Thankfully it was down hill 90% of the way - some unhappy knees by the bottom. Absolutely amazing views. The pictures do not do it close to justice to the view itself and how steep it is. I have no idea why/how anyone would build here. Honestly some of the houses/villa look like they should just slip off into the ocean. We had booked for dinner at Da Vin - which has more spectacular views and the food and service were brilliant. One of the quirks was that the menus given to the ladies had no prices!! I suppose that just means Ian is shouting.. Great dayLue lisää

  • Positano Day 3

    2. syyskuuta 2024, Italia ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    Woke early and headed out to the deck to watch the sunrise - magnificent and so peaceful. Headed out on the ferry to Amalfi and caught the bus up to Ravello to explore. The town is 365 metres above sea level and it is nearly all straight down to the ocean. There are some pretty little streets and a lovely old villa called Rufolo named for the family that built it in the 13C. It has a beautiful garden and they host concerts up at the top!!. Thought about walking down - and caught the bus 🤣. Not as many steps sides as the trip to Nocelle but still a bit scary. Amalfi is not as pretty as Positano so was happy to head back ‘home’. Anne and I successfully headed off for a bit of retail therapy and Ian went exploring “old stuff”. Then had dinner in on the deck. I could spend a lot of time here but unfortunately we leave tomorrow.Lue lisää

  • Sorrento & Herculaneum

    3. syyskuuta 2024, Italia ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    Up early and headed off to the ferry (we decided the bus to Sorrento would be a bit hairy after the last two days). So that went a bit south - the trip on the ferry (Sorrento via Capri) was very rough. We stayed on the top deck and got sprayed with water and blown around by winds - really out in the elements. I would not have wanted to be in a smaller boat. Anne then spent the day exploring Sorrento and Ian and I headed for Herculaneum - the secret sister city of Pompeii. It actually reminds me of when i saw Pompeii first in 1982 - a city still being discovered.. It was so good. Had an audio guide and got lost in history for a couple of hours. The Italian/Romans were so advanced for their time. And when back in Sorrento, Anne had picked out some good bits to explore, ending up at the Restaurant of the Garden and all of us had a decent steak - would recommend it!.Lue lisää

  • Off to Sicily

    4. syyskuuta 2024, Italia ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    Up early and caught the train to Naples before boarding a plane via Rome to Palermo on the island of Sicily. We were met by our driver who spoke zero English. He took us to his very nice black Mercedes and then proceeded to terrify us by driving on the freeway at speed - I saw the speedo hit 164 (note that the local limit is 130) and he was consistently around that sort of speed!!! But we got to Scopello safely where we were met by the lovely Cecilia who explained all about the local area and our walk tomorrow to Zingaro National Park. Dinner was in the Pensione and magnificent.Lue lisää

  • Scapello Day 2

    5. syyskuuta 2024, Italia ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    Breakfast included and so good. Cecilia was still on duty (?) and brought us out so many delicious goodies - bread, lemon jam, ricotta, prosciutto, cheese, tomatoes (real ones not like we get at home) and endless cups of tea or coffee - can you tell I have been missing a good breakfast 🤣. Then off to Zingaro National Park. A big day! Walked a track that was rough and up and down along the costal path. We walked to the Cala Della Disa (beach - again what the Europeans think is a beach) and went for a swim in the Mediterranean. The water was lovely apart from the fish that would bite your feet. It was definelty a work out! By the time we got back was just looking for a shower! Then off to the cute little bar again for a beer before heading out to dinner.Lue lisää

  • Getting to Trapani

    6. syyskuuta 2024, Italia ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Left our little Pensione in Scopello rather reluctantly. Picked up by our transport - not so fast this time and were taken to the start of our walk - on Monte Monaco. Our driver again did not speak English and left us at the end of a dirt track with a printed note to meet him at B63 at 1pm. So we headed off. And i thought yesterday’s walk was tough! We literally went straight up a mountain for 484m. By the time we got to the top my watch was telling me we had done 90 steps of stairs and I would believe that we were at the top of a 90 storey building- so high. And the heat/humidity did not help. Coming down on the other side was not quite so hard, but still not easy - but we got to the bottom and our driver was waiting. Absolutely a sense of achievement. We were then taken to the seaside town of San Vito Lo Capo for the afternoon and a look around. Walking seemed like a really bad idea so we found a nice hotel with a seaside balcony for a late lunch - and again some spectacular food. We did go and have a look at the beach - actual sand this time but were not up for much more. The mountain behind the beach umbrella’s is what we climbed!! Got our ride to Trapani where we are spending four nights. The accommodation here is a bit of a let down after what we had in Scopello but….Lue lisää

  • Trapini Day 2

    7. syyskuuta 2024, Italia ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    First port of call today was the town of Erice. It is on top of a standalone mountain at the edge of Trapani - 751m high. Fortunately there is a cable car to get up there. Lots of stone streets that are narrow and winding. We climbed the bell tower, found the fortress, had a bite of lunch at a tiny restaurant and wandered the streets. There were a number of museums with different offerings - one had an Andy Warhole display which was unexpected. We also found an amazing church. Because we are walking Sicily we walked from the cable car down to the bottom of the mountain (it was not a hill) . And treated ourselves with lemon granita - it has become a favourite. Then resting the feet for a bit before heading out for a Sicilian dinner - special twisty pasta with some great sauces (and some good wine 🍷)Lue lisää