A Trip to Rome

This morning we said goodbye to Portici and caught the train to Naples in time for an 11.30 train to Rome. We got to Naples with loads of time, bought our tickets to Rome, searched for an ATM and a toilet (a never ending quest in Europe!!), got on the train and proceeded to sit on the train still in the station for 45 minutes! We're sure there was information about a delay coming over the loudspeaker but of course we couldn't understand it! Anyway, we're travelling now finally and some funny things are happening so I thought I'd blog! Claudia has just reminded me that I've had two train trips now where I've had no-one beside me. On our way to Naples, she had someone on either side of her, one of whom was a man who talked to himself constantly. Today she has a woman next to her who has three phones! Between texting, talking loudly on the phone to various people, recording loud voice messages and then playing them back to herself, she is also encroaching on Claudia's personal space quite often. She even placed her sandwich on Claudia's tray at one stage. She's lucky Claudia didn't eat it! 

Every now and then, the guy with the food cart comes down the aisle offering food and drink to buy. Just now he has come past with a pile of socks to see if anyone was interested. Socks!?! I got the giggles! 

So we are now in Rome in a teeny tiny apartment. We are not all that impressed with it but it's in a great area full of restaurants and fantastic buskers and 'atmosphere'. This area called Trastevere dates back to 753BC but it has a very medieval look and feel. Many of the streets were cobbled in the 12 th century. We managed to find the right bus to get here but got off a stop too late meaning that we had a bit of a walk along cobbled streets pulling our suitcases - not the easiest thing in the world to do!! 

  We went for a walk this afternoon to Gianicolo Hill (up quite a few stairs) and were rewarded with spectacular views across Rome. Then we walked across the Ponte Sisto bridge to find a supermarket for some fruit and found some interesting little shops with lovely leather bags. We were restrained though - mostly because we are only allowed 20kgs in luggage while we're in Croatia!! 

We ate dinner at a little restaurant in our street and listened to some excellent buskers singing opera and have come back to the apartment to chill. We feel like two old ladies tonight!! Our legs and feet are aching!!! 

Our street

Fountain outside the Basilica do Santa Maria

A street on our walk

View from Gianicolo Hill

The Tiber and Ponte Sisto

Our street tonight

A day on the Isle of Capri

Taking advice of friends, we spent a day on Capri and yes it it glitzy and VERY touristy but it is also amazingly beautiful. We had to get the train to Naples then a tram to the port, then the ferry. All require  an amount of problem solving!! In fact we are constantly confronted with problems of how to get to any  where at all. That's part of the fun of travelling. Thank god for the Here app and Helen's technology expertise I say!! The Island was packed, tourists everywhere. There were huge lines for the bus and the  cable car (phew) so after getting a map and some information (you can actually walk there) we walked up to Capri central. Pretty crowded there too. We were hungry so found a nice place to eat and had our usual delicious pasta with meat for Helen and with clams, porcini mushrooms and shrimp for me!  Yum yum. A glass of red too of course. There was a place called Natural Arch on one side of the island so we decided to walk there. The walk was gorgeous. Beautiful little laneways with well tended gardens of brightly coloured flowers, citrus trees, shrubs and lots of pots filed with flowers. Many people have gates ( no wonder with all the tourists) that are wrought iron and you can see their incredible views out to sea. Wow!! When we were almost at Natural Arch we rounded a corner and were just stopped in our tracks with the view. In fact we were both quite overwhelmed. It as just spectacular. Unfortunately there was repair work going on actually at the arch so we couldn't go in. There are a lot of places we would have liked to walk to but we had to nominate a ferry return time when we got our ticket and foolishly we said 4.30. We will have to explore further when we come back!! Got back around 7 after buying some fresh warm crusty bread and roasted vegetables which we had with cheese, a fresh peach for dessert and finished off our bottle of red. We were well and truly sated!! Off to Rome tomorrow!! 

Our ferry

Coming into Capri

Helen's new hat (obligatory coffee/tea on arrival)

Typical of the little laneways

View as we climbed

Panorama from Capri central

On the way to Natural Arch

At Natural  Arch

Look at the colour of the water

Panorama at Natural Arch

Dinner - yum! 

Pompei

Today after another late start we headed off to visit Pompei. Eerily enough the train station is called Pompei as well - it just gets spookier and spookier! We are getting so slack at getting started in the morning that we didn't arrive at Pompei til around midday, by which time we needed a cup of coffee! When we got off the train we were a bit bombarded with signs telling us that audioguides and tickets etc were sold above the station, so up we went and purchased the audioguides - they were quite different from the ones we used in Herculaneum. Then when we actually got into the excavated area itself we noticed more places where similar ones to those we used in Herculaneum were available! Almost immediately Claudia had issues with hers and mine seemed to be stuck on loudspeaker so whenever I turned it on to listen, everyone around me could hear it too! This was handy for Claudia, but people who were trying to listen to a 'real person' guide could have been confused!! To top it off, the numbers on the map didn't correspond with the numbers on the buildings so sometimes the audio was very confusing!! The lesson from this?? I noticed people had books about Pompei and they were consulting these to read about the points of interest. The guided tours were really big and expensive so I'd probably stick with the books or buy the audioguides from inside the site. 

Anyway.... Pompei is massive - much much bigger than Herculaneum and there were still many frescoes and tiled floors that were in great condition. The city just goes on and on and there's still a lot of excavation and restoration work going on. Many of the buildings date back to 5BC and some restoration had been done on them in 67AD after there had been an earthquake. Some of these renovations weren't yet completed when the volcano erupted in 79 AD. 

Today was really hot and glary and believe it or not I've managed to lose two hats in the past few days so I was feeling a bit sun struck! Claudia hasn't lost anything except her dignity when she fell on the footpath yesterday and lay sprawled on the footpath in front of me!! 

She's a bit bruised and sore today but thankfully didn't break anything! It occurred to me that neither of us know the emergency number to call in Italy - better get onto that! I did mention to Claudia that we could find a walking frame for her. She didn't find that particularly amusing - not sure why. I'm only trying to help. Anyway she's getting a lot of mileage out of me managing to lose two hats as well as nearly losing a bag with a gift inside which I left in a cafe! 

We've decided to go to the Isle of Capri tomorrow. This will mean an early start (aargh!), the train into Naples and then the ferry. 

A day on the Amalfi Coast

The Amalfi Coast is everything and more that anyone has ever told me. The scenery is stunning yet again. Firstly we got the train to Sorrento. There was a bikie/ biker convention on there so thousands of Harley's and their riders. We had a look around and decided to go on to Positano which meant catching a bus that followed the coast. Aside from being rather terrifying, the trip was fantastic in terms of the scenery. Constant views of cliffs and villages and great expanses of blue blue ocean, boats of all descriptions on the glittering water. It was gorgeous. Positano was pretty amazing as well. We wended our way down to the water via pathways lined with restaurants, shops and hotels. Those hotels have the most incredible outlooks (hence we are in airbnb as I'm sure they have the price tag to go with the view). We stopped for lunch, cause by this time it was 2.30, and had delicious meals of 

spaghetti with meatballs for Helen and with anchovies for me. The best anchovies I have ever had. Yum!! I am loving the seafood in Italy. And a nice glass of light red to go with it of course. Continued to the beach (not sand but pebbled beach). There were plenty of people swimming but we didn't. Positano is very touristy but very beautiful. Made our way slowly back up to the top road to get the bus around 5 I guess but that proved to be a bit of a problem. It is impossible to relate the chaos that was the 'bus  stop'. The roads are quite narrow and there were people on both sides waiting for buses as well as cars, buses, taxis and millions of motor bikes all going out of Positano just at this Y section of the bus stop. To make it worse people came along and just pushed in wherever and subsequently, when the bus actually did turn up it was overflowing and not everyone could get on. We missed out so waited at least another 1/2 hour. This time the elbows were out and we were getting on no matter  what!! Felt a bit sick on the way back. The road is so windy. Then the train back to Portici. It was at the station when we got there so we quickly jumped on checking it was the Naples train. However, we failed to check that it was stopping at Portici which it wasn't!! Got off one stop before, waited 1/2 an hour then got the next train. Short walk home and aside from me tripping on a sticking up pavement stone and hitting the deck rather hard, it was uneventful. I must acknowledge that Helen did not laugh when I fell over, at least not immediately!! We had a great day yet again. 

Sorrento

O the way to Positano

First glimpse of Positano

Positano

Selfie in Positano

Lunch

Positano

Beach

Beach

Looking from the top down to the beach

Sunset on the way back on the bus