I just discovered that this was still sitting in draught mode since SEPTEMBER 2015. Time to finish it off quickly and get it posted.
Salerno, Saturday Sept 26th
The day started with the usual, hurry up and wait. The bus company suggested we arrive at the stop approx. an hour before departure time. Assuming that we would be departing from a bus station, we were surprised to find that it was just a solitary stop a few metres north of Piazza Montpelier in Salerno. A good samaritan actually drove us to the bus stop when we asked him for directions.
True to Italian scheduling, the bus arrived a half hour late but the rest of the trip ran smoothly with our 1pm arrival in Rome only slightly delayed. ( Not so lucky the traffic heading south on the same freeway. A transport truck had flipped some 40km south of Rome bocking all 3 lanes and causing a 10km back-up.
The bus dropped us at Tiburtina station which turned out to be a 13 Euro cab ride from our Guest House.
The main sights of Rome seem to be within a 25 minute walk of our accomodations and as best as I can guess we will spend more time waiting in line than we will actually walking to many sites. A comprehensive 3 day ticket (Roma Pass) seems to be the way to cut through many of the ticket and transportation issues, so we will give that a try.
Sunday 10pm- Rome
After 2 days we have walked close to 50,000 steps, covering many of the major sites of the city including the Circus Maximus, Paletine Hill, Roman Forum, Campo de Fiori, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps plus a walk by of the Colosseum. The problem with this city is that there are too many tourists and most seem to be leaning against, slouched beside or sitting on most of the famous objects in the city. So unless one gets up at 6am or stays out until late, there is very little chance of getting any clear shots of anything in this city. And with the current "selfie stick" revolution, no-one seems to take actual photos of objects any more, rather, they are now "me in front of whatever"
Tuesday 29th
I think we saw all the major sites and sights in Rome including the Sistine Chapel and rather than regurgitate it here, I would simply suggest you google for photos of the same.
I'm very glad that I saw Rome but I'm not sure I'd go back. There are other places in Italy that are calling my name- maybe next year.
Monday, September 26, 2016
Final posting for anyone following my trips.
Due to issues accessing this link when I am travelling in Europe I have switched my travel blog to
theepic2016trip.blogspot.ca. Copy that into the header line and it should come up OK.
The actual title is Eastern Europe 2016 and covers a 3 week trip via Venice and Northern Croatia with a short stop in Barcelona on the way back.
If this doesn't work, just contact my e-mail and I can update you.
Signing off,
David D
Sept 26th 2016
theepic2016trip.blogspot.ca. Copy that into the header line and it should come up OK.
The actual title is Eastern Europe 2016 and covers a 3 week trip via Venice and Northern Croatia with a short stop in Barcelona on the way back.
If this doesn't work, just contact my e-mail and I can update you.
Signing off,
David D
Sept 26th 2016
Friday, September 25, 2015
Salerno sin touristas!
Although originally planned as a quick overnight before Rome, Salerno turned into a two night stay that has turned out to be quite a nice break from the mad crush of tourists jamming the Amalfi coast. While the time we spent in Ravello was nice, even being a 30 minute drive above Amalfi did not spare us the cruiseship flocks who seemed to come by the busload.
Our B & B was, some 900 years earlier a Palace owned by a wealthy family. The B & B was built into the original structure and offered a reasonable degree of comfort if one didn't mind the hike up ancient stone stairways. The town itself is a small maze of streets wandering in all kinds of random directions over the sides of the mountain and offers some amazing views of the coast below. From the town there are several walking trails that lead to neighbouring villages on the mountains, or if one keeps going- all the way back to Amalfi and also Minori. Requiring some 45 minutes to an hour the trails wander off in different directions so one can perhaps visit the same town daily for a week without using the exact same trail each time. The town has some 40 eating establishments- a couple being Michelin rated. I think a Michelin two star means a meal costs you at least the price of two tires!
Getting from Ravello to Salerno, a distance of perhaps 34 km took a change of buses at Amalfi and the entire journey took from 10am to 12:15 with a 20 minute layover in Amalfi. The route between hugged the sides of cliffs some 600 feet above the Mediterranean and with roads often no wider than a typical Canadian driveway required lots of stops and starts as the bus had to wait for opposing traffic to clear.
Once in Salerno it took no time to find our accomodation. Albergo Santa Rosa was less than 100 feet from the train station and shockingly is very quiet, with little street noise, even though we are only on the second floor.
Compared to Capri, Amalfi and Ravello meals are cheap by comparison, with total costs being about 60-65 % of what we were paying.
A visit today to Vietri, some 4 km west of here found us at the very end of the Amalfi Coast in a town where almost every second shop sold Ceramica, from small tiles to giant vases and plates up to 3 feet in diameter. Very beautiful, but a little tricky to ship.
After making a few small purchases we bused it back into town stopping at the Cathedral with its magnificent crypt and baroque main altar, as well as a rather unique courtyard in front with arched walls and a tall, very old bell tower.
The archeological museum , our final stop of the afternoon had some interesting pieces, mostly ceramics of greek and roman style as well as a small collection of statues and building facades. Tonight, perhaps our last opportunity for really fresh seafood before we head for Rome tomorrow morning.
Our B & B was, some 900 years earlier a Palace owned by a wealthy family. The B & B was built into the original structure and offered a reasonable degree of comfort if one didn't mind the hike up ancient stone stairways. The town itself is a small maze of streets wandering in all kinds of random directions over the sides of the mountain and offers some amazing views of the coast below. From the town there are several walking trails that lead to neighbouring villages on the mountains, or if one keeps going- all the way back to Amalfi and also Minori. Requiring some 45 minutes to an hour the trails wander off in different directions so one can perhaps visit the same town daily for a week without using the exact same trail each time. The town has some 40 eating establishments- a couple being Michelin rated. I think a Michelin two star means a meal costs you at least the price of two tires!
Getting from Ravello to Salerno, a distance of perhaps 34 km took a change of buses at Amalfi and the entire journey took from 10am to 12:15 with a 20 minute layover in Amalfi. The route between hugged the sides of cliffs some 600 feet above the Mediterranean and with roads often no wider than a typical Canadian driveway required lots of stops and starts as the bus had to wait for opposing traffic to clear.
Once in Salerno it took no time to find our accomodation. Albergo Santa Rosa was less than 100 feet from the train station and shockingly is very quiet, with little street noise, even though we are only on the second floor.
Compared to Capri, Amalfi and Ravello meals are cheap by comparison, with total costs being about 60-65 % of what we were paying.
A visit today to Vietri, some 4 km west of here found us at the very end of the Amalfi Coast in a town where almost every second shop sold Ceramica, from small tiles to giant vases and plates up to 3 feet in diameter. Very beautiful, but a little tricky to ship.
After making a few small purchases we bused it back into town stopping at the Cathedral with its magnificent crypt and baroque main altar, as well as a rather unique courtyard in front with arched walls and a tall, very old bell tower.
The archeological museum , our final stop of the afternoon had some interesting pieces, mostly ceramics of greek and roman style as well as a small collection of statues and building facades. Tonight, perhaps our last opportunity for really fresh seafood before we head for Rome tomorrow morning.
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Capri
The trip from Pompeii was somewhat of a "hurry up and wait" experience, with a rather tricky descent from Sorrento station to the marina. Cobblestones do not make a friendly footing for wheeled luggage.
The ferry ride to Capri was a little rough. One of the crew was walking around with plastic "barf bags" offering them to patrons based on what I am guessing would be skin colour and overall expression. The trip took roughly 30 minutes, ending with a rather chaotic exit from the dock area. Given the option of a 25Euro cab ride or a 7 Euro bus ride we opted for the latter and spent a good half hour in line for the pleasure of being squeezed onto a 8 seater mini bus along with 30 other people and their luggage. The ride to Anacapri was a serpentine route that skirted the cliffs and climbed ever higher above the sea. The bus rolled into the central square around 12:30pm and a policeman pointed us in the direction of our hotel. ( For once, an actual hotel, as opposed to a B&B. ) Anacapri ( meaning Upper Capri) is roughly in the centre of the island and seems to be a little less "upscale" than it's adjacent partner. After a tour of the town we did take a bus ride to Cari town where we spent a couple of hours wandering the streets, window shopping the Designer stores on the main drag, Georgio Armana Leg and Dolce and Banana or whatever the eff it is called. The restaurants weren't much better- 90 euro for 5 courses, accompanying wine another 45. We quickly retreated back to Anacapri for decent meal at a family run taverna.
Monday we spent the morning taking the cable ride up to the top of Monte Solaro, one of the highest points on the island and a great viewpoint to see the entire island, A hike down from the top was not without incident as both Susanna and I slipped on wet ground and did a rather rough tumble before regaining our footing. I now have a bruised hip for my efforts and Susanna has a few small puncture wounds from thorns.
It took the better part of Tuesday to travel from Anacapri to the main harbour then to Sorrento via high speed ferry. Our wait at the bus terminal was close to an hour before we managed to grab seats on a bus to Amafi. It woud be another hour and a hald before we were able to board a bus up into the hills above Amalfi for our stay in Ravello, Set on the side of several steep hills, this town is generally a day trip for most tourists, For us it is a break away from the herds of cruise sheep. The place seems to be one photo op after another and there are several paths along the hills to neighbouring towns, so we may not be in any kind of rush to return to Amalfi.
The ferry ride to Capri was a little rough. One of the crew was walking around with plastic "barf bags" offering them to patrons based on what I am guessing would be skin colour and overall expression. The trip took roughly 30 minutes, ending with a rather chaotic exit from the dock area. Given the option of a 25Euro cab ride or a 7 Euro bus ride we opted for the latter and spent a good half hour in line for the pleasure of being squeezed onto a 8 seater mini bus along with 30 other people and their luggage. The ride to Anacapri was a serpentine route that skirted the cliffs and climbed ever higher above the sea. The bus rolled into the central square around 12:30pm and a policeman pointed us in the direction of our hotel. ( For once, an actual hotel, as opposed to a B&B. ) Anacapri ( meaning Upper Capri) is roughly in the centre of the island and seems to be a little less "upscale" than it's adjacent partner. After a tour of the town we did take a bus ride to Cari town where we spent a couple of hours wandering the streets, window shopping the Designer stores on the main drag, Georgio Armana Leg and Dolce and Banana or whatever the eff it is called. The restaurants weren't much better- 90 euro for 5 courses, accompanying wine another 45. We quickly retreated back to Anacapri for decent meal at a family run taverna.
Monday we spent the morning taking the cable ride up to the top of Monte Solaro, one of the highest points on the island and a great viewpoint to see the entire island, A hike down from the top was not without incident as both Susanna and I slipped on wet ground and did a rather rough tumble before regaining our footing. I now have a bruised hip for my efforts and Susanna has a few small puncture wounds from thorns.
It took the better part of Tuesday to travel from Anacapri to the main harbour then to Sorrento via high speed ferry. Our wait at the bus terminal was close to an hour before we managed to grab seats on a bus to Amafi. It woud be another hour and a hald before we were able to board a bus up into the hills above Amalfi for our stay in Ravello, Set on the side of several steep hills, this town is generally a day trip for most tourists, For us it is a break away from the herds of cruise sheep. The place seems to be one photo op after another and there are several paths along the hills to neighbouring towns, so we may not be in any kind of rush to return to Amalfi.
Sunday, September 20, 2015
Vesuveus AND Ercolano
Friday morning we caught the northbound train and got off at Ercolano, the modern city surrounding the ancient Roman site of Herculaneum. First on our list was a half hour bus ride up the side of Mt. Vesuvius to a point about 1000 feet from the very top of the mountain, Over the course of the next hour and a half we hoofed it until we reached the edge of the crater. Unlike the volcanoes I have tackled in Nicaragua this one is, essentially plugged so there is no steam or lave escaping from the actual cone. Down below, on the sides of the volcano, steam can be seen billowing out of various cracks. It was very coudy when we arrived at the top but just before we descended the clouds cleared, offering some impressive views of the surrounding towns some several thousand feet below. Upon returning to the town it was only a short jaunt before we reached Herculaneum. Most of the site is well below the natural ground level of the modern city so one almost gets a bird's eye view before entering the site. While Pompeii is a staggering 170 acres in total this site is tiny by comparison, roughly rectangular and perhaps 1/4 of a mile across. Laid our in grid form it consists of some 30 odd streets with about 40 buildings that were accessible. Many of the interiors had been preserved or restored giving a good idea of what life must have been like before the eruption. We spent probably close to 3 and 1/2 hours in total before returning to Pompeii around 6:45pm. After a reasonable recuperation period we spent the balance of Saturday night mostly people watching near the main Piazza. It seemed as if the locals were all out celebrating the fact that the tourists had all gone home and they finally had their town to themselves. A pizza for dinner accompanied by a glass of house wine that must have held at least half a bottle, so for me, sleep was the top item on my agenda when we reached our B & B.
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