Isle of Capri

Today we went by a short 10 minute ferry ride to the island of the rich and famous - Capri.

This is us at the harbour from where the ferry leaves Sorrento.  As you can see, another perfect day.

When we arrived at Capri, we immediately jumped onto a smaller boat, to take a group of us to the famous Blue Grotto.  I say famous, but i didn't actually know what it was because if i did, i may not have gone.

This is us on the next boat, still reasonably big, i mean i wouldn't go any smaller by choice, however, the boats kept getting smaller.  When we got to the Grotto, which must mean cave in the side of a big rock on the side an island, we had to get into a rowing boat.... from the slightly bigger boat.

Our boat is in the right bottom corner, and go through that narrow hole in the rock, which you can just make out one boat going through.

A selfie of us in the boat, just to prove i was there.  I can't believe I was smiling. Pitch black here but when you turned and saw the light coming through that tiny hole, you saw this. Then the Boat driver started singing Bocelli so we could hear the echoes,  It didn't actually sound quite so good with all the other drivers singing the same song at different places, it was actually a  bit scary.

So after all that excitement, it was off to the town of Capri by shuttlebus.  Capri had shops like this,

and views like this.  We spent more time looking at the views.

For lunch we drove to the next village along called Anacapri.  Again, more beautiful views like this.

After lunch, Paul thought he would go still higher and take the chairlift to the highest point of the island.  

This is what he saw.

This was the ferry ride back, at long last - a sensible boat!

 

Naples, Pompeii, Sorrento

Another full day, up at the crack of dawn, waiting to be picked up on our next tour.  We left Rome via the south side on the "Sun Road", so named because it heads to Campagna known for its sunny weather.

Our first stop was Naples which is the third biggest city in Italy, not quite as glamorous as Roma. 

It did have some very beautiful buildings, however such as the Galleria Umberto which is really a large shopping centre, the central place to shop.  As you can see, it has this amazing glass domed roof.

Attached to it is the Opera House, the Real Teatro Di Carlo.

The church is named San Francisco, modelled on St Peter's Basilica at the Vatican.

We left Naples and headed towards Pompeii, admiring views of  Mt Vesuvius on the way.  Following lunch in the new city, we headed off to the old city, the scene of excavations following the eruption in 79 AD, where approximately 20,000 people perished, mainly from suffocation by the volcanic ash.  I am really struggling with the accents of the local guides, and by the time I have caught up to what they are saying, the facts and figures are a bit elusive, so I hope I am writing things down correctly.

Walking down the street was aided by these large stepping stones which were placed far enough apart for chariots and wagons to pass through, but also allowed drainage.

This was a bakery, you can see the ovens.

This was the entrance or vestibule of the largest, wealthiest house in Pompeii.

This was it's garden.

An example of the mosaics found.

This is one of the bodies found, preserved by the volcanic ash.

This was the best street in Pompeii because it has the best views, down the end.  Such a fascinating place.

We left Pompeii and made our way further south to Sorrento, and this is the scenery we were met with. 

Just stunning.  We can certainly throw away the winter woolies, the weather has been consistently warm to hot, which is a lovely change from the UK. Tomorrow we head to the Isle Of Capri.

When in Rome........

To get back on track i will finish yesterday afternoon and today together.  After checking in, we were both starving and went out looking for lunch, for which we didn't have to go far.  A couple of blocks away, we found a piazza and had a lovely lazy lunch.

This is what Paul had, the crust was really crispy and flaky,,,,which meant he ate the lot.

This is what i had, and it tasted every bit as good as it looked.  I hate to sound like Matt Preston and  go on about the acidity of the raspberries etc, but a mouthful of the tomato, anchovy and mozzarella cheese, well it was just a gorgeous combo of sweet, salty and creamy, Delicious.

At this eatery, we bumped into two Australian couples, one from MUrray Bridge, who gave us a few good tips.  It was also a chance to catch up on the footy and politics etc.

After we finished, we went for a walk down to the Coliseum and Roman Forum.

This arena was built in 72 AD and finished in 82 AD.  Amazing what a lot of slaves can do.  It was a place of games, blood thirsty games, where animal fighters and gladiators, in hope of money, freedom and fame, fought against animals such as lions, and themselves, to the death.  The recreated floor you can see was built for Mussolini for him to "exchange ideas" with the people.

There are many examples to show what remarkable engineers the Romans were.  They engineered the Arch which was able to carry a huge amount of weight.  They also perfected the use of bricks, and they made concrete which was able to be used in under water situations.

The next visit was to the Forum.  This was a place where commerce, politics and public speeches  beginning  in the 6th Century BC, was done.  Unfortunately it is not well preserved, and has been plundered and destroyed over the years, when the Church became more powerful than Roman power.  The churches took precious marble from the pagan buildings for their own monuments.  This is one of the very impressive temples left standing.

 

Other buildings are not as easy to tell what they are.

So that was yesterday finished.

Today we used the Metro underground system to make our way to the Vatican.  The Metro was easy to navigate and very much like the English underground.  What can I say about the Vatican?

A lot of people visit there daily, this was the queue, but it moved quickly, we waited about 15 minutes.  You go through airport style security, and there is a dress code with no bare shoulders or knees.  This is St Paul Basilica.

Very impressive domes.

The Altar.

So much beautiful artwork.

Then there is the Vatican Museum.

Once you are in, it is hard to know where to look, there is so much to see. Do you look at this on the ceiling?

Or do you look at this on the floor?

Or what about the walls?

Let alone what is in the rooms...

This reminded us of someone at home.  No wonder they turned it into a separate country, it is really another world. 

We are now having a rest, sore feet and sore necks!  I know, poor Us!!

September in Paris

I didn't post last night as we were on the train heading towards Roma, I was feeling a little under par as I have caught a cold.  Half the bus was sick last week in England and now it's my turn, but feeling much better today.

Yesterday was our own mini Tour de France.  We had to meet this tour at the bottom of the Eiffel Tower, so we set out to walk from our hotel there, approx 3.2 km, but an easy walk, especially when you have the appropriate scenery..

 

  and....

So we walked along the Seine, it was a perfect day, check the sky.

This was our tour guide called Mark, from County Cork in Ireland.  The other people who worked there were mostly Australian.  Paul got himself a job too, when he put up his hand when Mark asked if anyone considered themselves a cyclist.  Paul had to ride at the back making sure everyone crossed the lights and kept up etc, which actually was quite a task if you have been to Paris and observed the way people, taxis and motorbikes drive there!

So this was our pelaton, and Mark led us around to see many of the major sights and monuments in Paris.

  Although I was a bit apprehensive at first, it was a really enjoyable ride, and quite flat and the pace was easy, except when we had to cross a major intersection with us spread across the road, shoulder to shoulder, and ride flat out across on the signal.  Helmets are optional in all the places we have been to so far.

 I'm holding my helmet and was wearing it Mum!

Only Paul and I did.  We had lunch whilst on the ride at the Jardin des Tuileries .

The ride finished and we walked back again.  On the way we stopped at a patisserie and I had my first French macaron.  Paul had pistachio flavour and I had chocolate.  They were quite different to what I have had in Australia, much firmer, and the outside shell did not collapse when you bit into it.  Super sweet and rich, but delicious.

Then it was back to the hotel to collect our luggage and catch a taxi to Gard Lyon station and catch our overnight train to Roma.  This was another new experience for us, it was actually a very comfortable way to travel, although there were no directions in English anywhere about how to check, we imagined there might be passport checks etc.  After asking it turned out you don't need to check in, you just turned up to the platform and got on.  Lucky numbers are the same everywhere .  We had a sleeper coach and the beds were really comfy, and I slept really well.  So here we are at our Rome hotel, lucky enough to have access to our room, despite it being only 11am.