Vibrant Venice

Elizabeth and I arrived in Venice after a long train trip from Riomaggiore and found our way to our beds for the next 3 nights. And there we stayed till hunger overtook us and we ventured down to the hotel bar restaurant for a bite. Well, it was the most expensive bite ever- 54.50 euro- and we were still hungry! Lorelle, Kiryn and Stacey arrived MUCH later and had pizza for half the price!

Needless to say we slept in the next morning and woke up to a beautiful breakfast of juice, muesli, fruit, yoghurt, breads and croissants, with plenty of butter and spreads as well as meats and cheese, and a great cup of coffee, which was actually a pot of black coffee and a jug of hot milk. I ate breakfast on my own as by 8.30, I was hungry enough to eat a horse!

Then off to Murano Island by boat to see the glass blowing. I was feeling quite ill, but soldiered on nonetheless. The glass ornaments and jewellery and beads were all simply beautiful, and we couldn't escape without buying a bucketload! First real money I've spent extravagantly, but when you see what I bought, you'll understand why! Lorelle had gone off on her own to explore, while Elizabeth, Stacey and I shopped. I shopped till I (almost) dropped, and then headed home while Elizabeth and Stacey visited the Museum of Natural History.

I sat next to a Welshman on the ride back to San Marco and struck up a conversation. He was a ceramic artist who visits Venice regularly, and travels quite a bit for his work. He photographs stacks of chairs as well which I thought was almost as unusual as Stacey photographing sewer drain man-hole covers! I arrived back at the Hotel San Zulian and once again enjoyed the comfort of my queen sized bed! A nap before dinner was exactly what the doctor ordered!

Kiryn had located a cheaper place for dinner, and we ordered the 13.90 euro special of pasta, roast chicken and chips washed down with a litre of "vino bianco". We then grabbed a gelati on the way home before once again flopping down on the bed. I couldn't sleep though so watched two episodes of Glee before sleep overcame me.

Up early to another great breakfast ( same as yesterday but with pineapple yoghurt!) before hitting San Marco Square and the Doge's Palace. Kiryn and Lorelle climbed the Bell Tower, while the rest of us toured the palace. I had to run through the prison to make it back to the central courtyard for the start of the secret itineries guided tour that Stacey and I had paid 12 euro each to do. We could have saved 24 euro as our tickets were not even checked! I suppose she knew how many people were supposed to be on the tour. We went to rooms we had not seen before ( the secret part of the palace that visitors to the palace many centuries ago never saw). It was completely different to the ostentation that was prevalent in all of the other rooms- the rooms were quite bare in comparison. We saw the Doge's Office ( he was the only one who got to see everything and he was chosen from the middle classes), the rooms where all the public servants worked, as well as the pretty comfortable jail cells where such personalities as Casanova spent time. Venice was an i dependent republic for over 1000 years until Napoleon conquered it, and had a very successful social system in place. The politicians were drawn from the aristocrats and did not earn any money form serving in the Parliament ( there's a lesson to be learnt here!) as they were independently wealthy. The positions were changed frequently so that graft and corruption could not take hold. The only position that was for life was that of the Doge (Chancellor) and he earnt the equivalent of 500,000  euro a year so was not tempted  to give away any state secrets. Very interesting! We couldn't get out so had to go the whole way round again so I got to see most of the place twice. I was enthralled by the Bosch paintings which I had never seen before. Such intricate, weird and fascinating work!

We then met up with everyone in the square and headed off or our gondola ride-45 minutes for 100 euro. There are 434 gondoliers left in Venice but at the height of its prosperity there were more than 10,000! Venice now relies solely on the tourist industry to survive and the population has dropped from 250,000 to 60,000 as most Venetians can't afford to live here any more. We saw the Rialto Bridge, the Grand Canal, the birthplace of Marco Polo, the places Goethe and Mozart lived when visiting Venice as well as many other gondoliers transporting tourists on similar tours. They actually have a long paddle and row you through the small canals, not push you along with a pole touching the bottom! I learn something new every day.

Still feeling the ravages of travelling and a succession of sleepless nights kept awake by my persistent coughing (it keeps everyone else awake too, apparently), I decided to call it a day and head back to the room to rest. Feeling a little hungry, I decided to retrace our steps to the little restaurant we had found last night and grab a bite to eat. Well, as per usual, I got lost but enjoyed exploring the narrow streets, walking over canal bridges and experiencing everything Venice had to offer off the beaten track. I found a little restaurant with a 3 course meal for 10.50 euro. Primi- tortellini, secondi- chicken schnitzel with grilled zucchini, capsicum, and eggplant, and lastly, tiramisu all washed down with a half litre of house white. I found some shops filled with curiosities and strange looking masks as well as picking up 5 fridge magnets for  2 euro. I paid 4.50 for one at the Doge's Place!

After resting for the rest of the afternoon, stacey and I headed off to the Theatre- the Teatri Gallo I think it was called to see Venezia- a play about the history of Venice. We arrived early and were offered a prosecco by a gentleman dressed in period costume (who turned out to be one of the actors). We decided on a bottle and were given plastic glasses to take into the theatre with us. The play was great- all in English- and the history was explained visually by projections on the walls as well as orally through the actions of the actors. At one stage, I was the unsuspecting and unfortunate victim of a scare by one of the actors who had come up to me from behind. I don't know who got the biggest scare. I screamed loudly ( not my normal scream but a more guttural one because of my throat) and gave HIM such a scare he jumped backwards! Stacey apologised to him after the play ended for my scaring him- what about him scaring me first? Anyway, we had a great time and learnt a lot more about the history of Venice. I can't believe I knew so little about Venice!

After purchasing a couple of books from the best English bookshop I've seen ( another superlative!), we managed to track down our restaurant from last night and ordered calzone and carbonara and shared them, of course, washed down with the obligatory bottle of house red. And so to bed, but not to sleep! I was awoken by Stacey's alarm at 6.30am (this was a first!), we managed to pack our bags, eat breakfast, and catch the ferry back to the station in time for our 8.57am train to Milano. A change of trains to Montreux, another change in Montreux before arriving in the lakeside village of Vevey for a four night stay. Heaven!

A whole week in Cinque Terre!

Riomaggiore, Cinque Terre

We awoke to a lovely breakfast of mushrooms, tomatoes and eggs cooked by Kiryn and Stacey, then off to the Laundromat. What fun! Four large 8kg washing machines and huge dryers, only one of which was operational. We had a coffee while we were waiting for the wash to finish, and had the rudest woman in the whole village serve us, if that’s what you could call it! I am not going back there to have a coffee no matter how much I am craving one.

The we headed off along the pretty cliff walk to Manarola where we had lunch at the Bar del’Amore on Lover’s Lane where there were hundreds of locks hanging from every possible point of attachment, even electrical cables. I ordered bruschetta with tomatoes and anchovies, which were the most delicious anchovies I’ve ever tasted…another superlative! 

We tried to walk to Corniglia, but the path was closed due to the recent landslides so we hopped on a train to Monterossa passing through Vernazza which was completely devastated by the recent floods and mudslides. Monterossa did not fare much better, and the clean up was still in full swing with trucks carting dirt and debris down to the harbour and dumping it on an ever-enlarging spit. We had a lovely latte at the one coffee shop that was still open and headed back to Riomaggiore. We were hoping to have dinner out, but since it was only about 4.30, nothing was open so we went to the supermarket, bought some supplies and went back to our apartment for a delicious dinner of pasta which Kiryn had cooked and some bruschetta and gorgonzola washed down with yet another bottle of red.

Planning to catch the early train to Florence tomorrow.

Florence

For some unknown reason, Florence is called Firenze here. Why did the English decide to Anglicize Italian names? Tuscany is Toscano, Genoa is Genova, Rome is Roma, Milan is Milano, Turin is Torino, Venice is Venezia, and Naples is Napoli to name a few.  Surely they are not too difficult to pronounce? Unlike San Gimignano (Giminyano) which I have only just managed to get my tongue around, but which we have affectionately called San Jim.

Elizabeth and I woke up at the crack of dawn (actually way before dawn- it was still pitch black walking down to the station), had a quick cuppa and headed off to Florence.  Changing trains at La Spezia and Pisa, we arrived in Florence just after 9.30am. Just as well we had an early start. We grabbed a ham and egg mcmuffin and a cappuccino shake  which were delicious. Elizabeth had researched what she wanted to see in Florence so I encouraged her to take the lead so she wasn’t just doing what I wanted to do, which people always tend to do.  Being the person that I am, it was very difficult for me to hand over but I managed it for a couple of hours including a forty minute walk over the Pont Vecchio which was just a string of gold jewellery shops  in whose windows I wasn’t keen to look as I am not a good window-shopper. It’s just encouragement for me to spend thousands, which I really don’t want to do, nor do I have for that matter.

My back just cannot manage standing very well anymore, and very soon I was in so much pain, I could barely stand- the worst back pain I’ve had this trip, but I managed to soldier on with lots of complaining of course, and walk through the Museum of Costumes, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Silver Museum for 10 euro.  Well, maybe my opinion was tinged by my pain, but they were the crappiest museums I have ever seen- no plan, guards in every room, who picked me up every time I leaned on the wall to straighten my back, dead end rooms, and very little explanation of anything. I thought maybe it was a collection of precious but extremely ugly objets d’art that had been given to the museum by Florentine families because the younger generation could not stand looking at them in their house any longer!  The best thing about all of these museums was the building itself- the ceilings were truly beautiful, but no one was allowed to take photos so I don’t have any images to show you.

Another plus was the ticket also gave us entry to the Boboli Gardens which were a lovely open space with statues and trees lining the pathways.  I could walk no longer so collapsed on a bench seat overlooking Florence and the Duomo . I wanted to lie down to straighten my back but thought if I did, I wouldn’t be able to move from that position. I did want to see the grottoes though, but only managed one. It was closed but we could see in and take photos- very pretty.

We headed back to the station to McDonalds as we know they take credit card. I thought food might be the cure, so I ordered a chicken wrap, a salad, chips and a cappuccino shake. The salad turned out to be a Caesar salad with a huge breast of chicken so to say I was full would be an understatement. The train home was longer than the train there, or maybe it just felt like that, but we arrived home to a lovely meal of gnocci that Stacey had cooked. And of course, more red wine!

Planning to catch the early train (again) to San Gimignano.

San Gimignano/ Siena

Yep! We did it again, this time accompanied by Stacey who was energized from her rest day. In to La Spezia, and then caught the Rome Eurostar hopping off at Pisa. About half the time of the trip yesterday, but were questioned by the conductor as you are actually supposed to book a seat ( and pay a reservation fee) for this train, but since we were getting off at Pisa, he let us be.

Our third train then took us to Empoli where we had a connection to Poggibonsi with a bus connection to San Gimignano. Four trains and a bus to get there! It had better be good! And it was, except that everyone and his dog thought so too as it was overrun by busloads of American and Japanese tourists. The tall tower was closed so we had to be content to scale the smaller tower which still gave an panoramic view of the beautiful Tuscan countryside. Stacey even managed to find a Christmas present for Max- an apron embroidered with Ristoranti da Max- a perfect gift! I think Elizabeth might have bought one for a Christmas present for Samantha, but she’s keeping it secret from me and Stacey won’t tell. Apparently, I can’t keep secrets which may be true if we are to face facts although I do have a collection of secrets in my secret box which will go to the grave with me. But I digress.

Stacey paid 4 euro each for us to go into the museum which would explain the existence of San Gimignano in English, but this was not the case. It did not explain the history very well, but Stacey and I together managed to read the Italian descriptions of what was being shown. Pity I can’t understand the spoken word as well, although I am trying to immerse myself in Italian TV to improve my grasp of the language.  I think of all the languages I’ve heard so far, Italian is the one I would most like to learn although Greece is the country I’d most like to return to.

After San Gimignano, we decided to head on to Siena as this was one of the houses at the school that Elizabeth’s girls attended. We had a kebab for lunch, and headed off to explore the very hilly town of Siena which seemed to have almost as many churches as houses! Stacey and I ventured into San Domenica’s for a look, which had beautiful stained glass windows and wasn’t overrun by tourists and was free! The new headed up to Siena’s Duomo- Saint Catherine’s I think it was also called. They wanted 10 euro to enter!  I refuse to pay to enter a church so sat outside with the pigeons while Stacey did the full tourist thing- the church, the wall, the museum and the baptistery all within an hour! The pigeons gave me two gifts- a really disgusting one and then to make amends, a beautiful feather which I stuck in my hat!

We raced back to the bus stop grabbing a gelati on the way to meet Elizabeth at 3.30pm. We arrived right on the dot! Amid a slight amount of confusion, we managed to get onto a bus without paying and arrived back at the train station for the long trip home. We couldn’t seem to get good connections and didn’t arrive home until after 8 where we met lorelle and Kiryn just finishing their dinner at La Lampara Restaurant. Stacey ordered the whole sea bass and I ordered the rissotto  marinara which I could barely eat! All I could taste was salt, and we had to wait more than an hour for our meal to be served! Luckily Elizabeth had opted to go straight home to bed. Stacey and I had finished a whole bottle of wine well before our meals arrived! No wonder the next village has been recommended for eating out! By the time we got home, Elizabeth was fast asleep and didn’t stir for the next 12 hours. Even I can’t sleep that long!

Swimming/Boat trip

Today is the day we are hoping to do a boat trip of the whole 5 villages of Cinque Terre, but we are going to sleep in first! It dawned bright and sunny and HOT so we decided we’d go for a swim in the little cove as Andrea the boat owner wasn’t to collect us until 2.15pm. I was first in the water (of necessity) but since I had sent my togs home with Keeley not thinking I will need them, I went in in my undies  although I could have borrowed Elizabeth’s togs (if I could fit into them!) as she didn’t go in. I just found out she can’t swim. I always thought she just didn’t like swimming! The only thing that could have been better would have been to swim with nothing on. The water was clear and cool and just glorious. I think I should have been a mermaid! I had the best time. Lorelle and Stacey soon joined me and we frolicked around in the water taking photos with Stacey’s underwater camera. I love swimming in the ocean. We swam over to a rock that had soft sea lichen growing from it, and it was like sitting on a soft rock in the water. I didn’t want to leave, but when I pushed off to swim back to shore, my leg got caught and I hurt my knee.  I made it back to shore hoping I hadn’t done any permanent damage. I am particularly wary of my knees!  Fortunately I managed to hobble up the rocky shore and stretch out on a flat rock and soak up the warmth of the sun, listening to the sounds of the waves on the rocks, for an hour or so. It was just magic. I drifted off and only woke up in time to get dressed and head for the harbour to meet the boat.

We watched the boat pull in and I wondered how the hell I was going to get on it. The waves were going up and down, up and down, as was the boat. It wasn’t tied to the shore or anything. I tried not to panic, but in the end just jumped and fell face first, spread eagled, flat on the deck. Luckily it was a flat deck! I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry or both, but quickly ascertained I had done no damage, so lay there laughing hysterically.

Andrea took us right up to Monterossa which was one of the villages devastated by the recent floods/mudslides/landslides. He explained that there were two main causes: 500 mm of rain in 3 hours (almost 2 feet! unheard of in these parts) and the negligence of the Cinque Terra National Park in not up-keeping the terraces on the hillsides. The other village was Vernazza which was swamped by so much mud it still hasn’t recovered. The small population had been evacuated and still has not returned. He said there was something like 110 landslides that surrounded Vernazza. 11 people lost their lives and just yesterday another 4 in Sicily in  a similar natural disaster. The last time this happened here was in Manarola in 1948! So, not a common occurrence. Fortunately for us, we had booked in Riomaggiore and not one of the devastated villages.

After sailing (motoring) up the coast, Andrea dropped us back to his village of Manarola-much easier to get out of the boat- and we sat and watched the sunset. Not often we get to see the sun sink into the sea but that’s exactly what it did. Very special for us Queenslanders! Stacey bought us a beer, God only knows what it was, I was too tired to be bothered looking, and we headed for dinner at La Pi                           . Pretty hungry by this time, I ordered spaghetti with mussels for primi (the most delicious mussels I have EVER tasted!- another superlative!)  and for secondi, baked prawns. I don’t know how they cooked them but they were absolutely delicious. I want to go back there again!  After dinner, I had the choice of walking back to Riomaggiore along Lover’s Lane in the pitch dark, or waiting 45 minutes to catch the train. Stacey walked with me but neither of us could see anything so tired to use my iphone as a torch. I used to have the torch app but in my panic, could not find it. By some miracle, we arrived home safely and I went straight to bed. Tomorrow is my rest day (and washing day)!

The Harbour at Riomaggiore

The Duoma in Florence

The grotto in Boboli Gardens

San Gimignano

Riomaggiore-our villa is at top in the centre

Loved the harbour

Sunset

Perfectly Preserved Pompeii

Naples Harbour

On the way to Pompeii...can't find my Pompeii photos...you'll have to see it for yourself!

I have held a fascination for a place called Pompeii from the first time I heard of its existence way back in primary school, so even though we only had two full days in Rome,  I determined I wanted to incorporate it into my visit. Stacey came up with the brilliant idea of staying an extra day, getting up before dawn to transfer our bags to the Pop Inn Hostel, and catch the shuttle bus from there. Keeley decided she would come too and spend her last full day in Italy with Stacey and me.

We hopped on the metro and arrived at the hostel at 6.35am. Stacey and Keeley went up to leave luggage and I went off to get coffee. Stacey told me we had missed the shuttle, so I waited outside the coffee shop for them to join me as I thought we were walking to the office, but apparently she was only joking.  I managed to choke on my coffee and spewed it all over my new scarf. I bought an extra one to put in my thermos flask but when I opened it, it was half full of vodka! I didn’t even remember filling it in Brasov. We’ve had 4 flights since then where I have declared it empty when asked by security, as I honestly thought it was. I was so surprised to find vodka in it when I opened it to fill with coffee!

We were successfully transferred to the bus where I got in the front seat next to a guy who came from San Salvador but lived in China. I managed to fall sound asleep quite quickly but not before seeing two accidents- a car and a motorbike- what a mess! And then a collision between two trams! One of them had come off much worse than the other!

I woke up just before Cassino where the Benedictine monks have an abbey on the mountain called Montecassino. It was considered to be a centre of learning with a library of 15,000 manuscripts and books being kept in its library. It was completely destroyed in World War 2 where 60,000 allied soldiers lost their lives and 20,000 Germans. I must check these figures for their veracity. We stopped here and had a cup of coffee.

Through San Vittoria along the path of the Via Appia (Appian Way) which the Romans built centuries ago- 540 kilometres of road all the way to Brindisi. On to Caserta which has the distinction of possessing the second largest castle in Europe after Versailles.  When we reached Napoli (Naples) the capital of Campania province world renowned  for its culinary inventions most famously pizza, we stopped on the harbour side to take some photos before driving on to the coral and cameo  making factory where we saw cameos being hand made. I didn’t know they were made from different sorts of shells and different parts of the same shell. Very interesting. Lots of cameos to buy, but sadly they were really expensive but you can understand why when you see the amount of work that goes into making them. I finally chose a cameo for Elizabeth’s birthday as I know she loves them. There were even some blue ones of flowers that I liked and a green pair of earrings which were very tempting. We finally arrived at the new town of Pompeii. We headed to the Ristorante Santuario where we were served a huge plate of spaghetti Bolognese followed by a combination meat dish with bubble and squeak, and fresh fruit salad all washed down with a bottle of moscato. A delicious lunch and much, much better than what I had been expecting. Then back on the bus for the (very short) trip to old Pompeii.

I was completely blown away by the sheer size of the city, the excellent preservation of most of the buildings, the engineering skills possessed by the Romans 2000 years ago. It was sewered and drained and had running water through lead pipes and water spouts where you could see where people had put their hands on the rock to bend over to have a drink. Our guide, Nino was excellent and very funny as well as well-informed. Ask me anything about Pompeii that you would like to know!

There was a huge theatre that is till used for night concerts and plays, two temples ( one was actually under construction when Vesuvius erupted) and a whole city of shops, villas, bordellos, the court house, town hall, forum, main roads, and even one way streets! 20,000 people lived ere in 79 AD . 15,000 were evacuated but the rest perished, asphyxiated by the sulphuric gases and covered up with metres of ash, to remain  undisturbed for the next 1700 years! The eruption of Vesuvius and the disappearance of Pompeii passed into folklore as a mythical story like the disappearance of Atlantis. It wasn’t until a well was being dug in the 1700’s that Pompeii was found to be more than just legend and parts of it started to be excavated. Even today, there is another third of the city which still remains covered in ash.

After sharing a gelati, we climbed aboard for the long trip home. We stopped midway for a toilet break and we bought some sprite and pringles and like naughty schoolgirls sat up the back drinking the vodka I had accidentally brought and being shushed by people who wanted to sleep! What fun!

Back at the hostel, we checked in and were allocated to the themed Africa Room with one big bed. Stacey had convinced Keeley to spend her last night with us as it was going to be too hard (and expensive) to get out to her airport hotel and back to the airport the next morning. Stacey asked Baby for restaurant recommendations and we decided on Trattoria Dell’Omo- a mumma and poppa place around the corner.

The poppa was at least 80, the mumma was in the kitchen cooking the best Italian food we’ve had- scrambled egg soup for entrée, which was really delicious, then fresh gnocci (Keeley), tortellini (Stacey) and mushroom fettuccine for me. Desserts were all gone but we were brought a complimentary custard and chocolate to share. We all had a great night as Antonio (the son) finished serving us and sat down to eat with friends. It was such a friendly atmosphere we didn’t leave till almost midnight! I showered and crashed immediately, and I don’t think Stacey and Keeley managed to stay awake much longer than I.  We all had a great sleep and woke up to get Keeley on the 8 am bus. We just made it!

Stacey and I sang (and danced) Goodbye, Farewell from The Sound of Music as Keeley looked down and laughed, but we were struggling to hold back our tears until Keeley was out of sight. We found a little café and had a delicious breakfast of bacon, eggs, toast (and butter) and salad, orange juice and coffee for 7 euro.

After packing up our bags, we couldn’t find the luggage scales which Stacey had insisted they had out last night weighing Keeley’s bags. After texting Keeley who said she left them on the bed, and calling Baby to find them, I finally found them at the bottom of my backpack where they had been the whole time. Keeley and Stacey must have both dreamt they had been weighing bags!

Back to travelling by train which we haven’t done since the night train to Brasov which seems like months ago! First train to La Spezia, then change to the little local train to Riomaggiore for a week’s stay in La Baio di Rio.

Riotous Rome

Well not actually riotous, but we arrived the night before the new President took over ( or Prime Minister or both, I'm not quite sure), and on our first foray into the city came across ( you couldn't miss it) the biggest crowd of protesters I'd ever seen. There must have been thousands of banner-carrying, flag waving demonstrators, and almost as many police watching the procession as well as helicopters filming it. It's even made the news in Australia, and we ( Stacey and I) were there! Later, we came across a suicide attempt at the Coliseum ( she was eventually talked down) but she had written a note asking for someone to feed her cat, which touched me. I don't actually know this was true- I heard it from an American bystander who was incredibly good looking- not many good-looking men in this part of the world- maybe I'm just getting picky in my old age!  Later on, we encountered a road-block, many police measuring things on the ground and marking exhibits A, B etc. We asked one policeman for directions but forgot to ask what was happening!

Times are hard in Rome, and apparently all of Italy, but they still want to make a killing from the tourists, which I suppose I would in the same circumstances. For example, this morning, we paid 1.50 euro for a latte for breakfast just down the road, and later paid 6.50 euro for a latte in Piazza Navona which was filled with tourists, and we only bought a coffee because we wanted to use their toilets! Later we found out that you can use coffee shops' toilets for free as public toilets are rare. I wouldn't mind paying double, but more than quadruple is a bit of a rip-off!

I digress. On our first night in Rome, four of us ventured out for an Italian meal. We had arrived quite late and were not sure if we would find anything open, but Romans eat late! As were were leaving after filling up on canneloni (Elizabeth), carbonara (Stacey), ravioli (Keeley), and calzone (me), there were groups of people just arriving for dinner. It was after 10! We took a pizza home to Kiryn and Lorelle who were in bed and too tired to eat.  Stacey and I sat up planning our day tomorrow. We had planned to catch a metro to the Coliseum and get there when it opened to avoid the crowds- I hate crowds! We sat up till we could sit no longer, and once we had a plan, went to bed. I slept snuggled up with Keeley in a big comfortable bed. Oh, I am going to miss her warm body in the coming winter. Oh, I am going to miss her all round. We have been through so much together.

Stacey and I started off early hoping to get to get to the Coliseum by 9 but of course, the metro was closed- a strike apparently. We managed to catch a bus which took forever to get to the Termini train station. Because of the strike, the streets were clogged with traffic and masses of demonstrators were starting to congregate at the station. At the ticket office, we reserved our seats on the 9.46am train on Sunday. We had to find somewhere to stay cheaply for another night as I really want to take the tour down to Pompeii, even though I can't really afford it. We found the Pop Inn Hostel right next to the train station. Baby, their receptionist, was every helpful and said she could book our Pompeii tour and the shuttle bus could pick us up from the hostel. Fantastic- only problem is we have to be there by 6.30am! Oh, and we have to pay in CASH!

So started the search for the ATM which would give me cash. After several ATMs and two banks, I finally gave up the quest and Stacey got the money from her account for the tour- 351 euro for the three of us. Business done, we headed off to the Coliseum arriving in time for the 1.45pm English tour which cost an extra  5 euro on top of the 12 euro ticket and was totally not worth it. She didn't even mention the second floor let alone take us there but of course, we did it ourselves and it was great- a lot about the history of Nero and the burning of Rome as well as many artefacts from Nero's villas. After walking around the Coliseum a number of times, we exited near the Roman Forum ruins, and then walked down past the Piazza Venezia where we stopped for a beer ( 8 euro each!) and to share a pizza ( only 9 euro).

We finally made it home after almost a whole day's walking and went straight out to dinner at the restaurant next door where I ate scallopini roma and drank more red wine. Then straight to bed after the longest day of walking I've had. My back recovered after a little heat treatment, but my legs ached and ached until I finally fell asleep from pure exhaustion.

With a lot of coercion from Stacey, I joined her in a stroll  to Sant'Ignazio de Loyola, stopping at a few ATMs on the way to withdraw cash for Riomaggiore. Success every time! Sant'Ignazio de Loyola is  the church I really wanted to see in Rome because of the trompe l'oeil  painted by Father Andrea Pozzo who was a Jesuit brother and a very talented painter if you ask me. Once again, the photos don't do it justice. The big bonus was it was an undiscovered treasure as there were only a handful of tourists in the whole church and the church itself was very beautiful even without the amazing ceilings!

On the way to Sant'Ignazio, we came across the Pantheon and wandered inside marvelling at the sheer size of it. We tossed up whether or not to get an audio guide, but when we found out we could get two for 7 euro, we went for it. What a great idea. It was fantastic and I could write pages on the Pantheon ( but I won't). If you ever come to Rome, put it on your must-see list and don't forget to get the audio guide too! You won't be disappointed.

On to Trevi Fountain which was very beautiful despite the hordes of snap-happy tourists ( yeah, yeah, we were just another two!) And the find of the day! Murano glass necklaces for 2.50 euro. We bought 9 of them but am regretting I didn't buy more as no one else had seen them. My feet had had enough by this time, so I decided to head home carrying the Murano glass necklaces and Stacey's bargain purchase of a bottle of Johnny Walker which she took out of her bag and handed to me just as I was jumping on the bus. When I got off the bus at the last stop, I still faced quite a walk back home clutching a bottle of Johnny to my chest, glass necklaces in a carry bag, and 1500 euro in my purse. To say I was a little nervous is an understatement. I couldn't get home fast enough!

The Coliseum

Inside the Coliseum

Looking through one of the arches of the coliseum- there are 80 I think.

Really interesting stories about what happened here. ( not what you think- more gruesome!)

Still the Coliseum- I took heaps of photos

Sitting in St Peter's Square which is actually round

St Peter's Basilica

Castel Sant'Angelo

One of the statues on the bridge we walked across

Another statue

Fountain in Piazza Navona

Inside the Pantheon

Not a dome- it's flat!

Inside Sant'Ignazio de Loyola

Outside Sant'Ignazio de Loyola

Trevi Fountain

The ceiling in Sant'Ignazio de Loyola

Just chilling tonight after a delicious meal of bakery delights for 3 euro each. Off to Pop Inn at 6 am tomorrow to join the Pompeii tour.

Scenic Santorini

From Athens to Santorini is an easy 45 minute flight whereas the ferry can take 8 hours or more so we flew! Our host picked us up from the airport and delivered us to our door- well not quite- he delivered us as far as he could by car, and then we had to walk down, down, down to our rooms. Extremely fortunately, he carted my suitcase for me otherwise I would have had to have made two trips. Our rooms are just gorgeous though small. They are shaped liked caves in the side of the cliffs as most of the dwellings along the edge of the caldera are, and each has its own sun-drenched terrace- when the sun is out.

We were all quite hungry (translate that as starving) so wandered uptown to find something to eat and found a lovely little cafe perched on the cliff with a view overlooking the caldera, of course. Stacey and I shared a pizza and a waldorf salad which was lovely but I think we paid for the view!

Elizabeth and I sauntered off on a mission to find a supermarket which eventuated in success after finding lots of other types of shops and restaurants. We bought coke, sprite (mixers for our vodka and southern comfort), milk, bread and butter (for fish and chips which the others are searching for) and a six pack of Corona. (no explanation needed!) We had gyros for dinner (again) and headed to bed about 9.30 as we are hiring a car tomorrow. I caught up on some emails, and organised payments and was asleep by 10.30 and didn't wake up until after 6. I slept like a bear in a cave ( which I sort of was!) but Elizabeth didn't sleep at all because she thought I was on the computer all night but she must have been dreaming- literally. Consequently I have been banished to the upper room which has a picture window over the bed with a view over the caldera and the cute little church next door. It's the stuff postcards are made of.

We have hired 2 cars for  30 euro each for 24 hours. First we headed to Mt Profitus Ilias and drove to the top. Above where we parked was a sign posted on a ramshackle building saying the military radar had made the whole area carcinogenic so we didn't stay long especially since we saw a cat who looked like he was suffering cancer.  Stacey stopped on the way down to take photos- what's new- and the wind was so strong that I seriously thought the Nissan Micra we were in was going to blow right off the mountain!

So what do we do next? Yes, drive up another mountain to see the ruins of Ancient Thira. It was a steep climb with many hairpin bends- so scary that I just about kissed the ground when we reached the top but the wind was so strong I couldn't bend down. I didn't think I was up to the challenge of  going all the way down again in the car so crazily decided I'd walk down. It was only a 10 degree  slope (so the signs said) so was a pleasant walk down and I could actually open my eyes and appreciate the view, something I was unable to do on the way up and I feel like I am getting fitter in the process. I waited down the bottom out the front of  a quad bike hire shop for an hour before I was eventually found. Poor Keeley had been searching for me all along the beach where I was tempted to go but thought I had better stay put. This was the black beach at Kamari we had heard so much about and it is BLACK! It must get unbearably hot in summer but there are hotels and restaurants strung along the foreshore, all but one closed for the winter- some even boarded up. Keeley had already met the proprietor of The Hook in her search for me so it was there that we sat and had a lovely latte. We were all a little peckish but remembered we had lunch packed in the boot, so headed off to the White Beach. The cliffs were interesting but the white sand was actually just a little less black than the Black Beach. The resorts had all closed up, there was nowhere to sit so we ate lunch out of the back of the car in the windy conditions which had somehow become colder as the day wore on.

I navigated our way to the Red Beach next, passing by the prehistoric village of Akrotiri, which, you guessed it, was also closed, but it did tell us that on the website so we weren't hugely disappointed. The Red Beach was the most beautiful of them all, even though we had to climb up a cliff path to see it. The water was crystal clear and a beautiful sea green colour. Photographs do not do its beauty justice.

On, on to the lighthouse at the south-western most point of the island which we almost reached before deciding to turn around and drive to the pretty village of Oia  on the northernmost spur on the caldera where Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants was filmed. It is exactly as it was in the movie. We were willing the sun to appear as this was the spot to witness the amazing sunsets over the caldera we had heard so much about but alas, the weather was not kind to us. It grew colder and windier and then started to rain so we scuttled back to the warmth and dryness of our car and home to more delicious gyros for dinner.

The weather did not improve overnight so when we awoke to a blustery showery day decided to stay indoors and have a movie day. We watched The Secret Life of Bees and Friends with Benefits before heading out to the shops. I still hadn't bought Keeley a birthday present! I knew what I wanted to buy her but took hours deciding. I eventually settled on one of many beautiful paintings of Santorini as well as a donkey apron, oven mitt and tea-towel, and all she wanted was a donkey ride. I also bought Stacey a lovely silver necklace and a book of Santorini photographs.

After finishing our shopping, we headed to the taverna where Kiryn was waiting until her laundry was finished. Lorelle met us there as well, but Elizabeth and Keeley decided to stay indoors as it was now pelting down. Stacey and I had eaten a late lunch of spinach pie and calzone so were not really hungry at all but decided to eat anyway. I decided on two starters and couldn't even finish the second which was delicious, so asked for a doggy bag. It was white eggplant and saganaki with cinnamon. I love Greek food!

Our last full day in Santorini dawned and our last chance to sail over to Volcano Island and swim in the volcanically heated waters 600 metres deep. This was to be the highlight of my trip! But the weather had worsened and although we held out hope that the clouds would lift and the seas become calm, it just  didn’t happen. Kiryn and Stacey researched what would be open today as it’s Keeley’s birthday and the only thing they could find was a winery!

Elizabeth decided not to come so the five of us squeezed into a car and headed off to the winery which wasn’t too far away. It wasn’t only a winery but a very interesting museum with 24 exhibits 8 metres underground. We learnt why the vines grow in circles on the ground here in Santorini, the history of Santorinian wine making, and saw many examples of the types of wine press that have been used over the centuries. The wind-blown volcanic conditions and the way the vines grow on the ground lead to a much smaller grape production per acre than other European vineyards, but the quality of the wine is pretty good. We tasted four wines- the red was particularly good so Stacey bought a bottle to drink for Keeley’s  birthday. It was still early so we decided to drive up to Oia again- the low road this time- and Kiryn had remembered there was one restaurant open when we visited here the first day so we decided to head there and see if we could have some lunch. ( The wine had made us hungry!)  We found it easily. It  was called Lotza and the owner was great and the food was even better! I can highly recommend this restaurant. Lorelle and I had pumpkin, feta and zucchini pie, and then I gutsed myself on a lime, saffron and cheese risotto- the best risotto I’ve ever had in my entire life! (another best!) washed down with a local red for 4 euro.

When we were walking to the restaurant, we saw some donkeys and thought Keeley might get her ride after all but sadly, only witnessed the horrific beating of one of the errant donkeys. The guy even punched the poor creature in the face. Keeley of course was enraged and upset by this inhumane treatment of the donkey, especially as she had received so many donkey presents. To counteract this, while we were waiting for our lunch to be served, she spied a woman feeding some cats down below the restaurant so Stacey and she went down to investigate. Stacey took her camera of course and took a beautiful photo of Keeley holding one of the cats. The lady feeding the cats was an Australian from Perth and had never liked cats until she moved to Santorini two years ago to be a marriage celebrant. She now takes it upon herself to buy cat food for more than 2 dozen cats and feeds them daily. Keeley was impressed and her mood lifted to enjoy the magnificent lunch on the deck overlooking the caldera. It was a birthday lunch that was enjoyed by all the family and maybe even so because it was completely unplanned. We had planned for an elaborate birthday dinner that night at a restaurant with a magnificent view just up the road from us in Fira but it was not to be as the manager wouldn’t answer or return our calls so we ended up eating late at Nicholas’ Restaurant in Fira town after drinking the two bottles of Piper- Heidsieck that Kiryn and Stacey had bought for Keeley as a surprise. Of course, I didn’t know they were a surprise and let the cat out of the bag the night before.

Another delicious meal! Keeley and I shared some fried saganaki for starters and then I had shrimp in saganaki sauce for mains. Just delicious. Kiryn, Lorelle and Keeley couldn’t go past the moussaka, while Elizabeth had lemon chicken and Stacey had lemon roast lamb which I helped her finish, all washed down with the local red, again! 86 euro for the lot! We really got ripped off on our first lunch paying 89 euro for a sandwich and a beer each!

Kiryn, Lorelle and Elizabeth decided to walk off their meal, while Stacey, Keeley and I wandered into Town Club (not very imaginatively named!) and danced ours off! We only had 10 euro between us or we would probably still be there! I had a pina colada, and Keeley and Stacey shared sex on the beach. The barmaid came out from behind the bar and danced with us. We had the best fun! We wanted to stay up all night! What Keeley and I didn’t know was that the others had snuck home to get the birthday cake organized so that was a REAL surprise for Keeley and me!

After drinking the complimentary bottle of white wine the hotel had given us on arrival, we played some bananas and we just too buggered to walk up the stairs back to the club even though we had promised the barmaid we would return with some money. The minds were willing but the bodies weak!  We all slept soundly and woke up just in time for breakfast at 8.30.

I then managed to get my suitcase up the steps and to the car. It was much easier than I had imagined. I am getting stronger day by day. Down the stairs again to get dressed and pack up the rest of my gear. I wanted to return to the shop where I had bought Stacey’s necklace as the lady was so lovely and I really preferred the paintings there. I think it was just that there were not so many to choose from and she was so accommodating, not pushy at all. I ended up buying two sterling silver charms for Keeley as well as five paintings! The lovely lady gave us a huge discount which brought the cost down to almost the same as the cheaper shop. Elizabeth had bought a large tube at the post office this morning so I knew there was room for them and I just love them!  I don’t think I could ever have too many! I already have 4 Cebo prints and 2 George Meris prints but I bought them second hand 8 years ago and they are quite faded. Keeley also chose a donkey charm and a silver copy of a round stone found in Crete hundreds of years old which signifies the circle of life.

We caught up with Stacey at the shop where I had bought Keeley’s birthday painting and she chose another one to match hers. We chose one for Elizabeth, as well as some for Nana and Lorelle to be sorted in Rome. We put 5 euro of petrol in the hire car and headed for the airport. The Europcar lady was waiting for us so Stacey handed over the car to her. We trooped inside to find Lorelle, Kiryn and Elizabeth waiting for us. I had to put my dirty clothes in my suitcase and as soon as I opened it, a gorgeous black and white cat hopped in and proceeded to go to sleep.  Alas, there was no room for him although he did follow us through security to the gate lounge. I was actually a bit teary leaving Santorini- I don’t know why- but I really feel very much at home here. I wonder how hard it is for an Australian to live here.

The warning at the top of  Mt Profitus Ilias

View of the Black Beach

Another cute church

View from the terrace of the Lotza Restaurant in Oia.

Santorini Street view

Another church in Oia. There are more than 250 churches on the island because most families have their own church.

Another view

The cat who hopped in my suitcase at the airport

Goodbye, Santorini and all of your cats. I love you…