Sep 15, 2012 - Depart from Sorrento

Up at the crack of dawn and ready in reception to depart at 4.30 am .... yes EARLY! Our taxi is due at 4.35 am but hasn't appeared by 4.50 am. Rep is rung (3 times) and we are told that the taxi broke down and another is now on its way - why din't they phone? Second call to rep, still not arrived ... just 10 mins she says. Not to worry as check in doesn't open till 6 am ... so why did we have to be up at 4.30 am????? Eventually arrives at 5.20 am, no apology or explanation. Fortunatley the Hotel receptionist was indcredibly helpful and as...

Sep 13, 2012 - Naples Archaelogical Museum

What has happened to the sun? We awake to a dramatic thunderstorm ... no breakfast on the terrace this morning! Forked lightning, thunderbolts and monsoon like rain. At least it is still mild! Change of plan - we had intended to go to Nales on the ferry but it seems sensible to go by train now. The worst of the storm has passed but it is still raining, a bit less. Our shuttle bus driver kindly drops us really close to the station and we do a dash avoiding the puddles. Our train comes in and we step inside to find it awash! All the seats are...

Jul 5, 2012 - Naples, rhymes with staples!

As we stepped out of the train station in Naples at 11:50 at night we felt as if we had arrived onto the scene of a scary movie. The streets in front of us were small, dark, dingy and under extensive construction, a few neon lights from nearby businesses flickered on and off, graffiti covered nearly every inch of every surface, small groups of men lurked on street corners and in shadows, a few women dressed up for the town strutted around calling to anyone who would listen, and three cop cars with their lights flashing were driven up onto...

Jun 23, 2012 - Italy - Naples

15th June - 17th June 2012 We didn’t know what to expect in Naples. It contrasts in many ways from the cities like Milan and Florence. It doesn’t have the structure and order like the other cities but within the chaos there is something unique about the way of life in Naples. With a map in hand we strolled along the streets of the old city centre. The densely populated area was bustling with locals going through their daily routine. The streets were lined with small stalls and shops selling goods at very reasonable prices. We felt very...

Jun 21, 2012 - Naples

Heat wave hits Italy. A big news item. 37 in Rome but fortunately only 34 in Napoli. We are staying in Spaccanapoli. Narrow streets roughly paved with small cobbles, about 200 years ago I'd reckon. Teeming with life. Rubbish, washing hanging out everywhere, tons of shops - ghastly fried stuff and pizzas, but also excellent alimentari where the knowledge and love of food is as good as elsewhere in Italy, cheap sock and underwear shops merging with street vendors selling all sorts of crap, but with fish sellers among them. Decaying Spanish...

Jun 7, 2012 - Naples, Italy and ruins of Herculaneum

Day 5- Naples, Italy Ah, sleep! How elusive you have been this week. Since we'd decided to book a later excursion for this, our final day ashore in Italy, Mike and I both took some TylenolPM to hopefully get a full night's sleep again. It worked for the most part, tho nature is a bit of a nag around 4 AM. At any rate, slept in until around 7:30, which was nice. We went upstairs for breakfast, then just kinda killed time sitting on a deck chair dozing for a little while then wandering the ship. Before we knew it, it was after noon, and time...

May 1, 2012 - On the way to Napoli!

I woke up and decided on a run!! Everyone was out, as it was yet another national holiday!! No pics today.... Just a train ride into Naples.....wayyyyy dirty city! Crappy pizza! So, we ended up going to bed early! All is good, we needed the sleep! The hotel was swarming with polizia... Apparently someone important was staying at the hotel and they wanted to prevent a manifesto ( riot)... Damn, every one of the polizia men were soooooo cute, but all married :(!!!!! Thank goodness! :) ciao!!!

Apr 22, 2012 - Naples, Italy

April 22 - Napoli (Naples, Rome) Naples sits on the Bay of Naples (as does the beautiful island of Capri) at the base of Mt. Vesuvius. That is the volcano that brought life to a thunderous end for Pompeii and Herculaneum in 79 A.D. Naples is not a pedestrian-friendly city! Traffic lights seem to be more of a decoration and absolutely of no importance to the multitude of Vespas darting all over! We learned to cross streets along with local folks whenever possible during our 5-hour foray. Being Sunday most of the shops were closed. This...

Dec 8, 2011 - Naples

@@@@@@@ BACKGROUND You may remember that I talked about the Sorrento Peninsula being the place where the Sirens would attempt to lure sailors onto the rocks and to their death. Well Naples, according to Greek legend, was the spot where the Siren Parthenope was washed ashore after being rejected by Odysseus. The name Neapolis (new city) refers to the fact that the Greeks decided to construct another city near their original settlement at Cumae. The Romans appreciated the thriving commercial centre established by the Greeks, and allowed the...

Nov 10, 2011 - Circumvesuviana

@@@@@@@ Anil had read the ‘Getting There And Away’ section of the Lonely Planet in preparation for our arrival by high-speed train in Naples, and the change that would be required for us to transfer to the local train that would take us from Naples from Sorrento. He was prepared for the short walk between the two train stations, and it wasn’t difficult to follow the signs marked ‘Circumvesuviana’. However, we weren’t prepared for the decrepit state of the station, nor the sorry-looking commuter trains. We were surprised that the fare to...

Nov 4, 2011 - Day 5 - At Sea

Today was a relaxing day at sea as we headed out towards the Greek Isles. Several spent their day in the spa, others attended port lectures, art auctions, and other activities around the ship. Tonight was our first formal night, and after dinner, we had a group picture made, then attended the captain's welcome aboard reception with the champagne waterfall, complete with free champagne. Afterwards we spent a little time in the casino, but we didn't stay long as we needed a good night's sleep for our day in Santorini tomorrow.

Nov 3, 2011 - Day 4 - Naples, Italy

It was another amazing day. It was warm and sunny as we all headed out on various excursions. Although none of us actually spent anytime in Naples, we all visited Pompei, the Amalfi Coast, Sorento, and some also visited Positano. Seeing the ruins of Pompei was unbelievable, and the drive along the Amalfi Coast was absolutely beautiful! We did a little shopping in Sorento and Positano to complete a great day.