Feb 18, 2006 - Good Bye Rome and Hello Sorrento

Today I left Rome and the better part of the day will be travelling down to Sorrento. Before I cut out of Rome, I decided to have a good breakfast...and one other than croissants or sweets. I finally found a restaurant that served eggs and cooked to order. Last night I had a Big Mac and it never tasted so good. I guess I'm beginning to miss good old U.S of A. food. I said my goodbyes at the B&B I was staying at, and posted a pic of the owners. They were great people and made me feel very welcome. I boarded my train for Sorrento and setback...

Jan 28, 2006 - Pompei / Sorrento

Took an overnight trip to Sorrento via Pompei. Pompei was huge, much bigger than we had expected. We hired an audio guide and walked through the ruins discovering what life was like in Ancient Pompei. Most remarkable were the houses that were still intact with intricate floor designs and garden atriums. As well as the houses there was temples, shops and amphitheatres. They even had some plaster moulds of the people from the time of the volcanic eruption, although most of the artifacts had been moved to the museum in Naples. After this we...

Dec 8, 2005 - Sorrento-Pompeii-Amalfi, Italy

December 8 - Early rise to catch a train south to crazy Naples. Naples is supposed to be an interesting city full of life, no rules, mafia, and petty crime. We only headed here to catch a local train further south to Sorrento, where we will be staying for the next 4 nights. Sorrento is a resort town and therefore it's a bit expensive for shopping but a perfect central location for all the day trips we would like to take around the area. Our trip today will be Pompeii. In AD 79 Mt. Vesuvius blew its top and buried Pompeii under layers of...

Dec 4, 2005 - M: Sorrento/ Capri

As we arrived in Naples at 6:00 Am, fresh off the overnight train from Siracusa, we had no idea that it was time for us to experience bliss again. Uninspired by the prospect of hanging out in another large metropolis, we decided on the spur of the moment to go to Sorrento, and from there, if possible, go on a day trip to Capri. Not only was it possible to go to Capri, but it was also a shorter and cheaper boat ride from Sorrento than from Napoli. After a bumpy ride, we arrived in what must be one of the world's most beautiful islands,...

Dec 3, 2005 - Italy to Scotland

Well it is the day after the wedding and we are in the Lounge at Napli (Naples) Airport waiting for our flight to London (Gatwick) then up to Glasgow. Charlie and Joyce are picking us up at Glasgow to go down to Helensburgh. No doubt we will have a couple of quiet drinks tonight before Charlies birthday tomorrow. The wedding yesterday for Ian and Vicki was fantastic. The weather turned on a beautiful sunny day which was a pleasure to behold. The bride looked fantastic and Ian was ok too! We had a fantastic lunch after the ceremony which...

Dec 2, 2005 - Positano (Wedding Day)

Well the weather is absolutely fantastic today. We had a spa on the patio watching the sun come up and so far it promises to be a great day. Today Ian and Vicki will marry in the town hall at 1200. Afterwards we are all going to a great restaurant on the beach to celebrate. We leave Positano tomorrow to fly from Naples to London then onto Glasgow to visit Joyce and Charlie. Thommo and Cath

Dec 1, 2005 - Positano (First Full Day)

Well a little seedy this morning, however had a great breakfast and went for a walk around town again. Dave Graham arrived after having the most expensive taxi ride in history from Sorrento. A ride that should have cost him 50 Euros ended up costing him 230!! This equates to abour 430Aust. Well done Dave! Overcast day with patches of sunshine. Cath finally bought two pairs of Italian shoes to add to her collection. Had lunch at the restaurant where we will all meet after the wedding. Beautiful fresh seafood. Tonight saw us taken up the...

Nov 30, 2005 - Positano

Hi All, After a hair raising time at Naples train station we dubiously took a car with driver for our journey here to Positano. After not being axe murdered or ripped off we arrived at our hotel in Positatno. Absolutely breath taking views and a fabulous room. However, we decided to upgrade to the suite and now find ourselves with a huge area to entertain and a outdoor spa with a great view. Ian and Vicki arrived at about 1800 and we set about to gathering all the others who had also arrived in our room and patio for a few drinks. Went to a...

Nov 28, 2005 - I love Pompei, I love Pompei

12:05AM Today, we went to Pompei. After all the trash we've walked through in Naples, we were cautiously optimistic that Pompei would make this stop in Southern Italy worthwhile. Consider our hopes granted. Pompei was absolutely unbelievable. 2,000 years ago (no, that's not a typo), Mt. Vesuvius erupted and effectively froze an ancient city in time. What was excavated 1,800 years later was a perfectly recognizable, 2,000-year-old city. The ruins have 12 acres open to the public, at the base of Mt. Vesuvius (an amazing sight in itself), out...

Nov 27, 2005 - Naples: Not like the brochure...

If I had to describe Naples in one word, it would be "ew". Although it is listed as a must-see by every guide book we have read, I would not send my worst enemy to this place, even as punishment for the most heinous of crimes. Last night, we only needed to walk about 500 yards from the train station to our hotel. Even before arrival, Jason's crime-dar was already on high alert. He saw a beat-up transvestite stumbling down a flight of stairs, under which two people were dealing cocaine. And this was just at the train station. It was dark,...

Nov 13, 2005 - Pompei !!

(Bill) Pompei was the one and only place as we were planning our trip to Europe that was on our must see list......Debra and I both have these feelings that we connected with the people of Pompei.....must have been through our genes...... THEY pronounce it Pom-pay-e. I always had an idea that you went down into Pompeii with torches, by the way of damp, dark stairways, just as you do in silver mines, and traversed gloomy tunnels with lava overhead and something on either hand like dilapidated prisons gouged out of the solid earth, that...

Oct 26, 2005 - Pompeii and Herculaneum

Well, this was only last week but feels like ages ago now. However, both sites were really worth seeing. Pompeii was a bit overwhelming - the sheer size of the site and the streets and streets of it. The best bits are around the public spaces - you could imagine being in the Forum with crowds of Romans going about their business, and we could see the same layout and feel of the markets in the markets we had seen in Catania the week before. The theatres and amphitheatres were also very well preserved and you could hear the cheering of the...