Day 23, October 13,2012

I had a broken sleep, obviously waiting for our alarm! Our driver was picking us up at 6.15 am. No breakfast but that's ok, I wanted to hit the road. We were at Naples train station in plenty of time. Hardly anyone on our bullet train, the only way to travel Im convinced! Gosh, we reached Rome at 10 am. The taxi driver was good , for Rome but drove at at least 140 kph. Shit!! Arrived safely though, to find our booked hotel had to put us in another hotel for the night as the rooms on the floor we were to stay on had plumbing problems!! No worries, the hotel we are staying in tonight is very, very nice! Traditional yet has all mod cons including wifi- everywhere in it!! After settling in to our rooms Angie and I went for a walk, a long one, all the way to the Vatican and back, about 6 km round trip. The weather cool and about to rain! We just made it back before lightening and thunder! Here I am writing this journal now! Angie rang her god daughter this morning when we arrived. She has lived in Rome for years and is an interpreter for the Vatican. She is picking us up later for a meal. Angie very excited to see her after a long absence. We are sitting in the hotel bar listening to " English Speaking" music and snacking on chippies and olives. Soon it will be nana nap time!!

Day 19 - 22, October 9 - 12

Today was a long day to say the least! We trained it from Monterosso to Pisa, to Florence, to Naples, then we were picked up at the train station at 5 pm to be driven to Positano, one and one half hours away. Phew. The road to Positano was long and very windy but totally awesome in views. We stayed at the Hotel L'Ancora, a small delicious hotel facing the sea, and of course we had a sea view room! My goodness gracious me, I was in love with this place. Angie and I had a super large room but the staff thought we shared a bed. Laugh, I said we weren't lesbian after they said " you married",!! We went down to the attached restaurant for dinner while they fixed the bed situation! Wow! The restaurant was perfecto. Bonus, it didn't cost the earth for a truly sensational small meal. Back at the hotel, we collapsed , slept deeply and decided to skip the planned trip to Capri and AnaCapris, we were exhausted. A day was spent browsing and caught a bus to a local phone card shop for me to buy a sim for the iPad to allow browsing in Italy. As usual all things Italian don't necessarily work, meaning, this sim doesn't work much at all. I spent a good amount of time with the hotel receptionist to sort it out- still doesn't work!! I don't know how these people get on with this technology! Another bonus, made friends with the lovely young receptionist who was 35 yrs old and still single but wanted to be married with kids! She helped us enormously over the following days. Meanwhile, I wanted to find friends in Perth who were also here. They only had this day, the one day to catch up as they were leaving the next day for Florence. I didn't have their phone number so it was a case of keeping the eyes open! I got Angie to look for a balding man with a pretty, blond wife! I had to return my iPad to the hotel and blow me down, coming up the hill a man said boo. It was Bruce!! Talk about wonderful. We all had our greetings, then went to a restaurant for lunch, then had dinner with them that night at a restaurant of their choice-- lovely, overlooking the bay with the lights of Positano glittering in the background.
Next day we were picked up at our hotel for our booked Pompei and Vesuvius tour, an all day affair. The bus picked up various people along the way around the Amalfi coastline so we got a good viewing of these magical towns embedded into the mountains. Lots of photos were taken! Pompei is behind the coastal mountains, next to Naples. The city of Pompei was in existence well before Christ was born and was a thriving modern city of over 30,000 people when Christ died. The people had a sewage system, road rules, drinking fountains and bathing facilities and was very clean. They also had brothels as they had no inhibitions and believed in sex as a natural thing. There were many phallic symbols, mostly carved into the road , to indicate the home was a prosperous one with children! No one believed that Mt Vesuvious was a volcano and life was good, rich and ordered, but paganism was the order of the day. Christianity came later. In 79 AD Vesuvius blew out of its side and the whole of the city eventually was to die. Many people escaped but those that stayed were covered in a thick layer of ash which hardened and the people suffocated. They were not destroyed by lava. We walked the most of Pompei listening to our excellent Italian tour guide , but, boy was it hot!! About 35 I guess. I remember the last time I was in Pompei in 1974, it was also hot!! There's more excavation since there. After a typical tour lunch at a typical restaurant for tourists we all hopped back on the bus for the long climb up My Vesuvius. Up and up into the clouds we went until it was cloudy and cold. The view from the top overlooking the Bay of Naples was awesome. We saw lots of old lava flows and old dead twisted trees and we saw where the volcano blew its side out. Some people climbed to the top to see the new crater forming for the next big blow out. The last one was in 1944, so any year now!!! After another long but satisfying day we tidied up and went out for a light meal back at the lovely place we went to the first night by the bay of Positano. I know why people keep coming back here, it is magic.
The next day our last was to be restrictive as the heavens opened and it poured and lightening and thunder was to be had! I took some sensational pics of the thunderous skies. We did venture out for a bit to buy some providores for our in room snacks. Bottle of local wine, and ham,artichokes, olives etc to be dinner! Off to nigh nigh, another big day travelling in the morning.

Day 18, October 8

Feeling better today after nurse Angie looked after me yesterday. Determined not to waste the day, we headed off on the train to see the other towns along the Cinque Tierra - alas most have closed and there seems to be only the serious walkers taking the high top trails as the donkey trails closer to the coast remain closed after last year's landslide. Today actually is the anniversary of the event. For October the weather is hot and muggy and rains predicted the day after we leave for Positano tomorrow. Lots of laughing along the way especially on one train trip where a woman and man's best friend (dog) was alighting from the train with leash firmly wrapped around her wrist along with shopping bags. Big doggie wanted to get off train as soon as doors opened and took woman with him - at horizontal level leaving her splayed on the platform. Unfortunately for her, it was something you would only see in a movie starring Leslie Nielson.

Day 17, October 7

OMG!!!!!!! Bed-bound all day with migraine - great. Too sick to post.

Day 16, October 6

Today we are back to mastering the French/Italian system. Up and down steps at great pace to make train connections but we did it although our luggage seems to be getting heavier but we haven't added to it with any shopping. Four hours later we were in Cinque Terre - our stop for the next three nights. What a small world. We are running into Aussies everywhere and many from Perth including one heavier party going who missed his train and jumped on the next one. Lives in Nedlands and knows lot of mutual acquaintances.
Back to the hotel we stayed at four years ago in Monterosso only this time we don't have the top room like before so the tiny room below absorbs all the sound on the marble floors. Can see where last year's floods certainly devastated the five towns and some have even closed for winter already. Monterosso closes at the end of this month but there are heaps of tourists here and the weather is certainly war if not hot. All the travelling has laid me low starting off with a small virus that has all the signs of turning nasty. Fresh fish for dinner.

Day 16, October 5

Time to explore the coastline so back on the bus again, this time for Monaco. Magical views along the way and the luxury boats moored at little coves along the way are the true stuff of millionaires. Weather warm and perfect to discover one of the cleanest countries in Europe. Nothing out of order and ultra-modern buildings. On good advice, we headed to the casino area where we sat at Cafe de Paris and simply soaked up the sights of the rich and famous as they spun their Ferraris and Lambourginis up to the front door. One Aussie we met the following day told us how he had run slap bang into John Cleese outside the casino while we caught glimpses of European who's who. 

Day 15, October 4

Coming to grips with the bus system in France is a bit of a headache as we discovered when trying to catch the local bus at the back of our hotel into the main city area. The hotel is located not far from Nice airport on Promenade des Anglais and a 45-minute walk to the start of the city. We were under the impression we had to get our train seats at Nice airport for Monterosso but not so as we discovered after another long session queuing. Back into the old town square of Nice we walked and walked and walked soaking up all the atmosphere this city has to offer. Instead of trying find a bus we walked back to the hotel, probably about 12kms for the day. Quiet night beside the Mediterranean.

Day 14, October 3

Today we were off to Nice in France. Luckily we left the hotel early as the queue at the check- in line was over an hour. Two hours later we arrived in Nice to fine, sunny weather. Our rooms, although in the old Raddison were spacious and had brilliant views of the Mediterranean. As has become our motis operandi we found a supermarket and stocked up on some antipasti for dinner nibbles. Nice to relax in Nice.

Day 13, October 2

Back into Dublin again to see more sights. We walked around Trinity College with the intention of seeing the Book of Kells but the thousands of Uni students mulling around for Careers Week meant we would have had to wait for hours. We explored the Temple Bar area with all it's eateries and pubs and finally settled for lunch at the famous O'Reilly's Pub. Lots of walking on hard cobblestones but great fun.

Day 12, October 1

Monday, October 1: Time to take in the Dublin experience! After bussing it into the city we decided to use the hop-on hop- mode of sightseeing to get around the city easily. While commentary on the bus was about the historic buildings, Dublin still seems to be the same old buildings of years ago but overall Ireland is in bad recession and it's going to take a long time to get back on it's feet. No trip To Dublin would be complete with a stop at the Guinness Storehouse and what an eye-opener. Seven levels of information and some fascinating facts on the roasting and brewing process. Interesting to see that Guinness buy most of their hops from Australia. We were happy to spend several hours there watching videos of how the Scottish hand-craft barrels using traditional methods of planing the wood and heat- treating into shape. On the top floor is the Altitude Bar which has spectacular views of the entire city. At the time of our visit all the Galway hurlers also were there and great fun to talk to.
Back on the bus again we soaked up some more sights before becoming soaked - a quick downpour had us heading/running for the right bus stop to head back to the hotel. A good day in Dublin.

Day Eleven - again!

Oops again - it really is a case of adventure before dementia when you fall behind with your posts. So we are back to Sunday again. After leaving the The Mustard Seed, we took a detour on our way to Dublin to Doon to see Molly's lovely family on their farm. Lovely to catch up with them and see where Molly grew up in Ireland before heading to Perth. Travelling later on the M- something was a breeze and we arrived back in Dublin minus the rain and in time to drop off the car and head to our next accommodation - Castleknock Hotel and Country Club. Arrived to a roar of cheering Irish hurling fans watching televisions everywhere and seeing Kilkenny beating Galway. The game was being played in Dublin and Molly's father was a hurler for Galway. What an experience watching the game which is a bit like ice hockey but played on grass with Gaelic football rules thrown in. Hurling is a national amateur sport and the players play for the love of the game and not pay. They even have to take a day off work to play for the grand final before a crowd of over 80,000! Our accommodation was between Dublin city and the airport in a lovely treed part of town and a favourite venue for visiting sporting teams including the All Blacks and international soccer teams as well as being one of the favored golf courses in Ireland.

Day Eleven

Sunday, September 30: Oops fallen behind with this blogging so bear with us. Today we drove down to Kinsale via Cork. Kinsale is a lovely fishing village where the last person was picked up from the Titanic on that fateful journey. Weather beautiful. Had the best seafood chowder ever at Fishy Fishy - highly recommend it for future travellers. Next stop was Blarney Woollen Mills outside Blarney Castle. The shop was larger than any Ikea and was a one-stop shop for everything Irish. Several hours later we were back on the road again for our last night at the Mustard Seed which was booked out for fine dining by the locals so it was salmon and nibbles beside the fire.
Ireland is truly magic and a sea of green fields and trees. You've never seen green until you've been to Ireland.
But time to move onto Day 12. Can't post any photos as yet because of not being able to upload Picasso.

Day Ten, 29 September,2012

Lost my train of thought now! Ah, yes, today we went to Kinsale via Cork. I'd heard about this place as well. Kinsale is the port for Cork City. It has a monument to the Titanic . It was the port that the last passenger was picked up before the Titanic's fateful journey. Kinsale is very pretty as ports go. Today it has a lot of restaurants and boutique shops one of which I had to buy from--- home made chocolate. Funnily enough, it was called Koko. We have a Koko Black in Claremont and the big Kokomo Black in Melbourne. This shop has nothing to do with either of those shops. The owner who makes all of the chocolates, just used the name Koko. Like my brown dog, called Coco . We ate at another lovely eatery called Fishy Fishy which we were told about. All about beautiful fish dishes! We didn't bother going into Cork itself but went to the Blarney Woollen Mills where everything was sold from hand crafted linen and lace to Woollen products, jumpers and the like, to Waterford Crystal wear and other Irish crystal , also touristy things. It's a huge place, a one stop shop if you like. All very interesting, but we were tired and headed back to our cosy Mustard Seed Hotel for more drinks by the fire. We had our own snacks but the owner said, no you must have this on a proper plate and he had the crackers, salmon, cheeses etc brought out in style. We had a wine and turned in for the night. The long drive of the day before plum tuckered us out!! The next day was the drive to Dublin to drop the car off.

Day Nine- 28 September

The manor house Hotel and Country Club couldn't have been a nicer place such was their hospitality and service. After a home cooked breakfast we drove off into what would be a very, very long day ahead. First stop was the Belleek Pottery Factory at Belleek of course. I had heard so much of this pottery which is more like fine bone china than chunky pottery. Every piece is completely hand made and decorated. Truly fascinating. We did a short tour of crafts persons at their work. Such fine work you need years of practice and all have to pass an apprenticeship before being able to be employed. One must have absolute patience and steady hands to do this fine, excellent work. I had one or two pieces shipped home as we have a wedding to be in the family. Gosh, now it was  midday and we had to get a wriggle on. We had to get to Ballingarry, south west of Limerick city before dark a five or six hour drive! Unfortunate to miss out on Galway Bay, but ,hey, the traffic was appalling. We had numerous traffic stops due to road works and as this is Ireland traffic lights haunting traffic one way stays on forever even if there are no cars. No such thing as the lollipop man that earns $90,000 a year just to hold the stop, go signs! Ireland has 31 % unemployment. Could fix that!! I desperately wanted to go to Cliffs of Moher to pay my respects for darling Mary's sister who passed away last year. We made it!! My golly, gosh, has it ever changed! Last time I was there in 1974 there was one small road and you could go right up to the edge, not that you'd want to. Today there is a huge car park and a ticketing system( of course) ,shops, cares, toilets etc. the best thing though is the majority of the cliff face is fenced off with a high barrier. I love this place with its beauty and ruggedness but I don't like the idea of portraying it as a tourist monetary gain as people suicide off the top. I payed my respects then we hit the road again. It was 5pm. Eek, more hurdles along the way. It is well known that if you want to get somewhere fast, things beset you. This time it was dairy cows being headed down the road. I didn't mind this at all. It was lovely to see. Nearly there and we passed though the most beautiful village ever, not including Broadway in Shropshire, England. Adare is classified as the most beautiful village in all of Ireland and that it is. We were nearly there! Eventually got to The Mustard Seed at Ecco Lodge Hotel, another delightful place with a warm and welcoming owner, cum everything man! This man has an award winning restaurant called the Mustard Seed and you could tell it was good in the restaurant by the number of people booked for a meal. We arrived at 6.30 pm, luckily still light and were greeted by a seat by the fire and pre dinner drinks with canapés. We loved our room which was up and around, down and along! The home and the rooms all filled with antiques and quirky collectables. Angie and I had a huge room, in fact it was probably two rooms once. Angie had the double in one section and I had a quiet nook in another separated by a sofa and writing desk. Everything ran like clockwork even they were busy with meals. Nothing was a problem. We were to have two glorious days there, but I was totally stuffed from all the driving so tucked into bed early.

Day Eight

27 September 2012,
Due to the keys " going missing", we had to cancel our next accommodation at Cliftden in the far west, Co. Connemarra, which I really wanted to see. It is wild and rugged and has Connemarra ponies roaming free. I very nearly bought a Connemarra ponie for Libby when she was young. They are tough and kind, can do anything. Never mind, I'll get there one day. Angie and I had to stay in this dreadful place one more night. Who knows when the next set of keys will arrive!!!  I might say I was a tad distressed as we now have to cancel our planned visit to the Giants Causeway, a place of unusual beauty with hexagonal shaped rocks emerging alone the coastline, due to volcanic activity of thousands of years ago. The hotel booked us into the Manor House Hotel, Inneskillan , slightly inland but nearer to Beleek where we definitely wanted to go.Yippee, the keys arrived by courier at 1.45pm. We were out of there at 1.50pm!! I feel pretty sure that something weird happened at that hotel and I won't be going back.
We drove through some delightful countryside stopping for photos( which I still haven't worked out to upload yet!), arrived at the most gorgeous Manor House ever!! Staff very helpful, friendly and wow what a place. Thoroughly recommend this Hotel. It had a spa, health club, heated pool and all manner of spoilings! Angie and I went for a bit of exercise in the pool befor dinner. The rooms provided the dressing gowns and slippers and we had to purchase a cap. Hygiene paramount so showers before the use of the pool. Showered after so then ready for a scrumptious dinner with wine. Our rooms were excellent.