Day 11, July 24, 2014

Celeste and I were up early, had breakfast, took the train to Venice, and were there by 7:30! Pauline, unfortunately, was up much of the night with case of "diedie" (as Sacha would say). So she decided to stay back and rest!

Beautiful San Marco Piazza is much easier to enjoy at 8 am than later in the day!

There are so many stunning traditional scenes from Venice, that my pictures certainly do justice. So here is a taste of the "other" part of the day beyond the canals.

On our way to San Marco Square Celeste broke a strap on her bag. Shortly after we passed a shoe repair shop. She asked if he could fix it and he said yes.

As we waited we noticed articles as well as verses posted in different languages, near his little shop. He's a poet! Love it!

We spent a couple of hours - in rain -looking for an art gallery/library (when Pauline heard this she said she was kind of glad that she stayed back). When we could not find it by noon, we stopped to have lunch. Have you ever noticed how eating solves all problems? Well at least in Italy where the restaurants have WiFi! Still amazed how connected the world is!

We knew it must be a good restaurant when some gondoliers came in to eat!

So with the aid of the internet we found the art gallery which we had passed a number of times. It was awesome! We spent at least 2 hours there - art throughout the history of Venice! Sorry no pictures!

But Cel did find the neatest bookstore!

 

Yes that is a gondola filled with books.

and a tub,

and a book staircase,

Books everywhere! It was awesome! (Again Pauline mentioned maybe it was good that she stayed back, lol).

We came back and shared our day with Pauline who was feeling better and rested - she even went out and did the laundry. What a wonderful woman!

Then out for supper!

Life is good!

Day 10, July 23, 2014

Great breakfast at the hotel this morning, our first full day with Celeste and in Venice . What an amazing city!

Many of the articles I read suggested getting lost in Venice to get a sense of the city beyond the most common sights.  So we did.

From the almost empty back streets to

teeming with people San Marco Piazza. We walked and explored and drank it all in!

The many beautiful masks and costumes.

Amazing sculptures!

Amazing San Marco Square (more to come on the tomorrow).

And few fun things like having small fish chew on your old skin, quite neat!

Just enjoying sitting for an hour and having lunch with great company.

Beautiful day!

Day 9, July 22, 2014

Today we left the Amalfi Coast! We will miss the amazing views around every turn!

It was overcast with some rain! Although we were sad, we were excited to be off to meet Celeste in Venice!

So one last trip to the breakfast dessert table! And one trip up the hotel elevator!

We were picked up right on time! 90 minute drive caught the express train in Naples, right on time. Train hit speeds over 290 km/hr and super smooth. Switched trains at Bologna, all right on time. Arrived in Mestre-Venice at 4:20. Walked to our hotel across the street. Took a bus to the airport over 2 hours early.... So excited!!! Then finally...

There she was!

Tears, hugs, priceless!

Day 8, July 21, 2014

Today was overcast for the first time during our week. We decided to take a bus to Sorrento. It rained off and on during the ride there. But our luck held and it never rained all day.

Sorrento has a rich history, as we learned  on a one hour your of the city. T has huge valley which runs through the centre down to the sea.

As is true for much, Mount Vesuvius is always evident.

Lemon orchard right in the middle of the city!

These shops in what seem like alley ways go on forever, restaurants, even old guys playing cards (gambling?)

On the ride home, guess what, rain all the way!

Just another great day and, and oh did I mention lunch?

 

Like I said, great day! 

Day 7, July 20, 2014

After all the walking, up an down roads,mountains and volcanoes (and to get to our room), we decided to have an easy day.

We had breakfast with Lois and Stan from Ann Arbor, Michigan. We met them on the excursion to Capri! Then we headed down to the beach.

We rented a couple of chairs and a parasol and read, napped, swam, but mostly just vegged!

Went for a very late lunch (and very early supper for Italy).

And then headed back to the room well-rested, and my belly a little burnt! Another perfect day!

Day 6, July 19, 2014

We had an excursion to Pompeii and Vesuvius today. A shuttle picked us up at 7:25 at the hotel and took us to Amalfi where we got on to a tour bus with a guide. 

I salut all the drivers of the Amalfi Coast (if you have driven here, I salute you too), but especially the big bus and tour bus drivers. Pauline and I were able to sit in front, right behind the driver and I cannot tell you how often I "applied the breaks" or that we thought we had hit something or someone. It really is an experience in itself!

The photo does not do the driving justice, but I may post a video later.

The Pompeii visit was interesting and enlightening. We did not realize the size of the city and the extent of the excavation. Here was a city of 15 000 buried under 8 to 12 metres of ash, not lava, but volcanic ash.

The theatre where tragedies were performed ( and used to teach the citizens how to live - honestly or the gods would punish you).

The waiting area for the theatre in the shade.

An area for gladiators to train! Did you know there were women gladiators as well? I didn't!

The maze of streets and buildings where it would be easy to get lost. Here you see the original stone of the streets which were paved by the Romans. The streets were also used for drainage of rainwater and excrement (both animal and human). You can see in the distance stones crossing the street, this allowed people to  avoid getting a sandal full of poo when it rained and still allow carts to pass on the street. Roman carts had a specific width which later on became the width of our modern day train track. Talk about being stuck in the rut!

The all essential brothel! 

If you were new in town there were signs on the street pointing the way!

Don't speak the language? Point to the frescoe on the wall indicating position of choice.

The off to the baths (makes sense), which were a number of rooms. This one included in floor heating!

Apollo's temple, there also temples for other gods, where people brought their sacrifices.

There was a great deal more, and we really only touched the surface in our two hour visit!

Then it was off to see Vesuvius, one of the most active and dangerous volcanoes. There all sorts of instruments tracking its activity. Scientists from around the world come to study Vesuvius. 

We did not realize how close Naples was to the volcano. In case of an eruption there is no way of knowing which way the lava would flow or the ash. There is an evacuation plan for 700 000 people in the area.

You can see Naples in the background!

There was pretty good walk to see the crater, so it continues to be a physical vacation.

Another great day!

The ride home was just as exciting as the ride there. Pauline got some great footage!

Day 5, July 18, 2014

Today we were up early, and watched the sun come up. It is always interesting watching the world waking up especially

from this vantage point. 

We considered walking to Almafi, but then decided to take the bus to Ravello, which is high up in the mountains overlooking the villages of Minori and Maiori. It well known for its musical festivals and art galleries.

Huge pipe organ!

It also has a couple of villas as the aristocracy often lived or vacationed here. We visited the Villa Rufolo which had amazing architecture, gardens, and an area for concerts.

We very much enjoyed exploring Ravello which we found much quieter than Amalfi.

Then Pauline saw a stone stairway, with a sign and arrow showing the way to Amalfi. So agreed to walk it.

Going somewhere down there!

She found a path and we started down

Full of vim and vigor!

And down!

And down!

And down!

We were getting closer!

But the vim and vigor were gone! This made our walk to Positano look easy.

Then on the way home, I got us off at the wrong spot. We had to walk 2 more kilometres up and down. My wife is a real trooper. She makes lemonade out of

Another great day!