We're back!!!!!

A few days have now passed since we have arrived home. While there were mixed feelings at leaving beautiful Italy and knowing that our long awaited holiday was at an end, it was with great happiness that we saw our families again and especially to see that they were all healthy and coped well in our absence.

I missed my children and was thrilled to see them again. They did me proud in the way they looked after themselves, each other, the house and Shadow, the cat. (Tina)

Skye, the dog, also looked healthy and was so happy to see me! (Paul) 

We have shared many stories of the last seven weeks from both our worlds, interested in each others' daily exploits, neither more important than the other.

Life, as we knew it before our holiday will resume all too quickly! The bags are unpacked, the washing is done, jet lag (for Tina) is still an issue! The cold is unbearable and it is dark so early!

We would like to express our thanks to those who followed our adventure and shared in our amazing experiences through this blog. Thankyou to those who took the time to read the blog, who commented - either via the blog or privately through emails and through regular phone calls and text messages (our wonderful family, Sally and Tim). They were truly appreciated and kept us close to you.

We'd like to end our blog with words written to us in a farewell letter by my beautiful cousin Umberto......

"..... andare avanti, sperare, sognare."

 ...... go forward, hope, dream.

Till next time..........
Tina and Paul xxx

Amalfi Part 2

Hi Everyone,

We have been having a lovely time here in Amalfi and surrounding areas just chilling out. We have limited internet access here (no Maccas or any unsecured WI-FI sites) so our postings have been less than regular.

During our stay in Italy and up until now, we have been SO GOOD at  catching the right bus or train... We are so relaxed here that we let our guard down. We wanted to catch a bus to Maiori and needed to take the bus that goes to Salerno. Sorrento kinda sounds similar....same letters at the beginning and end of the word ...similar number of letters in the middle bit. Needless to say that after the bus left Amalfi we discovered, to our dismay, that we were headed in the opposite direction an on our way to Positano. After consulting our faded and folded bus timetable I was able to work out, with the assistance of some integral calculus dredged up from 1975, which was the optimal stop to get off at which gave us the minimal time to wa.... OK you get the idea..!!!!! We made it back in time for Spritzeses on the balcony. Today we will try again to reach Maiori.

We return to Rome tomorrow (Saturday) for an overnight stay and then board our plane back to Singapore for a 12 hour flight - our first leg of our journey home. We are tired and look forward to seeing everyone again. It seems so long that we have been away from home and miss our family, pets, friends and dare we say...our work colleagues...!

Year 2/3's, thankyou for keeping in touch and writing on behalf of the class, i am always excited to see and read your comments. Hope Miss Bateman recovers soon, take good care of her, she's writing your reports!!!! i'll pop in to see you all after I return, on a day that is good for you all and for Miss Bateman. Take care, love, Mrs Ball XXX

PS David, i've take sooooooo many photos, at least 6,000 of them! there will be so many for you to sketch!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MRS EBERHARDT....!!!!!

Amalfi

Sunday 5^th June

Yesterday we said our farewells to Rome and began our journey to the Southern Campagna region. A pleasant 3 hour train trip to Salerno and a harrowing, nail biting hour and a half bus ride later along a  perilous cliff face barely wide enough for two cars, let alone buses, where we finally arrived at our destination, Amalfi. Throughout the  bus journey we were teased with glimpses of towns along the coast, nestled among the lemon trees, as if jewels set in vertical rugged rock cliff faces.

Just to the south of Naples lies the Sorrentine Peninsula.  Along its south coast lie the enchanting villages of Maiori, Manori, Atrani, Amalfi and Positano, and located somewhere between the azure sky and the impossibly deeper azure sea. We have chosen Amalfi as the place to stay to visit this area. Above us lies the hill-top town of Ravello, famous for it’s icy cold, lemony flavoured liquor, Limoncello. Punctuating the peninsula, like the dot beneath the exclamation mark, lies the magical island of Capri, a short ferry ride from Amalfi. For those of you who remember LP record, it feels like we have dialed the speed from a frantic 78 in Rome to a less than leisurely 33 1/3 – such peace.  With six days ahead of us here, we relish the thought of doing very little and dictating the speed of our lives on our own terms.

After meeting James  and navigating many, many steps we arrived at our hotel (another 42 steps up to our room) – we decided to rent an apartment for our week in Amalfi, with a kitchen and a living area separate from the bedroom and bathroom.  So much space to move! Thankfully we are only about twenty metres above the main road, and perched above a tunnel, easily accessible and not too daunting. Other hotels are further along the hill-side, accessible by what seems, narrow goat tracks of stairs!



Our room is in the pink building
with the two awnings and balcony.



Amalfi

Last night we cooked our first meal in six weeks, a deliciously simple dish of tortellini with our own blend of local tomatoes and garlic, mixed with spices, simmered with a dash of local red wine. Simple, satisfying, delicious! Maybe it was the blend of spices herbs, maybe it was because we cooked it ourselves, or maybe because we were sitting near our open window in Amalfi, overlooking the sea, or perhaps a combination of all three, but for us this was the best meal we have had on our trip so far! 

The origins of Amalfi date back to 400AD, during the time of King Constantine, when a group of families, who were descendants of Roman refugees sheltered on the Amalfi Coast. Amalfi was a huge sea-faring town. At the end of the tenth century, Amalfi was a great trading port with far away oriental cities supported by a very powerful military navy. Flavio Gioia, the inventor of the compass is a proudly remembered Amalfitan. With knowledge gleaned from the Arabian world, the Amalfitan people learned the techniques to manufacture paper during the 13^th century. Today only two paper mills are still active, producing manuscript paper in the same traditional way, and used by the Vatican.

The views from the balcony and windows are spectacular, like looking at a living postcard, where the scene changes subtlely so that your interest never wavers, always surprised by what you see and wait in anticipation of what could happen next. We overlook the sea and boat harbour, and to the right, the mountain side dotted with hotels,  homes and terraced lemon groves .

This morning, in that haze before being fully awake I thought about where I was and what I remembered about our stroll through the main street of Amalfi last night and the night lights twinkling along the coast and thought that I must have dreamt it. How could a view so spectacular, and place so amazing be real!

Amalfi harbour at dusk.

Thankfully, when I stood on the balcony and looked out across the water and to the harbour, I knew this was real, and is to be our haven for the next six days. Paul has found a day bed in the living area, in a prime spot next to the balcony. I think I will have a hard time separating him from it!  Actually, think I’ll join him, with a coffee and the incredible view of fishing boats leaving for the hope of the catch of the day . What more could we want!

We wake up to this view each morning! Bahahaha!!

Tuesday 7^th June 2011

Today will be a day of leisure and of slowly meandering  through the yet undiscovered (by us) streets and paths in and around Amalfi. We’ll call out ‘Buon Giorno’ to the familiar shop keepers (such as the local fruit and veg) we pass, we might see the woman who sang in the piazza a few nights ago when her son opened his cake shop, we may even stumble across the elderly lady who, from her top floor window offered us a coffee. Such is life in Amalfi.

This small shop only sells zucchini and
its flowers.

Yesterday was a full day of bus travel to visit some of the other towns that dot this wonderful area. Needless to say, the bus journeys were harrowing and we often said our prayers before each bend. We were constantly reminded that back home our life generally operates horizontally. Most of our travel is on flat plains with slight rises and dips as we journey through our Adelaide Hills or the surrounds. Here, life is vertical, homes and gardens are built on steep sides of mountains, all beautifully terraced and well maintained. Cars, buses and scooters travel on roads and paths that perch on the very edge of these same mountains, hairpin bends are common, the view is magnificent but the drop barely a metre away is frightening. People here are used to this, they travel these roads and tend to their gardens every day without a thought to the dangers or challenges they bring. To them, life probably wouldn’t be complete if it was any different.

 

Positano

 We visited Sorrento, Positano and Ravello, all beautiful, quaint, unique. Positano is a sea-side town, not unlike Amalfi. Prices are high for just about everything – from souvenirs to food to clothing. The dark pebble beach and crashing waves were enjoyed by locals and visitors to the area. We continue to realise how fortunate we are of our white, sandy, free beaches back home. Ravello is a hill-side town, it was much later in the day when we visited, and so were pleasantly entertained by the number of children playing in the main piazza before they were taken home for dinner and bed.

Maiori

 Thank goodness the centre of Amalfi is quite flat, the piazza’s are linked by walking tunnels, narrow streets and flights of steps that gently rise or fall. The outer edge of this quaint town is ringed by private homes and services and the gradient to these residences increases. We’re convinced that it is not only the Mediterranean diet that contributes to longevity and good health, as is often professed. We have found that  people here walk far more than we do, not just for fitness but as part of their daily life. We have learnt to do the same! How strange it will seem when we return to Adelaide and need that extra one or two forgotten items from the supermarket ….. how easy it is for us to go by car, and yet, how much better for us would it be to walk.

Yes, we are walking and feeling trim and incredibly energetic …… pity about the croissants, brioche and gelati that we are constantly tempted with!!!!

(We did say there were many, many stairs we needed to climb to get to our apartment, and it felt that way the first time, with small suitcase in hand …..but….. after a few days here, we realise that they are not many at all, and we’re able to bound up and down them and get to the main piazza within two minutes!)

 Later this week we head to Capri and then back to Rome for our last night before regretfully leaving this wonderful country.

We'll try and blog again, but if no, we'll blog again when in Rome!

Hope everyone is well back home. Thinking of you all. Thankyou for all your comments, we love reading them.

Happy 50th birthday Meg for Saturday. Hope you have a great day. Sorry we can't be there.... we might have come back earlier if we were invited! ("At least we don't need to buy a present".... said Paul) Love Paul and Tina

Veni, Vidi, Vici

Julius Caesar said  'Veni, Vidi, Vici'

Tina and Paul said  'We came, We saw, We conquered'

Tonight is our last night in Rome. We had a huge day today with an organised walking tour which began with the Vatican Museums, the Sistene Chapel and St Peter's Basilica, followed by the ancient Roman city and ended inside the Colosseum! We came home tired but satisfied!

Our bags are packed and ready for Amalfi and we sit here together to reflect on our week in Rome. There was so much we wanted to see and do while in Rome, amazingly, we accomplished almost all of it! That means we will have to return to see the rest, maybe the three coins thrown into the Trevi will bring us back.

We have seen many incredible sights..... the Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona, St Peter's Basilica, Sistene Chapel, Colosseum, the Forum, the Pantheon, Palentine Hill and the ancient city..... not to mention the shopping precinct too!

Enjoy the photos, they are a snapshot of what we have seen the last few days, but it is really impossible for them to capture the immense beauty and wondering who has walked here before you some 2,000 years ago.

We may not get a chance to blog frequently while in Amalfi as we are unsure of the availability of internet access. We'll do our best!

Marcelle, we have absolutely loved your regular comments, and the last comment summed up exactly how we feel. Today we saw the classic works of Michelangelo's ceiling in the Sistene Chapel and his famous works in the Basilica, including 'La Pieta', Bernini's altar, Botticelli's 'The Temptation of Christ', to mention a few. Michelangelo spent seven years of his life painting the wall behind the altar in the Sistene Chapel, it is a brilliant masterpiece, but it is incredible to think someone had the determination and dedication to complete such a work of art. I  would love to share some of my photo's with you.



Paul at Piazza Navona, Bernini's Fontana
di Quattro Fiumi



Area Sacra di Largo Argentina



Area Sacra di Largo Argentina

If you need a shave, why not in the streets!

Bridge leading to Trastevere, the old part of the city. The Dome of St Peter's Basilica can be seen in the distance.

We're trying to work out how to get this home,
it's just her colour!



Hadrian's Villa, or as some know it, Villa Adriana




Columns at Villa Adriana




Villa D'Este at Tivoli



St Peter's Basilica

The ornate ceiling in the Gallery of Maps, on our way to the
Sistene Chapel. It was crowded!

The Ceiling of the sistene Chapel. Incredible.

Micelangelo's 'La Pieta', completed in 1499 when he was 25 years of age.

The ancient City.... the stadium, adjacent to the House of Augustus

Columns from the Temple of Castor and Pollux

Inside the Colosseum.



Arrivederci roma! Ciao Amalfi!

Rome Part 2

Thankyou for your patience in waiting for our next blog and photos ….. we thought that Rome would be an easy week for us, after the hectic two weeks we had in Tuscany….. how wrong we were!  Our feet are protesting, our legs are aching…. We’ve done nothing but walk from 9am until 6 at night. Exhausting, but satisfying!!

We commenced our week in Rome by independently exploring the ancient centre from Capitoline Hill down to the Forum, and then  to the centre of entertainment, the Colosseum.The great ampitheatre took eight years to build and whe completed in AD80 staged deadly gladitorial combat and wild animal fights. The Colosseum could hold up to 55,000 people (We think this exceeds the capacity of AAMI stadium by some 4,000 people).

The Colosseum

The ancient centre is far more extensive than we initially thought and have arranged a guided tour later this week to further explore in detail. So much history ….. it’s truly amazing.



'oh dear......' Phew! No fibs today!



In the tradition of the movie, ‘Roman Holiday’ we both put our hand into the ‘Bocca Della Verita’’ (Mouth of Truth)which was once believed to have been a drain hole cover and now is located in the portico of Santa Maria in Cosmedin. According to mediaevel tradition, the jaws would snap shut on people prone to telling fibs. Thankfully both our hands are intact!

We lunched at a little bar overlooking the Tarpeian Rock which is a cliff from which traitors were believed to have been throw to their death in ancient Rome. We wandered through the Don Ata with the statues of Castor and Pollux (not the ones from ‘Face Off’, the movie).

Tina and Patrizia

After wandering back to the hotel and freshening up, we then met Tina’s cousin Patrizia and her husband Vicenzo and their delighful daughter, Matilde. We shared a wonderful  late evening meal with them in their favourite restaurant. We plan to catch up again later in the week.

Yesterday we hit the famous Via Dei Condotti for and surrounding streets for some serious shopping (or at least, broswing, as most of what we saw was way out of our price range).

The Spanish Steps

We found our way to the Spanish Steps where we enjoyed our usual picnic lunch with a myriad of others with the same idea as us. Tina had a scare after buying warm, roasted chestnuts on the corner of Via Dei Condotti  where she felt she almost had her handbag/wallet stolen, but her  instinctives were on full alert and she was spared the anguish. Paul was on the other side of the road filming the whole thing, little did the thugs realise!  These guys have perfectly planned scams, they are very discreet, and to those who are unaware or too trusting, they must often succeed in their exploits. Their attempts at spoiling my holiday was foiled! It was obvious that the chestnut seller and the second guy were working together as their glance to each other was captured on our video. Travellers, be alert!



Throwing the three coins into the Trevi Fountain



Today’s hightlight (after  more pounding the pavement to browse at the exclusive shops) was Rome’s largest and most famous fountain, The Trevi fountain, completed in 1762. The site originally marked the terminal of an ancient Rome aqueduct built in 19BC to channel water to Rome’s new bath complexes. The fountain features Neptune in the centre, flanked by two tritons. One trying to control an unruly seahorse whilst the other is leading a quieter animal, symbolising the two contrasting moods of the sea. Along with hundreds of other visitors, we too threw our coins in to the fountain with the hope of again returning to Rome.



The Trevi Fountain

 

A short stroll away found us to the Pantheon. The circular temple, the ancient temple of the Gods, is fronted by a massive columned portico. Standing  inside the Pantheon, you can see the huge dome containing a nine metre wide oculus (open hole in the roof), which provides the only light. The Pantheon is lined with tombs containing the final resting places of the italian monarchs.

 

The oculus and the sun's light in the darkened Patheon



    

Our day ended with a refreshing home-made spritz (yes, Julie and GC, we’ve bought the ingredients to make our own!!!)  and a rest on our balcony before a well deserved meal eaten out nearby. An earlier than usual night to re-charge for another day of walking tomorrow!

Thankyou for those who are reading our blog, and for those who also leave us comments. They are always  greatly appreciated.

Sam and Rosa, we have received your comments and know that you share closely in our holiday as you were here not that long ago. Hope Jess keeps safe and enjoys every minute of her travels.

Angela, thankyou for your kind words, you too know what it’s like, to be here in this amazing country!

Murray, you were here only last year, and so you can easily understand the frantic  pace and the time out needed to stroll.

Take heart Bruno, Paul has taken to wearing pants again, don’t think the underpants ‘look’ was going to catch on outside Lucca.

Yr 2/3 and Miss Bateman, hope you are all well and keeping warm. I hear it is getting colder there, hope you haven’t had too many recess or lunch plays inside. Thinking of you all, I threw in extra coins  into the Trevi Fountain for your too!

Lau and Mic, hope you have settled in to your new house, can't wait to visit!

This is causing great controversy here, in Rome, a newly completed statue of Pope John Paul ll, love it or hate it, make up your own minds!

By the way, welcome to Winter, we're in Summer here!!!! bahahah!!!!!