Hotel Villaggio Roller Club Ricadi

Today was a sea day. I shall attempt to tell you how we spend these wonderfully relaxing days, doing nothing...
I usually awaken early, 5:00 or 6:00am at the latest. Today, Jim beat me to it. He had a pilates class at 8:00am and woke me. After he left for the class, I showered and dressed. I love the bath products in our stateroom. The shower gel has a strong peppermint fragrance, sure to get your eyes open quickly. That, and the good shower pressure ...

... was enough to get my toes a tappin'!
He took me to Tropea, where in the summer the roads are so congested with tourists and locals alike you have to park your car on the mountain and hike to the beach. He drove through the winding roads down the edge of the mountain as I fought back nausea. I'm still not used to the winding roads, and it of course doesn't help when everyone here speeds like their back ends are on fire. Take the letter 'S' in your mind and ...

... nearby like Akko (Acre), Nazareth etc. Like a lot of places Israel has swamped the biblical sites with churches and souvenir stores which can challenge even the most faithful when you visit a place like Bethlehem...you approach the walled Palestinian area, change tour guides to Palestinian for this leg only, visit the site that now has four churches melded together carving out their piece, fighting over who has ...

... Then at night how I feel that if I looked closely enough I'd be able to catch my breath in my hands. I want to show you how the clouds float through the trees, and how the mountains around look as if they are breathing.... For this is the only time I wish I was an artist.

I have recently come to the realization why this specific process is slightly difficult for me. Don't get me wrong, I love being with ...

... car and started my journey to the famous coastal town of Tropea, only a1 hour drive in southern direction.

Tropea stands on an imposing sandstone cliff, in a charming position. It is an exclusive seaside resort with a modern tourist and fishing harbor and is one of the prettiest and best preserved historical town centers in Calabria.
This lively small coast town also called "Saint Tropez" of the south, has a magnificent medieval town ...

... Carere, Vadala, and even Ferraro to name just a few. It was a wonderful feeling to be so far away from home, but feel like you were just around the corner. We sat and drank from the fountain in the main square that I had heard stories about from relatives playing there as kids, and we got to see the balcony behind that fountain where my grandfather grew up. After hearing tales about San Giorgio Morgeto for 30 years, it felt absolutely ...

... fascinating, as they were trying to upstage the French court, but for me it's all too monumentalist and egotistical. Our next night is at the grooviest youth hostel (called Seven Hostel) in which I've ever stayed, in Sorrento, on the southern edge of the bay of Naples. It's like a designer boutique hotel, and it has this great terrace with circular couches with umbrellas over them, for sleeping during the day (or night I guess) - would love to have done it but ...

Tropea is a seaside town that is not really on the international tourist circuit. However it is a tourist hot spot for Italians. Gianluca recommended that we go there so Dad and I stopped there on the way down to Sicily. It was absolutely incredible! The water was crystal clear blue, the beaches covered in soft white sand and there was a rock shelf that you could jump off into the water ...

... contrast with the turquoise crystal-clear water of the sea. The Italian language school itself is located in a beautiful 18th century palazzo. The staff at the Piccola Università Italiana will arrange pleasant accommodations during your stay and will arrange transfers to and from Lamezia Terme airport or the train station, the cost of which is included in the enrolment fee ...

... Italian or wish to learn Italian. The Italian language reflects what Italy is today: a country greatly changed and still transforming, a country that is not what is used to be nor as picturesque stereotypes would have it; a country with positive sides and contradictions too that just keeps on charming tourists from all over the world!