TravelStream™ news feed for member lindalequesne on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/lindalequesne en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Wed, 03 Jun 2009 01:27:17 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lindalequesne/2/1244006733/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lindalequesne/2/1244006733/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lindalequesne/2/1244006733/tpod.html Wed, 03 Jun 2009 01:27:17 -0400 Italy - to celebrate 20 years of marriage and 50 years of life.

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North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Here is the link to our photos of Sicily.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=97998&id=565195763&l=b8e52871c9

This is the last entry in my travel blog of Italy. Thanks for taking an interest in our travels!

'til we meet again....

Linda & Jim
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lindalequesne/2/1243691040/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lindalequesne/2/1243691040/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lindalequesne/2/1243691040/tpod.html Sat, 30 May 2009 12:46:33 -0400 Italy - to celebrate 20 years of marriage and 50 years of life.

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North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

To see my pictures of the Amalfi Coast, click on this link. You don't have to be a member of Facebook to see them.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=97124&id=565195763&l=c4fb5d03eb

I'll let you know when our photos from Sicily are up....I took over 900 altogether, so it's taking awhile to go through them and to decide which ones others might like to see!

Cheers!

Linda (& Jim)
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lindalequesne/2/1243644240/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lindalequesne/2/1243644240/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lindalequesne/2/1243644240/tpod.html Fri, 29 May 2009 00:50:23 -0400 Italy - to celebrate 20 years of marriage and 50 years of life.

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North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

May 24
We woke up to a sewer-like smell permeating our room, so quickly packed up, had breakfast, and checked out. It was a 75 km drive to our next hotel in Mondello, which is east of Palermo (the capital of Sicily). We somehow managed to find it, but as we got closer we were suddenly stuck in thick traffic - sort of like Vancouver after the Celebration of Light fireworks display - so we inched along for quite awhile. The silver lining is that we were finally going slow enough for Jim to be able to look around and take in some of the sights! The reason for the traffic jam, we found out, is because today there is a Beach Festival in Mondello and the entire population of Sicily seems to have shown up for it.

We arrived at the Mondello Palace Hotel (not really a palace, but very nice nonetheless) at about 10:45 and they put a rush on our room, so we were able to check in within half an hour. This hotel is across the street from the beach and has very nice grounds, with a pool and pathways surrounding a beautiful garden. Jim wanted to check out the Roman baths that were across the street and built on pylons on the water. Poor Jim has been yearning to find some REAL 'baths", figuring he could have a massage, mud bath, etc. but, alas, these ones were long gone and a restaurant has taken its' place. We had a look around, and then went for a walk from one end of the beach to the other.

The beach was a crazy place, to be sure. It was filled with people suntanning, people playing Frisbee, people chatting, people singing, people drinking, people zooming around on scooters, people playing with their kids....I don't think I've ever seen so many people congregated on one beach before! There were people of all shapes and sizes, and I was actually feeling almost skinny compared to a lot of them. It was hot and we were hungry, so we looked for a restaurant far away from the crowds....but nothing opened until 1:00. So we waited, and watched two men (who looked like they were each 9 months' pregnant) directing traffic and charging people if they wanted to park their car. We figured this was the closest thing to the Mafia that we had found so far! They were so obviously not officials, but everybody was too scared to object to paying them.

We took our time eating...Jim had "Spaghetti Normal" (it came with roasted eggplant instead of a meat sauce) and I had macaroni with salmon and shrimp (I'm pushing my luck with my shellfish allergy, but the seafood is just so darned good here!). We then pushed through the crowds and made our way back to our hotel room, where we took a break from the heat for a couple of hours - Jim watched the BBC while I caught up with my journal.

At 4:00 we went down to the pool and relaxed some more, taking a dip whenever we got too hot. When we first lay on our beach chairs, it was so hot that I felt like I was in an infrared sauna. I managed to lie there for only 7 minutes before I had to cool off in the pool!

After showering and changing, we headed to Palermo because Jim had his heart set on seeing yet another fountain (sigh....the things we do to keep our husbands happy!). We got some good directions from the desk clerk, but once we got into Palermo we realized that the main street - which would have taken us exactly where we needed to go - was closed to traffic for the nightly stroll. We ended up going up and down, zigzagging and retracing our steps, going in circles sometimes, as practically every street was one-way! At one point we were between two buses and I realized that we were on a street that had signs on it that said only authorized vehicles were allowed to be on it - taxis and buses, not mere mortals like us! So we quickly veered off that street, only to realize that we were now going down a one-way street - in the opposite direction. AGH! We did manage to get to our destination, and - as luck would have it - this fountain wasn't working either. It was completely fenced off, with no evidence that it had ever been wet. It represented the four parts of Palermo and was quite impressive with huge marble figures and four staircases leading up to the main column in the centre, but we couldn't get as close to it as Jim wanted. There was a security guard standing nearby so we attempted to ask him if the water was just shut off for the night, and we think his reply is that they shut the water off permanently for conservation reasons.

We realized that our new friends, Paulo and Evana, were staying at a hotel just half a block away, so we checked in at the lobby but unfortunately they were out. When they invited us to have drinks with them yesterday, we hadn't set a time so it just didn't work out. We left them a note and then headed back to Mondello, as it was getting dark and we wanted to be able to see the map (it was bad enough with the glasses thing, but having to navigate in the dark would have been the straw that broke the camel's back!).

We ended up having dinner at Charleston's, the restaurant at the ex-Roman baths. It was an open air style with white linen tablecloths, candles, floral centrepieces, waiters wearing white tuxedos, overlooking the ocean. Jim had to wear long pants and a collared shirt for the first time on our holiday! We had another eenie-meenie-miny-mo dinner - mine ended up being pork tenderloin with chanterelle and porcini mushrooms with chard and roast potatoes, and Jim's was veal cutlets with the same veggies. For dessert, I had a cheesecake-type slice (I was told that it's a Sicilian specialty) with wild strawberries on it, and Jim had a chocolate lava cake (do you get the idea that this is his favourite dessert? You wouldn't be wrong).

After dinner we headed back to our room. The beaches looked so different with all the people gone, but we were sad to see all the litter that was left behind on the pristine white sand.

May 25
We set our alarm for 6:30 this morning, but we were both awake by 6:00 (funny how that is...). We were the only ones in the breakfast room at 7:00, and checked out by 8:00. It was a half hour drive to the airport, where we returned the rental car (and - oops - forgot to mention the parking ticket) and took the shuttle to the airport.

We were flying Ryan Air, which is a low budget airline with no frills attached. We paid a bit extra to get priority boarding - they don't give seat assignments, so it's first come, first served otherwise. The flight was 2½ hours long and pretty uneventful. We landed at Stansted and had to take a 2-hour National Express bus ride to Heathrow (I've been navigating for 8 days, so found myself constantly checking the signs to make sure the bus driver was going in the right direction!), where we checked in and then went to British Airways' pre-boarding lounge to check our e-mail and have a bite to eat. It took ages to get the wireless connection to work, and we suddenly realized that our plane was leaving in half an hour and we still had to get to the boarding gate which was 15 minutes away! So we beetled it out of there, arriving in time to line up with everyone else who hadn't boarded yet. That's the thing with travelling - it always seems to be rush, rush, wait. Rush, rush, wait.

I'm now on the 747 to Vancouver and I'm extremely frustrated, as my entire trip journal AND my vacation pictures seem to have disappeared from my laptop! I was organizing some photos when suddenly a window opened up saying it was transferring some files, so I pressed 'cancel'. After that, my journal was gone, my pictures were gone, and I couldn't find them anywhere. I rebooted my computer, attempted to do a system repair, did a search, but nada. AGH! I'm wondering if the connection to the plane somehow corrupted everything. I'm attempting to type some more, but it's really frustrating.....thank goodness I've posted everything up until two days ago on my travel blog, so at least I can copy it from there. As for my pictures, fortunately I had the good sense not to erase them from my memory card when I copied them onto my computer.

May 29
I'm now at home and Italy is becoming a distant memory....well, it's not fading as fast as my tan, but it's amazing how reality quickly takes hold and makes the vacation seem like something you dreamt about.

Anyway, that's a wrap - thanks for sharing in our journey! I'll post the rest of my pictures soon - I'll send you the link when they're up.

May you have bon voyages too! And remember...live life with no regrets.

Linda (& Jim)
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lindalequesne/2/1243203780/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lindalequesne/2/1243203780/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lindalequesne/2/1243203780/tpod.html Sun, 24 May 2009 12:27:24 -0400 Italy - to celebrate 20 years of marriage and 50 years of life.

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Cefalu, Sicily, Italy

May 22
We were quite reluctant to leave the Santa Catarina Hotel - everything about it was impeccable. The only other guests seemed to be a group of German tourists, but we always timed it so that we ate before or after them so it seemed like we had the place to ourselves in the mornings. Breakfast has been included in all the places we've stayed at in Italy, but this one had a few 'extras' - cold milk (a rarity), a juicer beside a bowl of oranges so you could make your own fresh-squeezed orange juice, a steamer so you could make a soft-boiled egg, and mini-croissants filled with lemon. We're always offered a cappuccino, café or tea, and are met with surprised looks when we say "No, grazie." What, no coffee with breakfast?! How could you?!

We checked out and headed north - destination, Messina. Some intersections had long traffic lights, and invariably at those ones we'd see "squeegee boys"; or men selling packages of tissues, lighters, car sun screens and kids' toys, walking from car to car; or women just holding out a plastic cup hoping for a donation. There doesn't seem to be much poverty here, but I guess you'll find people begging all over the world.

The other thing we've noticed and are disgusted by, is all the litter. Most of the roads leading into and out of the autostrada (highway) would be considered alleys in Vancouver, as they're only wide enough for one car and there are no sidewalks. They seem to be lined with garbage - empty drink containers, plastic bags, tissues, cigarette packages, and in one case we even saw a mattress and some discarded furniture. A few days ago, when we were at the Valley of the Temples, a school group was walking by us and I saw a teacher blatantly crumple up her garbage and toss it into the trees. A teacher! The ones who are supposed to be setting an example for the younger generation! Lead by example, girl!!

We've learned that southern Italy doesn't have a recycling program, and it just kills us to throw away water bottles and paper knowing that we could recycle it at home.

It took about an hour to get to Messina, and it was a pretty drive because the dividers between the lanes of the highway were filled with flowering bushes - azaleas, rhodos, and some other beautiful pink bush that I'm not familiar with. Messina is a large city by Italian standards, and is the port city where you can take the ferry to the mainland. If you picture Italy, there's the toe of the boot and then the island across from it is Sicily. Sicily could be considered the soccer ball, I guess. Anyway, the distance between the two isn't far but currently the only way you can get between the two is by ferry - it's the equivalent to us going to Vancouver Island from Vancouver.

The reason we went to Messina is because Jim wanted to see two fountains (yes, I was surprised too). There was a King Neptune fountain and an Orion fountain, both of which he saw/read about in our Eyewitness Travel book on Sicily. We made our way to the waterfront, in the general area of where we figured the fountains would be, and started looking for a parking spot - which seemed like an impossible feat. There were so many cars and scooters buzzing around and people were double-parked, parked across intersections, tucked into no-parking zones - it was madness. We saw a car pulling out of a prime spot on a shady street and couldn't believe our luck, so grabbed it. I thought "This is too good to be true!" (I could hear my mother's voice in the back of my head saying "If you think it's too good to be true, it probably is.") Jim was antsy to get going, so we set out on foot and managed to find the King Neptune fountain (after asking directions from a helpful woman in her store) about 6 blocks away. It was quite large, made of marble, with cherubs and angels flanking it around the bottom. I took the required pictures and we retraced our steps. As we approached the car, I saw a sign that means "No parking, tow-away zone" and realized we had parked quite near it. Sure enough, there was a ticket on our windshield - 38 Euros! Jim said "Oh well, we already have a ticket, let's go look for the other fountain." At that point I had my little hissy fit, saying it wasn't worth taking the risk of having the car towed with all our luggage in it, in a city where we don't know the language, blah blah blah. Jim backed down pretty quickly, but only to appease me - I'm sure he was convinced that the car would be fine if we left it a bit longer. As we pulled out of the parking spot, a woman started pulling in and two men in business suits shook their fingers at her, pointing to the sign and telling her not to park there. Why hadn't a Good Samaritan done that for us, too? We probably would have done better to just double-park somewhere, or leave the car on the sidewalk!

We found the second fountain just a couple of blocks from there. This one wasn't working and looked a bit neglected. Jim stayed with the car while I took the pictures (yup, more penises), and then we headed out of town. I don't know what it is, but I'm not enjoying driving through the cities. Give me the country roads, any day! Even with that though, Jim will be driving along the highway at 120 kph and cars will fly by us like we're standing still. Jim is doing a fine job getting us where we need to go, other than a few minor mistakes (like going the wrong way down a one way street, or going through a red light, but that just adds to the adventure). Actually, nobody seems to pay attention to red lights and stop signs and we later learned that it's 'suggested' that you stop, but not 'mandatory'. I wonder what the accident rate is like in this country?

The drive from Messina to Cefalu, our destination, wasn't quite as nice. The first half hour was nice, with about two miles of palm trees lining the road (instead of the flowering bushes), and after that we hit Tunnel Country. We must have gone through 50 tunnels, some as long as 3-4 kilometers! Tunnels are dark, dingy, horrible places to be, and it would be awful if the car broke down in one. Fortunately, it didn't. We drove on the autostrada, which is a toll highway, for the majority of the drive, and took the exit to Tindari as Jim had seen a picture of "Unusual natural scenery at the Laguna di Oliveri". To see it, we had to park the car, take a shuttle bus up to the top of the teeny tiny town of Tindari, and walk. We had been told that the sanctuary closes at 12:30 and it was 12:05, so we made that our first stop.

The Madonna di Tindari Sanctuary is exquisite. It is, quite honestly, the most beautiful, well kept, interesting Church (second to the Vatican) that I've ever seen. The walls were lined with mosaics made with thousands of tiny squares of different coloured glass, there were lots of gorgeous leaded and stained glass windows, and the frescoes that adorned the ceiling were breathtaking. We were completely in awe. We saw the famous Byzantine Madonna Nera (Black Madonna), held up by angels painted in gold. Around every corner was a new "Ahhhh" moment - it's probably the longest that a Church has kept Jim captivated in his life!

From the terrace next to the Church, we were able to look far down below to see the Laguna. It's hard to describe, but picture a huge, flat, sandy beach with "lakes" interspersed in the sand. The guidebook says that this is "the place celebrated by the poet and Nobel Prize winner Quasimodo" (and here I thought Quasimodo was just a hunchback!). We could see a few people swimming in the mini-lakes, and they looked like little ants because we were so high up.

We had a Panini each and shared a gelato (I'll take the calories on this one) at a little café in the piazza, trying to stay in the shade as much as possible as it's 29 degrees out. After lunch we wandered through the teeny tiny town of Tindari (I like how that rolls off the tongue) - there's a Roman Villa and a Greek Theatre that we could have paid admission to see but, after Pompeii and the Valley of the Temples, we both feel we've seen enough ruins on this trip.

We walked back to the shuttle bus stop, past the vendors selling nuts of all kinds (almonds and pistachios are grown in this region, and they're sold in their natural state, as candy, roasted, shelled or unshelled - lots of choices). Jim didn't want to wait for the shuttle so he walked back to the car - I was convinced that I would beat him by taking the shuttle, but he managed to get to the car and drive up the hill to get me before the shuttle even got there! While I was waiting, I chatted with a burro that was tied to a tree nearby, chomping on the grass. I felt sorry for it, but it seemed happy enough. It's owner was nowhere to be seen - I presume the burro was used to ferry people up and down the hill instead of taking the shuttle, but who knows?

We were back on the road by 1:30, and our next stop was in a little town called Santo Stefano di Camastra as our gas tank was on empty. We drove through the little town, again set up on a hillside, looking for a gas station. This town is one of the leading Sicilian centres for the production of ceramics, and the local craftsmen have their wares on display - vases, jugs, cornices and tiles. We pulled into one of the stores and asked a man for directions - I must say, even with the language barrier, we have had no problems communicating with the people here. We followed the man's directions (he drew us a map), topped up the gas tank, and off we went.

We arrived in Cefalu (pronounced Chef-a-loo) at about 4:00, after driving about 200 km altogether, and checked into room #222 of the Hotel Tourist (now there's an original name, eh?). To get to our room with our luggage, we had to ride an antiquated old elevator that barely fit the two of us. We had to manually slide open the door, squeeze ourselves in, close the door, press the button for the second floor, and then we held our breath as the elevator lurched and groaned upwards. We were a bit disappointed in our room at first, as we're paying the most for this hotel (130 Euros/night) and it seemed dark and dingy. However, once we opened the drapes, and then the French doors, and then the shutters, we saw that we had a balcony which faced back towards Cefalu and we have a partial sea view from it.

We were hot and sticky, so we immediately went to the pool for a swim. This hotel is right across the street from the beach and there's a long strand/promenade extending from one end of town to the other. We relaxed by the pool for a couple of hours, and at one point Jim disappeared for a few minutes and came back with a beer for him and a kahlua and milk for me! This is the first kahlua & milk of the trip - it's been non-existent up 'til now. He had to teach the bartender how to make it as he'd never heard of it before. Brownie points for Jim!!

We got ready for dinner, and walked along the strand into town (about a mile). The sun was setting so I kept turning around to take pictures - it was a solid orange ball surrounded by pastel pinks and blues, fading into the horizon. What is it about a sunset that makes me so happy? Sunsets and waterfalls and the first star at night...rainbows and kittens and birds that take flight....

Oh, speaking of which, while sitting in our lounge chairs by the pool, we were entertained by several starlings that had nests under the balconies. They'd come swooping out of the sky, dive-bombing the pool, and at the last possible second they'd change their course, dip their wings, and zoom away. We really enjoyed watching them.

Back to our walk into Cefalu....the beach extends all the way to the old town, which was built in the 5th century B.C. The brochure on Cefalu says "Cefalu is a town bound up with myth. The first inhabitants of Sicily lived here; Hercules came to build a temple to Jupiter; Daphne is still here, imprisoned in the rock into which she was transformed." The strand along the beach ended and we entered an archway leading into the medieval part of town, lined with shops, restaurants, entrances to people's homes, rental car companies, banks, etc. We walked to the end of the first street and saw Porta Pescara, described as "the only one of Cefalu's gates to have survived to our day with its late-medieval structure almost intact. It's a Gothic arch overlooking the sea, and is the only one remaining of the four that originally pierced the city wall." We also saw Pubblico lavatoio ditto medievale, which is the area where the local townspeople did their washing up until a few years ago, and it's now a medieval fountain.

Jim was getting grumpy by now, as he was hungry, so we had to make a decision - which restaurant would we choose? There were so many, and all looked good. We settled on Al Porticciolo simply because the menu looked a bit different from others - honestly, everybody seems to serve the same food here! We were the only patrons for the first hour, and by the time we left only two others had come in. The staff greeted us with a complimentary aperitif that tasted like grapefruit juice but boy, did it pack a punch! Jim had breaded veal stuffed with cheese, pine nuts, ham and some other unidentifiable ingredient, along with steamed potatoes and mixed veggies. I had tagliatelle (like fettuccini) with prawns and "baby tomatoes" with an orange sauce. It was sooooo good! Jim and I shared a bottle of Marsala wine, but we couldn't get through it (sorry, dad) - I was feeling rather tipsy after the aperitif and 1½ glasses of wine, and didn't think it would be fair for Jim to have to carry me the mile back to our hotel! Our topic of conversation was How We Would Fix the World If We Could. I think Jim enjoyed the intellectual style of conversation more than the usual 'fluff' that I like to talk about!

We sat next to a balcony that overlooked the rocks and the sea, and while we were waiting for our dinner to arrive we stood and looked outside. Below us, we saw a mother cat and her 3 kittens playing on a pile of wood. They were so cute! Another adult cat appeared later, presumably the dad? They appeared to live on the rocks down there, and later we threw some potatoes down to them. The momma cat scampered over, carefully picked up a potato in her mouth, and took it back to her babies. A few of the potatoes ended up going under rocks and were inaccessible, so the momma cat would look up at us as if to say "I can't get it, so please send another one...."

After dinner we took our time walking back to our hotel, arriving after 11:00. My body felt like silly putty because of the wine, so I took my shoes off, brushed my teeth and crashed. The last thing I remember is Jim cursing at the air conditioner because he couldn't get it to work.

May 23
It was another scorcher today - hot, sunny, not a cloud in the sky. Even the ocean was perfectly calm as there wasn't even a breeze to mar the surface. After breakfast, we walked back to the old town and wandered the streets for a couple of hours. We saw the Cathedral and there were a lot of very dressed up people around, so I wondered if there was going to be a wedding there today. We came back to our hotel about noon and cooled off, then went to a beach bar called Papagajo just down the street for lunch. It was so casual, that the men sitting at the table next to us were topless. I guess it's better that the men were, than the women.....

Jim had a hamburger panini and I hemmed and hawed, not sure what I wanted, before going with a Caprese salad (the one with the big slices of buffalo mozzarella cheese, sliced tomatoes and basil). Oh, let me interject here - when I get home, I'm going to plant an herb garden. I've never eaten basil fresh like this before, and it's so tasty! Jim and I shared a crepe with nutella and bananas for dessert.

Because it was so hot out, we decided just to relax this afternoon. I updated my journal while Jim watched TV, in order to stay out of the sun during the peak burning hours, and at 3:30 we walked across the street and went for a swim in the Tyrrhenian Sea. It was so refreshing! Part of the beach was rocky, but the rocks were all perfectly flat skipping rocks. However, there wasn't a speck of shade on the beach so we went back to the hotel pool and spent the next couple of hours relaxing on lounge chairs, taking a dip when we got hot, and I read for awhile. I'm reading Barack Obama's book, "The Audacity of Hope", and am finding his descriptions of historical political decisions unfamiliar, so when I come across a policy or reference that I'm not sure about, I ask Jim what it means. He's a wealth of knowledge, that boy is!

We headed back to the old town at 8:00, catching the sunset on the way. The nightly stroll had begun and we saw lots of joggers run by. We've actually seen people jogging at the hottest time of day, running down congested city streets, and thought "Are they nuts?!"

I just have to interject here, and say that Jim and I are growing to really dislike scooters. They are so loud and grate on your nerves when you hear them all day, every day. However, I must admit, people are pretty ingenuous with them - we saw one man carrying a carpet on his, across his lap, and another man carrying two propane tanks strapped behind him. We also saw a young child - he couldn't have been older than 8 - being taught to drive a scooter while his father sat behind him and coached!

We had chosen where we wanted to dine earlier in the day, a restaurant called Il Saraceno with a wooden jetty sticking out over the rocks with tables to sit at. We struck up a conversation with a couple at the table next to us, and ended up staying there and chatting until 12:30 a.m.! Paulo is from Lisbon, Portugal and is a career officer with the military, and Evana is from Belgrade, Bosnia and has her own company doing HR consulting work. They've had a long distance relationship for 10 years, meeting up in various places to vacation together as their work schedules permit. We really enjoyed our conversation with them and all of us were reluctant for the evening to end - so much so, that they invited us to meet them for drinks at their hotel in Palermo tomorrow night (which is where we're headed).

My meal was a Saraceno salad (lettuce, radicchio, little mozza balls, diced carrots, tomatoes and shrimp) and catch-of-the-day with lemon sauce, followed by tiramisu for dessert. It was such a tiny piece of fish; it was gone in 4 bites! Jim had lasagna and Sicilian cannole (is that how it's spelled?) for dessert. The only veggies offered in Sicily are eggplant, zucchini and tomatoes. Fish choices range from sea bass to anchovies to octopus to prawns to "catch of the day". Most of the pasta is spaghetti or tagliatelle, and the pizzas are pretty basic - although we did see a new combination - French fries on a pizza!

About an hour into our meal, a couple of security guys with radio head sets came down and checked out the area just beyond where we were sitting, where there was a private table for 8 at the end of the jetty. Shortly afterwards, 6 people passed by us on their way to that table, and the security guards - six altogether - sat just behind us. We presume the diners must have been pretty important people, as the chef brought their dinner to them personally, and the quantity and quality of the food brought to them - and the level of service - far exceeded what was bestowed on us! In fact, it got to be a joke as Paulo, Evana, Jim and I were basically ignored once our meals arrived. The "important people" finished their meal and left during the time we were still waiting for our bill, and as they passed we all got a good look at them and figured the woman wearing the white pant suit with a face full of badly done Botox must have been The Most Important One. She looked at me as if expecting my eyes to light up in recognition and awe, but she must have been disappointed....

To top off the evening, the rock cats that kept us company last night were back, and this time they brought their friends. There were 9 of them altogether (minus the kittens), and they perched on the rocks below the restaurant happily accepting food donations tossed down from the onlookers.

We said goodbye to Evana and Paulo and walked the mile back to our hotel, and we were amazed at how many people were just hanging out on the strand - even families with young children, and it was after midnight!

During the quiet moments of today, my thoughts kept going back to three of my friends who have experienced big tragedies while I've been away holidaying. I previously mentioned my friend Linda, who lost her husband suddenly. A few days ago I received an e-mail from another close friend whose father died unexpectedly on Monday, and I also heard from a long-time friend that she was laid off her job - one year short of retirement. These are huge, life-changing events, and impossible to prepare for. I'm reminded of how fleeting our time on earth is, and how important it is to appreciate and enjoy each other while we can. Live life with no regrets!

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lindalequesne/2/1242957900/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lindalequesne/2/1242957900/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lindalequesne/2/1242957900/tpod.html Thu, 21 May 2009 16:24:05 -0400 Italy - to celebrate 20 years of marriage and 50 years of life.

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Acireale, Sicily, Italy

I forgot to mention something really important that happened at dinner last night. After 20 years of marriage, Jim and I actually celebrated a "first" together. We shared a bottle of wine! I know, "no biggy" to most people, but consider the fact that I don't really like red wine so I never order it. Jim was quite pleased, even though I didn't quite drink my share - I had 1/3rd of it and he had 2/3rds. Fortunately it was just a short stagger back to our hotel afterwards!

As well, in honour of our Spanish pilgrim friends (you know who you are), I ordered a glass of grappa with dinner. When it was placed on the table a foot away from me, I could already smell the fumes. I brought it up to my nose and my eyes started watering. That can't be good. I took a sip, and my lips felt like they were on fire. Was I drinking gasoline?! Needless to say, it didn't get drunk and neither did I.

May 20
"On the road again...." We got an early start and drove from Agrigento to Acireale, a distance of approximately 175 km, in 2.5 hours. Most of the drive inland was uneventful as we passed through farm country with deep green valleys and towering cliffs, lots of pastureland, wind turbines, long tunnels, and random ruins in the middle of nowhere. There were several sections of the autopista that were elevated for miles, like a huge long bridge on pylons, so as to not waste any prime, fertile, usable land.

As we got closer to the east coast, we caught our first glimpse of Mount Etna (the largest active volcano in Europe). It was like a mirage, as it was there... but it wasn't....due to the hazy day. We had to drive through the outskirts of Catania to get to our destination, and that was pretty crazy. Jim focused on driving while I focused on navigating, which was difficult because I had to put my glasses on to see the signs, then take them off to read the map, then put them back on to check the signs, and then take them off to confirm where we were going. AGH, I HATE GETTING OLD! We only made two wrong turns (yes, they were my fault) but we recovered quickly, and found our latest hotel surprisingly easily.

We're staying at the Santa Catarina Hotel, just south of Acireale, for the next two nights. It's the nicest one yet! The hotel is built on a cliff so even though our room is level with the reception area, the other floors drop down below us. Our room is quite large, with a sitting area complete with a desk and chairs (and free internet!). There are two French doors (I guess they'd be Italian doors here?) with two little balconies overlooking some houses below us and then the sea not far beyond that. Our room has every amenity imaginable, including a large flat screen TV and a Jacuzzi/soaker tub big enough for two people. There is a "pillow menu" offering several different pillow choices - you can have ergonomic, orthopedic cervical, hypoallergenic, anatomical, or natural. The TV menu offers up a selection of porn movies that is pages long....do people really stay in hotels just to watch porn on TV? Maybe I'm just naive....

Even though we arrived at 10:45 and check-in wasn't until 3:00, they let us have our room early and handed us the standard anchor that acts as a keychain. We got settled, and then walked to the Roman bathhouse that's just down the street. It was closed. Why am I not surprised? And I don't just mean "closed" - I mean "closed forever". It's a beautiful building, so it's too bad they can't restore it and put it to use again.

We then drove into nearby Acitrezza, a small protected marina flanked by some volcanic rock formations (one looks just like a penis jutting out of the water - what is it with all this penis imagery in Italy?!). We ate lunch at a little restaurant called Trattoria Il Gabbiano, where we chatted with our waiter who spoke a bit of English - he travelled all over the world with the merchant marines so learned English along the way. I had macaroni with tomato sauce and grilled eggplant, and Jim had steak and potatoes, and we shared a mixed salad (which just consisted of lettuce, radicchio which neither of us likes, and a few slices of tomato). Afterwards we walked along the streets and had some gelato (for Connor this time, so it doesn't count). On our way back to our hotel, we drove the streets of Acireale but, to be honest, all these towns are starting to look alike and I just can't stand the cars and scooters zooming around us, the horns honking, the people stepping in front of the car without looking...it's stressful! So we're back in our lovely air-conditioned room where Jim is researching Mount Etna on the internet, I'm telling you about our day, and then we're going to relax by the pool - fortunately, this one has water in it!

After hanging out at the pool for an hour (we had it to ourselves), we decided to try out the Jacuzzi tub. All went well until I was about to get out and noticed that the bathroom floor was covered with water! Jim figures that the jets hadn't been used for awhile so one of the seals was probably gone. We had to call in maintenance to mop up all the water, as there was too much to soak up with our towels.

We decided to have our dinner in the restaurant attached to the hotel, instead of driving around trying to find somewhere decent to eat. We got there at 8:45 pm and it was packed! The decibel level got higher and higher, until it got to the point where Jim couldn't hear me talk anymore (see, there are some advantages to eating early!). We shared some focaccia bread (which looked like a pizza crust with buffalo mozzarella, tomatoes and basil on it), and I had pasta pockets stuffed with pumpkin and leeks with a cheese sauce and poppyseeds. It was really good, but really rich. Jim waited and waited and waited for his meal, which was served to him after I had finished mine. By then he had eaten most of the focaccia, so he wasn't able to finish his 'shank of pork' and potatoes. But, everyone knows there's a separate compartment in the stomach for dessert, so we moved into the bar/lounge area where we enjoyed our dessert (and could hear each other talk) - lava cakes drizzled in melted white chocolate and cocoa. Afterwards, we checked out the rooftop terrace and now it's 10:50 pm - time for bed - with our full bellies.

May 21
We did the coolest thing today! One of the reasons we came to Sicily was to fulfill Jim's dream of seeing an active volcano, and today we went within 500 meters of the very top of one! Mount Etna is the largest volcano in Europe, standing at 3,320 meters (10,892 feet) and "for its repeated eruptions over the last few years, it can be considered to be the most active volcano in the world....there are hundreds of external craters, formidable lava flows, forests, citrus groves...". It took us about an hour to drive as far as we could; the road zig-zagged back and forth through the lava bed, which was amazing, as there were lava rocks as far as the eye could see. We saw abandoned homes, and homes that had succumbed to the lava flow, where only the roofs showed. We parked the car and took a cable car up to 2000 meters, and then hopped in a Mercedes Benz Unimog which took us up a further 420 meters. The last portion was done on foot, and we were so high that it was like being in an airplane! The panoramic view was incredible, but we couldn't see the horizon due to the haziness in the air. Yesterday Mount Etna looked like a mirage from the highway below, and today - from the top of Mount Etna - the shoreline seemed like a mirage! There was still snow at the top but it was quickly melting, and the temperature was about 15 degrees (a nice change from the unfamiliar heat we've been experiencing for the last two weeks!).

Mount Etna erupted as recently as 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1999, 2001 and 2002; we were able to walk completely around the crater that was formed in the most recent eruption. There are still three steam vents coming through the centre of the crater, and we walked over a fault line where steam was coming out of the ground. The ground, covered in dried lava, was warm to the touch and got hotter if you dug a hole. 10 cm down, it was 100 degrees; 15 cm down it was 200 degrees, 20 cm down it was 300 degrees! You could cook a turkey in there, by George!

There were two more craters right next to the parking lot that you could walk around, but unfortunately I was feeling the effects of the thin air (lightheaded, like I was going to faint) so we decided to have lunch at a little café near the cable car and view them from there, instead. The 2001 eruption came within meters of where we sat, and took out the cableway and the ski facilities. Still, they rebuilt it! We wondered if it's possible to get insurance for facilities such as these....it's doubtful, eh?

The north side of the volcano, where the lava is still flowing, was closed to the public. I'm sure Jim would have hiked for hours to see it if he could have. Still, it was an incredible feeling being so high and standing on an active volcano - one of those "once in a lifetime" experiences, I'm sure!

We got back to our hotel by 4:00 and spent the next couple of hours relaxing, reading and chatting by the pool. We didn't feel like going to the restaurant for dinner (believe it or not, we're getting tired of eating out!) so we grabbed a menu and ordered a pasta dish to share in our room. On the menu, one of the choices was "horse loin or filet". Ewwww!!! I spent the evening updating my travel blog and posting some pictures from the Cinque Terre on Facebook - see http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=95575&id=565195763&l=d51921bdd5 - while Jim tried to figure out how the TV works. Sounds just like home, eh?!




]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lindalequesne/2/1242780120/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lindalequesne/2/1242780120/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lindalequesne/2/1242780120/tpod.html Tue, 19 May 2009 16:48:39 -0400 Italy - to celebrate 20 years of marriage and 50 years of life.

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Agrigento, Sicily, Italy

May 18
We were up, fed and on our way by 9:00 this morning. It was rush hour in Trapani and a bit chaotic, and our first order of business was to find a bank so we could get some more cash. Once that mission was accomplished, we skedaddled out of town and headed south, following the coast road to Marsala - wine country - where we replenished our suntan lotion. We continued driving, stopping next near Mazara del Vallo for a lemon ice drink and a bathroom break. We passed through a few towns and it struck me how monochromatic they all are, with hardly any variations in colour - the buildings are mostly all beige, pale yellow or pale orange. Put all together, it's rather boring! As we drove through each town, we couldn't help but wonder where all the people were. It was like driving through ghost towns, with most of the shops closed, hardly any cars, and nobody out walking. Maybe Mondays are like Sundays back home, and everybody is at home resting? Or maybe Sicilians only come out at night when it's time for the nightly stroll? Very odd.....

The landscape was beautiful - miles and miles and miles of olive groves with the Mediterranean sea in the background. The sea is a vivid turquoise here - spectacular! Agriculture is very obviously the way of life in this part of the country - mostly olive oil and wine.

The temperature gauge was steadily climbing - this morning it was 27 degrees, by noon it was 33 degrees, and when we got in our car after leaving it parked for awhile, it was 37 degrees! We stopped in Sciacca (pronounced Chah-Ka) for lunch - we found a little restaurant down on the harbour called Porto San Paolo where we shared a "Pazza Salad" and noodles with pesto and swordfish. We had purchased a large bottle of water earlier, so I took it into the restaurant with us and defiantly poured it into our water glasses - otherwise, restaurants charge a minimum of 2E for water.

As we were leaving the restaurant, we saw some little lizards running around on the hot rocks. They reminded me of the plastic geckos that Connor sometimes hides in my bed as a joke.

The other reason we stopped in Sciacca is because Jim had read about their wonderful thermal pools and he wanted to check them out. We found them without too much trouble, despite all the one-way, narrow streets. A woman gave us a brochure which says, "The springs and mud in Sciacca are considered to be among the most efficient ones in the world and attract more and more experts, patients and tourists. They are thermal baths of primary importance, skillfully designed to host people in search of good health and relaxation." They offer treatments in gynecology (including pap tests and vaginal irrigations!), anthrotherapy (sweat therapy), dermatology, fangotherapy (mud baths), angiology (for treatment of peripheral vascular disease), otolaryngology (for anti-inflammatory diseases), respiratory (for bronchial and lung diseases), magneto therapy (for the musculoskeletal system), physiotherapy and kinesiology. Jim and I decided that we'd like to have a mud bath, but discovered that they're closed on Mondays! Just our luck!

We arrived in Agrigento, 150 km from Trapani, by 4:00 and checked into the Dioscuri Bay Palace (#248). It isn't really a palace, but it's nice. It's half a block from the beach and it looks like there's a mini-Playland on the strand nearby. We decided to go for a swim, but the pool is closed until June! What's with that?! It's 33 degrees out and the pool is closed?! So we walked down to the beach instead, figuring we'd go for a dip in the Mediterranean, but we were wimps and only went in up to our knees because it was...rather chilly. We were spoiled in Cuba! We spread our towels on the sand and fell asleep in the sun for half an hour, but Jim said he was being swarmed by ants so we went back to our room to shower and relax for awhile (after collecting some sand - minus the ants - for my collection).

The reason we're in Agrigento is to visit the Valley of the Temples tomorrow. Tonight, we had dinner at a restaurant with a view of the temples lit up at night - stunning. We ate at Il Vigneto Ristorante Pizzeria and we were the only customers there! We arrived at 8:15 but I guess everybody was out doing the nightly stroll, instead. The woman who served us didn't speak English, and the menu was in Sicilian, so we decided to be brave and we just pointed to two things and ordered them, along with an insalata mista (which we know is a mixed salad). We ended up with some beef covered with parmesan cheese, and some type of fish that had been fried and then baked. The bread was really good dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It was fun being adventurous and taking a chance on the menu! The background music consisted of one song that played over and over and over again, and Jim and I thought it was hilarious as the chorus consisted of loud, nasally "HEE-HAW"s!

Just as the Sicilians are getting started on their evening, we're ending ours. We want to get an early start tomorrow as it's supposed to be another scorcher of a day. I guess it's not surprising, since we're just across the sea from Tunisia in Africa (hard to believe - Africa is so close, yet so far!).

May 19
Yup, it's another scorcher today. 33 degrees and not a cloud in the sky, but thankfully there's a bit of a breeze to take the edge off. The Valley of the Temples is only 5 minutes away, and we managed to get there by 8:30 so we were among the first few visitors. The temples aren't really in a valley - they're perched on high points within the valley, spread about a mile apart. There are four altogether, with the Tempio della Concordia being the most well preserved of them all. We saw the Byzantine crypts where bodies were buried in holes dug into the rocks, and we saw the Temple of the Olympian, Zeus, which has been put back together and is now in the Archeology Museum (which is where we went last). To get there, we had to walk alongside the road for about a mile. Jim suggested that we count our steps, so we did - 1,310 steps for me and 1,010 for Jim, and it was uphill all the way there. That means I take about 33% more steps than Jim does for the same distance! When we got to the top, there was an ice cream truck there and I was very hot, so I had a hazelnut gelato for Jackie (so it doesn't count). We browsed through the museum and saw all kinds of artifacts found at the site of the temples, most being from the 3rd and 4th centuries. All the explanations were in Italian, so we didn't really learn anything about them! As we left the museum, several school groups and tours were arriving, so our timing was good.

By the time we walked back to our car, the temperature gauge read 37 degrees. We came back to our lovely air-conditioned room and cooled off before going to a nearby restaurant called Il Pescatore for lunch, where we had another eenie-meenie-miny-mo meal. I ended up with sole with lemon (I got the whole fish, minus the eyeball) and Jim had stuffed swordfish. We weren't sure what it was stuffed with, but it was good!

After lunch we went for a drive to Realmonte, with the intention of finding a nice beach and going for a swim. We found several nice beaches, but Jim was parched and decided he needed some water, so the hunt began. We drove around for about half an hour, but honest-to-God, everything was closed! It was like being in a desert and desperately needing water, and every time you see an oasis it ends up being a figment of your imagination (or, in our case, it's closed). I guess it was siesta time. We finally ended up driving down a very rough, cobblestoned, steep road and parked at the end, next to the beach access. As we turned the corner, voila! there was an open beach bar! We got Jim his water and he downed it in about 5 seconds flat.

As Jim rested in the shade, I went for a walk because I had seen some really cool-looking, pure white, salt cliffs (similar to the white cliffs of Dover) from the car and I wanted to check them out. I later learned that they're called Scala dei Turchi. They ended up being a lot farther away than I thought, but I knew I'd regret it if I didn't go. I walked along the beach for about a mile, and when I got there I climbed up the gentle slope to the very top. The contrast between the pure white surface and the turquoise sea was magnificent! Several people were diving off the cliffs into the clear water below, and I wished Jim had joined me so we could do the same. I sat for awhile and soaked it all in, then retraced my steps. Jim had come looking for me as I had been gone for quite awhile - I'm not sure if he was worried about me, or concerned by the fact that I had all the money!

We walked back to our starting point, Majata Beach, and spread out our towels on the sand. There were only a few other people there, and the temperature was perfect with the ocean breeze gently blowing. I went for a swim while Jim napped. The water was cool, but I got used to it quickly and the ocean floor was pure sand, so it was easy on my feet. In the back of my mind I kept hearing the words of the boat rental guy in Capri who said "Watch out for the brown jellyfish", so if I felt a tickle I jumped! It was just my imagination playing tricks on me though. After swimming, I lay in the sun and felt pure happiness - now this is a vacation!!

We ate dinner at the respectable hour of 9:00 tonight. The menus at all the restaurants seem to be the same - salads, fish, meat, dessert. Chicken is a rarity. I had a vegetarian pizza and Jim had fettucini with pesto sauce (yes, he really is likin' his pesto....). A very skinny, skittish cat tentatively approached us and we gave it little bits of our meal, so it stuck around and kept us company for about two hours. It ate the eggplant, mushrooms and spinach that I offered it from my pizza, and Jim gave it some of the shrimp that was on his fettucini. It was a sweet little thing, but obviously starving. We even took an empty bowl of ice cream from a departed customer's table so the cat could lick the bowl, and we shared our tortufo with it! The kitty was good company for us, and neither of us was in a hurry to leave.

Random Observations:
- Why do bellmen insist on taking our bags? We packed light (one suitcase each) and we're perfectly capable of wheeling our suitcases on our own, but no matter how much we insist, they still say that they have to do it.
- I think bidets are a great invention, and I want one.
- Everywhere we go, we hear American pop music. We're not getting a clear idea of what typical Italian music is like...
- Italians hang their laundry from their balconies. Why don't we do this in Canada? Is it not esthetically pleasing? For a society that wants to go green, this would be a great place to start.
- All the hotels that we've stayed at have room keys that are attached to super-heavy key rings, which are like anchors. I guess this is to discourage guests from taking their keys off-site?
- Driving in Italy is suicidal. There are no rules that we can fathom. Cars pass each other in the middle of the city, playing chicken with the oncoming car and ducking in at the last possible second. Scooters are everywhere and think they are King of the Road. Cars park anywhere and everywhere, even in pedestrian sidewalks, and facing backwards. People cut each other off, they don't signal, and they honk their horn if you aren't going fast enough to please them. Stop signs appear to be there purely for decoration. I'm sure glad I'm not driving - it's bad enough being the passenger!

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lindalequesne/2/1242679140/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lindalequesne/2/1242679140/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lindalequesne/2/1242679140/tpod.html Tue, 19 May 2009 16:41:39 -0400 Italy - to celebrate 20 years of marriage and 50 years of life.

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Trapani, Sicily, Italy

We ended up spending our last night in Sorrento in the old part of town, where the streets are closed off to traffic and it seems the entire population of Sorrento is out for a stroll. I read somewhere that it's a European tradition for families to go out walking together in the early evening, after their siesta and before their late evening meal. People dress up - the ladies wear tight pants with fancy tops and high heels, the men wear collared shirts with sweaters draped over their shoulders and tied in the front, or a blazer and jeans (I love that look), and babies and children are also beautifully dressed. It seems that large, colourful purses are all the rage here, and every 2nd person seems to be on their cell phone. Couples were walking arm-in-arm, three or four generations of families were walking together, and the family dog was also included in some cases.

Jim and I went in search of a t-shirt that Jackie asked us to find for her, and managed to get it in the first shop we went into. We also went into one of the limoncello stores where it's actually made, and we were given free samples. I quite like the limoncello con crema (lemon liqueur with milk). It's sold in bottles of all shapes and sizes and the whole store is yellow!

We found a restaurant just off the main street, Café Latino, and shared a skewer of sirloin steak with pesto sauce, the catch-of-the-day with lemon, and grilled vegetables (pumpkin, aubergine and courgettes. Aubergine is eggplant, and courgettes are zucchini). It's funny, at home we never share dishes when we go out for dinner (other than a taste), but it's working out so well that it's likely we'll continue when we get home. My mother has been doing this for years, and I finally know why!

Afterwards we went to a fancy dessert café called Bar Veneruse di Venerui on Via Roma and sat at a little table on the sidewalk while Jim had his café latte and sacher torte, and I had what tasted like a great big rum ball.

There seem to be more people out tonight than usual - maybe because it's Saturday night? I love the idea of closing the streets to traffic so the whole community can walk and visit with each other. I think that must have been what Granville Street used to be like once upon a time.

We got back to our room about 11:00 and did some preliminary packing, and were asleep by midnight.

May 17
I woke up at 6:20 a.m. for some reason, so grabbed my book (The Last Summer of You and Me) and started reading. I had noticed a table in the hallway where people can leave books they've read and help themselves to a new one, and I wanted to finish mine so I could leave it there. I read until 8:45 and finished it! We went down to the breakfast room for our last meal, finished packing, and checked out at 10:00. Enrico, the front desk clerk, told us that if we ever come back to Sorrento he will personally take us on the Path of the Gods hike. Let me explain...

The Path of the Gods hike is a 5-6 hour walk between Amalfi and Positano. I read somewhere that it's supposed to be one of the top ten hikes in the world. It was our intention to do this hike but, despite doing a lot of research on it ahead of time, we couldn't get any concrete information about where the trail actually started and/or ended. We couldn't find any maps on-line that did us any good, and none of the locals seemed to know anything about it. We read on the internet that there are 1500 steps leading out of Positano at the start of the trail, and for that reason alone we decided against it. That, and the fact that it's on an old goat trail in the mountains and it's easy to get lost, and the fact that we would have had to give up our day visiting Ravello, Amalfi & Positano.....anyway, it just wasn't meant to be. As we later found out, Enrico has a friend who is a cartographer and is actually mapping out the trails and is available to guide people who want to do the hike! We also found a newly opened Information Centre in Positano and the very helpful woman there told us they have guides available as well, for 60E each. Not that we'd pay that - we'd rather do the hike on our own. I get the feeling that this is a trail that, as soon as it's developed, will be a destination for hikers from all over the world.

However, I digress. Jim and I caught the 10:30 bus (10E each) to the airport in Naples, where we had a quick bite to eat before catching our 1:55 Air One flight to Palermo. I have to say, we were both shocked at the size of the airport. Considering the size of Naples, we expected a big, modern building but no - it was the size of a small community airport. There were three floors and the only washrooms were on the bottom floor. Interestingly, very few of the toilets in public places have toilet seats on them and, if they do, they stay up permanently and you have to pull them down if you want to sit. I can't help but think what it must be like for Europeans when they visit Vancouver with our wide streets, buildings no older than 150 years, toilet seats in every bathroom....and then, there's the food. I read somewhere that Italians respect the flavour of food and therefore don't garnish it with a bunch of other flavours and sauces, other than a bit of olive oil and perhaps some basil or pepper. Salads are served with oil and vinegar - can you imagine the confusion (again, upon visiting Vancouver) when faced with the decision of all the salad dressings we have? Oh, and the parmesan cheese - it's incredible here. So packed with flavour. It makes the stuff we buy at home seem like sawdust!

Okay, back to the airport. Neither of us realized that our sunscreen was in the backpack, so it was confiscated. Crazy, but true. We had to board a bus that drove us onto the tarmac to our plane, and we noticed one frenzied family of five - the three children were all under 6 years old - as well as a mother travelling alone with her newborn baby. Jim muttered to me "I hope they sit at the other end of the plane" but, as Murphy's Law would have it, the mother and baby were seated directly in front of us and the frenzied family of five was seated right beside and behind us! We traded seats with the two older kids so they could be beside their mother, and it all worked out well - it was only a 50 minute plane ride, so how bad could it be? We ended up helping the family of 5 as they were also on our shuttle to the rental car place. They had 7 suitcases and 2 car seats; all this for an 8-day vacation at a beach house they rented! The mother was gorgeous - one of those people you find it hard to take your eyes off of. They were from Munich, Germany.

Once in Palermo, we picked up our car rental - a little gold 2009 Fiat Panda - and drove 60 km to Trapani, on the western shores of Sicily. Trapani is known for its salt marshes, but we didn't see any. We checked into the Hotel Vittoria (#104), showered and changed, and drove around the town a bit. There's a huge shipping port with lots of massive ships in the harbour. It appeared that it was time for the "nightly stroll" as hundreds of Sicilians and visitors were out wandering. We parked the car back at the hotel and joined in, looking for a restaurant for dinner. Despite walking blocks and blocks, we could only find two restaurants! We ate at Quartiere San Lorenzo and shared some Sicilian noodles with tomatoes, chicken scaloppini with lemon, and a mixed salad. We chatted with the people sitting next to us for awhile, who were from the UK. It's funny, we had been warned by Mark & Marian that hardly anybody in Sicily speaks English, but here we were, on our first night, and we were seated next to two couples who did. However, on questioning them about it, they told us that they've been travelling around Sicily for the last two weeks and tonight was the first time they had met anybody who spoke English. So, it may be true after all?

I pulled out our credit card to pay for dinner, but there was no phone line so we had to pay cash. We're finding that a lot of restaurants take cash only, and we're down to our last 40 Euros!

We headed back to our hotel and I updated my journal while Jim watched the CNN News. Around 11:00, we heard cars honking all over the place and it lasted for a good 20 minutes. We figured there must have been a winning soccer game or something...??? We turned out the light at 11:30 to go to sleep, and at 12:20 Jim turned it back on again - two mosquitoes had found their way into our room, and he couldn't sleep until he had tracked them down and annihilated them.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lindalequesne/2/1242514920/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lindalequesne/2/1242514920/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lindalequesne/2/1242514920/tpod.html Sat, 16 May 2009 13:08:39 -0400 Italy - to celebrate 20 years of marriage and 50 years of life.

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Positano, Campania, Italy

May 14
Did my subject line on this blog grab your attention? Let me explain. There are countless little shops selling all the usual touristy things, and nearly all of them sell dried pasta. I have never seen so many different sizes and shapes of noodles, including - you guessed it - pasta in the shape of a penis! I am SO tempted to ask for it when we go out for dinner, but fear something may get lost in the translation because of the language barrier. Still, can you imagine? "I'll have a plate of penis pasta please, with extra sauce". Would they be horrified, or laugh with gusto?

We ended up going back to the same restaurant for dinner last night where we ate the night before, Ristorante Syrenuse, because we had passed by several times during the day and the staff and manager always greeted us like we were long lost friends. The manager promised Jim that he would have the chef make some pesto "just for you", so we kind of felt obliged....anyway, it was worth it. Jim claimed that he has never had such fresh pasta before and, although the pesto was a little different than the much greener stuff we had in the Cinque Terre, it was still delicioso. I had spaghetti with clams (I'm trying really hard to eat the local food) and couldn't finish it, it was so filling. Our waiter seemed hurt that there was still food on my plate!

We woke up this morning to another 26 degree day, hot and sunny. Our plan was to go to the Isle of Capri, so we got up early and caught the 8:25 jetfoil over (it's about as big as a BC Ferry). As luck would have it, there was a cruise ship in the harbour and hundreds of tourists were on the jetfoil to Capri with us. I felt like we were on the reality TV show "The Amazing Race", as when we docked we made a bee-line to the ticket booth to get tickets on the funicular before the cruise ship groups got there. We were the first in line and purchased our two tickets for 1.4E each, and took the funicular to the centre of Capri which is located on the side of a hill. We walked around up there for awhile, but it wasn't long before the cruise crowd caught up with us and it was pure chaos, so we decided to head back down to the pier. We walked down this time.... down, down, down, down, down....passing school groups of teenagers huffing and puffing their way to the top. The path down took us past villas, lemon orchards, small hotels and barking dogs, always with a spectacular view of Mount Vesuvius in the distance.

Once we were back at the pier, we wandered around the open market and I bought a colourful beach towel with "Capri" embroidered on it. We noticed that the line-up for the funicular was now 35 minutes long, so we were winning the imaginary race! We picked up some baguettes with thick slices of mozzarella cheese, tomatoes and basil, a big bottle of water and some pastries, and rented a boat for two hours to drive ourselves around the island. There were lots of people trying to convince us that we should take their tour, but we just wanted to get away from the crowds! We got into our 15' fiberglass open boat (it looked like a mini-Boston whaler) and motored around the island, which is basically sheer limestone and sandstone cliffs and volcanic rock. We saw some amazing caves and arches, and Jim managed to drop me off at 'the white grotto' where I gingerly climbed up about 60 stairs built into the rocks, in my bare feet, to the top where I could look down through the cave to Jim waving in the boat below. I had to go through a 20' long tunnel which was pitch black, and I had no idea what I was stepping on but it was oozy and squishy beneath my toes! When I reached the other end, the cave extended way back and there were stalagmites and stalactites filling it. It was pretty spectacular! I took some pictures for Jim and by the time I made my way back down to the boat, several other tour boats had gathered so we quickly left. Our next stop was 'the green grotto' which was a cave that we could actually drive the boat into, and the water was a crystalline green with little black fish swimming about. Capri is famous for its blue grotto, but you have to anchor, pay 10E each and have a guide take you into that cave. There were lots of boats waiting, filled with tourists, so we heeded my dad and Edie's advice and gave it a miss. The fellow we rented our boat from told us that the white and green grottos are better anyway, and they're free - it's probably akin to the Capilano Suspension Bridge (a paid tourist trap) vs. the Lynn Valley Suspension Bridge (free, and equally as nice in my opinion). As we carried on, Jim decided to go full throttle so I was actually being thrown into the air as we crested over the waves and dropped to the other side. Who needs a roller coaster ride when you have Jim?! We saw 8 little mountain goats on some lava rocks, which was totally unexpected - we couldn't tell if they were wild or if they belonged to somebody. We anchored in a shallow area with a sandy bottom and ate our picnic lunch on the boat...the plan was to go snorkeling, but the wind had picked up and it was a bit chilly so we decided to take the boat back instead. Besides, we had been warned about brown jellyfish stings and didn't want to chance it.

We caught the next jetfoil back to Capri and spent the rest of the day lying around the pool on the terrace, looking across the Bay of Naples with Mount Vesuvius and Capri in the distance. We met a couple from Shropshire, UK named Marian and Mark and talked to them for a couple of hours - it's amazing how much we have in common! Mark is self-employed; so is Jim. Marian gets 6 weeks' vacation a year; so does Linda. Marian makes a photo album of every vacation they go on; so does Linda. Mark was a butcher for 25 years; Jim likes meat. Okay, that last one may be a bit of a stretch, but you get the idea!

We had dinner at Circolo Dei Forestieri (The Foreigner's Club), on one of the many terraces that overlooks the harbour. We got there just as the sun had set so the sky was pastel pink and pale blue, like one big baby blanket. Jim had chicken and I had seafood risotto. There was live entertainment - two locals playing music to dance to, and some seniors were ballroom dancing on the dance floor. It was very relaxing there, and I felt very grown up!

May 15
Today we explored the Amalfi Coast. Instead of going on a tour for 64E each, we paid 6E for an all-day bus pass and got on and off wherever we wanted. We boarded the bus at the train station and sat at the very back. It took 1½ hours to get to Amalfi along a very narrow, windy road. I really don't know how the bus driver made some of those hairpin turns - they must have to go through special training to be able to maneuver the buses like that! There were sheer drop-offs on the right, and cars squeezing past on the left with inches to spare. The bus would catch up to a slow driver and follow right on his tail, practically pushing him along, honking his horn every time we'd go around a corner.

Sitting just in front of us was a mother, father and their daughter, who looked to be in her early 20s. I guess the twisty turny road made her feel sick, as suddenly she was throwing up all over the floor. Everyone around her covered their noses and it was hard to hold back the gag reflex with the smell of vomit in the air on a hot bus! The mother hovered over the daughter, trying to give her some privacy, while the dad went to the front of the bus to ask the driver to pull over. They got off the bus just before Positano, and as the bus pulled away from them another passenger noticed that they had left their camera on the seat. Several people yelled at the driver to stop, but he kept going. I felt sick (excuse the pun) for the family, as I know how awful I would feel if all my vacation pictures were left on a bus!

We arrived in Amalfi, which is as far as the bus went, and caught a connecting bus to Ravello. It was only another 20 minutes away so we figured we might as well check it out. It was a beautiful little town perched on a hillside between two valleys, with panoramic views from almost every restaurant and hotel. Unfortunately, it was a very hazy day and you could barely discern the line where the horizon met the sea, so we didn't get to see the contrast of the deep blue Mediterranean against the backdrop of the hills. Oh well, it was visible in all the postcards lining the shop walls! We had lunch on a terrace overlooking the valley, at Albergo Villa Maria - Jim had ravioli and I had some type of flat pasta noodle with porcini mushrooms.

At around 2:00 we caught the bus back to Amalfi. This is where all the rich and famous people hobnob. It's a very busy, beautiful town right on the coast, with houses built up on the cliff in ways that defy the imagination. We had some gelato and visited the cathedral, including the crypt where St. Andrew is supposedly buried. We didn't stay in Amalfi for long as it was very touristy and noisy, with scooters revving up their engines and winding their way around people as they went about their day. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of scooters in Italy. This is a good thing, but they are incredibly noisy and it gets on one's nerves after awhile.

From there we caught a bus to Positano, arriving about 5:00. The bus dropped everyone off at the top and we hiked down, down, down. There are shops - mostly boutiques - of lace clothing, ceramics, children's toys, shoes, jewellery, you name it. It's a very upscale town with prices to match. We walked down to the beach where I got some sand for my collection, and we asked a friendly man to take our picture. We talked about dad and Edie, as we saw the hotel they stayed at a few years ago and we totally get why they loved it here so much! We walked up and down the narrow streets (no cars!) and at 6:00 it started to rain (first rain on our trip), so we decided to have an early dinner. We ate at Ristorante La Cambusa just off the beach - Jim had a spinach salad and veal Sorrento, and I had steamed mussels and croquettes. Our waiter was really friendly - he lives in Sorrento and drives to Positano for work every day, but to park there costs him 300E/month!

The rain didn't last long, and it was warmer tonight than on any other night. There was a balmy breeze and Positano looked magical as dusk fell and the lights went on. We caught the 8:35 bus back to Sorrento, arriving back at our hotel at about 9:45. I couldn't wait to get my shoes off!

We've met some very nice people during our travels. There are lots of Brits staying at our hotel, and we've talked to people from Ireland, Australia, Washington, and several from Ontario. I love talking to people about their travels and their recommendations - everybody helps each other along, making suggestions and giving tips to enhance the holiday. I'm particularly in awe of the single women travelling alone - it takes a lot of confidence to do that, especially when you don't speak the language!

May 16
It's our last day in Sorrento....sigh.... We took the train to Pompei (apparently the modern way to spell it is with one 'i' - all the signs are spelled Pompei), arriving about 10:15. It took half an hour to get there, and on the way a young mother boarded the train carrying a baby that couldn't have been more than two months old. She walked from passenger to passenger, holding out a cup and asking for donations. When we got to the next stop, she quickly jumped off - just as her cell phone started ringing! At the next stop, a young girl - no more than 12 years old - got on and walked up the aisle playing a song on her plastic accordion, also hoping for donations. Neither was successful, as far as I could tell.

The ruins were just 50 meters from the train station. We had a choice of hiring a guide, joining a tour with other people, walking around on our own with a map, or renting audio guides for 5E each. We opted for the latter. The site is incredible - 66 hectares of archeological digs. We walked and observed and listened and imagined and walked some more. We saw the street where the shops had been; in particular, the whorehouse with the penis emblazoned in stone in front of the entrance so there would be no doubt as to what was for sale in that store! We saw the Roman bathhouses, the stadium where the gladiators fought, the grand theatre, the botanical gardens, many temples, the basilica, the forum, and we saw hundreds of earthenware drinking vessels, pots and planters. The part that got to me the most was seeing the bodies. There was one of a man who died in his sleep, never suspecting a thing. There was one of a dog, curled up and obviously terrified as it took its last breath. And there was one of a young girl, curled up in the fetal position, likely praying for her life. It's a very powerful place, and hard to imagine what life must have been like for those people when Mount Vesuvius blew up in 79 AD and everything was covered in molten lava.

It was hot and dusty walking around, and three hours was enough for us. We had a shared lunch of pizza with tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, basil and prosciutto, and a salad. I ordered a coke and when the bill came, saw that it cost 4E - that's $6 Canadian! It would be cheaper to drink wine!

It's 27 degrees today and quite muggy out. We decided to come back to the hotel to relax a bit before our last night out on the town. Tomorrow we fly to Sicily!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lindalequesne/2/1242261780/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lindalequesne/2/1242261780/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lindalequesne/2/1242261780/tpod.html Wed, 13 May 2009 14:50:47 -0400 Italy - to celebrate 20 years of marriage and 50 years of life.

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Sorrento, Campania, Italy

May 12
We ended up having dinner on our last night in the Cinque Terre at a restaurant that was written up in the Rick Steeves Travel Guide, and it was also recommended by Andrea at our hotel. The thing that made it unique was that it was located right under the train tracks in the old town, so every time a train went by the building shuddered and shook and conversation stopped for a few seconds. The first time it happened, I wasn't expecting it and thought it was an earthquake! We chatted with a mother and son travelling together from South Carolina (never did get around to asking them their names). The son had just graduated from Charleston with his BA and his mom brought him on this trip as a reward. They were really nice, and it was interesting hearing their views on Obama.

Jim and I shared a "Cabrese salad" (sliced tomatoes alongside sliced buffalo mozzarella, drizzled in olive oil) and I had swordfish while Jim had a huge slab of steak. We've learned that you need to order your vegetables separately, as my swordfish came on a plate with nothing else on it, as did Jim's beef. Still, the average price of a meal - including wine & dessert - is between 45-55 Euros. Wine is cheap - 3 Euros for ¼ litre, 5 Euros for ½ litre. I had the house wine (white) but actually preferred Jim's house red.

Over dinner, Jim told me that he had checked his e-mail and there was one from Linda Ghous, letting us know that her husband passed away suddenly last Wednesday at the age of 49. I've met Mark three times - once when they came to Canada for a visit about 5-6 years ago, again 3 years ago when Jim and I went to London for the first time, and finally in 2007 when Jackie and I stayed with them for a few days. Mark was a London cabbie and a great cook, and I just can't believe he's gone. My mind kept going back to how Linda and their son Mark Jr. must be coping, and I just can't stop thinking about them.

It was 10:30 by the time we got back to our hotel - our latest night yet! We quickly packed and got ready for bed, and Julia (the evening desk clerk) put together a picnic lunch for us to take tomorrow while I sent Linda a quick e-mail.

Jim had trouble sleeping again, which meant so did I. There's not a lot you can do in a hotel room in the middle of the night by yourself without disturbing your partner!

We were so worried about sleeping in that we set 3 alarm clocks - my iPhone, Jim's watch and a little alarm clock loaned to us by the hotel. However, as always seems to be the case with me, I woke up every half hour to check the time and ended up getting out of bed at 6:00 a.m. anyway. By then Jim was finally sleeping and it seemed a shame to wake him up, but we had places to go, people to meet and things to do!

We caught the 7:12 train from Monterosso to La Spezia (a 17 minute ride), and then the 7:59 train from La Spezia to Naples - where I now sit while typing. We're going to be on this train for six and a half hours! Had we booked it on-line from Canada, it would have cost $256 CAD for the two of us. By booking it at the train station instead, it only cost us 95.20 Euros (including a 20% discount for booking 2 days in advance of travel), so we saved over $100 CAD! That was a fluke...(more money for gelato!!!)

The train car is air conditioned with wide seats and large windows. The view varies from rambling farmer's fields to water treatment plants to industrial car lots to greenhouses, and goes from station to station through suburban landscapes. Why is it that the railway system goes through the grottiest, most unkempt, litter-filled, depressing-looking parts of cities? However, I did see a bunny hopping through a field - that was cute! As we passed through Pisa we looked for the leaning tower, but couldn't see it. And as we pulled into Rome Termini station, we tried to catch a glimpse of the Colosseum but again, no luck. I asked Jim if he wished we were stopping in Rome (I've been there twice but he's never been), but he said no - he didn't feel like having a "city holiday". I tend to agree.

A young man came through the car with a trolley containing snacks and drinks, so we figured we'd better get something. We bought 2 ham and cheese sandwiches, 2 juice boxes and some Pringles for Jim, for 11.40. The sandwiches were sooooo dry and tasteless - a thin slab of ham, two itsy bitsy pieces of cheese, on dry foccacia bread. No butter, no mayo, no lettuce, no tomato. As Jim said, "Oh well, it will fill the gap". True.....especially since the picnic lunch provided by Julia at the last hotel included things that one would only eat if starving - Melba toast, warm yogurt, packets of jam, and two bananas that would be better served being made into banana bread!

We spent the 6½ hour train ride alternating between sleeping, staring out the window, chatting, reading and playing cards. The time went relatively quickly, and we arrived in Naples just shy of 3:00. We had planned to take a ferry across the Bay of Naples to Sorrento, but changed our minds when we realized we could catch the metro from the train station - and there was one leaving in 15 minutes! It cost 3.30E each instead of the 9 it would have cost to take the ferry. So we hopped onto the most ancient-looking and sounding commuter train imaginable, and stood for the next 20-25 minutes for the 30 km trip to Sorrento. A young girl noticed the Canadian Flag on my suitcase and got all excited to meet fellow Canadians. We spent the majority of the trip talking to her teacher, a history professor from Saskatchewan, who had brought 31 of his students on a trip to Rome and Naples. And as we got off the metro, we briefly chatted with a young woman travelling on her own from Whistler!

Then began the search for our hotel. It was supposed to be 100 metres from the train station, but we kind of ended up walking in circles. However, we found the hotel and WOW, is it ever nice! Our room is in kind of an L-shape, with the bathroom being at the top of the L and the bedroom at the bottom. There's a balcony with two chairs and a table (where I'm sitting right now) overlooking the swimming pool which is surrounded by orange and lemon trees. The bathroom is beautifully tiled (if you like that look) and there's even a bell to push in case of emergency in the bathtub! There's a bidet, a clothesline, crisp linen sheets, a flat screen TV, Wi-Fi, cool tile floors, air conditioning.......ahhhh, park me here and leave me be!

As we were so hot from our walk, we quickly changed into our bathing suits and went for a dip. Can you say "re-fresh-ing"? We had the pool to ourselves. The pool area was immersed in shade by this point, so we went up to the 6th floor where there's another pool on the roof, overlooking the Bay of Naples. We relaxed in a lounge chair and read up on the area and made plans for our five days here.

After showering and dressing for dinner, we went back to the roof and watched the sun set. Nobody else was up there!

We walked into the city square and had dinner at the first restaurant we came across - Ristorante Syrenuse. I had lasagna and Jim had spaghetti bolognese; Jim had a glass of wine and I had a "Sorrento Sunset" which is a concoction of lemon juice, orange juice, strawberry syrup, almond flavoring and Sprite. It was icky sweet. We shared dessert - a pie with vanilla and chocolate custard in the middle, and our bill came to 31E - our cheapest meal yet!

After dinner we wandered through the old part of town, through narrow cobblestone, pedestrian-only streets, admiring the little stores selling souvenirs, jewellery, leather belts, cashmere and silk scarves, soaps, etc. We passed lots of little bars and restaurants, and each had a staff member standing outside trying to coerce passersby into dining at their establishment. We got back to our hotel about 11:15 and were asleep by 11:30.....heaven.....

May 13
We both had incredibly good sleeps last night - didn't hear a peep. We dragged ourselves out of bed at about 8:30 this morning and went down to the restaurant for the included breakfast. We were met by about six wait-staff wearing white tuxedos, black pants and bow-ties. I felt under-dressed! It wasn't just any old continental breakfast - you could have eggs, bacon, roast potatoes, a huge variety of fruit and pastries, all kinds of cereals, yogurt...it was endless. There were even prunes, for those blocked up travelers in need of some help (ha ha).

Our morning was spent collecting information from the Tourist Information Centre (they weren't very helpful) and the Pier. Remember the 400 steps that we avoided hiking up in Corniglia a few days ago? Well, it was payback time - we had to walk down 400 steps to the pier, and of course that meant going back up afterwards. Sorrento was built on a cliff; there are terraces and fancy restaurants lining the entire edge of the cliff. At the pier we shared a lemon ice made with the vendor's own lemons, sugar and ice - delicious, and refreshing on yet another hot day. We're being spoiled with this great weather!

After dropping the brochures we collected off at our room, we went on a search for lunch. We went back to the old part of town and paused at one restaurant that had a tank full of fish on display. We were immediately approached by a man wearing formal dinner wear who convinced us to dine there. He told us that the fish were dropped off by the local fisherman "about 15 minutes ago" and we wouldn't find a better place to eat in all of Sorrento. It was about 2:00 by this time and we were hungry, so we decided to give it a try. Besides, the lobster was still moving so we figured the fish was fresh. Well, we weren't disappointed. We shared a whole fish - sea bass - that was pulled from the tank, filleted and de-boned, poached and served with a "Sorrento sauce" made of lemons, oranges, butter and olive oil. The presentation itself was picture-worthy, and the taste was melt-in-your-mouth perfection. We shared a mixed salad, too, but decided against dessert because we wanted to savour the flavour!

After lunch we wandered down the cobblestone streets, stopping to admire different artisans' work-in-progress shops. There were several shoemakers, all promising a pair of custom-made leather sandals in less than 15 minutes. Our favourite was a little shop that made inlaid wood music boxes of all shapes and sizes. We reached the end of "Artisan's Way" and Jim wanted to check out the next block (which turned out to be just a parking area), so I stood on a corner and waited for him while reading a sign about the area on a wall. As I was standing there, a young Italian man pulled up to me on his scooter, took off his helmet, looked me up and down appraisingly, and said "Are you from Britain, or Canada?" I replied "Canada". He said "Are you here with a group?" and I said "No, I'm here with my husband." His face visibly dropped, he gave an audible sigh, and said "Oh, well, you are beeee-autiful, and I hope you enjoy my city." With that, he put his helmet back on, looked me up and down once more, gave me a wink, and off he went! Ahhh, I knew I loved Italy.....

Jim returned a few minutes later and we walked to the main square where we hopped aboard the "Sorrento Fun Bus" for a 65-minute tour of the city and an agriturismo villa just outside of town (7.50 Euros each). The villa was spectacular, with acres and acres of olive groves and lemon orchards. We learned that the olive trees have nets underneath them so that during harvest time (October to December) the nets are unrolled and the olives just drop into them, making collection so much easier than hand-picking. All the lemon trees are covered with nets to protect them from the sun and the rain. We stopped at a viewpoint looking towards the Isles of Capri and Ischia, and then went into a little shop at the villa and sampled limoncello (wow, does it pack a punch!) and orange marmalade. There was an area with about 30 salamis hanging down, and we were told that they're aged for a year before consumption. So, really, salami is just rotten meat....ewwww.....

After the tour, we finished our wander through the streets of old Sorrento. We came across a gelateria that was quite different from all the rest - for one thing, there were about 100 flavours to choose from. Secondly, it was obviously THE place to get gelato as all the walls were covered with pictures of the owner with various celebrities - most notably, Sophia Loren (who was born in Naples) and the Pope. There were pictures of people bathing in gelato, having gelato fights, smearing each other in gelato, and lots of pictures of custom-made gelato cakes - even a life-size one of a sports car! Jim was looking at all the pictures and newspaper clippings, so I decided I'd better try the gelato to see if it was any good. I had a small cone of Ferrero Rocher - but the calories don't count, 'cuz I was eating it for Elaine (ha ha).

On the way back to our hotel, we stopped at the Royal Grand Hotel which is part of the same hotel group as ours. We are allowed to use their private beach, so wanted to check it out. The Royal Grand Hotel is perched right on the edge of the cliff, and you have to walk all the way down to get to the "beach", which is just a man-made pier with loungers and sun umbrellas on it! There is no beach to speak of.

Jim has a craving for pesto, so off we go in search of it.....
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lindalequesne/2/1242036540/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lindalequesne/2/1242036540/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lindalequesne/2/1242036540/tpod.html Mon, 11 May 2009 12:14:09 -0400 Italy - to celebrate 20 years of marriage and 50 years of life.

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Monterosso, Italian Riviera, Italy

May 8, 2009
We've talked about it, we've dreamed about it, we've planned it, we've researched it, we've counted down the days, and now....ta da!...we're livin' it - we're in Italy!

After saying a teary goodbye to the cats, Jackie drove us to the airport for our 2:30 flight. We flew Club Class on Air Transat, so we had two seats where three would normally be. On our seat, when we arrived, were a pillow, a blanket, a newspaper and a bottle of water. Nice touches! I watched three movies during the nine hour flight - "Marley & Me" (note to self - don't watch movies that make you cry when you're on a flight - it will make you feel even more tired than you already are!), "Yes Man" and "Bride Wars". The flight attendants came around and offered us complimentary drinks (the airline saved a bundle on us, as we didn't have any!) and later they came around with hot chocolate. This is the first time either of us has flown anything other than economy, and we could sure get used to it! I questioned the advisability of including baked beans on the breakfast menu, but figured I'd give a thumbs up to anything that would propel us to London faster - and it did! We arrived 20 minutes ahead of schedule.

Once we landed at Gatwick airport in London, we made our way to the north terminal and checked in for our 10:10 flight. We had traded in some air miles to fly Business Class, so we got to use the complimentary lounge. For somebody who's flown Economy all their life, this was a Big Deal! I had some yogurt and a chocolate croissant (free), and Jim had a nap. I sent a quick e-mail to mom, Jackie, Connor & Elaine, and then we headed to our gate when it was time. We were all loaded into a bus like a herd of sheep, and were driven to our waiting plane. After waiting and waiting and waiting (us this time, not the plane), the captain announced that there was an electrical problem that couldn't be fixed so, he was very sorry, but we would have to disembark and change planes. By the time all was said and done, we had spent two hours on the tarmac....but we were finally in the air by noon.

It was a 2-hour flight, and another 1-hour time change, to Genoa. Once there, we took a shuttle to the train station where we tried to figure out the train schedule. This is the moment when I realized I should have taken Italian lessons prior to this trip! I thought I'd be able to get by with the limited Spanish that I know, but....no. We managed to purchase our tickets, but then had to figure out which platform and what time our train was due to depart. I guess we must have looked a little beleaguered, as a nice young man came to our rescue. He asked where we were going, and when we said "Monterosso" his face lit up and he said "Follow me!" By the time we followed him like puppy dogs to the correct platform, I had learned that his name was Evan, he was half Australian and half Italian, and his grandmother died last week at the age of 94 (I'm not really sure how that became part of the conversation, but he seemed to want to share....).

We boarded the train and Jim sat next to Evan while I tried not to fall asleep. During the 1½ hour trip we went through numerous tunnels, and the steady drone of the train plus the darkness of the tunnels plus the warmth from all those bodies plus the fact that we were going on 26 hours without sleep, just made it sooooo tempting to close my eyes....just for a minute or two.... Some of the tunnels were so long, there's no way even Connor could have held his breath through them. It turns out that we were on the commuter train, not the direct train, so we stopped at all the towns along the way. Evan got off about 6 stops ahead of us, and Jim and I felt a little lost without him! However, we found Monterosso, disembarked, and made our way to the Hotel Spiaggia, which was only a block away from the train station. Ella, the wonderful desk clerk, must have seen the exhaustion on our faces as the first thing she did was offer us a glass of wine, then said "No, no, you just go get freshened up and you can have the wine later. No need to give me your information yet either." What a sweetie!

Once we had showered, we got our second wind. Our room is on the second floor with a large covered patio, overlooking the Mediterranean sea...perfect! By this time it was about 8:00 and our tummies were grumbling, so we took Ella's advice and ate dinner al fresco at one of the restaurants on the same block. We each had a bowl of soup and shared some bruschetta. My mushroom soup had three pieces of plastic in it, unfortunately, but I was determined not to let it ruin the evening. As we were dining, a gorgeous full moon appeared in the sky, turning orange as the evening became darker. It was a beautiful evening, but our exhaustion was returning with a vengeance so we made a beeline back to our room and we were both sound asleep by 10:00 pm.

May 9

"The Cinque Terre was built over a thousand years by peasant farmers who transformed the steep cliffs into fertile terraces to grow excellent agricultural produce. The delicate balance between natural elements and human toil generated a unique landscape, now a UNESCO World Heritage site."

It's amazing how good one feels after a good night's sleep! Our hotel includes breakfast, so we were eating by 8:30 and out the door by 9:00. We decided to just wander today, as exploring is one of the things we do best together. We hung a right from the hotel and wandered down the beach, which was slowly starting to fill with people. There are private beach areas where you can rent a beach chair for a fee, and public beach areas which are more crowded but the people seemed to be having more fun! We walked along a trail beside the sea as far as we could, until we came to a roped off area and saw that the trail had completely disintegrated and was boarded up. So we turned around and went up, up, up, instead. The view from up high was amazing, but the road seemed to be petering out so we retraced our steps, back to the hotel for a bathroom break. Then we took a left, and walked along the "promenade" to the old town. To get there, pedestrians have to walk through a long tunnel. The old town consists of a few narrow streets filled with vendors selling their wares and open air restaurants. Andrea, the owner of the hotel we're staying at, had told us where to get "the best ice cream in the Cinque Terre". It was like being on a treasure hunt trying to find the place, and when we finally did - it was closed!

We had lunch at Ristorante Gabbiano, another al fresco restaurant - we shared a mixed salad and we each had gnocchi with a tomato meat sauce. Boy, was it salty! I figured they purposefully make it salty so people will drink more wine!

After lunch, we decided to hike to Vernazza which is the next town over and takes about 1 ½ hours on the Cinque Terre trail to reach. We purchased our Cinque Terre Park cards (14.70 Euros each for 2 days, which includes the trail pass and unlimited use of the trains and buses). And then we started hiking. Up, up, up....and more up, up and up. I failed to mention earlier that it was a beautiful, warm day, so our antiperspirants were really put to the test. We passed lots of people coming in the opposite direction, and most people said "Buonjuorno" or "Merci" or "Prago" as they passed by. It's definitely a multicultural trail! The path was well worn, steep (did I mention that there was a lot of 'up'?) and narrow, so passing became a bit of a challenge in places. However, the scenery was breathtaking and I couldn't help myself - I took a lot of pictures. I know, it's not like me! We passed red poppies, purple thistles, yellow daisies, white calla lilies, purple phlox, lots of different types of cactuses (cacti?), and lots of dandelions. We passed a man selling fresh-picked lemons and warm bottles of limoncello from his nearby homestead, on the side of the path. We saw two very sick or very old cats and a sign that read "Please use the food in this container to feed these homeless and unloved cats." We saw geckos and butterflies; we crossed over stone bridges; we saw waterfalls; and around every corner was another view that took my breath away. We hiked through terraced vineyards and lemon groves. I kept thinking of our group of friends who we did the Camino de Santiago with last year, knowing that they would absolutely love this trail.

About an hour and 20 minutes later, we arrived in Vernazza. Because there was a lot of "up" at the beginning of the trail, it goes without saying that there was a lot of "down" at the end. Our aged knees handled it just fine though, and our first stop in Vernazza was a well deserved gelato! I had strachiatella, chocolate mint and blackberry (3 flavours in a cup for 2 Euros) and Jim had chocolate, orange and yogurt. Can't say it had the WOW factor, but it was good and refreshing. We then wandered down the narrow streets of Vernazza, stopping at the pier and resting our weary bones on the rocks as we watched people swimming in the bay. At 5:00 the Church bells chimed and gonged 5 times, and it was the most beautiful sound in the most beautiful place.....

We made our way to the train station and crammed ourselves on the 5:28 train (think "India") for the 6 minute train ride back to Monterosso. After showering and changing in our hotel, we went to the recommended Ristorante La Barcaccia for dinner, which was around the corner from our hotel. They served us a complimentary aperitif, which I found out was white wine infused with blueberries, and I LOVED it! So I ordered another glass afterwards. Jim had jumbo tiger prawns for dinner and I had ravioli stuffed with sea bass, served in a pesto sauce with shrimp and tomatoes. We shared a plate of grilled vegetables - eggplant, red pepper and zucchini - as well. The food prices aren't bad - this meal, including a glass of wine each, cost 44 Euros (= approx. $70 CAD). There is no tipping in Italy - instead, they add a cover charge to your bill. For beachfront dining, it's 5 Euros each and for inside dining it's 3 Euros each. Jim really likes that concept.

Jim is now out on the town on his own, on a search for the perfect cup of coffee and dessert, while I attempt to put my flying fingers in action to get all my memories on paper before I forget them!

May 10, 2009
Jim got back to the room last night just as I was finishing up my journal entry, raving about the chocolate soufflé and the coffee he had found. I asked the question any concerned wife would - "Are you sure that was a good idea, having chocolate and coffee at 9:00 at night? Don't you think you'll have a problem sleeping?" "Oh no!" says husband, "it never affects me!" So the light was turned out and I slipped blissfully into a deep sleep while, unbeknownst to me, Jim was staring at the ceiling for most of the night. I actually did wake up several times during the night too - once when the partygoers on the street below us were getting rowdy - singing loudly, banging on tables to the rhythm of the music, clapping, and yelling back and forth to each other. At that point Jim was watching TV, so I put my ear plugs in and went back to sleep. Around 4:00 a.m., the riff-raff of the hotel staggered onto our floor and dropped a bottle of Kahlua right outside our door (Kahlua?! that's sacrilegious!), which smashed into a million pieces, but I slept right through it and Jim listened to the "kids" laughing and carrying on. At 5:30 a.m., Jim woke me up to ask if I'd like to go for a walk on the beach and watch the sun rise. I felt sorry for him, with his "I told you so insomnia", so agreed. It was quite nice out actually, and quite different from the hustle and bustle of the daytime crowds. We actually can't believe what it must be like in the summertime - it's quite warm here, with lots of people around, so it must be madness in the summer!

We watched the sky turn pink from the breakwater (which, interestingly, is made up of huge chunks of marble) but the sun never appeared as there was too much haziness in the sky. Jim decided he felt like having bacon 'n eggs for breakfast, so he went in search of food while I came back to the room and slept for another couple of hours. Jim came back empty-handed, but at 8:30 we went to the breakfast room and filled our tummies with hard-boiled eggs, yogurt, freshly made brioche (croissants and chocolate filled buns), and a banana. We chatted with the owner of the hotel for awhile, Andrea Poggi, who told us that the hotel has been in his family for three generations. There are pictures on the walls of his great-grandparents, and of Monterosso in days gone past. At the north end of the beach is a huge stone sculpture of King Neptune - once upon a time he was holding a giant clam shell on his back and holding up his spear, but now the shell is gone and so are his arms. He's just a shadow of his former self, but we saw pictures of how he used to look and they're quite impressive.

The trains are on strike for 24 hours (we were later warned to never travel by train on a Sunday, as they often go on strike), so we bought an all-day ferry pass (22 Euros each) and took the ferry to Portovenere, the southernmost part of the Italian Riviera. It took about an hour and 10 minutes to get there, and as we rounded the corner into the bay the first thing we saw was a huge fortified wall and an ancient castle. We got off the boat and wandered past the colourful buildings (my first thought when I saw them was "I bet Kris would love to paint this!"), myriad outdoor cafes, and buskers playing the most beautiful music, to the castle itself. Entrance was free so we wandered up to the top, taking in the views of the Mediterranean below. We walked through the narrow, cobblestone streets and it was getting quite hot out by then, so we stopped for lunch at Tre Torri Trattoria. We sat under canvas umbrellas and watched the world go by as Jim dined on veal scaloppini, fries and a beer, and I had a salmon crepe and mussels.

Let me interject here by apologizing to Elaine - I told her I wouldn't talk about the food we eat in my journals because it's really quite boring to other people, but I've realized since then that the food is a good part of what makes a trip memorable, along with the sights you see and the people you meet, so I've decided to include it. So, if you find it boring, just skip over the foodie bits.

After lunch we lay on the grass in the shade while waiting for our ferry. Jim laid his head on my stomach and for some reason I started laughing, and I couldn't stop. It was one of those addictive laughs where you have no idea what you're laughing about, which makes it that much funnier, and I couldn't stop! Tears were rolling down my face as I tried to get myself under control.

We caught the 2:30 ferry to Riomaggiore, the southernmost of the 5 Cinque Terre villages, and walked to Manorola. This is the most level of all the hikes and is called "Lover's Walk". It only takes 20 minutes to walk the path along the coast between the villages, and there are lots of benches to sit on and soak up the view. One section consists of a long tunnel with arched porticos looking out to the sea, and the long wall is covered in graffiti. Not just regular graffiti, but words declaring one's love for another, hearts and poems and all things love-related. There was even a section with railings that had hundreds of locks attached to them - Jim suggested it represents two people being connected for life. Hmmmm.....maybe there is a bit of romance in him after all....

When we got to Manorola, we just missed the ferry so we had some gelato while we waited for the next one. Because of the train strike, everyone was taking the ferries so it was packed. It was quite interesting - hundreds of people waited on a very narrow rock pathway and when the ferry came, the disembarkers "walked the plank" into the crowd and then the embarkers did the same, in reverse. Meanwhile, the waves were crashing onto the shore and the boat was bobbing up and down precariously. We were in awe, as this would NEVER be allowed in Canada. We managed to get seats, but by the time everyone had boarded it was standing room only. Fortunately it was only a 5-minute ride back to Monterosso.

We stopped at the train station to purchase our tickets to Naples in two days' time (planning ahead) and came back to the room to shower and blog. Jim is holding up very well considering he's running on no sleep!

We had dinner at Barabba in White (strange name!) on the beach. Calamari and vegetables in a tempura batter, and a chicken salad for me; roast chicken and grilled vegetables for Jim. And....drum roll please....chocolate soufflé for dessert. It rivals Dana's, it's so good! This is the same restaurant where Jim had his caffeine fix last night, so he was greeted warmly by the staff. Oh - I had a glass of Sicilian white wine (take note, dad!), which went straight to my head. Left the restaurant feeling pretty darn good! We walked the half block back to our hotel and spent the next half hour or so talking with the hotel desk clerk, Ella. She's quite a character - she's Filipino, but married an Italian. She has a 2-year-old daughter, Isabella, whom she's obviously very proud of. She told us all about her labour, giving birth early, etc.....I guess we have officially bonded! Andrea, the owner, was in the background, adding comments every now again (e.g. he told us that he found Ella on the Internet, and she confirmed it as being true - she wanted to move here but needed a job first, so Andrea hired her).

Anyway, it's 10:15 and I think we're both going to crash. Hopefully Jim will actually sleep tonight....

May 11, 2009
We both slept like babies, and woke up to another beautiful, sunny day. After Jim shaved and we had our usual breakfast, we caught the train back to Manorola (the 4th village along the Cinque Terre, and where we caught the ferry yesterday). We walked from there to the middle village, Corniglia, which took about an hour but only because we were walking behind a group of school kids who were noisy and slowwwww. The path followed the coastline, about 400' up, so we had panoramic views almost the whole time. At one point we had to cross a suspension bridge, and we passed a bit of a waterfall too.

Corniglia is the only village not accessible by boat, as it's high up on a hill. By the time we got there the sun was beating down mercilessly and the sweat was dripping from every pore. The school group was just ahead of us and kept walking straight, but I noticed the trail sign veering to the right so motioned to Jim to follow me that way. Hallelujah! By doing that, we were able to hop onto a green bus (free with our Cinque Terre card) and have a ride to the top of the village. The school group had to hike up 400 steps to get to the top!

We wandered through the village, exploring narrow passageways and climbing to the very top of the town where there was a terrace overlooking the Mediterranean. A cat was sleeping in the sun and didn't mind us scratching its' ears one little bit! Jim had to find a bathroom, but the only ones available were in cafes so I was forced to buy a chocolate ice cream bar (darn it, anyway! LOL) so he could use the bathroom. When he came out, he told me that I'd probably want a picture of it.....the "toilet" consisted of two places to put your feet while you squatted over a hole in the floor! I guess Italians don't sit there leisurely reading a good book while doing their business....and if they do, they must have really strong leg muscles!

Once we'd had our fill of Corniglia, we carried on to complete the last portion of the trail - the section from Corniglia to Vernazza. Jim had studied the guide book and saw that the trail was a gradual incline for the first hour, then went steeply down for the last half hour. We only saw a few people on this section of the trail, which was dry and dusty. The pathway was mostly made of hand-placed stones worn down with the passage of time, and I presume are very slippery in the rain. The vegetation consisted of pink phlox, purple irises, yellow forsythia, pink lilacs, red poppies, and the air was scented with honeysuckle. Cacti also grew in abundance. We meandered through olive orchards, vineyards and lemon groves, and as we approached Vernazza the view took our breath away. You have to see it to believe it!

A young couple offered to take our picture with Vernazza as the backdrop, and then I returned the favour. We walked down, down, down for ages - think "Grouse Grind" - and were very relieved not to have done this portion of the trail in reverse. When we finally reached the bottom, we found a little outdoor café and enjoyed our shared lunch of bruschetta with tomatoes and pesto, an Imperial salad (lettuce, tomatoes, mushrooms, artichokes, olives and mozzarella balls), and chocolate panna cotta (Lyle's is better).

I was dying to dip my toes in the ocean, so after lunch we found a flat rock in the inner harbour and Jim had a siesta while I soaked my feet in the refreshing water of the Mediterranean Sea. Nearby, a group of university kids were frolicking in the water, some wearing nothing but their underwear. We've seen several topless women - it's no big deal here.

We caught the 3:34 train back to Monterosso and came back to our room to relax for a few hours. I'm currently sitting outside on our terrace while typing this, with a view of the colourful beach umbrellas and the ocean behind them. Choosing to stay here for 4 nights was just perfect, as we got to enjoy the whole trail at our leisure. There is another trail that follows the ridge way up high, but it's 20 km (instead of 11) and we decided we'd rather enjoy some relaxation time than try and do it all. Besides, it gives us an excuse to come back in the future!

Tomorrow we're leaving the Cinque Terre and heading to Sorrento, via Naples....so stay tuned for further news from Italy. Ciao!
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