Pompeii and Mt Vesuvius

Pompeii and Mt. Vesuvius.

Mosaics of Ravenna

Here are some pictures of beautiful mosaics in Ravenna. The first two are in Chiesa San Vitale. The last one (I can't remember where) is of Christ being baptized by John. He is up to his waist in the waters of the River Jordan. Zoom in on these if you can, to get a better idea of how exquisite the works are. This building is very very high!

Massa Lubrense photos

Footpath from town centre to the port, Massa Lubrense.
Porto Piccolo, Massa Lubrense. You like? That would be Vesuvius 'way in the back ground.
Overhead nets (over the pathways, between groves) catch the olives as they fall off the trees. The olive groves have massive systems of nets, above the ground, to capture the falling fruit, and then they funnel down hill to larger collection points. The olives never touch the ground, and they aren't picked by hand or machine. As far as I can tell, at least!
Private laneway to olive/lemon grove. Pretty!

Sorrento,Capri, Pompeii, Massa Lubrense

Sorrento, Pompeii, Capri and Massa Lubrense

I ended up staying two additional nights in Sorrento, making it a total of five. The place that I booked through HostelBookers.com was by far the best place so far, and it will be hard to equal. What I thought I had booked was a dorm room with 3 beds for 10 euros a night, which is pretty cheap for anywhere in Italy, never mind Sorrento. What I got was a private bungalow with a double bed, private bathroom, patio, breakfast, AND reliable wifi. I was a little concerned, thinking that when I went to settle my bill I would be charged something rather more than the agreed upon 10 euros/night. At the very least I expected to be charged more for the additional nights beyond what I booked on-line. NOT SO!!!! I paid 10 euros per night, and I was GLAD!! (In Rome I paid 30 euros per night.) This place is special, situated up a steep hill (as is everything around this area), part of an active lemon and olive plantation. If you go to Sorrento, you should stay at Casale Antoniette. The staff are super friendly and the owner, Marco, who speaks very respectable English, is always helpful. So it was hard to leave, but after being part of the Amalfi/Sorrento/Capri/Pompeii tourist scene for that number of days, I felt it was time to get back to my original agenda and head north towards Venice.

Meantime, my time in Sorrento and environs was lovely. I remember how smitten my mother was with Pompeii when she and my father visited some 50 years ago. She mentioned it over the years, and I thought I would like to see it, and imagine how she saw it 5 decades earlier. I believe that it hasn’t changed that much! You know, those Romans built things to last, regardless of volcanoes or whatever! It has probably changed from the perspective of the tourism industry though. There are a lot of people there, wandering about in awe, as I was. Likely, many, many more people than when Mom and Dad strolled those ruins, but still it was amazing and I was glad to have been able to “share” that with them..

Another Canadian was staying at Casale Antoniette. From Victoria BC, he was on a self drive tour of some European countries, so he had a car. We got together to drive the Amalfi Coast and do a couple of short hikes along the way. Hikes here always involve elevation gain and loss, and we agreed that had we been alone we probably would not have made the effort to venture forth. One such walk took us through olive and lemon groves, with smatterings of pomegranates, persimmons, figs and apples as well as veggie patches. Of course lemons are very prevalent here and one of the many lemon products is Lemoncello. (Did I ever tell you my secret recipe for a martini extraordinaire? Let’s just say that it involves Lemoncello… Where was I? Oh yes, the Amalfi Coast. Rugged. Beautiful. Azure sea. Vertical. Not sandy. Vertical. Up. Rocky. Vertical. Crazy winding narrow roads up vertical rocky terrain rising above beautiful azure sea. Do I make myself clear? And lemons. Everywhere. Terraces for lemon groves. What? Do these people not think that there are enough lemons, already? Apparently not.

Capri: Lemons. Everywhere. Terraces for lemon groves. Where the stupidly wealthy are not living, that is. Rocky, vertical, azure sea, vertical, the craziest winding narrow roads, vertical. Every home, rich or not so rich, has an unobstructed view due to the steepness of the landscape. And the roads - surely they are only wide enough for one small bus! But no! Wait! Here comes another bus towards us. It’s impossible! There can’t be enough room to pass! NO WAY! That is UNBELIEVABLE! Those bus drivers are so skilled at knowing exactly where their bus is, they pass each other with literally an inch to spare between them, and between the houses or walls on the other side. Sometimes they have to slow down, though. I AM NOT exaggerating! Ask anyone who has been there. Campbell? Jane? Am I right? All the cars are dented and scratched on their side panels. And we are talking small cars here, folks. Not like in N.A. We have no idea how small, small cars really are. Yet. Ever see a Fiat 500?

Another thing about Capri is the Haute Couture. Ferragamo, Armani, Valentino, et cetera. And jewellers. Tres tres chic. Personally, I did a lot of walking around in my frumpy thrift store scores and Salomon sneakers, and wasn’t seduced a bit by the Italian movie stars doing a film shoot! The local ragazzi were though, by the shapely, full figured starlets. Ahem…

My fourth excursion was to the nearby town of Massa Lubrense. It is a short bus trip up the coast from Sorrento. A lovely spot, again with verticality as the overwhelming feature of the landscape, dictating so much of everything else. It was another day of hiking down down down, and then back up up up. There are many old paved trails and footpaths that have been used for centuries. Paved for centuries too, I suppose. Those Romans, again. In fact one of the things that I was actually going to be grateful for, on the long train trip north, was the chance to give my knees a break. All that pavement really takes a toll. So far, I have found no unpaved walking or driving surfaces. At all. None. Anyway, Massa Lubrense would be another lovely spot to consider as an alternative to Sorrento or Portofino, for a few days of relaxing, and perhaps it being less costly. My little secret investment tip: buy real estate there, now!

FOOD: Aside from the omnipresence of pizza one can find other things to eat. It’s just a matter of how much you are willing to pay. The Canadian guy and I went to a restaurant down the road from where we were staying, at the recommendation of Marco, our host. Ron ordered the Raviolli alla Crema Basilico, which I was going to order, so I went for the risotto al funghi. Our waiter, whom at first seemed to be gruff and a tad unfriendly, recommended a local wine, which we went along with, especially considering it was very affordable. Insalate pomodori was perfect with green tomatoes (ripe but green) and then came the piatti secondi. WOW!!! The risotto was excellent, but the ravioli was TO DIE FOR. I decided that I needed to come back again for my own helping of this most fantastic of pasta dishes, which I did a couple of nights later. It turned out that the aforementioned waiter was super friendly and a lovely man. Again I went with his recommendation of a half bottle of local vintage rather than a glass of house wine. It was an awfully nice wine, the perfect choice. De Angelis 2006 della Peninsula Sorrentino DOC. Anyway, you know how you want to see if you can figure out how something is made? Well, I was luxuriating over this pasta and sauce, and trying for the life of me to break it down into its component parts. I failed. The secret would not be revealed. I will have to do my research on the internet I suppose. The gorgeous jade green sauce was so velvety smooth and so pleasing to the palate that it almost defies description. I’m thinking it may have been a blend of finely pulverized basil, and panna (aka: artery clogger), but perhaps panna is too rich. Hmm. Mmmm. Together with the Isalata Misto and the wine, I was in culinary heaven. My most memorable meal so far, and it wasn’t even stupidly expensive. Once in a while I eat at a real restaurant. Otherwise, I try to keep my costs down by shopping at grocery stores, when possible. All that pizza leaves a gal wanting just a plain old carrot! Not so noteworthy, but it’s about Canada’s food guide. And scurvy. That’s where a bottle of lemoncello comes in. Si?

***LAUNDRY TIP: Excuse me - it costs 8 Euros for one load of wash at the lavanderia. That’s over C$13!!! Just for the wash, never mind the dryer. Sorry - it ain’t gonna happen. I’ll wash by hand. But bathroom sinks can be awfully small, with significant splash factor, so it’s just not practical. Hmm, what to do? What’s this? A bidet. Ah ha! FINALLY, I have found a use for the bidet (so what‘s wrong with a shower?). I’m sure I’m not the first traveller to figure this out, but maybe I’m one of the first to let the cat out of the bag. Works like a charm. Big basin, limited splash factor, more than one piece at a time. And hey, it’s not a toilet! File under “B” for brilliant!

Photos of Capri

Capri Island
A steep and winding paved pathway heading down almost to the sea. Via Krupp, Capri.





















Another view from Via Krupp.













A lovely street in Capri.

Trains, Ravenna, Pizza, Euros and Special Tips!

Getting to Ravenna, et cetera.

Another testament to Italian Organization - the Trenitalia web-site offers little assistance when trying to find out train routes, schedules and fares. It was pretty much a case of just “go and see” for myself. I knew the schedule to get to Napoli, but after that, I had no idea. I didn’t even know precisely where I was going!

When I got to Napoli I bought a 2nd class ticket to Ravenna, changing trains in Bologna. From Ravenna I decided that I would shoot for Bagnacavallo, since it is a short distance from Ravenna and accommodation is more affordable by half. (Does that make sense?)

It took me a while to figure out the whole train ticket thing, but after a few relocations on the Napoli-Bologna train, I managed to finally get myself in the correct seat. What 55 euros (C$93) gets you is a non-reclining seat in a compartment with 5 others, no leg room, and an unusable WC. I mean REALLY unusable. Luckily I managed to find the WC in the station in Napoli (C$1.35, please) before boarding for Bologna, in the nick of time before departure! It was a boring 6 hours haul. At least the Bologna to Ravenna train was clean and smooth and cheap. And I was lucky enough to sit across from a local who spoke pretty good English, and he gave me lots of tips and info about Ravenna. It turns out that Bagnacavallo is 3 stops before Ravenna so that worked out well for me.

I didn’t have a reservation for any accommodation that night, because I didn’t actually know where I was going to end up, due to the lack of information about trains schedules. I had the address to the Ostello in Bagnacavallo though, and I knew that it is within walking distance from the station. Again, Italians to the rescue - I was pointed in the right direction and found that there was still room at the Inn. A three bed dorm to myself.

It is a former convent. The room is about 20’X 22’ with a 20’ ceiling. Rather spacious. No internet, though. In fact the whole town of Bagnacavallo is pretty much lacking internet access. I found the library, and in an effort to make hostel reservations for Venice, the best I could do was to check out 2 possibilities in the space of ONE HOUR, such was the speed of the connection. And then the library closed. After all, it was 12:30 on Saturday afternoon! The Internet Point/Copy Centre in the town’s main piazza was also closed. Saturday is just not a day to try to get anything done here, apparently. I was able to convince the receptionist at the hostel to let me use the computer to make my booking. Their modem has capacity for only one computer, so I couldn’t just plug in my own and go to it.

Meanwhile, I spent a rainy, wet and cold day in Ravenna, a very small city famous for its mosaics. Indeed the mosaics are a sight to behold and they can be viewed in various churches and baptisteries throughout the town centre. True to the Italian reputation for being poorly organized, I found that the tourist map I was using was completely useless. This is a prevalent problem regarding Italian tourist information - basically the maps are PATHETIC. Which can also be said for the signage, so in fact you get a complimentary arrangement which creates havoc for poor tourists, like me! Anyway, after finally stumbling into a tourist information office, I was given a better map and some directions to get started with my exploring of Ravenna. The weather was only getting worse (a good descriptive would be: atrocious), and it put a real damper on my enthusiasm, however I soldiered on. By noon my shoes were completely soaked, squish-squish with each step. Ugh. And of course the umbrella I bought off the street vendor quickly turned itself inside out and started to come apart within an hour of purchase.

I’m quite certain that Ravenna is a beautiful city when the sun is shining, or at least when it is not subjected to constant, all day rain. However, my day there was not a good picture taking day, and it was spent constantly on the move, seeking shelter in cold, dank, dark churches with unbelievably beautiful mosaic depictions of important Christian events and figures (Jesus, for example). These mosaics are of such fine quality that they in fact look like paintings, such is the attention to minute detail in their renderings.

IN ITALY THINGS ARE EXPENSIVE. Just about every thing, I mean. For example, if you want to use the toilet before getting on a train at the train station - that will cost you about C$1.35. A package of Halls throat lozenges will set you back as much as about C$3.30. If you want to sit down in a restaurant or café to have a cuppa, well you better think twice, ‘cause a pot of tea will ring in at over C$8.00. So, as far as food and beverages go, you don’t sit down to relax for a bite, because table service can double your bill. So, by the end of a day of marching around and never getting a chance to really take a load off your feet, well, lets just say a nice glass of wine or two in the hostel room sounds pretty fine!

PIZZA: It is omnipresent and rules supreme. As mentioned already, it is really hard to avoid, but it can be done. Actually, in the north it isn’t quite as dominant as in central Italy - they have some slightly different variations on the theme, using a different type of dough, and so on. But when you get right down to it, it is still dough with stuff on it or in it. Having said that, however, I discovered out of sheer desperation for some supper the night that I arrived in Bagnacavallo, “Jolly Pizza”, just a stones throw from where I’m staying. “Jolly Pizza” - I figured, “oh, oh. Please God...” It’s fair to say that is the BEST pizza that I have had in Italy so far. It is not thin crust pizza, gals! Not Chicago style, either. Thin sauce, thin cheese and thin toppings - like radicchio. AND it turns out that Leonardo, the pizza maestro, is an AVID mushroom picker, having photos of some of his exploits on his shop walls. So we got to talking, mostly with the assistance of his wife who is Ukrainian, but speaks a good bit of English. They offered me to come back on Sunday to taste mushrooms and pasta - an offer I can’t refuse! Also offered me the chance to go picking with him on Tuesday, but alas I will be gone from Bagnacavallo by then. Nice, nice folks.

With the help of one of the staffers at the Ostello I have been able to use the internet to check the train schedules for Venice. I will leave in the morning and thereby get myself to my gateway to Eastern Europe - Venice, the most expensive city in Italy.

One more of Rome

Dome of the Pantheon, 44 metres across, 9 metre wide "oculus" open to the sky, poured in concrete in 120 A.D.

More Rome

Base of the fountain in front of the Pantheon.


















This is where Pucinni set the end of the first act of Tosca. The golden quality of the llight was due to the fact that the sun was setting and the light was pouring in through the windows in the very top of the cathedral.

Some pictures of Rome

The Dome of the San Luigi dei Francesi, which is full of works by Caravaggio. Piazza Navona, Rome

Concertina busker, Campo de Fiori, Rome.

Salsicca shop, Campo de Fiori, Rome

I arrived in Rome at around mid-day, local time, after a 9 or 10 hour journey including the stop-over in London to change planes. I was able to to get from the airport into Rome after wandering about for a while. Fiumicino Airport is kinda what Edmonton International Airport was like back in the '70's - quite different from JFK and Heathrow - only bigger and stupider. (Is that a word? stupider? Maybe double d?). In fact the shuttle bus driver took me directly to the B&B that I had booked.

Trouble was, there was now way of knowing exactly whether or not I was at my hotel, because there was no signage indicating such. Fortunately, Italians are extremely friendly people and I was helped out by someone who just happened to be entering the same building for her work. She was able to contact the proprieter and 10 minutes later, I was being shown my room.

A private single room with its own bathroom, no less! I was expecting a shared dorm with the bathroom down the hall. This is a huge bonus, especially after NYC. Mind you, it is 20 Euros/night, as opposed to US$20/night. About C$32, give or take. Not bad for a place within spitting distance of Piazza San Pietro and Il Vaticano.

I was super sleepy when I got to my room, and so I took a pretty casual pace until later in the afternoon, when I plucked up the gumption to jump on the bus and head to - ???? Not really knowing where I was going I happened to leap off the bus at the base of the Campodoglio, which is a pretty important spot in Rome. It is on the Capitoline Hill which is basically where Rome was founded (remember Romulus? It was his idea.) I proceeded to follow my nose which took me to a fantastic view point overlooking the Roman Forum and, in the distance (not too far), was the Colosseo. And backing all that up was this fantastic sunset with these fabulous cumulus clouds. Oh No! I forgot my camera. Trust me, it was absolutely spectacular, and mind boggling trying to get my head around on the age of what I was looking at. Four hundred and something BC. That's a long time ago.

Remarkably, I found my way back to the B&B, and then walked in the almost deserted neighbourhood to find a place for supper. Which I did. Please - no pizza! Pizza is EVERYWHERE here. I was determined not to succumb to the seductions of that ever present choice, getting instead a salad with a bunch of healthy goodness, and focaccia blanca. Okay, focaccia is basically pizza crust, but in this case it was plain and came with olive oil (a whole bottle - there's no such thing as too much olive oil!) And a half bottle of vino rosso. Buono Venutti a Roma (is that corretto? Close enough, per mio.)

So, a person can spend an aweful lot of time and money visiting any number of important museums and ancient sites in this city. All are super impressive and of course one can have ambitions to see as many as possible - but that's just NOT possible, in fact. Unless you really really like museums more than anything, that is. I decided that the best I can shoot for is a 50/50 split between museums and the neighbourhoods. It can take several hours to do either, and so one choice of each per day seems reasonable.

So far I have seen the Piazza San Pietro, which, being a Wednesday was filled with the faithful awaiting the appearance of you-know-who ( I decided I didn't need to stick around for that). From there I went to see the Castel Sant 'Angelo, which is important to me 'cause it is where Tosca throws herself off the parapet (SO sad). Then to the Colosseo and the Forum for which I paid even more euros to take a guided tour, which was a good thing to do. In fact the guide for the Forum was a Canadian gal who was really very, very good. She really knows her ancient Roman history. Infinitely better than the local Roman guide for the Colosseum. Then I did some afternoon/evening exploration of the Trestavere area, which is very interesting. It was all great and by the time I got back to my accommodation with some groceries for supper, it was late, late, and I was knackered.

And I guess I'm knackered now, 'cause I have no idea why or how this type became italics. (perhaps it's because I'm in Italy, har har!) That's 'cause I had another long day, what with buying a train ticket for Sorrento, which to at least two hours, and then heading for another neighbourhood to explore (Testacio), which has a fabulous market and a 30 meter hill made up entirely of broken amphoras and terracotta pots from centuries of disposal. Houses and auto-shops and cafes exist at the base of this enormous pile of rubble, which probably took me at least 40 minutes to circumnavigate on foot. After re-orienting myself I went back to the Capitoline Museo and did the audio self tour of the exhibits there. That took up the rest of my day. It is full of unbelievably old and beautiful works of art and sculpture. Mind numbing after about 2 hours!

Pix from NYC:

Top row:

Me and my Shadow at Lincoln Centre (could be anywhere, I suppose...)

A super groovy building in Chelsea district.

Me, in front of the Metropolitan Opera House

Bottom row:

South Manhattan from the Staten Island Ferry

Colin and the Brooklyn Bridge

Aida was fantastic spectacle. Wow! The sets and costumes were incredible - a visual feast! And the two rival sopranos could really belt out the tunes. Big girls from Eastern Europe. The tenor was a fair size too - a South African. Didn't have the sheer power in his voice that the gals had, but the delivery was all there. As for animal acts, there were four horses drawing chariots. No elephants though. Budgetary constraints, I suppose.

Colin arrives from Montreal this morning on the lovely Greyhound service. We have tickets for the opera tonight. Surprise! The Barber of Seville, which I have yet to see. But before that, we will do a walking tour of Harlem (small) which is where our hostel is located. It's pretty interesting nieghbourhood, predominantly black and Hispanic. The lingo is a bit hard to decipher sometimes (a LOT of the time!) but somehow I struggle through.

Riding the subway and just walking the streets in this huge complex city, one can't help but be witness to some pretty amazing behaviour. Amazing by western Canadian standards, at least. I have come to realize that New Yorkers conduct their private lives in very public ways. In some instances it can be somewhat embarrassing to bear witness to ever occurring episodes of real life soap opera. But always fascinating and more than slightly weird. "All the world's a stage..." and I'm gonna get your attention!!! Americans mimicking American TV stars mimicking Americans!

An element of the Cheese Factor that I found quite repulsive is American television. OMG!! Everyone - contact your MP and press for support of the CBC and other Canadian broadcasters. Probably most of you already know how BAD American TV is, but not being hooked up to cable or satellite, I had NO IDEA. The cheesiest people become talk show hosts or local news anchors or reporters, and they in turn interview stupid people and ONLY stupid people. I tried several times to turn off the TV in the hostel kitchen(Wha???) but the best I could do was turn off the volume until somebody else came along 2 or 3 minutes later and turned it back up. And then there was football... And cop shows.

'Kay, enough of that. Thank God for the Metropolitan Opera!!!

Here I am, in the Big Apple. So far, so good.

I struck up conversation with a woman in the Calgary Airport boarding area, who lives in Calgary but hails from Brooklyn. After we landed in Newark, we both caught the airport shuttle service into Manhattan, and she pointed me in the right direction to get to Lincoln Centre, where the Metropolitan Opera House is.

That was my first stop. No time to check into my hotel, but I did have enough time to grab a quick bite to eat before the 8:00 performance of Nozze di Figaro. The light meal was not expensive and it was just right. And of course the opera was fabulous, starring the incredibley beautiful and talented Danielle de Niese in the soprano role of Rosina. The mezzo who played the "trouser role" of Cherubino was EXCELLENT. I can't remember her name, but the audience was very appreciative of their home town girl doing such a terrific job. Figaro was sung by the very hunky Canadian baritone John Relyea.

After the opera I took a cab to the budget hotel, in Harlem, where my son Colin booked our accommodation. It felt a bit sketchy at first, because the cab driver let me off one block short of my destination. I was a bit concerned, not being able to find the 5th Ave Spot Hotel, until I was very kindly directed by local homeless person to the next block, where, sure enough, I found it!

I was a little alarmed, again, when upon checking in, there was a young guest at reception asking why had he been kicked out of his bed, and moved to another and then kicked out of that one and then put back in his originally assigned bed. I would have been a lot more miffed than he was, but he was pretty upset. With that little scenario, I decided I would take it one night at a time, and see how things worked out. You can't expect miracles for $22/night, but still... Well, tonight is my 3rd night, so I guess I will stay put for the duration. Colin arrives tomorrow morning on the greyhound from Montreal. I'm very excited to spend a few days here with him before I leave for Rome on Monday Oct 12th.

Tuesday I spent time getting around on the sub-way system to various locations, including a trip to Staten Island (on the free ferry) and some wandering around in downtown Manhattan and a self guided walking tour of Greenwich Village. Another opera at 8:00 took me back to the hotel in time to get cleaned up, into my glad rags, and back to the same lovely restaurant as the night before, for another perfect light meal before Tosca.

Tosca got bad reviews by the critics and the opening night audience booed it more than any other performance in Met history. I was very interested to find out why. Are NYC audiences just really hung up on the old reliable productions of the favorite operas? Or was it really THAT bad? Well, I'm here to tell you that NOT everything the Met does is great. This production was boring and flat, despite the high quality of the singers and orchestra. The director really missed out on this production, and I'm happy to say that I only spent $20US on my ticket (partial views - turns out I didn't miss that much! But the sound was fantastic!)

Today I decided to check out Grand Central Station in all its splendour, and the Main Branch of the Public Library. Both gorgeous buildings. The I went to Coney Island....

...I just had to see it. If ever you make a trip to NYC (and you should) I think you can safely skip Coney Island. Unless you want a big dose of kitch, cheese, gyros, Nathan's hot dogs, and run down carni rides and games. Holy moly, this place is REALLY REALLY weird! But I had a nice chat with a woman from New Jersey who was there for her first time. She actually knew of Canada, and could actually name some places in Ontario, where she has relatives. A woman who approached me yesterday, raising money for some sort of community arts projects, actually asked me "What's a Canadian" when I told her who I was.

So, now I'm heading off to Aida. It should be quite the spectacle, as always. Can't wait!

Leaving Revelstoke

Today is the day I begin my Journey To The East. My house is all in order for my renters to move in. My car is parked in my garage with fresh oil, awaiting my return. The garden is pretty much winter ready. I have a couple of last minute details to take care of. I managed to avoid having to take the Greyhound to Calgary by scoring a ride off of Craigslist. Good start! So, "start spreadin' the news. I'm leavin' today. I wanna be a part of it..."!