October 26 Last Day in Europe

October 26 Last Day in Europe

We awoke to a cool, cloudy morning in Frankfurt. However, after breakfast we left the pension to walk down the Main River park on one side and then up on the other side. We hadn't walked far when we noticed large groups of runners crossing one of the bridges. We soon realized that today was the annual Frankfurt Marathon in which over 9,000 competed. It was quite a sight.

We walked to the end of the riverbank park, which took us a little over two hours. We then crossed a bridge and headed back up the other side and into Sachenhausen district, known for its apple wine pubs. We had read about the pubs and that no visit to Frankfurt was complete without visiting one of these pubs. We found the Adolf Wagner pub and settled in at one of the long tables. We ordered the non alcoholic Ebbelwei and found it to taste like half fermented apple juice. We dined on traditional German fare...pork, veal, mashed potatoes and sauerkraut! The portions were enormous and delicious. We took pictures of our plates, "before and after" and on the "after" pictures, the plates are empty.

After the pub food we knew we had to do a lot more walking just to help digest the enormous meal. However, we walked past a chocolate shop and we just couldn't resist their freshly made hot chocolate. Chocolate helps settle one's stomach, doesn't it?

On the walk back up the river we watched paddlers, cruise ship barges and even oil barges on the Main (pronounced mine) River. After about another hour we arrived back at Pension Alpha.

This evening we packed, checked our flights, arranged a wake up call and booked a taxi.

I am sad to say that this adventure has come to an end. It has been a dream come true for me, a lifelong dream fulfilled. If "money were no object" I know that I could embrace this lifestyle and be forever, "retired and on the road."

Total Kilometers Driven: 7, 293
Total Steps Taken: 218, 358

October 25 Exploring Frankfurt

October 25 Exploring Frankfurt

After a continental breakfast at Pension Alpha we took our Frankfurt tourist map and headed out for the day. The sun was shining and promised to shine for the day and bring temperatures up to about 15 degrees.

Most of Frankfurt was destroyed during WW II and so there are not many old buildings here. In most of the places we visited, history was everywhere. In Frankfurt, we had to look for it.

We headed towards the Main River and walked across one of the two pedestrian only bridges to discover a giant flea marked along the river. We strolled throught the maze of sellers (mostly African and Middle Eastern) and ended up at the second pedestrian only bridge where we walked back to the other side of the Main.

Our second stop was the Romerbert, Frankfurt's market square which was the location of the birth of this city. After WW II it was rebuilt to look like the timbered houses that stood there before the war. This morning there were several buskers entertaining as well as a group of Asian students singing gospel songs in English.

After the square we strolled towards the archaelological garden where we saw the remains of a Roman encampment including thermal baths. Next to the archaeological site was St. Bartholomew's Cathedral, a church that was the official site (chosen in 1356) for the coronation of kings of the Holy Roman Empire. The artwork was varied with statues, carvings, old documents and plaques that were too old to read.

A walk through the shopping district gave us a good look at "trendy" Frankfurters;dressed to the nines and looking to purchase more. When we looked for a coffee shop we noticed that there seemed to be a Starbucks on every corner. A lot of English is spoken here and so I didn't pull out my dictionary at all today.

Frankfurt has lots of skyscrapers and one of them, The Main Tower is open to the public. For 4.60 Euro each we rode the elevator up 54 floors and got a great view of Frankfurt. From the 55th floor viewing area it is easy to see that Frankfurt is a big city...there is no mistaking that ring of low level pollution that sits over the skyline.

We followed our map back to the Main River and walked along, people and boat watching. There were not many boats around, just a couple of river barges and a few rowing teams. We came across the Jewish Museum, went through security, got our money out and noticed a sign that said, "free admission today." The museum takes a look at the history of Jews in Frankfurt and like the other Jewish museums we have visited, it put us in a solemn mood.

Our spirits lifted as we again strolled along the river in the bright sunshine and decided that it was time to head back to the Pension. We found a market, bought some food and were happy to kick off our sneakers for the night.

October 24 Frankfurt

October 24 Frankfurt

This morning we left the campsite at Dreieich at around 9 and headed for Offenbach to return our beloved Gracie to McRent. We were both feeling a little sad to end this phase of our trip. That van was our home for over six weeks and we were very comfortable living in it. Michelle kept track of the kilometers daily and told me that I drove Gracie over 6,000 kilometers.

After saying goodbye to Gracie and the folks at McRent, a taxi took us to Pension Alpha where we will stay until Monday morning. We unpacked and then headed out to explore the local area. We are situated downtown and most of the "must sees" are within walking distance. We walked along Kaiser Strasse, people watched, walked through a city park and stopped for coffee. We also explored the train station area and walked a bit further north to the red light district. Frankfurt is a very modern, cosmopolitan city with lots of skyscrapers and a multi ethnic population.

The television in our room is the first we have seen in a long time. We also have free internet access which is also a first in a long time. I will be able to update the blog and send out a few emails.

Tomorrow we will do a self guided walking tour of Frankfurt

October 23 Dreieich

October 23 Dreieich

It rained again last night. Both water drops and walnuts fell on the roof during the night and early morning. This morning I heard several barges going up or down the Main River, but didn't manage to catch one on film. They are not noisy vessels, they make more of a hum than a roar.

Today was devoted to cleaning Gracie in preparation for her return to Frankfurt tomorrow. We couldn't manage to get to the Shell station we found yesterday, but did find a station with a vacuum. After getting all the crumbs and sand out we programmed Lori to take us to our next campsite, a site close to Frankfurt where we could complete the cleaning, do laundry and have showers.

It didn't take us long to get to Dreieich. We chose our site, the sun came out and we scrubbed and cleaned and scrubbed and cleaned. We also did a load of laundry and had showers. Tomorrow morning we will return Gacie to McRent and then explore Frankfurt for a couple of days before returning home on Monday.

Occtober 22 Rothenburg ob der Tauber and Aschaffenburg

October 22 Rothenburg ob der Tauber and Aschaffenburg

We awoke to the sound of rain pounding on the roof this morning. However, after breakfast the downpour turned to a few showers and so we bundled up in our raingear and headed over the Rothenburg to walk the wall and visit any sights we might have missed yesterday.

Much of the wall surrounding this medieval town was rebuilt after World War II. The names of those who supported the rebuilding are engraved at various locations around the perimeter. The view from the wall was fascinating. To our right was the medieval town with its cobblestone streets and quaint buildings. To our left was at one point, a valley and at other times pathways and trees in full autumn colour. At one point we met a man who was picking something up from amongst the fallen leaves. I watched him for a few moments and saw that he was picking up walnuts. I spotted one, picked it up and placed it in his bag. After his "danke" I looked for more, (I wanted some for myself) but found no others.

After walking the perimeter of the town we went to the main square to orient ourselves. We then headed for St. Jacob's Church, one of the first Protestent churches we have seen in weeks. This church was built in the 1300's and much of the artwork, including some of the stained glass is from that period. Of particular note is the "Helig Blut Altar" which was carved in the 1500's. The organ in the church has 5,500 pipes!

We strolled the streets until we found a wonderful bakery/coffee shop where we stopped for a break. After we were warmed by the hot treats we headed back to Gracie and decided to move on. We wanted to find a stopover where we could clean Gracie in preparation for returning her to McRent on Friday. A stellplatz in Aschaffenburg is where we stopped. Although there are few facilities here, we found a Shell station with a vaccuum and will go there tomorrow to get rid of our accumulated bread, cheese and chocolate crumbs of the last six and one half weeks.

We explored the town's historic centre, walked through a modern mall and watched boats go up and down the river. We are parked next to the Main River which is a shipping route. So far, we have seen a cruise ship and several cargo ships. The ships are very low and resemble barges more than ships. We also witnessed a rowing team practising for some upcoming event.

Tomorrow we will move closer to Frankfurt.

October 21 The Romantic Road and Rothenburg ob der Tauber

October 21 The Romatic Road and Rothenburg ob der Tauber

The Romantic Road is the scenic route from Munich to Frankfurt. We drove part of it today and saw picturesque villages, farmhouses and a walled city. Rothenburg ob der Tauber is said to be the only walled medieval city in Europe without a single moderm building. Apparently this town is usually filled with tourists but today it was relatively quiet which made for a very pleasant visit.

We spent most of the afternoon wandering the cobblestone streets and popping in and out of the many, many Christmas shops that fill this town. A storekeepter told me that it is too busy at Christmas time. It was neat to look at all the ornaments and to listen to the cuckoo clocks that lined many of the walls.

We stopped for coffee and pastry and then made our way to the Medieval Crime and Punishment Museum a fascinating place that specializes in everything about medieval crime and justice...especially instruments of torture. The items that fascinated me the most were the "shame masks" that had to be worn for various reasons. For example, if someone acted like a pig, they were forced to wear a mask of a pig for punishment. If someone told "smutty jokes" they were forced to wear a certain mask.The masks were made of metal and were tightened on the criminal's head. Apparently they were very painful to wear.

We found a grocery store outside the town wall and after stocking up for the next couple of days, we made our way back to the camper, which is parked at a stellplatz just outside the town wall. We noticed very dark clouds when we were walking back and made it to the camper just in time...just before a torrential downpour.

The rain stopped after dinner and so we decided to walk the one kilometer wall that surrounds the town. We walked about half way and then descended into the town because it was too dark to see where we were going. We will go back tomorrow morning and walk the wall in the daylight.

October 20 Jungfrau to Gunzburg, Germany

October 20 Jungfrau to Gunzburg, Germany

It was a cold night last night...we kept the heater going full blast until we left the campsite. However, we didn't leave until we took advantage of the heated shower rooms and the very cool hair dryer. We filled Gracie with water, paid our exhorbitant bill and left Lauterbrunnen.

The sky was very clear and the bright sun soon warmed us as we drove up, down and through mountains. Some of the roads were very narrow and some were autobahn type roads. There are no toll charges for individual autobahns in Switzerland; instead, everyone must pay $40 Swiss francs to drive on the highway. Other countries allowed tourists to buy two week and even two day passes.

The scenery changed from snow capped mountains and crystal clear lakes to green pastures and then a more flat terrain. Today we drove through the longest tunnel yet...7.6 kilometers long. We drove through a part of Liechtenstein today as well as through part of Austria.

Lori easily guided us to our camper stop at Gunzburg, Germany, a quiet little village. The camper is parked next to a field where horses are grazing. Michelle fed them our last two apples. We played some cards, read, ate some chocolate and then retired for the night. I should add here that we have been playing Crazy Eights and Forty-Five's throughout this trip. Also, we have done a lot of reading. We have not missed tv, radio or telephones. In fact, it has been wonderful to be without them.

Tomorrow we drive the famed "romantic road" to Rothenburg ob der Tauber.

October 19 Jungfraujoch: Top of Europe

October 19 Jungfraujoch: Top of Europe

This morning we awoke to the sound of cow bells, or what I thought were cow bells. They were, in fact bells on the many sheep that are grazing in a steep field next to the campground. I am sure they are quite used to tourists because they posed so nicely for a picture.

The train left the station at Lauterbrunnen at 9:14 en route to Jungfraujoch and we were on it. The climb to the top took about two hours. The train goes slowly and I read that the gradual gradient (maximum 25 cm per metre) permits progressive adjustment of the human body to the high altitude.

The view on the way up is nothing short of breathtaking. However, it was the view from the top that the tour book authors write about. From the top, which is 4158 m, you can see France, Italy, and Germany. The sky was very clear and the sun was bright and so we could see to forever. It was also very cold, about -17 but very warm when walking on the glacier in the bright sunshine. (Warm clothing and sunglasses are recommended for the trip)

We visited several viewing areas, went through an "ice palace" which is a tunnel through a glacier where everything is made of ice...the walls, the floor and some neat sculptures.

The trip down took a little longer than the trip up. We stopped at the village of Grindelwald, browsed around a few shops and stopped for a hot bowl of soup. It was delicious.

From Grindelwald we took the train to Zweilutschinen and then were supposed to transfer to a train to Lauterbrunnen. We thought we were on the right train, but the train separated and we were on the half that was returning to Grindelwald. We managed to get off at the next stop and were relieved to see on the schedule that another train was coming through in about seven minutes. Luckily Michelle saw a sign that said that the train would stop "by request" only. We found a button to push and luckily it was the right one because the train did stop for us.

Upon arrival back to the campsite we stopped by to see the baby lambs (they could barely walk), visited the campsite grocery store for some water and headed back to Gracie to turn on the heater.

Tomorrow we will leave Switzerland and head for Germany.

October 18 Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland

October 18 Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland

I woke up at around 5 am to the sound of rain pounding on the roof of the van and ducks quacking on the lake. I managed to doze for a bit longer but soon got up and plugged in the heater. I think the days of bathing suits and tank tops are gone, as we head north to Switzerland.

The rain stopped just in time for our departure and from then on we only had a few sprinkles fall on us. However, we drove through the Simplonpass in dense fog...very dense fog. I drove very slowly and could see the lines on the road but that's about all I could see. I was so happy when we got to a tunnel, because the tunnels are all well lit and there was no fog in there. After about 20 kilometers the fog dissapated and the sun broke through. We were headed down the mountain.

We drove up and down and around several mountains and reached Goppenstein where we drove onto a train and with many others on the flatbeads, we were taken through a mountain (the Lotschbergtunnel). The train ride took about 15 minutes in complete darkness, except for the occassional train going in the opposite direction. It was certainly a unique experience to fell the van moving from side to side and occassionally shaking, just a bit.

After that adventure we drove down a mountain to Spiez and then to Interlaken. On the green hillsides we saw lots of cows and sheep grazing and wondered how they managed to stay upright.

The campsite at Interloken was invisible and so we decided to head to Camping Jungrau, in Lauterbrunnen, which is at 976 m. From here we can clearly some very high other snow covered mountains. It is quite a magnificant site. We watched helicopters take para gliders up to the top of one of the mountains and then saw the brave souls drift back to the field across from the campsite.

The village of Lauterbrunnen is very quaint, with lots of little shops ready to sell winter appearal, cheese and of course Swiss watches. We found a cheese shop and stopped in for some local cheese and chocolate. Switzerland does not use the Euro and so we are now spending Swiss Francs. Switzerland seems to be quite expensive. This campsite, for example will be the most expensive we have stayed at in the past six weeks.

We are considering taking the train to the top of the Jungrau tomorrow....the top of Europe.

October 17 Orta San Giulio

October 17 Orta San Giulio

We started our day with bright sunshine over the lake. We decided to hike today and so we left the campsite and drove about 17 kilometers up a mountain, Mottarone, elevation 1491 m. The view from the top was spectacular. To the north and west there the snow capped Swiss Alps, to the east, Lake Maggiore and bare sharp peaks, and to the south, more lakes. From the top we saw at least seven lakes.

The trail started out as an easy one, we were just walking along the top of the mountain admiring the view. It was so peaceful, so peaceful and quiet that the only sound was the sound of falling leaves from the few trees. It was as if the leaves were crinkling as they floated to the ground. Unlike the Cinque Terre where there were zillions of others, on this trail we were alone.

Then came the part of the trail that took us down the mountain. We hiked down a very steep trail for over an hour before we headed back up. Both the down and the up parts were gruelling and we stopped often for "breathing" and water breaks. After three hours or so we were back at the van and headed down the mountain and back to the campsite where we spent most of the afternoon sitting by the water, reading and resting our tired muscles.

After our lazy afternoon we decided to walk into the town and explore the historic centre. It is a very old town with lots of narrow, cobblestone streets and of course, a few churches. Of particular interest was a very old looking church with a very tall spire. When we got close to it, we realized that the church is now a hotel.

We stopped for dinner at a locat ristorante and each ordered a mystery meal. Neither one of us was sure what we were going to get, since the menu was in Italian and the server spoke no English. My meal was a smoked, sauteed cheese with a delicious salad on the side. Michelle's plate was full of mixed meats; pork chop, lamb chop, along with a couple of varieties of sausage. We both enjoyed our meals and heartily. On the way back to the campsite, even though we were full, we could not resist the gelateria.

Tomorrow we head to Switzerland.

October 16 Lago D'Orta

October 16 Lago D'Orta

The drive from Cinque Terre was pleasant and we were able to see more of the Italian Riveria as we drove up the coast towards Genova. At Genova the road took us northward. The landscape changed several times and at first we saw nothing but flat farmland for many kilometers. The land looked very dry and in several locations we saw farmers burning fields. The scenery changed again to trees and forests and it reminded me of fall. There were some leaves that had changed colour and I did see a bit of red mixed in with the yellow and green.

As we approached our destination, the vegetation changed once more. Here the forests are green and we are again in the mountains. We are, in fact, fairly close to Switzerland.

Most people who come to the Lake District of Italy visit Lago di Como or Lago Maggiore. We chose to visit the smaller and less touristy Lago D' Orta. This small lake has on its shore, a quaint medieval village and on an island in the lake is Basilica di San Giulio, a 12th century basilica inhabited now by just a few nuns. A Greek, Giulio is said to have rid the island of snakes, dragons and assorted monsters in the 4th century.

The campsite is Camping Orta and we are parked about two meters from the water. It is very peaceful here. Several swans came to the shore to greet us as we parked the van.

There are also good hiking trails nearby and tomorrow we will take advantage of the great weather and spend the day on some nearby trails.

October 15 Day 2 at Cinque Terre

October 15 Day Two at Cinque Terre

Today's trip to Cinque Terre started with us missing the train by about 30 seconds....we were on time but the train was early, which is quite abnormal for Italian trains. We had to wait for about an hour for the next train and somehow managed to eat our fresh bread and cheese lunch long before noon!

We have been eating a lot of fresh bread and cheese in Italy. Many locations, this campsite included, take orders for fresh bread in the evening and then you merely go to the campsite market to pick it up in the morning. There are so many varieties of cheese to choose from that I will never be able to try all of them. I usually buy something I have never heard of and so far I have not been disappointed.

It was cool and cloudy today and so we did not venture to the beach. We did roam the streets, drank some cappicuccino, and visited a museum that detailed the history of Cinque Terre. We also met up with a couple of Austrailians and had a great chat with them about traveling in Italy. Needless to say, we agreed that a good sense of humour is required for traveling in this country. We shared a couple of stories and wished each other well before we went our separate ways.

The rest of the day was spent roaming around, taking in the sites and waiting for trains. And then we waited for trains.

We managed to find a grocery store when we got back to Deiva Marina (our campsite location) and stocked up in preparation for tomorrow's departure. We are heading north to Lake D' Orta.

October 14 Hiking the Cinque Terre

A colleague of mine often spoke of the beauty of the Cinque Terre and her desire to hike the trails. Although I had seen and admired pictuers of this Unesco World Heritage site, nothing compares to being here. These five villages, Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore are each perched on cliffs looking over the sea and appear to have been carved out of the mountains. They are colourful, quaint and best of all, part of a national park and therefore, protected.

The trail we hiked covered about 12 k beginning with a path that was more like a sidewalk than a hiking trail. However, that soon changed when we passed the second village. The tour groups and those out for a stroll disappeared and we were glad to be wearing our hiking boots. It was no Inca Trail but it was a good hike. On our right we passed numerous olive groves, lemon trees and terraced vineyards. On our left, below tall, steep cliffs was the sea...the beautiful, clear, clean sea.

There were some fishermen out but most boats were hauled up...mos in the middle of the street. (we took pictures)

At one point on the trail we came across a woman doing watercolours. We chatted with her about what it is like to live here (too small she said...mostly just the old people stay). We then bought one of her paintings. We also stopped at Manarola for a gelato, and of course we stopped on numerous occassions to admire the view and take pictures.

By the time we finished the trail, it was time for dinner. We dined at a seaside ristorante and ate local stuffed mussels and pasta.

The train ride back to the campsite was easy, due to the help of an American couple we met at the stazione...Italian trains are unpedictable and they were able to sort out the timetable for us.

Tomorrow we will go back to the five villages of the Cinque Terre without our hiking sticks and boots. We will explore each of the little villages and maybe even go for a swim.

October 13 Ladispoli to the Cinque Terre

Today was another long day on the road. However, it was uneventful and the roads were not clogged with truck and there were only a few Sicilian like drivers on the autostrada.

After about five hours we reached the Cinque Terre and headed for a spot outsite the first village, Riomaggiore, to pick up some informatin en route to our campsite. Driving the Cinque Terre is, to say the least, both scary and picturesque. Unfortunately, the road we needed to take to get to our campsite was blocked, which meant turning around, driving the twisty rods again for about 15 km and then another 60 km on the autostrada to get to our site.

From the campsite, there is a free shuttle service to the train station tht will get us to any of the five villages that make up the Cinque Terre. The site also has a computer and so I will update my blog...unfortunately I cannot upload picures here...later for pictures.

Tonight will be laundry and shower night. Tomorrow we hike the Cinque Terre.

October 12 Palma to Ladispoli (Tunnel Vision)

In the past two days we have driven through over 100 tunnels...some very long, some very short, some well lit, some dark, some three lanes and some one lane. The difficulty is trying to adjust my eyes as we come out of a dark tunnel into the bright sunlight. I do not know how the Italians drive 130 through these tunnels, but they do.

Most of today, in fact, all of today was spent on the Autostrada...driving...driving and more driving. I all, I drove 711 km today.

The place where we planned to stay was closed and so we parked in a "no frills" camper stop on a beach. We watched two windsurfers come ashore as the sun set. As I type I can here the waves.

We will leave early in the morning for Cinque Terre.

October 11 Mt Etna

We awoke to a clear morning with not a cloud in the sky and I could see Mt. Etna from the campsite. We left the campsite at around 8:30 so that we could avoid the lineups and be one of the first on Mt. Etna today.

The drive from the campsite was about 10 km of swichbacks, going up, up and up. When we got to Rifugio Sapienza (the farthest you can drive) we bought our tickets and go aboard a cable car which took us up to 2500 m. The cable car ride was at least 20 minutes so you can imagine the climb. Next we boarded a Mercedes Benz truck to take us the rest of the way up. The truck drove on lava dust switchbacks to about 3,000 m. Both rides were exhilirating.

The view alone was spectacular but we got to hike, with a guide (mandatory) for 45 minutes to an active crater that was spilling steam out of its mouth. This was the crator that erupted in 2002, 2003 wiping out the gondolas and a restaurant below. The guide pointed out the trail that the lava took and we could clearly see the difference between old lava and new lava. Steam was cming out of, not only the crater, but in various spots around its rim. At times, it was as if you were walking through fog, although it was warm steam. We could also smell sulfur that was coming out of another crater.

Mt. Etna was so spectacular that we bought t shirts.

The rest of the day went downhill from there, both literally and figuratively. The drive on the autostrada to Messina to get to the ferry was a good ride, but it was getting on the wrong ferry that proved to be a costly mistake. The sign clearly directed us to the ferry that would take us to Villa San Giovanni and so we thought that we were on the right vessel. We were no the only ones to board the wrong ferry. However, we were the biggest and the most challenging to turn around.

Imagine four or five Sicilain men directing me and all yelling in Italian. I did manage to get turned around but negotiating the turn to get to the gangwas awa done without Sicilian direction, or rather, should I say, with directions to "go, go" and so I did, leaving a piece of Gracie behind, namely a piece of the side and rear bumper. Michelle hurriedly picked up the pieces, jumped in the van and we abandoned ship as quickly as possible, as the boat seemed to be pulling away from the pier.

Sicilian drivers are crazy. To them, red lights mean do not stop. Really, at one stoplight in Messina, I was the only one to stop. To a Sicilian, horns are meant to be blown. To a Sicilian, driving on your scooter, while smoking a cigarete and talking on your cell phone is just fine. To a Sicilian, lane lines are to be ignored, especially in a round about. Sicilians like to decide, on their own, what the rules of the road should be..it is whatever suits them a the time.

Two kilometers down the street and we were in line for the correct ferry and relieved to get to the other side and say, "arrivedercchi Sicily!"

After settling in at our Palma campsite we walked to Europa market to get some groceries. We then hiked down the hill and I went for a swim in the sea, while Michelle did some beachcombing for beach glass. Dinner at the the campsite restaurant was pizza. The pizza here is much different from the pizza a home. I has a very thin crust and very little sauce. It is baked in an open wood oven. I have come to believe that whenever we smell the hardwood burning at a ristorante, we will get excellent pizza.

We made small talk with the campsite owner (mostly hand gestures...he spoke very little English) and then headed back to Gracie for a well deserved sleep.

October 10 Sicily

We left Cirella at around 8 am and with the bright sunshine on our port, we headed for Sicily. We had decided that since we had come this far, why not go to Sicily and see Mt. Etna?

The drive along the coast was again spectacular and the highway not terribly busy...unil we got close to Sicily. That is when the truck traffic came out of the woodwork and the construction zones sprang up everywhere. Although there were lots of construction zones and therefore single lanes, we saw very few people working.

The ferry ride from Villa San Giovanni to Messina was short...only about 30 minutes...but the scenery was spectacular. The Ionian Sea was very blue and we could see forever across the Mediterranean Sea.

Once we got off the ferry I got a taste fo Sicilian driving. The guide books warned me to drive defensively and I did, but I quickly learned that one has to drive defensively/aggressively. That does sound like an oxymoron but it is just the way one has to drive here. They pass when there is no passing lane, they beep their horns and flash their lights at you when you are not going fast enough fro them and they cut in so quickly that rubber fenders would work well here.

We arrived at Camping Etna which is on the edge of Parco Delletna and settled into a spot. Because it was siesta time (12 to 4), we had to ring the buzzer to get someone to open the gate for us. There are lots of campers here but most of them are closed up for the season. I find it so strange that most of southern Italy is essentially closed for the winter, even though it is hot. Today, for example, it is about 25 degrees and we are dressed in shorts and tank tops.

After eating, we went for a walk to explore the area. There are clouds to the north and so we cannot see Mt. Etna even though it is only about 14 kilometers away.

The guide books say taht Sicily is "gritty" and I agree. The earth certainly is gritty...it is volcanic sand...very black and fine.

If I could give Sicily a gift, I would give it more garbage days. There is garbage everywhere. There is a sports complex across from the campsite and even there, there is garbage all around the outside of the fence. Most of the garbage is empty beer and wine bottles. The garbage containers that one finds around the town are overflowing and very smelly. Perhaps there is a garbage strike!

The other gritty thing I have noticed so far is the way animals are treated. Cats roam wild and multiply and dogs are guard dogs. Each villa we walked by this evening had at least two dogs guarding, behind a fence. They let us know taht we were not welcome, even to walk by their villa. We also encountered a pack of strays who were guarding a corner by the sports complex. Needless to say, we filled our pockets with rocks (lava rocks, no less) for the return trip.

Tomorow we visit Mt. Etna

Ocober 9 SS18 to Cirella

Today we drove a road very similar to the famous Amalfi Coast road, except without all the tour buses and tourist shops. The scenery along the SS18, which hugs both the Tyrrhenian Sea and the mountains is spectacular. Hidden coves, sandy beaches and majestic coastal cliffs are the only words I can find to describe the drive, except for slow, twisty and steep. I found myself pulling off to the side on several occassions to just marvel at the view and take some pictures. However, I doubt that a mere photograph can capture the beauty of this coast.

We found our camper stop and since it is on a beach, wasted no time in getting in the water and soaking up some rays. A long walk across the beach revealed some treasures....beach glass...we collected a small handful of mostly green and one orange.

During our beachcombing we met a German couple and struck up a conversation with them. They have traveled all over North America, New Zealand, Australia and Europe in a camper. What an interesting couple. Earlier in the day, they hiked up the hill which towers over the village and they told us about the 8th century BC Greek ruins that we could easily see from the beach. They said it was worth the 45 minute hike and so we changed into some hiking boots and headed up the hill. After watching the sunset from atop the ruins and taking several pictures, we hiked back down to a well deserved meal of fresh pasta.

Tomorrow we head for Sicily.

October 8 A Day at the Beach

We awoke to the sounds of a rooster crowing and the motors of fishing boats on the bay. The sun was shining through the sunroof and we were both excited about spending another day at the beach.

After breakfast we walked to the local market and bought some fresh fruit and vegetables. Then we donned our bathing suits and spent the rest of the day on the beach. We did return to the van for lunch but then, after a fresh coat of sunscreen, it was back to the beach...all of 10 meters away! What a spectacular day...swimming, sunning, watching fishing boats, sailboats and just admiring the beautiful Tyrrhenian Sea.

We decided to treat ourselves to dinner at the campsite's ristorante. The meal was excellent and very reasonably priced. Since seafood is the local food here, I tried pasta with seafood (crayfish, shrimp, conch and octopus...delicious).

October 7 Rome to Paestum

Leaving Rome as soon as we woke up this morning was a good decision. We drove out of Camping Roma at 7 am and headed for the autostrada. There was a lot of traffic but it was not backed up and I was able to cruise along at a good pace. Driving along, I noticed the distinct change in the vegetation. Outside of Rome we saw mountains and passed through an area that had signs indicating that it was a ski resort. The trees looked like an evergreen forest. Just a little further along, after driving through several tunnels to get back down closer to sea level, the vegetation seemed to be more tropical. In fact, I noticed palm trees.

Having decided to stay away from anything touristy for a couple of days, we avoided Naples, ignored the bus loads heading for Pompeii and took the road less traveled to the coast. I got so excited when I saw salt water that I got Michelle to take pictures from the van. We drove along the coast and ended up in Paestum. There is an interesting archaeological site here (this area was once a Greek colony and dates back to the 6th century BC)

The best part about this place is that we are on the beach. In fact, I can see the Gulfo di Salerno as I sit here and type. Not long after I parked Gracie, we headed for the beach. The water is warm, the sand is soft and there are only a few people here. The campsite provides beach chairs and umbrellas and so we were set for the afternoon. From the beach I can see the famed Amalfi Coast and the Isle of Capri. I enjoyed watching some boats cruising on the Tyrrhenian Sea.

It feels good to be tired from sitting in the sun. This evening we walked through the village and discovered that most things are closed except for the local gelateria. Michelle tried nutmeg flavour and I had lime. We saw lime trees as we were walking down the lane. As we walked back towards the campsite we walked by a man who was sorting chili peppers to hang to dry and he offered me a bunch. In my best Italian I said, "grazie" and in perfect English he replied, "my pleasure."

We will stay here for another day and spend it on the beach.

October 6: Vatican City

October 6 Vatican City

We chose to take a tour of Vatican City with a tour group and it's a good thing we did. Upon arriving at the Vatican the first thing I saw was a very long line...there must have been 1,000 people in line to get in. One of the best things about going on an organized tour is that you get to skip the lineup. The other good thing is that since it is impossible to see everything in one day, a tour guide is able to point out the best of the best. It would take years to see everything.

We learned a lot about Michaelangelo and his work in the Sistene Chapel. For example, Michaelangelo was not a painter, he was a sculptor and in fact, he did not like to paint. However, the pope ordered hime to paint the ceiling of the Sistene Chapel. Michealangelo finished the project in three years. He had an intense dislike of the pope who was mean and cruel to him. He managed to get subtle revenge by putting double meanings in his paintings. The pope, for example did not like women. Michaelangelo thought women superior to men and so one of his paintings in the Sistene Chapel depicts god with his arm around a women, symbolizing the superiority of women.

In the Sistene Chapel, one must be very quiet and no pictures are allowed to be taken. The room was literally full of people, perhaps over 2,000 of us trying to be quiet. Needless to say, the Chapel monitors were constantly announcing, in several languages, "Shhhhhhhh, silence, please be quiet, No Photos!" That in itself was entertaining. The Chapel is an amazing work of art and worth the feeling, as Michelle says, of "being in an eel pot."

The Vatican Museums contain some of the most important and impressive art works in all the world. The Museums are enormous and cover an area of 5.5 hectares. It is impossible to know what to photograph because it is all so impressive. Again, however, we were in an "eel pot" and grateful to be with a tour guide.

St. Peter's Basilica is gigantic....it can hold 60,000 people. We overheard a woman behind us say, "It's very popeish" and that's about how I felt. It is very opulant, extravagant and full of statues of popes...and beautiful.

After the tour we walked away from St. Peter's Square, found a place to eat, rest our feet and breathe air that we didn't have to share with thousands of others.

After lunch we looked at the map and decided to see one more thing in Rome...the famed Trevi Fountain (Fontana di Trivi). It took us about two hours to get there as we took a couple of wrong turns. However, walking in Rome is itself an experience. Crosswalk lights are very short and when you consider the "eel pot" of people who want to cross it is somewhat intimidating when the walk light turns red and the cars and scooters all move without even giving those in the crosswalk a second thought.

After taking a couple of pictures at the fountain we headed for the nearest Metro stop and ended up back at the campsite at around 5pm. It was very warm so we sat out and admired our towels drying on the fence.

Rome was fun but it is now time to leave the big city behind. I'm not sure when we will get online again. Tomorrow we head further south and hope to find more sunshine and fewer people.

October 5: Rome

October 5 Rome

We awoke to the sound of a rooster telling us that it was time to get on the road. We obeyed. The drive to Rome was very easy. There was next to no traffic on the autostrada and so I was able to maintain a decent and yet not excessiive speed. We arrived at Camping Roma at around 10:30

After choosing our site and having a bit to eat we set off to explore Rome. With maps and directions in hand, we felt like public transportation pros and had no trouble finding our way to the ancient centre of Rome. The sight that greeted us as we stepped out of the Metro station was none other than the Colosseum. Built in eight years, the Colosseum used to hold 60,000 spectators who watched various blood sports. In all, over 700,000 men were killed in various "games" at the Colosseum. Animals were imported and used for sport as well. It was not unusual to keep a pack of hyenas in captivity and without food for two weeks. The sport was then to put those hyenas in the ring with a man who had been covered with blood.

After the Colosseum we headed off to Palatine Hill, the legendary home to brothers Romulus and Remus. Our tour guide was a student who was completing his PhD in Ancient Christian Archaeology. He was excellent and gave us a great history lesson, telling us all about the various emperors and the long history of Rome in a very understandable manner while pointing out significant ruins.

On our own we visited the private home of Emperor Augustana. I sure wish that I had paid more attention in my ancient history class in grade 10 instead of worrying about what I was going to wear to the dance!

It is difficult to find the right words to decribe the sights we saw today. To stand where emperors and gladiators once stood and marvel at the amazing feats of engineering that took place here makes one feel somehow so tiny and insignificant.

Tomorrow we go to Vatican City.

October 4: San Gimignano, Siena and Orvieto

October 4 San Gimignano, Siena and Orvieto

I have been reading "La Bella Figura, A Field Guide to the Italian Mind" by Beppe Severgnini. In it he attempts to explain Italy and Italians and why things in Italy are the way they are. For example, he says that one should not expect things to work they way they should work. He gives many examples, including heaters and traffic circles. I discovered another example for Beppe this morning: check out time at a campsite. All of a sudden it seemed that all the large campers were ready to leave and all wanted to empty their "waste water" before exiting the site. One could either laugh or cry about the traffic jam and so I remembered Beppe's advice and decided to just let things work themselves out. Finally, two campsite employees came down to the servie area and directed traffic. I was directed to pull over so that I was listing quite heavily to port; another vehicle was directed to pull here, another there and before you know it we looked like a large knot. I don't know how, but it all worked out and about 45 minutes later we left Florence.

I programmed Lori to avoid the autostrada today. I wanted to drive through Tuscany and see the countryside and so we took the roads less traveled. The scenery was quite beautiful with rolling hills, vineyards, and lonely looking old villas on the top of the Tuscan hills. It was as I had imagined it. I found myself saying over and over again to Michelle, "look at that, wow, take a picture, take a picture!"

Our first destination was San Gimignano, a hilltop medieval village with 14 towers that loom over the city walls. Unfortunately, every other tourist decided to go there today too and so there was no parking anywhere near the town. We decided to continue on to Siena.

Siena has a very large and very old shell shaped brick square; the Piazza del Campo. Today it was teaming with both locals and tourists. We even saw a wedding party getting pictures taken with the Palazzo Publico as the backdrop. It was a bright sunny day and therefore a great day to just roam aroud the piazza, take a few pictures and people watch. We found a market area and bought some bread, grapes, and olive oil.

Orvieto was our final destination for the day, only because I found a good camperstop listed in one of my many guide books. For 18Euro we get a safe place to park, electricity, showers, water and the company of about 30 other campers. As we approached the town, all we could say was, "wow." I am so glad we found this place. This ancient town is perched on the top of a hill with what looks like fortifications all around it. To get to the top we had to take a funicular and then a bus...again, very efficient transportation. The streets are cobblestone, winding and so narrow that cars have to stop and pull to the side to let opposing vehicles pass. We were surprised that the driver of the small 15 seater bus could find his way through the streets without hitting anyting or anyone. He seemed to be traveling at breakneck speed. The view from the top was breathtaking.

Tomorrow we will go to Rome. Sunday morning seems to be a good time of day to be on the road because there are fewer trucks and not nearly as much traffic as on any other day.