Nightime to Napoli

Friday 2 October

Well, here I am - another Friday, another boat. I’m headed for Naples to meet up with Marie and Chris tomorrow morning, and then we’re being driven to Positano.

This one seems far better organised that the Dubrovnik-Bari scrum. On arrival into Catania on the bus from Taormina, I managed to find a licensed taxi and he managed to bring me to the wrong end of the port, but all was resolved with the help of a helpful minibus. I checked in early and was allowed to embark straight away - so as I draft this offline there’s still an hour to go before we sail. I’m a teeny bit thrilled because when I went up on deck just now, through the twilight gloom I could see Mt Etna for a while before cloud scudded over it yet again.

Etna is there, really....

Neil and I had one more stroll around the town before I saw him off on the bus to the airport. We visited the so-called catacombs en route - yet another antiquity hidden away without any signposting, probably quite significant for its time, but very difficult to view as it’s on the edge of a busy road with a very narrow footpath running alongside. I know we can overdo our heritage thing in the UK a bit, but I just wish the Italians would give it a little more consideration - the graves themselves had lots of rubbish in them, and it was quite difficult to read the information board anyway. Probably used from second century to the middle ages, anyway - discovered when the road was built around 1887. Hey ho.

From and of the public gardens - now open, more or less

It’s been lovely having Neil as my travelling companion for the last couple of weeks. We’ve rubbed along really well, and even his snoring hasn’t been much of a problem, as he promised me it would be, as we’ve had to sleep pretty close together sometimes. We’ve seen some marvellous sights, had some lovely food and drink, and experienced tedium, frustration and confusion in equal measure when my travel itinerary hasn’t quite gone to plan. We’ve nattered when we wanted to, been quiet when we felt like it, and had some fun too as fortunately what gives us the giggles has aligned pretty well. Neily if you’re reading this, love you lots and thank you for being such a good mate.

After he left, I went for a coffee and had a manicure, managing to avoid getting too wet as it hammered down with rain again as it had done all night . It was money well spent on my grotty nails. and because Erika spoke very little English, I didn’t have to answer questions on where I was going on holiday this year, and she didn’t have to put up with me asking her how busy her salon was and was there really a miracle cure I could try to make my nails look half decent without covering them up with acrylics or gels or whatever.

Next came the purchase of a modest souvenir T-shirt to supplement my restricted wardrobe (and for those of you doubters who said I was bound to pack too much, there are just 2 long-sleeved tops and a sweater I haven’t removed from Nellie yet, so I won’t be coming back with anything unworn unless there is a sudden Indian summer). I had a good lunch, managed not to drink any alcohol (today is my first booze-free day since I left 4 weeks ago - got to be done really!), wandered round a bit more as I couldn’t really stray too far, then collected Nellie from the hotel and walked downhill to the bus station. Amid all the chaos that surrounds every bus at Taormina bus station whenever a new one arrives, I managed to get on the right bus for Catania bus terminal.

So now exactly halfway through my big trip I’m solo again just for a few hours, and looking forward to meeting my dear longtime friends back on mainland Italy for a few days on the Amalfi coast. The constant packing up and moving on is a little bit stressful - I always wake up a bit too early on the day I need to travel with slight butterflies - but I really don’t regret doing it. Of course it hasn’t all gone to plan, but that’s not been because I got it wrong, it’s because of factors outside my control.

Would I do it again? Probably not, well certainly not on this ambitious scale, nor am I likely to get the opportunity anyway. I think this kind of constant travelling is a bit harder the older you are! Neil and I had a conversation last night about it as he’s found it tough too - but I have so enjoyed having a taste of so many places, and when I look at the map and see what I’ve covered, it’s very exciting. Maybe a couple of times I’ve wished I was comfy at home - but  I never, ever, forget or take for granted how lucky I am to be able to do it. Every beautiful view and rewarding walk reminds me what an amazing opportunity this is.

And I got some good news from Crisis at Christmas who have offered me a 2-days a week volunteer post for the rest of my leave as an assistant in their Entertainment and Activities team when I get back next month. My chance, if it doesn’t sound too cheesy, to give something back in return for what life has given me, and to try to help those who don’t have my good fortune.

The sun'll come out tomorrow...

Of course it will, because we'll be leaving. Actually, I'm not sure it will. And for those of you who know him, we bumped into Keith Phillips today (Neil says this always happens to him when he's abroad - bumping into people from work, not Keith) who has been here on his honeymoon for nearly 2 weeks and it has rained solidly, so there's always someone worse off....

Today has been another wet wet wet weather day and although we managed to get out and about a bit, no beach for us - and yet another abortive trek to somewhere vaguely cultural that turned out to be shut, without any warning or explanation. Sigh. And I don't think I have ever seen a turistico informazione that could give less of a shit about whether you bother going anywhere.

The wet weather also brings wardrobe problems. I should've done more laundry in Alberobello when I had the chance, as I've now had to fork out the princely sum of 8 euros 50 to get a small load washed and dried - and even now some of it will have to be packed in plastic bags as it's not quite aired - no chance in this humidity really. Plenty of undies - it's just that for the last few days quite a lot of what I've packed is unsuitable for this weather.

However, today we did have a nice little jaunt on the bus up to Castelmola where the views were wonderful and we were literally up in the clouds at about 400m above sea level.

We had a nice lunch and then got on a tour to a wine tasting about a quarter of the way up Mount Etna, at the Gambino winery which is 850m up and that's as far as you can go or else the grapes can't get enough oxygen. The wines were great and the portions generous, the presentation was really good and we had lovely bread, olives and stuff to eat - we were so mellowed out that of course we ordered a couple of mixed cases to be shipped home, so that will be something to look forward to on my return.

Sadly, because of all the clouds and rain we couldn't get a glimpse of Etna, which at 3300m was just obscured. I had to make do with watching a video on my phone which showed the 2013 eruption - just amazing. The eruptions are contained enough these days not to do any damage to outlying villages.

The view from the foot of Etna, essentially where we were driven, were spectacular, with steep terraces once used for growing olives and grapes (modern agricultural methods have assigned them to just looking pretty as they're not really used any more as they now just dig out the vineyards), massive piles of solidified lava, and villages like Piedmonte di Etna with lavastone pavements and building features.(Souvenir shops everywhere carry lavastone jewellery, along with coral and turquoise).

The trip was also supposed to include a little stopoff in one of the mountain villages, but once we left the vineyard, the clouds rolled in and the rain was torrential so it put paid to that jolly - hats off to Gino the coach driver who handled the hairpins and the wet conditions with aplomb. We had a great tour guide - let's say she wasn't in the first flush of youth and unfortunately kept giving away her 40-a day habit by coughing into the mic - but she was charming and funny and for 34 euros each, we thought we got decent value.

On return the rain paused briefly, but as we neared our hotel the street blacked out after a bit flash of lightning - lucky for us, we were in the bit that stayed alight. We ventured out again after a while and went for a nice dinner, followed by amazing ice cream from the gelateria across the street where the guys all dress in orange, and then  a liquer in what's become our bar of choice a few doors down from where we're staying on Corso Umberto - the Rei dei Bastions. Happy days, if rather wet ones.....

Long-legged Italy kicked poor Sicily into the Mediterranean sea

Tuesday 29/Wednesday 30 September

And so it rains. And rains. Well, it did brighten up yesterday afternoon but not before they shut the public gardens and stopped the hop on/off buses because of the weather conditions. (Still not quite sure why the public gardens - we were in there at the time and there were no signs of flooding. It's very pretty).

We had cloudy and slightly chilly respite this morning, so got on a hop on/off bus tour while the going was good and saw some lovely scenery and coastline round about for a couple of hours.

View from Castelmola

Isola Bella. Not as bella on a wet Wednesday

Imagine how it would look in sunshine

Lava from Etna. Check out the rain at sea - coming our way

And we found some more ruins,

Neily at the Odeon

having managed to negotiate the amphitheatre yesterday when the rain eased off, and I stood on the stage and tried to remember my opening speech as the Chorus in Henry V to see how good the acoustics were. Both were a bit rubbish, but I think the acoustics were down to general sogginess.

If you tilt your head to the left you'll get the general idea. I CANNOT work out how to rotate my photos once stored..

We are now stuck indoors again for an hour or so til it's less stair-roddy, and so we are blogging.

The view from our window. We hadn't realised that last night we ate at the restaurant under the white canopy and that we're directly above another very ancient bit of alleyway called the Namauchi

I have also done laundry across the street and had the distinctly middle-class problem of not being very well-versed in the art of using a launderette. Thankfully a couple of kind young Aussie backpackers saw me right. I really needed Dot Cotton for a service wash. And the inadequate spin and lack of an available tumble dryer means my washing is hanging out in the bathroom and is showing no signs of getting dry by 11am on Friday when I have to check out.

Trouble is, there's not a huge amount to do on an island in the Med when it's raining, as museums and art galleries are pretty hard to find and often not hugely well done anyway. Many of you will know that my default setting would be to shop, but with over a month to go and finance on the tour, plus a Nellie who's already very full, I have had to be remarkably restrained, having bought only a necklace and some fridge magnets. Neily has done all his gift shopping in readiness for his return to Blighty on Friday.

Oh, and I did buy a cheap watch yesterday because of the three I brought with me (I like to match them vaguely to what I'm wearing - so shoot me), 2 have developed dud batteries and a pin has come out of the bracelet of the third. And can you find a Timpson's in Taormina when you want one? No, of course not.

New watch!

Just like you struggle to find a shop selling normal food other than multicolour pasta, various flavours of liquer, fancy biscuits, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and marzipan which looks like fruit and taunts me when I realise that vitamin C is still not within my grasp beyond a daily glass of breakfast juice. I did manage to buy a Twix yesterday though. And of course there's a gelateria on every corner. We ate 8 euros' worth yesterday and wore hair shirts for the rest of the day.

 Ruins are still wet and the going gets soggy, so we've had to forego a trip to Syracusa (and apart from that, the trains run at really odd times) but in the spirit of sheer bloody mindedness we have booked a trip to Etna with a wine tasting thrown in tomorrow afternoon. The weather forecast has a big black cloud and and a yellow flashy thing, so that should be interesting. The wine is pretty damn good over here, but not especially cheap - I guess we're paying maybe a fraction below London prices, but as it's local we should be! It's very beautiful here, even in the rain, but it's a little tough on the wallet, even for pasta in a vaguely nice restaurant.

So once we finally got out and about again, we climbed many many steps to try and get to the Saracen castello high above Taormina, and whilst we did see a very beautiful small chapel, typically the Sicilians had omitted to mention on the sign pointing to the castello that it was in fact closed for restoration for some considerable time. So we enjoyed the panoramic views, and went back down again for a slightly smaller portion of ice cream than on Tuesday, meandered and did a bit more shopping (I bought a scarf and a cheap gadget with similar properties to a Swiss army knife without the tool for removing stones from horses' hooves, but with a corkscrew which in my world is much more useful. There are lots of alleyways for meandering in Taormina - is nice, especially when you realise where you are.

Dinner tonight was pizza and I am now feeling like a stuffed crust. We were lured into this particular restaurant with the promise of free Prosecco while we waited - so pitifully weak.....I also had a very nice local nero d'avola and a frozen mandarin liquer, from the same ilk as limoncello. Temptation is impossible to avoid here.

It's how you travel, not just how you arrive

Monday 28 September

That’s what I keep telling myself as our train hurtles down the somewhat cloudy but ruggedly beautiful west coast of Italy, already about 90 minutes late. I’m glad to say that there was no fatality that caused this, unlike last Monday, but we were held up leaving Salerno by a fire on the track further down the line.

We’re on the train that goes on to the ferry to go over to Sicily, bound for Taormina. I saw this feat of transport integration on Michael Portillo’s series and decided it would be a really fun thing to do. Never mind that we’re about two-thirds of the way through a 15-hour journey - another Monday marathon. We left Alberbello at 7am, given a lift to Martina Franca for the first of 3 trains - it would’ve been 4 but the first connection was tight and we took advantage of the lift that was offered by our lovely hosts at La Rosa dei Trulli. I must want my bumps feeling, and Neil too for being crazy enough to join me!

It was a lovely morning as we zipped along the country roads en route to Martina Franca; Katia’s father and boyfriend have been our chauffeurs this weekend and it seems speed limits are optional, a mobile phone conversation de rigeur. The countryside was full of trulli houses, which come in all sizes but only one shape. The larger ones are generally a few joined together, and some are so small they just serve as agricultural storage, garden sheds or even garages. We learned that they weren’t actually built that way for aesthetic reasons, but purely practical.

Because their original construction style was literally like a drystone wall, they weren’t regarded as permanent dwellings and were therefore a tax dodge by the local noblemen back in the 17th century. Eventually the little people got the opportunity to complain to the king about the lack of permanence they were forced to live with, and the tax dodge was removed. The style was adapted to a more long-lasting design, but the shape and character remained. Everywhere you look in this part of the Bari region you see them - old and new build sit cheek by jowl and in Alberobello itself, many of those just off the high street are little retail outlets selling touristy souvenirs or local produce like olive oil, pasta and wine.

There’s not a huge amount to do and see in the town once you’ve experienced the trullis, and being there on a major festival weekend was actually a bit of a spoiler because I think it probably masked a lot of the charm under tacky commercialism. I think our stay was long enough (and our accommodation was very small - and there was no kettle! I am gasping for a decent cup of tea….) and we’re now looking forward to a few days in Sicily where we can pause and breathe for a while.

As I draft this offline (wifi on Italian trains has been completely absent so far, free or otherwise), a rather grey Mediterranean is to my right and beautiful mountainous terrain to my left. This was why I decided to do this journey by rail after all, and the Tranato to Salerno leg was also spectacular in places. Our train is comfortable (and at least there’s a loo seat, which have been a bit thin on the ground lately) but a tad light on luxury - like no buffet car, so we stocked up on carbs and I find myself craving fruit and veg again. All I could buy in the station was an apricot nectar and we didn’t have time to visit a supermarket.

(It’s been impossible to follow my diet on the trip as I have so little control over what I can eat, though I’d probably benefit from a little more control over what I drank - I really have to get back on the wagon in November, and back to the gym! Boy do I feel bulky…. I could, for example,  buy olives or dried figs by the ton in the market yesterday, but not a single piece of fruit.)

Once again a first class rail pass has been no use on a route that only has one class - especially galling for Neil with his limited stay as I’ll at least get more benefit on trains from next week onwards. It’ll be a late finish for us tonight and I hope we’ll at least arrive in Taormina the right side of 10pm.

And we get on a train that gets on a ferry and then gets off again when it gets to Sicily!

Toot and trulli in Alberobello

Saturday 26/Sunday 27 September

Our ferry crossing was mercifully smooth and timely. Having experienced the storms of the previous day, we were concerned that it might be a bit rough so we necked a couple of sea sickness tablets which with a few glasses of wine on the poop deck (or whatever they call it) as we set sail as it seemed to us a surefire way of getting a good night's sleep.

Neily slept on the top bunk and apart from a few "where the f*** are we moments" in the middle of the night (the cabin was pitch black - there seemed little point in spending extra on a cabin with a porthole when we were sailing overnight) it was all good - though with the size of the cabin, we couldn't both move around at the same time unless one of us was in the bathroom cubicle!

Arrival in Bari was on time but we then had the inevitable queues through passport control (the Italians aren't good at queueing, are they?) even though we were waved through without even a glance at ours. I managed to flag down a taxi to take us to the central station where we stashed our cases and set off for a morning in Bari. We had some directions from the terribly nice man at left luggage, and managed to find the cathedral, the castle and some nice churches, but did struggle a bit getting back as we didn't manage to locate either the tourist information office or a map other than the photo I'd taken of the one the terribly nice man in left luggage had shown us. I wanted to hurl my phone away as the GPS just showed us walking in the wrong direction every time!

Bari new town seems quite urban and tidy with some upmarket shops. The old town is charmingly higgledy piggledy with different faded colour houses, lots of washing hanging out, stuccoed buildings and shutters - you couldn't be in any other country, and we enjoyed wandering about though decided to head for Alberobello a little earlier than planned as we were both feeling a bit tired. In fact during an audio-visual presentation in the castle we both rested our eyes for a while. (Well it was dark and the voiceover was very soothing.)

After a bit of confusion Neil worked out which platform the train left from (it's kind of separate from those of the main station if you ever go as it's run by FSE, a different railway company), and the train was clean, comfortable and on time. Our host, Katia and her boyfriend met us at the other end, and drove us to La Rosa dei Trulli B&B which she manages - or maybe owns. They're both so sweet and helpful - unfortunately this place is about a km out of town so she's concerned about us walking in as it has no proper footpath, and offered us lifts. We compromised by saying we'd walk in for the evening in daylight, and text her for a pick up when it was time to come home.

Bijou - but Nellie feels at home

Sorry, I cannot seem to rotate this but you get the general idea...

Alberobello was having a religious festival this particular weekend, which was also a good excuse for a fair and lots of stalls, some selling quality artisan produce, the rest selling the sort of multicoloured toot and non- colourfast leather goods you'll see any weekend down Petticoat Lane, much of it being sold by guys from Senegal and similar. (Though Neil did buy some pants 3 for 5 euros as he's running a bit low on undies.)

Alberobello illuminations

The lights were pretty though, and it would seem that the whole of Puglia was there, but it made it really difficult to find a restaurant. There are cafes and fast food outlets and stalls a-plenty, but we walked around for the best part of an hour in search of a decent menu, a wine list and a sit-down.  We subsequently realised that trying to find a restaurant before 8pm was very English and very naive of us, but at the time we were incredulous that something so simple was so hard to find.

After a number of rejections, we found ourselves a table in a restaurant that proved much nicer on further inspection than it appeared - we were desperate by this time. We drank cheap but good local wine, ate local ham and cheese, and ate pasta. That's what we came for. We arranged for Katia and Pierro to take us back to the apartment, and although it was only around 10pm (on a Satuday night! I don't even do that if I'm ill!) we were so cream crackered we went straight to bed and slept soundly.

We awoke bright and early for a trip to the Castellana Grottoe - it's about 15km away and we were given a lift there and back. The caves were beautiful with a great tour - honestly the best I've ever seen - with magnificent caverns, columns and shapes. Very stalagtitey and stalagmitey.

Afraid we weren't allowed to take pics further in, so this is just the opening cavern

We came back to the town and wandered, with gelati en route of course, though the toot and tat was still omnipresent right the way along the main drag. We visited the trulli shops again, I bought the compulsory fridge magnet and Neil bought some nice almond liquer, and we got ripped off for a bottle of fairly indifferent local wine - but it was cold and nice to drink as we watched the sun go down over La Rosa dei Trulli in the company of Cloud, Katia's white cat who seems to have attached herself to us.

Back into town and pushing our way through the crowds for dinner - we'd had the foresight to book this time, though if truth be told the meal was a little indifferent this time. Highlight of our evening was having a quick spin on the dodgems, which I haven't done since I don't know when. For 2 euros, the 3 minutes of pure adrenalin was a bargain, and sealed the weekend very nicely thank you.

Up horribly early for Sicily tomorrow, with a complex set of train connections to make - another long Monday, but I hope this time with nicer trains and without a fatality. Plus, we go on a train that goes on a ferry - that should be a cool rail journey.