The Road to Budapest - Day 2

23/03/09
This morning the group met for an orientation walk through Vienna. We passed amazing, huge and decorative buildings (most of which are now Museums) and gardens that still look beautiful even in the bareness of winter. The history of this city is quite interesting ranging from stories of the beginnings of musical greats, the rule of Communists and the presence of Hitler. We were also told that on the balcony of the Imperial Palace – Hofburg Palace, Hitler made an important address to the nation during his reign of terror. St Stephen’s Cathedral is an amazing structure – the gothic style, with brightly tiled roof and the gold interior were all equally beautiful and is what makes it such a striking building. For lunch we had the traditional Frankfurt in a roll – the sausages are huge, and actually quite oily, yet still enjoyable. We stopped during our walk and watched a video of from the Spanish Riding School – the dancing White Horses, the talents of the horses and riders was awesome and I was a little disappointed that I would have time to see an actual performance while I was there, but of well, you can’t do everything.
Gail & I then went to the outskirts of the city to visit the Kunst Haus Wien – a unique gallery for the artist Hundertwasser. The building is full of curves and randomly shaped and located windows, with black and white tiles in various sizes creating a funky design. The poles of the portico are made of colourful balls, poles and shapes of tiles. The building is like nothing I have ever seen – it was magnificent. The floors of the gallery were curves and uneven, either wooden or cement and stone and the walls were lined with a biography of the artist, blurbs written by Hundertwasser and then of course his art. His art is a mix of paintings and models of townships and buildings he has either just dreamt of or actually seen come to life. His paintings are very unique and are a mixture of shapes, lines, people (similar to how Picasso draws them) and pieces of foil – to create a wonderful piece of artwork.
That night I went to a Viennese Orchestra performance in the beautiful Vienna Imperial Hall. On the way I passed the famous ‘Mozart Cafe’. The performance was of music by Mozart, Strauss, Beethoven etc and was accompanied by Opera Singers and Ballet Dancers. It was a great night and it felt good to see such a traditional performance in the city that classical music began and is still so prevalent in today.

The Road to Budapest - Day 1

21/03/09
I had to leave very early in the morning to catch my flight to Vienna, and Richard was very kind to drive me even though it was at 4:15am! At the airport people were sleeping across bench seats and I even passed to guys in their sleeping bags on the floor. The flight out of the UK and across parts of Europe was beautiful – the patchwork of colours of the fields below changes from random shapes into that of perfect rectangles as far as the eye could see. The landscape on my journey was very flat; there were no hills or mountains in view. My flight with Air Berlin had a short stop-over at the Hanover Airport in Germany and then we continued onto Vienna. The trip notes from Intrepid (Tour Company) made the journey from the Airport to the hotel quite easy despite having to catch a bus, a metro and then a tram. I had a few hours after arriving at the hotel before meeting up with the group so I ventured into the heart of the city and wandered around the clean, pristine streets of Vienna.
The buildings here are very extravagant, the streets are very clean and tidy and the musical culture is spread across the city. There are trams running around the centre of town and many horse and carriage rides on offer. They have stars on the ground outside the main Opera House (like the Hollywood Stars) with musicians such as Strauss on them. There is a statue of Mozart in a garden with the musical clef in bright yellow flowers in front.
I later met up with the group – it is a very small group: 3 of us plus the tour leader. There is me; Gail – an Aussie girl who is a Lawyer for a bank; Sean – a Canadian on an extended holiday and Antonio the Tour Leader – a free spirited guy from Barcelona. We went out for dinner and met up with two of Antonio’s friends who live in Austria but were educated in Britain, so they had a very posh English accent with the hint of German. For dinner we went to a cute little restaurant and I order the traditional Weiner Schnitzel – it was huge, it covered the entire plate and I had to get my potatoes on a separate plate! After dinner we went to a bar that they love – an Irish Bar!

Autumn in the UK

Hi everyone, I suppose you are all wondering what I have been doing since my last update - so I am going to give you all a quick run down now and share a few photos with you. I have found a temporary job at the Cambridge Assessment Centre doing basic admin tasks. It is not the most riveting job in the world, but at least I am earning some money to help pay for my future adventures. I have also organised an appointment with the Cambridge University to be put on there books for some temp work too - I have looked at a few jobs they have available and it looks as though they might have some interesting stuff to do in interesting divisions of the University. It is getting really cold here already - the locals have told me that it normally isn't this cold yet, so at least I have longer to get used to the cold before it starts to snow etc. One day last week, my early morning train was cancelled and the next one was delayed, so I spent an hour a the station waiting for the train. This morning the temp was 0 - the puddles on the side walk were frozen over, the station platform had been sprinkled with rock salt to help melt the ice - but it was still frozen and slippery in some parts! My feet and legs were that cold that they went numb and stung once I was in the warmth of the train.

I have joined a Jazzercise class in the village which is a really fun class to do - and it is a great cardio workout. I ride to the class, so that is also good for the waistline - and I also feel quite proud of myself for venturing out in the frosty air :-) Richard & I went to a pub for a few drinks in Cambridge on Friday night called The Flying Pig. The whole place is decorated with old music posters, pictures & statues of pigs of course, the beer taps had a little pig head on them and each table was lit by a candle in a bottle - it was very cool and had a great atmosphere. Afterwards, we went to a Salsa class in Cambridge and that was heaps of fun, although a little awkward at times. You change partner continually throughout the class, so you get to know some of the people and have a little fun. But my question is: when you are salsa dancing with a strange guy - where do you look? Do you look into his eyes the whole time, look at the wall, watch everyone else around you, look down (but be careful of where you are looking!). It was funny too when the instructor added a final touch for the guys - to drop down to the girls crutch height and do a seductive swivel back up, while the girls shake their booty - when it was Richard & my turn to dance together - we had to draw the line with that one!!!! It was Halloween that night also, so they had a party after the class, and some people were all dressed up in the spooky gear. It was fun to watch the experienced dancers on the floor - they can really move!! The teacher said that you can get to that level in a few months - I am not sure about that, but we are going to go again, so I will soon see how fast the improvement happens. I met a nice German guy there too who has been going for a few lessons, he asked me to dance and we had a bit of a chat. Before we went out we went to our regular chinese/japanese restaurant for dinner - as we were leaving a group of little kids came down the street all dressed up in their Halloween costumes - it was so cute!!! Richard bought Lucy a pumpkin outfit - it is adorable.

I have been researching holiday destinations in Europe, UK and Canada - I have found a few good trips to do, but I am not too sure which ones I want to do yet. I will have to spend a bit more time on them and just pick one and book it in. Richard & I are going to Sicily in November for a week - I am really looking forward to it. It will basically be the last part of Italy that I have not yet seen, and it will be quite cool so it will also be a different outlook on the country - in a changing season. We are going to hire scooters while we are there to hoon around the streets on - I will definately want to ride a Vespa - I am in love with Vespas!!!! A pink one would make it even better :-)

I have been to a few local spots recently too - little museums / tea houses set in an orchard, walks through fields and along the canals. I find it really amazing that you can walk through fields with cows grazing in the same paddock and through private property like angling clubs as you follow the Fen walking trail throughout the region. The walk goes for miles and branches off into many directions, I want to keep taking different paths to explore the local vicinity from many angles. It was funny one day when I walked through a paddock with cows grazing. It must have been close to feeding time, because when I was heading back the cows had all gathered at the fence and I couldn't get through. I petted a cow and waiting for a little bit, but they weren't budging, so I had to go down close to the canal and climb over the fence there to get through!!!

A few weeks ago Richard, Lucy & I went to the miniature trains in Cambridge - it was there final weekend for the year. It is a club that makes small trains for people to ride on - it is very British and the kids had an absolute ball. Today we went for a ride along the canal and then to the Milton Country Park and stopped for lunch. The park is set around a few large lakes, has a cafe there and also a kids playground. The ride was quite chilly, but it was good to be able to ride to such a large park and have a picnic.

I have been spending my spare time working on a project I cannot disclose at the moment, because I am hoping to have it finished before Christmas. It has turned out to be quite a time consuming task, so I am not quite sure if I will reach my deadline, so Santa may come late for a few people this year! I will let you all know what Sicily was like when we get back and I will put up a few photos.

It is quite beautiful in the village and Cambridge at the moment, as Autumn takes hold. The trees are changing from green, to red, to orange, to yellow and then becoming totally bare. I have been for a few walks through the streets of Cambridge and there are some really stunning buildings, with most of them being some sort of college, school or university. One of the most popular forms of transport is bicycle - the train station has a large area for them to be parked and you also see shelters for them outside businesses.

Til next time ... take care

Update from UK

Hi Everyone - I am settling down at my cousins place now and I am getting myself ready to enter the England workforce! The village I am living in is so cute - I love it. It has the village 'necessities' - a few pubs, fish & chip shop, other resturants, hairdresser, pharmacy, post office (worst customer service ever!), grocery store, church & recreation area. The best part is, I can just walk down the road and there it all is - couldn't be more convenient. I have been for a walk and a ride along the canal - it winds its way all the way to Cambridge and beyond, and also goes for miles in the opposite direct (I am yet to venture that way). The canal side is beautiful and peaceful, with many people treking along its path. There are swans, ducks and other wild life; blackberry bushes scattered along the way - locals stopping to pick there share; canal boats mored or slowly making there way down the canal; a 'lock' along the way; some very prestige houses with gloriously manicured gardens leading down to the canal; and so much more.

We visited one the 'CentreParcs' recently - the great british holiday made to cater for all types of weather. The cabins are scattered throughout the forest and the local squirrels, rabbits and deer regularly stop by for a visit. The best for of transport to find your way around the massive grounds is by bicycle, you don't even get too wet in the rain - the trees shelter most pathways. There was also a large tropical indoor heated swimming complex, complete with slides, rapids and outdoor sections to tickle the senses. There was indoor and outdoor sporting areas, rollerskating ring, bowling alley, sports bar & clubhouse. I spoilt myself and visited the Aqua Sana and treated myself to a massage, and then chilled out for the rest of the day. I also felt like a bit of activity, so I joined a Fitball class to get the heart pumping. It is a family orientated park, so there was lots of child friendly areas and events - wee one went to the Teddy Bears Picnic and the Rupert the Bear Show - very exciting for her.

We booked a cheap holiday (by collecting vouchers from the local paper) and will have a choice of visiting similar type parks in Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Isle of Wight and Cornwall area - so I am anxious to find out which area we have been allocated, any of them will be great I am sure.

I am looking forward to exploring more of the UK and after I have worked for a while, I will look at travelling around again. I am going to book another Intrepid trip in March/April - it is called the 'Road to Budapest' if you want to have a peek.

I have added some photos of the village church, canal and Cambridge for you all. I hope you enjoy. (sorry about them being so scattered not sure how to fix :-) )

I am off to pick some Blackberries tomorrow and I think I will make a Blackberry Pie. Mmmm sounds yummy.

Signing off for now.

I'm back in the UK

Hi all,

I have survived my 9 & 1/2 weeks of continual travel - just. I was quite tired by the end of it and my body was starting to tell me to take a rest. So I am at my cousin's house and have sorted out my belongings and ready to rest for a little while and enjoy listening to my ipod (I didn't take it travelling with me).

The last update was from the beautiful Venice. From Venice we travelled to the little medieval town of Gubbio - a town that honors St Francis. There is a fountain in Gubbio that is believed to be the "Fountain of the Crazy People" (Fontana dei Pazzi) - the tradition is to run around it clockwise three times while a local splashed water on you and you are then deemed as crazy. So guess who ran around it? Me of course :-) I know what most of you are saying: "You didn't need to run around a fountain, you are already crazy!" - I just wanted to make it official. In Gubbio we took a hike up onto one of the mountains to take in the view of the town and surrounding area. It was a beautiful view of the terracotta rooftops of the old and new towns, with the rolling patchwork of the Umbrian country side as far as the eye can see.

We then ventured on to Assisi, which is where I hurt my back :-( My luggage had managed to gain a few kilos (just like me) and as I tried to lug my heavy back up a flight of stairs to my hotel room, my poor back gave way. The token male of the group was then the kind one to take care of my bag for the next travel days - very kind of him. While we were in Assisi, we took a trip to the old sector of town to visit the impressive Basilica di San Francesco (St Francis Cathedral) and surrounding medieval buildings. The next day we took a trip to Spello to sample some exclusive wine and regional food at the Enoteca - the wine was fantastic and the food was delicious. We sampled white, red and dessert wines with food to match the wines - it was great fun.

I eventually made it back to Rome (for the 3rd time) and was able to continue in my quest to see Rome. There is so much to see in Rome, and even after another 5 days there I still didn't see it all. I did have to take it easy and not spend too much time walking around (my back was still a little sore), but I was still able to fill my days with lots of sightseeing. I spend a few nights walking around too and was able to obtain some great night shots of the places around the city - it is beautiful at night. I took a guided tour of the Vatican Museum, St Peters Basilica and St Pauls Cathedral - the guide was really good. She was full of heaps of interesting information and I found it beneficial to be given such an extensive tour in such a monumental place. The guide spent a fair amount of time explaining the history of art and the techniques that were used and I found that great - I have been looking at art galleries and frescoes throughout churches and palaces for the last 2 months and I felt that I got a new understanding of it all from the guide.

I will keep you all updated my actions, so don't feel like I will forget the blog now that I am in the UK. I plan of having many more adventures.

Cya

Travelling Through Italy

Well Hello everyone, I am still out and about in Italy and totally loving it. I am currently in Venice - a fantastic and unique city. I will do a bit of catch up on how I have spent my last 2 weeks in the northern parts of Italy.

The tour started in Rome, so I ventured back there for a day. I took a walk through areas I had not yet explored and found myself a Leonardo Da Vinci display which had drawings from the genius, and they had made some of his inventions out of wood, it was quite great to see the items he had designed and thought of way back then. I went back to the ice-creamery that served soy based ice cream and indulged a little - I am holiday, I can spoil myself. We then moved up north to Florence - the art capital of Italy and Europe. Italy contains 60% of the worlds greatest artwork, and Florence contains 50% of that. Given those statistics I couldn"t miss going to the Affuzi (2 hour line up - I was dedicated) and the Acadamia - where David is. The art galleries were amazing, and it was good that I had a little break from galleries and not being in "gallery overload" I could totally appreciate these two galleries in Florence. Our hotel had the view from the window of the beautiful Duomo, it was glorious of a night when it time to go to bed. The night life in Florence was great, the city really came alive around 11pm, so we stayed out one night to watch the sun set and the city lights come alive and then watched the street performers and enjoyed the atmosphere.

Next town was Lucca - I love Lucca. The heart of the town is built within the 16th century city walls, the only walls that are still fully intact in Italy. The town is quaint and beautiful. We stayed in Apartments there so it actually felt like home for a few nights. We had a lounge room and a kitchen and plenty of room to spread out. I cooked a nice past meal for dinner one night too and shared a bottle of wine in relaxing comfort. When we were at Lucca, we took a bike ride along the top of the city walls and along a nearby river, it was a great way to see the Tuscan colours and enjoy the ambiance the city provided. We also took a trip to Pisa - took the usual photos of holding up the tower of course. The lush houses on the walk to see the Tower of Pisa were amazing, we were dreaming of one day owning one as our holiday home. We even went to see a performance of Opera Arias - fantastic (and the guy was a hunny) and we followed the performance with a dinner at the Piano Cafe and enjoyed some more classical music. It was a great night.

After Lucca was Levanto - a beachside town that was also adorable. We went for a quick dip at the beach - the sand is a gravel like colour and texture, and I finally remembered that my camera is waterproof, so I took some pictures from the water as the view from there was the best. We took a day drip to the Cinque Terra - amazingling beautiful, you can see cliff lined coast for ever. We walked from town to town (Riomaggiore> Manarola> Corniglia> Vernazza> Monterosso) - from low beachside towns to towns towering high upon the cliffs. I had to back out of the last leg of the walk - it was a 2 hour trek up and down hills and my knee was hurting within the first 15 minutes, so I turned around and another chick stayed with me. So instead of having a 2 hour heart-pumping trek, we went for a swim and then took the train to the next town. The last town - Monterosso was the most stunning. When we stepped off the train it looked like any of the beach side resort areas you would expect to find along this coast, but then you discover it has so much more to offer. We walked through a tunnel and discovered another beach and a little quaint looking area of town with cafes and little shops. We stayed there for a while, just wandering around and had to eventually drag ourselves away from the area.

After Levanto we did a day of exploration and travel. We trained it to Santa Magherita - a beautiful port side town, with lavish shops and cute cafes. We decided to walk from Santa M to Portofino, and we were extremely glad we did - the view was breathtaking. On the land side we passed massive houses with beautiful gardens, gates and walls and on the otherside were stunning blue waters, rocks and yaghts. We stopped at a cute little beach town tucked in a little cove for luch before venturing on to Portofino. Portofino is great and you tell that the rich people socialise and holiday there by the boats and yaghts that are anchored along the coast and in the marina. We started walking along the boardwalk passing lovely restuarants and then guess what - Elton John comes straight for us and passes by!!!!!!! I walked passed Elton John!!!! Later on I was walking along the boardwalk checking out the resturants and gelaterias and I spotted him dining with his entourage and then I got to see the next famous person - one of the people he was eating with was Suzanna from Trinny & Suzanna!!!!!! What a great day. We then had to leave this little town and move on to Asti.

Asti is a little city and is in an area of wine making and lemon groves. We spend a day going for a bike ride past some vinyards, and then took a tour through a local winery, and then we had lunch in a local resturant. The hotel we stayed at was great, the people were walm and welcoming - they gave us some champayne and appertifes one night before we went out for dinner - very nice of them (and the included breakfast was to die for).

We had another day of exploration and travel - we stopped in at Milan - shopping capital for the top end designer wear, and I was enthraulled. The most surprising thing to find in Milan was the 3rd largest Duomo in world - it was magnificent. We walked along the edges of the Duomo and then onto its rooftop to take in and appreciate the detail in the architecture of the building and the views of the city. While we were up there, we spotted a rooftop resturant we wanted to eat at, so we went on a mission to find this resturant and when we did we had the best meal we have had so far in Italy. It was authentic, well priced and delicious (we took photos of the food!!!). The day ha to end and we had to travel on again, so we jumped on a train and landed at the Italian Lakes - Lake Como. The bus ride to the hotel was a bit hairy - I think the driver was trying to win the Grand Prix, but the view of the lake and the towns that dot its shores were beautiful.

Our accomodation at the Italian Lakes was in a town called Cadenabbia - very cute, but not much there other than hotels. The next day we woke to grey skies, thunder, lightning and rain - but nothing was going to stop us exploring some towns around the fork of the lake. We set off with our umbrellas on hand and my poncho in my bag - we were ready for whatever the weather would bring. We first went to Bellagio where we had a breakfast of the most delicious pastries I have had since France. The back streets in this little town also reminded me of France - cobblestone lanes with flower boxes and quaint boutiques. By this stage the rain had stopped and the skies opened up to a glorious blue. We then set off in another Ferry to Varenna - this was my favourite area. The coastline was stunning and the back streets were adorable, I stumbled across a palace and garden that was devine, and I have many pictures of my walk through Varenna. We had to keep moving though to ensure we were able to see another place, but when we got to our next destination we wished we had stayed longer in Varenna (but how could one know until they got there?). Our last little town for the day was Menaggio - we pottered around for a little while, but there was not too much to see. The skies were becoming dark again and then the rain started, so we found ourselves somewhere to stop to have a late lunch and find shelter from the rain. We had to leave our little cafe sometime, so we got out our umbrellas and spent some time wandering through some elegant homewares / gift stores before I put on my Korjo Poncho (great look!) and then set to the pavement and walked back to the hotel. It was quicker to walk. The buses were not running - it was a public holiday, and the we would have to take 3 Ferries to get back as they weave from side to side of the lake. By the time we got back, the bottoms of my jeans and my shoes & socks were drenched!! Besides that, the walk was very enjoyable and the lightning across the lake was great to watch.

Now I can talk about Venice, the city I am sitting in now. When I walked out of the train station, my first thought was "wow, I am in Venice". It was so unusual to see no cars, buses and scooters and to instead see gondolas and boats! After dumping our luggage we were able to explore the city. We were told the trick of the trade to be able to find you way around the city without the use of the comfusing maps and were later given the opportunity to test it out for ourselves - and it works ! We took a gondola across the river - because there are only 3 bridges that cross the Grand Canal, the other was to cross is by these gondolas - I love it!. We then went to the Rialto Bridge and further on the Piazza S. Marco and were then able to explore on our own. Venice is beautiful and very unique. As you weave your way through the city you are constantly crossing little bridges and watching the gondolas and locals go by in the little canals. We took a gondola ride around part of the city and were entertained by a very charming Gondola Man - Sebastiano, who told us the history of the city and some of the buildings we passed, and he also sang a little tune as we floated through the streets. It was a great experience and I recommend it everyone - but I warn you, don"t take the gondolas from around the Grand Canal near Rialto - they are rude and expensive, and tell you to "take a walk" when you don"t like the price. So we did just that, we took a walk and found Sebastiano who was great value and entertaining. We had dinner at a great resturant along the Rialto - Saraceno - it had great service, great food and a great view. During the day we went into the Musei Di Piazza Ducale - the palace of the Duke. The palace was the best I have seen so far in my travels, the artwork within its extravagant gold encrusted walls were amazing, and the history of the rooms was very interesting and you imagine the events that would have occured. We also got to go down into the prisons and over / through the Bridge of Sighs. There is so much to see in Venice, whether it be visit the main attractions, wander the streets and look at all the murano glass items and theatrical masks, or to just wander alond the waters edge and watch the boats and ferries go by.

I know I have used the words "beautiful", "Amazing" & "Breathtaking" throughout my blogs and that is because the places I have been are just that, and I it is hard to describe what I have seen to you all without repeating these very words. This has been an experience of a life time and I am so happy to have been the opportunity to do it, whether you call it fate or destiny I feel that I was meant to do this trip.

I hope I can update you all sometime again soon, but it is not easy to fit it in on my hectic travelling days, but I will try.

Hello from Italy

Hi Everyone, sorry I havent updated in a while - I have been so busy having lots of fun. Last time I left you a message, I was in Spain - I loved Barcelona and didn't have enough time to spend there, so I think that will be a aplace I will have to find time to return to. The Guidi influence in Barcelona is very apparent and the Guidi buildings themselves are just breathtaking. Late one night we ent to a popular location for a cunset and then got to experience the awesome view of a foundtain below coming to life in awesome shapes, brightly lit by changing colours and music playing to add to the effect. A few people in the Spain group are on Facebook and have flagged me in a few photos, so if you are on Facebook - you can check those out. ( I haven't seen them yet, so I hope they are good ones!)

After Barcelona I flew to Rome to start my next trip - The Amalfi Coast & Sorrento. I met up with my tour leader from the France trip when I was in Rome, so that was great to catch up - I wasn't expecting to see her again. The new group was a group of 12 - full capacity, and a great range of people who I got along with really well, especially my room buddy - a Kiwi living in London with a wicked sense of humour. In Rome we visited the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, had dinner around the corner from the Pantheon, spent a hot & very humid day in the Colosseum and Palatino area. I found an ice-cream place that serves soy based ice-cream - so yippee, I will be going back there!

Next was Pompeii - we stayed in a very cute family run hotel that had 3 x resident dogs lying around reception waiting for their daily pats. The first night I got to Pompeii, we had the air conditioning cranked to a cold temp and I woke up in the middle of the night freezing - and then I got a head cold (I am nearly over it). We visited the ruins of Pompei, our guide was a crack up - Cosmos, very funny and showed us some the funny things they have found there, as well as the rest of the main attractions. It was such a hot and humid day - we were dribbling with sweat and drinking water by the gallan, but we all stuck it out!!! The next day we went to Mt Vesuvious - the volcano that ruined Pomeii back in 79AD. We had a special tour guide that took us up the highest point of the volcano, and along the side of the volcano that only those few who opt for the extra guide take. It was amazing to be standing at the top of a volcano, and looking out at the views of Napoli and Pompeii. The kiwi chick in the group wore her flip-flops/jandals on the hike and was sliding down the loose stones loosing her thongs constantly - it was hilarious! I reckon she is the only person who has climbed Mt Vesuvious on thongs :-)

Sorrento (where I am now) is a beautiful town - our hotel is just outside of Sorrento in Sant Angello and is a great place to stay - we even have a pool!!!!! I spent most of today at the pool. We visited the Isle of Capri, and did the boat trip to the Blue Grotto and then around the island. it was beautiful. We had a swim at the beach at Capri - in beautiful clear water. There are so many huge houses and yaghts along the shore line - very elite. We also visted the Amalfi Coast (Positano, Amalfi & Ravello) - the bus ride there and around was very hairy. The streets are basically one lane wide and the bus has to honk its horn at every corner. We nearly hid a van, a van hit the back of the bus, a car ran into a pole trying to get out of the road - all in a normal day on the Amalfi Coast - very funny. The coast line is awesome - villas and orchards line the hills and then brightly coloured umbrellas line the beaches. We had a quick dip in the ocean there too before heading back to the resort.

I have bought myself a few items of glass jewellery and a leather handbag, so I have spoilt myself a little.

I train it back to Rome tomorrow to start the next trip - essence of Italy (Intrepid are the organisers if you want to have a look at the trip notes). I am not sure when I will be able to update you all again, but I will try soon.

Cya