Melbourne 24 June ...

Made it back safely to Melbourne. We are grappling with our body clocks and the contrast in the weather, moving from summer to wild winter in a day.

Our last day in Istanbul was pretty low key.  I visited the Little Hagia Sophia Mosque round the corner to say goodbye, said hello to a little goat who was happily helping to keep to grass down near the playground, and admired the get up and go of the Turkish older lady energetically working out on the public gym equipment outside the sports centre.  One of the nice things about Istanbul is that it doesn't seem to have become litigation shy, and public authorities provide public infrastructure like gym equipment which people use at their own risk.  And use it they do. Just about everytime we looked out the window there was someone, young kids, adolescents, older folks, happily pumping or cycling or swinging away. Didn't see too many - or any - obese Turkish people either.

The van ride out to the airport took us along past the Roman sea wall, and the sea end of the Theodosian wall, which is the second photo in the collage.  A nice farewell to Constantinople. The plane trip was about average as plane trips go.  I can't imagine getting on a plane again any time soon, but I guess the memory recedes and the desire to see new places takes over.

Melbourne is experiencing some wild winter weather and we've walked right into it. The weather in Europe was mostly settled and warm,  The top temperature here today was about half the overnight temperature in Istanbul, and there have been south westerly gales here, which are stops the water in Port Philip Bay ebbing out through the heads at ebb tide, and which pushes the water down to the south western edge of the bay, which is where we are. 

This afternoon at high tide, the water was crashing over the sea wall and around the edges, resulting in flooding into the streets around us. I think with global warming continuing unabated, thanks in part to the failure of our governments here and others around the world to take meaningful action, then we will see a lot more days like this. But it makes for a very social event.  I spoke to more of the locals here today than I have in years, as we all compared notes, watched kids splashing through the puddles and cars being towed out of the water.  

Overwhelmingly, everything went smoothly thanks to Anne's great planning. Top three experiences were the Museum of the Moyen Age with the Lady and the Unicorn, the Capitoline Hill and its Museum, and the Villa Cimbrone gardens. Bottom three were the last few hours of the train trip from Salerno to Catania, our hotel in Turin, and getting dumped at the bottom of the hill on the way to Monreale. Best food was Sicily. Number one thing I am glad we did was to keep our luggage to carry on size. We could have taken less without much difference in our comfort level, and next time I would travel lighter still. You see plenty of people struggling along with huge cases, and they make it hard for themselves and everyone else.  The other great thing was a smart phone and travelsim with data.  It was extremely useful to be able to get GPS directions to find hotels and other destinations.  

I think it will take us a while to process the trip and put it into perspective.  For the moment I feel profoundly grateful that we had the opportunity to make the trip, and that we've got such a great home and great family to come home to. 

Istanbul, Friday, 20 June, Day 58

We didn't sleep too well last night. The American lady in the room in the room next door who is travelling with her two young sons had some sort of emotional melt down last night. We had fallen asleep but got woken to crying and raised voices. None of our business but hard to get back to sleep afterwards.

The sky is overcast and the weather is cooler and windier after the storms of yesterday. We revisited a few shopping places to make some further contributions to the Turkish economy. In one shop, after some desultory haggling and concluding a purchase with a rather glum storekeeper, I said 'a pleasure to do business with you' as I handed over the cash. He cheered up and we all had a good laugh about that one. The Turkish people we have met all seem to have a keen sense of humour.

Shopping all done, we hopped on a tram bound for Kabatas on the other side of the Golden Horn, then caught the Funicular railway up to Taksim Square. There is quite a different vibe over that side of town. The restaurants are all a bit more expensive, but we had a nice enough lunch as we watched the crowd flow by down the street.

There is a little, fairly ancient, tram that rattles up and down Istikal Caddies, the boulevard that runs between Taksim and Tunel squares. A major function seems to be to provide a moving entertainment for the crowd of small children who run along behind and leap onto the back of the tram. They are having a good time, but it looks fairly dangerous. Notice small girl about 6 I think holding on with one hand, eating icecream with the other.

Istiklal Caddesi has all the brand stores you see in every other city - Starbucks, Gap, Top Shop, Zara, H&M - but it is wide, has almost no traffic apart from the tram, has a very relaxed and good humoured atmosphere, and it has amazing uniquely Turkish buildings.  At Tunel Square we caught another funicular down the hill, then caught the tram back to our side of town. We stopped off at the park restaurant for a farewell cup of tea and baklava, then back to our hotel for a rest.

Tomorrow we will be leaving on our homeward journey. We haven't had to pack for over a week, and I think as a result of our numerous trips to the Bazaars we both will have a serious case of expanding pack disease.

Yesterday at the Rustem Pasha Mosque, the man who watches over the place asked Anne what she liked about  Istanbul. "The history" Anne said.  Yes, the man agreed.  "The people are very friendly".  Hmmm, the man wasn't quite so sure about that one. "The children are very happy' Yes, they both energetically agreed about that.  The children are very happy.

We've both really enjoyed spending some time in this amazing city. But it will be sooo good to be home

Istanbul, Thursday 19 June, Day 57

This morning we decided to brave the Grand Bazaar again. It seems less frenetic first thing in the morning, and we enjoyed wandering up and down the passageways, charmed by the lovely arched roofs and all the glitter and colour.  We even bought a few things. We managed to keep our bearings in there, but got totally lost when we headed off for our next destination, the Rustem_Pasha_Mosque.

The tourist map of Istanbul only gives the names of some of the streets, and the streets with street signs seem to be not named on the map, and vice versa. Well, that's my excuse anyway. After passing the same place twice, we decided to stop for lunch, restore our blood sugars and get our bearings. The kindly proprietor saw us poring over map and guidebook, asked where we wanted to go, and told us to go out and to the right, which turned out to be 180 degrees off course, but he meant well.  Eventually we found the Mosque, after an interesting if accidental tour through the Spice Market, but it was getting close to prayer time when it would be closed to tourists.

Our other activity for the day was a ferry cruise on the Bosphorus and we wanted to get tickets, so we decided to return to the Mosque on our way home.  We memorised the location and headed off to the ferry dock.

Tickets in hand, we had had a very expensive cup of Turkish tea in one of the places under the Galatea Bridge and watched the water traffic. The ferry ride up the Bosporus was a very pleasant way to spend a few hours, good for observing both the wonderful range of  buildings that line the waters, but also the fellow travellers and the people at the dock where the ferry stopped going up and coming back. There are some really appealing looking houses, three story wooden structures with verandas and towers along the shoreline - I could imagine living a very pleasant life in a few of them.

When we got back to Eminonu, the sky was darkening and thunder rumbling. We did a much better job this time finding the Mosque, but timed our arrival for afternoon prayer time. While we were waiting in the sheltered courtyard, there were some mighty claps of thunder and flashes of lightening, and the heavens opened.

The Mosque is a small jewel.  Most of the interior is lined with splendid Iznak tiles in many and varied patterns.  The colours and patterns are as impressive and memorable as the best in Topkapi Palace.  The light was poor because of the storm, but this pic gives some idea.

After visiting, we sat and waited till the rain eased off, watching the water cascade down onto the marble paving of the courtyard, a peaceful spot to spend some contemplative time. When we did make a move, it felt as if half of Istanbul had had the same idea. The Spice Market was closing up for the day and there were crowds streaming in all directions. But we got on a tram OK, and off at our closest stop, and managed to get down the hill just to our local restaurant as the rain started pelting down again. So we settled in, resolving to keep eating and drinking till it eased off.

The restaurant is mostly outdoor seating under a grape vine, but they had a sort of waterproof covering that stretched over a frame over the top of the vine. It was like camping but with someone else doing the cooking and the washing up - what's not to like? We sat and ate and watched the downpour turn the road into a stream, and bedraggled people splashing past. By the time we finished dinner the skies were clearing, so we scurried home just before it started raining again.

The air feels lovely after the storm, and we are feeling tired but very happy.

Istanbul, Wednesday 18 June, Day 56

We got up and out the door earlier this morning, and it was amazing what a difference a half an hour makes to the streets. It was cool and quiet in the streets but the tour buses were starting to pull up near the Hagia Sophia as we passed there on our way to the Topkapi Palace. The Palace was begun by Mehmet II on the ruins of the Palace of Constantine. You can see the Roman foundations in some places, and the main road leading into the palace is the same road which has been there since Byzantine times. The complex is vast and confusing, probably deliberately so.

We started off in the Harem wing which had lots of small corridors and courtyards, and some lovely walls of ceramic tiles. It was a peaceful place to wander around for the first hour or so as we moved from building to building. It is situated in a magnificent location, but somehow didn't seem to.be making the most of it. The Alhambra in Granada is more beautiful I think.

After a while the crowds started to thicken and people jams were building in some of the narrow spaces. The queue for the treasury was stretching out well into the courtyard, so we decided to give that a miss. On the way out there was some sort of ceremonial procession of fierce looking Turkish gentlemen all with fine moustaches and clad in archaic costumes, clutching swords or long poles or playing instruments, all marching along in a sort of step where you take two paces then face 45 degrees off to the right, then swing round to face 45 degrees off to the left, and repeat. The procession came down the main processional avenue that has been used for ceremonial processions since Byzantine and Ottoman times - a nice bit of local colour.

We explored a new area of the city over towards Eminonu, the Sirkeci neighbourhood with lots of restaurants and little hotels. Looks like a lively place, a bit more touristy and a bit easier to get around than our side of town. We walked back through the Women's Handicraft exhibition, which has come part of our routine. There are interpreters who are there to help you talk with the ladies who have produced the items. Anne was looking at a pair of wool slipper like socks, beautifully knitted. They looked on the small side, and she asked the bescarfed Turkish lady via interpreter if they were for adult or child.  'Tell her to wash them at 90 degrees and they will stretch' came the response. The Turkish sense of humour is quite like the Australian.

Next we explored the Aresta Bazaar, which has a reputation for being more relaxed than the Grand Bazaar, and so it proved to be. After seeing so many cats in not so great condition, it was lovely to see this one testing out the merchandise outside one of the rug and cushion shops, and it gives an idea of how chilled the place was.

We had lunch there, then managed to find the entrance to the Great_Palace_Mosaic_Museum which display mosaics from a courtyard from the time of Justinian. After seeing so many religious mosaics, it was interesting to see the Byzantine craftsmen's approach to secular topics. A major theme seemed to be animals biting other animals, or humans. The artists did a good line in gore.

We felt we'd got our money's worth out of the Museum Cards, and retired home satisfied. We are regulars at the restaurant around the corner now, and headed down there for dinner tonight. Two brothers, one around thirty, the other just eighteen, are the main waiting staff. They are very serious, very handsome, and both speak fluent French and English. It is a very relaxing place and we feel very welcome there.

Two more days to go.

Istanbul, Tuesday 17 June, Day 55

My phone this morning gives me the current temperature for two locations, Istanbul - 22 at 7.30 am, and Altona -  11 at 2.30 pm. A reminder that we should enjoy these beautiful blue skies and warm days while we can.   A good thought to keep in mind as we puff and pant our way up the hill and walk to our first stop of the day, the Istanbul_Archaeology_Museums.  They are in a very good spot for an archeology museum, as this spot has been the focus for so many civilizations over thousands of years. One cabinet is filled with finds from an excavation to lay foundations for extensions to the Museum.  The Byzantines, and then the Ottomans have controlled vast swathes of the planet's surface and have both cheerfully appropriated so much, that the resulting collection is astonishing, the glazed tile gate from the temple of Ishtar, artefacts from Troy, Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Phoenician as well as Greek and Roman statues, artefacts plus Islamic ceramics.

The museum also has some wonderful artefacts from the past of the city itself including a bit of one of the serpent's heads from the Serpent_Column and some links of the chain that was strung across the mouth of the Golden Horn to prevent hostile ships entering that body of water.

There is so much stuff that the surrounding gardens are stacked with statues, fragments of lintels some beautifully carved, columns and capitals. We had morning tea on a terrace surrounded by assorted chunks of antique stonework.

Use and re-use are big in Istanbul. I particularly liked a Herma that had lost its head, and had been reused as a baluster. A translation of its Greek inscription reads

For a beneficent god

For good fortune

For a fine season

For rain bearing winds

For  prosperous summer

For an autumn

For a winter

It always amazes me how you can find some object that speaks across the centuries, and you get a sense of connection. Today it was just abut the last thing we saw in the Museum, a Roman Gravestone for a dog. The dog on the stone stele was lovingly carved, a large shaggy thing, and the inscription read in part:

His owner has buried the dog Parthenope that he played with

in gratitude for this happiness (Mutual).

Love is rewarding, like the one for this dog.

Having been a friend to my owner

I have deserved this grave.

After a siesta back at the hotel we had a late lunch then set off for our long awaited visit to the Hagia_Sophia. It was the spiritual heart of Constantinople, and it has pretty much been the key destination that we've been heading towards since we left Melbourne.  I was moved to stand in the portico, to see the vast bronze doors and the marble steps worn down by centuries of footsteps, and then to be in that space that has been the location of so much. It is an imposing space and it has an extraordinary atmosphere.

You can see from the scaffolding that there are restoration works in progress. There certainly is plenty to do. More mosaics are hidden under plaster, paint is peeling, and the floor on the upper gallery is unnervingly uneven, as if a bit of the supporting structure has dropped a few centremetres. But for a building that has been in pretty much continuous use since 542 and that has seen so much, it is doing  marvellously well. It was a very satisfying visit.

On the way back to the hotel we bought a few things to bring home, then went out to celebrate a great day with some lamb cutlets and a small bottle of Turkish red wine at our favourite restaurant.

Feels like we're getting to the end, and we are wrestling with the question of which of the many pleasant activities on offer we should explore in our last few days here.

Istanbul, Monday 16 June, Day 54

This morning we visited the Church of Saint Saviour, otherwise known as Chora_Church. Getting there was almost as much fun as being there. We walked up the hill behind our hotel via a zig zag road that we've discovered which has generally good pavement, and reasonable gradient. We caught a tram to Eminonu, a major transport hub on the shoreline, then found our way to the Golden Horn Ferry terminal. The ferry we wanted had just left so we sat happily admiring the view of the Galata_Tower built in 1348 by the Genoese which still towers over modern Istanbul, and the buildings of Beyoglu across the water, and watching the busy water traffic. The ferry ride was a real hoot too, and I enjoyed sipping my Turkish tea while we sailed to our destination. The walk from the ferry follows the line of the Theodosian wall, so I was able to fill in a bit that I missed on my previous walk.

Having seen mosaics by Byzantine craftsmen in churches from Ravenna to Palermo, it was interesting to see a real Byzantine church. The mosaics are quite late, around 1320 I think, and you can see that the artform has moved a long way from the stiff stylized figures of Ravenna to something which captures a much more human dimension, an art which is rendering the world is a more natural way. One of the most beautiful panels is of the Holy Family.

It is had to get a picture that begins to do justice to this. I love the body language of Joseph and Mary with their heads touching, cradling the young child - the mosaic tells the story of Joseph's suspicion about the virgin pregnancy, and the bottom section is the reconciliation I guess.  I particularly liked the peacock in the bottom right corner. Instead of being just a bit of decorative pattern, as birds are used in other mosaics we've seen, this one is turning his head away from the action to nibble on a bit of tasty foliage, a wonderful bit of naturalistic observation. And the representations of the buildings beat Escher by 700 years.

After our necks were ready to seize after so much craning upwards, we had a leisurely lunch in a peaceful restaurant in a courtyard shaded by massive plane trees. Once again, we had an audience of attentive, hungry cats, who were happy to share some omelette and cheese pide with us.

The bus back to Eminonu was a hot and uncomfortable, but we got to cross over to the Beyoglu side and come back again. On our walk back through the Hippodrome we wandered through an exhibition of Turkish women's handicrafts, admiring some beautiful embroidery and lace work.

There were black clouds gathering and the sound of distant thunder so we headed back to the hotel expecting a storm. But when we looked out again after siesta, the sky was clear and the streets were dry. We had dinner at a basic little restaurant where you can select a range of side dish sized portions of various dishes. We had Turkish Irish Stew I think, and rice, with tea and a delicious pasty to follow. Very nice it was too.

After dinner we walked around some back streets, discovering an unmistakeably Byzantine church being carefully restored. We looped round to the sea front and discovered a little marina full of fishing boats, a sort of promenade with lots of fish restaurants, a whole bunch of shops selling fish all artfully displayed, and, not surprisingly I guess, a whole lot of stray cats. Everywhere we go we see cats, mostly in pretty poor condition.

We have started the 72 hour countdown on our Museum pass. Tomorrow I think Hagia Sophia and the Archaeology Museum.

Istanbul, Sunday 15 June, Day 53

A windy hot morning so we decided on inside and cool activities for the morning. First up we visited the Sultan_Ahmed_Mosque aka the Blue Mosque. A huge crowd milling about meant that it did not have anything like the peaceful atmosphere of the Little Hagia Sophia round the corner, but it is an impressive space none the less. Next we pottered round the Hippodrome, site allegedly of a massacre of thousands of revolting citizens ordered by Justinian  during the Nika_riots in 532.  Hard to imagine as it is such a peaceful and pleasant place today. The Mosque souvenir shops are a pleasant change from many other shops as you don't get hassled, so we bought a few things there.

Next stop was the Basilica_Cistern, another but more benign outcome of Justinian's rule. For what is effectively an underground water tank or reservoir, the Byzantines certainly put in a lot of effort. The columns come from all over the empire, and are recycled from other buildings. The capitols - mostly Corinthian - are very ornate, and you wonder why they put that much effort on to something which you wouldn't expect many people to see. But it makes a great spectacle today, and we enjoyed the vaulted ceilings and eerie vistas, the dark water with the occasional huge fish gliding into the patches of light, and, of course, the mysterious Medusa heads which form the base of two columns in a back corner.

Did the builders have a couple of columns that were just a bit short, and a couple of chunks of old Greek marble statue lying around that were just the right size to make up the short fall, or is there some meaning in the placement of the heads?

We walked back to our neighbourhood, past one restaurant proprietor who now knows us well by sight, and seems more crestfallen each time we don't eat at his establishment. We might have to have lunch there soon, or find another way to walk.  We hardened our hearts today however, and had lunch at the place in the park again, which is very relaxed and peaceful, and the food is good.

After a rest and catching up with some things, we headed out again, this time to visit the Grand Bazaar. We only skirted down the edge of it, but that was plenty thank you. We tried out our Istanbul kart, a myki like RFID card for public transport. It works really well. Tram stops are like mini train stations, with turnstile entry gates. Each gate has a burly security guard with a hefty truncheon, so fare evasion would be minimal. Recharging is easy and fast. You put your card on one of the recharge terminals, machine says something in Turkish. You insert note, wait 10 seconds, the machine says something else in Turkish and the new balance on your card flashes on screen. You take card and walk away. The whole transaction takes about 30 seconds. With a population of 20 million to move around the city, you have to have a system that works. You might think the same would apply for a city like Melbourne with 5.5 million people, but apparently not.

As we headed off down the hill a Turkish man said to us "You're walking like carpet buyers", a nice bit of wry humour. The people are often very witty, and extremely sharp.  Three different traders have identified us as Australians. I'm not sure what the tell tale characteristics are.

We had dinner at the cat restaurant, both of us secretly wanting to see the mother to be cat again so we could feed her, but there was a different cast of cats who were appreciative of some of our sea bream - as we were. It was delicious.

We got Museum passes today, which are valid for 72 hours from first use, so tomorrow we will start on the museum trail.

Istanbul, Saturday 14 June, Day 52

First off this morning we visited the Little_Hagia_Sophia begun by the Emperor Justinian in 527.  The church was used as the model for San Vitale in Ravenna, which we saw, and as a practice run for Hagia Sophia.  It was converted to a mosque during the Ottoman period, and the mosaics removed. The walls are plastered and there are no images, but in a way that makes it easier to appreciated the space. Here is Anne, lost in wonder shortly after entering.

It was a very peaceful place to spend the morning. I think we will be going back there, which is easy because it is so close. Next we enjoyed a stroll around some of the local streets - I think we've explored nearly all the streets in our neighbourhood. The streets are very lively, kids running around, grannies sitting in doorways with babies, people shaking carpets out windows, people pushing round carts with fruit or various goods for sale, or just junk - maybe the last are the equivalent of rubbish removal services.

We had lunch in a great restaurant situated on the edge of the nearby park. Nice basic food, and the service picked up significantly when the televised World Cup game finished. Neither of us slept well last night and Anne wanted to rest her knee, so she stayed at the hotel while I set out to visit the Theodosian Walls built originally by Constantine the Great, and developed as a double line of fortifications by Theodosius in the 5th Century. They protected the city from multiple would be invaders for almost a thousand years. The story of Constantine XI and the fall of Constantinople is one that impressed me deeply when I heard it, and I wanted to go and see what is left of the walls and to pay my respects.

Getting to the wall, and then walking beside it, makes you realise what a huge city Constantinople must have been. I walked for around an hour and a half along beside the wall and traversed probably less than half. There are bits of wall that have been restored, bits that have been turned into very fine houses, bits where houses have been burrowed into the wall, bits where homeless people sleep, bits that are about to fall down or which have fallen down.

When I could see the water of the Golden Horn below I decided to call it quits, and managed to find my way back to the hotel without too much trouble. A bit muggy and overcast this afternoon and I was glad to be back in the air con and to see Anne.

We had dinner at a quieter restaurant nearby - a much more peaceful experience then last night and much better for the digestion. We ate attended by three cats, one of whom was very pregnant. A pretty cat and starving, poor thing. We gave her as much meat from our plates as we could without attracting the attention of the waiting staff. When we got back to the hotel we enjoyed watching the party on the roof of the sports club opposite. Lots of dancing and high spirits. I just hope they get tired soon.

We've been developing our agenda for the next few days and I am getting the hang of the public transport so tomorrow we are really going to get stuck into Istanbul.

Istanbul, Friday 13 June, Day 51

Great breakfast on the terrace of the hotel this morning. I think we have gone to fig jam heaven - a huge bowl of rich chunky fig jam on the table, along with fresh fruit, salad, and fresh bread. Anne's knee giving some trouble so I went off in search of an ATM to get some local currency and a chemist to buy paracetamol and ibuprofen. I headed off in what turned out to be a wrong direction, but it took me past the Little_Hagia_Sophia built around 527 AD by Justinian, past big chunks of Roman defensive wall in various stages of disrepair or absorption into newer structures, past the Blue Mosque, the Column_of_Constantine, and more.

Eventually found both ATM and pharmacy - pharmaceuticals incredibly cheap here compared to Australia -  as well as a shop to buy some baklava, and completed a circuit walking back down steep narrow streets through what seems to be the rag trade district. A lot of people moving big packages, bolts of cloth and boxes on trolleys or on their backs, as the streets are so narrow and the traffic so gridlocked that human transportation must be the most efficient way.

The weather was beautiful, mid 20's, light sea breeze, brilliant blue sky. We explored some more streets sussing out lunch options, and chose a nice place with an open dinning area under a grape vine, where we enjoyed a leisurely lunch. It is so nice not to have to rush around and to know that we have time to see what we want to see.

We looped up the hill, this time past the Hippodrome and the Obelisk_of_Theodosius, placed there in 357 ad. The Obelisk itself dates from 1450 BC, but owing to the hardness of the granite from which it was carved, it looks like it was created yesterday. The Roman marble on which it stands hasn't weathered so well, though the story of the transportation and erection of the obelisk is still visible.

There were huge crowds of local people and tourists out enjoying the day. We wanted a low key day so we headed home early down some more little streets with beautiful old Ottoman wooden houses, which have a distinctly Eastern air about them. We are staying in a residential area with families and playgrounds, siblings looking after toddlers, washing drying on the lines - it's nice to be part of everyday Turkish life.

For dinner we went to an area I'd stumbled on, with many restaurants down streets radiating out from a central fountain. It was jumping. Large groups of both Turkish people and tourists all out for a good time, coloured lights strung across the shop fronts and streets and a lively festive mood.  Every restaurateur was out the front of his business promising the best food and prices.  We chose a place that seemed OK and sat on the upstairs terrace watching the scene becoming ever more boisterous.  There were at least 5 competing Turkish bands working the crowd, dishes that seemed to involve sheets of flame in a sort of wok shaped dish while the waiter poked at it, people clapping and dancing and singing. By the time we'd eaten, we had complete sensory overload and an exorbitant bill full of mystery charges ... more than enough for day one.

Tomorrow we look forward to beginning our explorations of some of the wonderful structures and historic legacy of this amazing city.

Istanbul, Thurday 12 June, Day 50

We got up super early and left by round 7.00.  Anne slipped on the marble stairs on the way out, and hurt her knee again, just when we were congratulating ourselves on a complete recovery from her previous injury. We caught the bus to the airport and had breakfast there, watching the tough looking uniformed police with their revolvers and caps and shiny boots heading into the Pasticcerie and coming out eating dainty Cornetto pastries. We got the plane to Rome airport to catch our connecting flight to Istanbul.  

As we were leaving the EU, Anne wanted to collect the VAT refund on a number of things she had bought. She had carefully saved all the receipts, had the form filled out, and had the items in a bag ready to display on request. The Italian system is designed to be as off putting as possible. After one failed attempt we learned we needed to have boarding passes - bad luck if you wanted to put the items you'd bought in your checked luggage. Once we had boarding passes, next step was to get the form stamped by customs, for which there was a long queue in an unairconditioned corridor with lots of hot people fighting off queue jumpers, and two people behind the counter processing the claims ... until one abruptly walked off for a bit of me time, rendering the glacial progress even slower. Once in possession of the magic stamp, there was a further queue to actually get the refund. Helped to pass the time but not improve sense of benevolence towards fellow man. Rome is an extremely busy airport and we were glad to get on the plane, a very pleasant Turkish Airlines flight.

We'd arranged with our hotel to be collected, and as the plane was almost an hour late, we were relieved to see someone with our name waiting in the crowd. A nice young Turkish chap whose job is a greeter. He greets the people who have arranged transport, calls the car, and waits with you till the car arrives. Great division of labour. 

It was on sunset as we were driven through the city. I'm not sure what the building is that Anne is looking at through the window - but we are definitely not in Kansas any more. Or Sicily either, though some of the little streets near the hotel feel like it.  Hope we wake up filled with energy tomorrow to begin exploration.

Palermo, Sicily, Wednesday 11 June, Day 49

This morning we set off early to visit the Cappella_Palatina which was established by Roger II in the enormous Palazzo Normani which is built over the top of a Carthaginian then a Greek fortress. You can see the different layers of construction quite clearly down in the basement. When we arrived at the Cappella mass was in progress. In Italian, the mass is similar to the Latin of our childhoods. We knew where it was up to, and quite enjoyed the peace of the ritual, and that the church was still working as intended after so many centuries. The interior has its own magnificent mosaics, some of which seem not to be closely connected to any biblical theme. It was nice to spend some quiet time contemplating the works, until the mass finished and the tour groups flooded in, cameras flashing away.

Our next planned stop was Monreale, a town about 10 kilometres out of Palermo and perched up in the mountains. We had researched which bus to catch, and we did well buying the tickets and finding the stop. We came unstuck however when the bus, despite having its destination clearly marked as Monreale  Duomo stopped some 4 kilometres and one very steep mountain road short of the Duomo.  "On foot" the driver said, waving his hand in the general direction ahead as he kicked us off.  There were couple of shifty looking taxi drivers waiting who immediately descended upon us. The whole thing felt like a scam, so we declined their services and set out to walk up the hill in the very hot sun.

We discovered on visiting the tourist info centre in the town when we finally arrived that there is a shuttle bus, which our bus driver had neglected to tell us about. Whatever, we were a bit hot and addled, and running short of time thanks to the experience of getting to Monreale which rather detracted from our experience of the church, which really is magnificent.  The Christ Pantocrator mosaic there has serious presence.

The church is almost an illustrated old and new testament picture book but not well lit in the side naves, so a few panels are very hard to make out.

We caught the shuttle bus down the hill and after a long hot wait, the connecting bus back into Palermo, which gave us a chance to observe Sicilian city traffic habits which were sometimes hair raising. We saw one girl, mobile phone to her ear, do a U turn despite traffic bearing down from both directions, then park her car at right angles to the road, completely blocking the footpath, all without missing a beat in her conversation.

We had a tasty Sicilian lunch in a little restaurant in the park near Piazza Independencia, home for a siesta, then another walk around, then dinner in our favourite restaurant of the trip. Very, very good food.  The proprietor shook hands with us as we left and we wished one another well with great sincerity.

So, our last night in Italy. Tomorrow we fly to Rome then to Istanbul, another country and another completely different culture.

Palermo, Sicily, Tuesday 10 June, Day 48

After breakfast on the roof terrace of the hotel, enjoying the spectacular view over the domes and spires of the city, we set out to explore. First stop was Chiesa_di_San_Cataldo, said to be an example of Arab Norman architecture. Very simple and stark, with three very exotic looking red domes.

Right next door was the highlight of the day, the Chiesa Della Martorana. It has a fine bell tower with detail picked out in tiles, and you get the sense even before you go in that it is something special. Founded at the time of Norman rule it is as ornate as  the nearby San Cataldo is restrained. Martorana has some truly splendid mosaics created by Byzantine craftsmen.  The space is complex and there are many different zones each of which the artists have filled in unique  and different ways. There is a mosaic portrait of Roger II receiving his crown directly from Jesus, with whom he bears a strong family resemblance. There are wonderful angles with mighty wings and tiny feet. There is a charming annunciation, with the hand of God the father appearing just below the radiance of the central upper window. The nave has a beautiful nativity scene, which we really liked. As with all mosaics, it seems impossible to get a photo that is even close to what they really look like.

We wanted to visit the church of San Francesco de Assiza, but it was closed, but we did pass a restaurant that seemed to have a good vibe - Anne's antennae for this has become finely attuned over the trip - and made a mental note of the location. We headed onto Chiesa Della Magione, another stark interior Norman church, fragrant with many while lilies and roses, perhaps in preparation for a wedding.  At the back of the church was a remarkable 20th Century Pieta, that Anne particularly liked. Unfortunately the church closed for lunch ]soon after we got there so we thought we'd have lunch as well, and retraced our steps to the place we'd noted earlier.

Turned out to be one of the all time great lunches - 'street food' of arancini and caponata and potatoes with melted Sicilian cheese, with dolci of little ricotta filled tarts in short pastry and a sort of almond icecream, plus a lovely wine, in a lovely restoration of what looked like a medieval warehouse. The ambience and service were great and so was the food. I'm afraid Sicily is turning me into a foodie. Interesting that there were a number of youngish Sicilian men in the restaurant sitting at tables by themselves, earnestly enjoying the food. Eating is a serious business in Sicily. We assured the proprietor that we would be back for dinner, which he accepted as the compliment that it was.

Palermo is not a great pedestrian city. The streets are tiny, footpaths narrow or non existent, and the concept of cleaning up after your dog has yet to catch on here, so walking is not relaxing. We were glad to get back to our air con comfort for a siesta. A low key afternoon, some shopping and a wander, then back for dinner to celebrate our wedding anniversary.

Tomorrow we want to get out the door early to beat the tour groups at Cappella Palatina, and then get a bus to visit Monreale.

Palermo, Sicily, Monday 9 June, Day 47

Up early, checked out, left our bags at the hotel and headed off down the hill to the site of the temples and the remains of the Greek then Roman city below. Pedestrian traffic obviously isn't too common and we had to scramble along to avoid oncoming traffic. Most people seem to arrive by coach as part of an organized tour group.

A couple of the temples are very well preserved, one because it was taken over as a church, after the bishop had 'exorcised the pagan filth' the sign helpfully informed us. Other temples have been destroyed by earthquakes, but are still impressive as you get a good sense of how massive the component parts of the temples can be, and a new respect of the engineering capacity that was around in Greek society in 600 BC to build those huge structures. Other temples have been destroyed by human intervention, with stone carted off for other building projects.

It was great to be able to wander through the old city, to contemplate some of its chequered history, to look out from the remnants of the defensive walls, to explore the places where houses once stood, their layout still clear, and to see things like the plaster still visible on fallen temple columns. There was an ancient swimming pool, with the steps and the irrigation channel clearly visible.

There are some ancient olive trees around the site too, said to be more than 1500 years old. There was a Japanese tour group in front of us as we approached a particularly venerable tree, and each member of the group placed their hand respectfully on the tree's trunk as they passed.

It was very hot by the time we had traversed the city, so we decided to catch the local bus back up the hill to the Archeology Museum. While waiting we shared the extremely small patch of shade available with a senior Sicilian citizen and his little dog which was really feeling the heat. Anne offered the dog some water, which won the approval of the owner, and we had a good old chat while waiting for the bus. He had been to Australia and New Zealand, and was like many of the Sicilians we have met, very proud of Sicily and its culture.

The museum has an impressive collection of art and artefacts retrieved from the site. The city at its zenith had over 200,000 people, and was inhabited for hundreds of years, so the amount of stuff is not surprising. There are still large areas which have not been excavated. Walking back up the hill there were bits of pottery shard visible in the bank beside the path. But it was too hot to stop, and we needed to get to the station, get our tickets and some supplies, and catch the train.

Agrigento station is a strong contender for the Italian station of the trip award. It has a great bar, offering a fine selection of freshly baked Sicilian pastries.  We got an economical and tasty lunch from the friendly proprietor, it has helpful group of loungers who are very ready to provide useful information - get your ticket over there, the departures board is that one, silly, go down the lift there - it has a deliciously cool waiting room, and it even has its own chapel. Lost points for locking the door to the ladies. Overall score very high.

The train ride from Agrigento to Palermo traverses some really lovely Sicilian landscape. It is in parts a stunningly rugged and beautiful place. Geologists must love it, as it has some extraordinary features, massive plates of sedimentary rock pushed up at alarming angles to form mountains a bit reminiscent of some parts of the Grampians.  There were some thunder storm clouds around today which created wonderful patterns of light and shade on the grass and flower covered hills. The regional train was very comfortable too, with good air con, unlike our train from Salerno to Catalina. And it ran to schedule, so we got here in good time and found our hotel without any drama.  I think I have finally worked out the GPS.

The hotel has roof terrace restaurant so we tried it out tonight. The view over Palermo and the surrounding mountains was magical as the sun set and the city lights came on. The dinner was perhaps not so magical, but we have been spoiled by the fantastic Sicilian food so far. Lots to explore over the next few days.

Agrigento, Sicily, Sunday 8 June, Day 46

This morning we caught our first taxi of the trip from the hotel down to the bus station. Luckily yesterday I had identified where the bus left from and where to buy tickets as the Tourist information centre had given us incorrect info on both. But we were in the right place with the right tickets and soon we were sitting in a very comfortable bus heading off to Agrigento, about three hours drive away from Catania.

It was a nice change from trains. The landscape from Catania to here is very varied. There are the slopes of Mt Etna, lots of dry wheat country not unlike the wheat belts in Australia, craggy mountains often with crumbling castles grafted onto the summits, strikingly awful towns of concrete multi story apartment blocks that make housing commission look good, groves of olives, sudden green valleys, some wonderful stone houses that are very much like Spain ...

The Sicilian roads seem to be a series of roadworks linked together by confusing roundabouts. Luckily the bus driver knew the way, and we arrived on schedule. Being really lazy we caught another taxi to our hotel, so I feel a bit odd, as I did not do much to get here. We certainly fell short of our 10,000 steps today though I think we will make up for it tomorrow when we head off to explore the temples of Agrigento, which we can see waiting for us in the valley below. Here is a bit of the view that we contemplated while eating an extremely nice dinner on the terrace of the hotel.

The food and the people in Sicily have been memorable. Sicilians have a wonderful sense of humour.  The hotel and the fellow guests are a bit weird but in an entertaining way so far. Tomorrow we will explore the temples and then catch an early afternoon train on to Palermo, which is our last stop in Italy.

Catania, Sicily, Saturday 7 June, Day 45

Slow start today. We eventually got out the door round 10.00 and headed down the main piazza opposite the Duomo. Catania does not have a lot of very old buildings, as it has been devastated by eruptions of Mount Etna and by earthquakes at different periods in its history. The old city was the result of a rebuild after a major earthquake in the late 17th century, and the main square is very consistently of the style of the period, but with a uniquely Catanian touch in that the main building material is black basalt from the volcano, with white sandstone trim.  The city centre is UNESCO world heritage listed

Sicily was under the rule of Aragón at the time so the buildings have a sort of Spanish Baroque appearance. The Duomo has massive chandeliers, which I can't recall seeing anywhere else. But the thing I like best was the elephant in the square, u Liotru, who is the symbol of Catania.  It is not known with certainty how old he is, but certainly several centuries BC. He was placed in the square as part of an assembly of components by an artist of the day in the 18th Century. He has a sort of marble saddle cloth emblazoned with his own image and an Egyptian Obelisk with a dome and crucifix set on top of the whole thing. Bizarre but impressive.

Catania is an interesting place on many levels. It is totally cut off from the wonderful Mediterranean by its on port and train lines, but has more bikini shops than anywhere on earth. I made that last amazing fact up, but I would not be surprised if it was true. The impact of the GFC seems to have been very unequal here. The streets are full of well dressed people clutching shopping bags as the move from one luxury goods or high end clothing store to the next, and by wretched people begging, using various props - babies, dogs, kittens, crutches, annoying voices - or desperately trying to sell various bits of cheap trod. It still seems to have squares of housing damaged and derelict quite close to the centre of the city, perhaps a legacy of the bombing in World War 2.

After lunch of rice balls, arrancini - yum- I headed off to see if I could get some tickets for our bus tomorrow. This proved to be an experience straight out of Kafka's 'The Castle' as different people sent me in different directions, as there turned out to be two booking offices for the one bus company but one disdainfully refused to book tickets for our destination. I finally found the right office and the right counter, but was told I can only book a ticket on the day of travel.

We had a rest then returned to the great Trattoria from last night. They didn't start serving till 8.30 so we were both starving, but it was one of the best meals yet, great serve yourself antipasto, choose your own fish, caught that morning, from the selection, and how you want it cooked, and here's a mezzo of nice white wine and some freshly baked bread to get you going. Very direct but friendly service, fantastic food, all for 30 Euros for both of us.

Tomorrow, with a bit of luck, we will be catching a bus to Agrigento to visit the Valley of the Temples..

Catania, Sicily, Friday 6 June, Day 44

This morning we headed off down to the station bright and early to catch the train to Sicily. We had read some rather grim accounts of the trip so we stocked up on supplies. The train w's open plan, not one of the six in a little compartment with a sliding door to a corridor types, which was a relief.

The first part of the journey was great, interesting scenery, lots of little coves and ruins of castles and rocky crags and sleepy sea side villages - all very scenic and picturesque, and we ate our apples and paninis and felt quite smug.  Until the train arrived at the point where it gets loaded onto the ferry, Villa San Giovanni.

We creaked to a stop out in the hot afternoon sin, whatever aircon there had been while the train was moving stopped, temperature in the carriage started to climb. There was no announcement, and to add to the atmosphere, the conductor had thoughtfully locked all the toilets. We hadn't counted on the heat, and soon ran out of water. After about 50 minutes you could feel the general air of agitation rising, but eventually we crawled out into a shunting yard and after a few more stops or no apparent reason we finally were shunted onto the ferry. There was a general stampede for the loos - again, half the ladies' were locked, then another stampede for the bar, where only one person was serving.

With our supplies replenished, we could enjoy the approach to Sicily. Here is our first sighting of Messina.

The train was about an hour late getting to Catania, and it was a hot and wearing journey for the last couple of hours., the worst travel conditions we have experienced so far.

Catania really feels like somewhere else, a bit rougher round the edges than most of the Italian cities we've visited so far. The entry to the town  from the railway station is fairly desolate, with graffitied run down apartments and some pretty marginal lives in evidence.  I think we needed a taxi at this point rather than our usual determination to arrive on foot.

We found our hotel, in a nice location across from a park, and settled in to recover. We had a good dinner in a local Trattoria, salad, pasta, wine, bread. When we asked for the bill, the young guy running the place said 'you pay 20'.  So we paid 20, easily the cheapest and by no means the worst dinner so far.

Not sure what we will do tomorrow. We are feeling a bit weary after today so maybe a low key day, though we are mindful that our time is running out here and that every day is precious.

Salerno, Thursday 5 June, Day 43

After another leisurely breakfast on the hotel terrace, watching the sun burn away the morning mist, we packed up - so easy because we were packing so light - and set off to revisit the garden of Villa Cimbrone. Gore Vidal said it was the most beautiful view in the world, and I totally agree with him. It was just as stunning, fragrant, soothing, breath-taking, the second time round. It is an inspiring place.

We went back to the hotel, collected our bags, then visited the Ravello Cathedral, which has fine bronze doors, and a thoroughly impressive pulpit, encrusted with mosaics and supported by columns resting on the backs of six beautifully carved lions. You couldn't help but give a rousing sermon from that pulpit.
We wandered down to the bus stop which has the best spot for waiting ever, with a stunning view out over the sea and the town far below - but the bus came 5 minutes before scheduled time so we didn't have long to enjoy it. It was almost empty compared to the bus coming up, but just as exciting navigating the hair pin bends and the other traffic.

Visited the Amalfi Cathedral, which looks to me like a mix of Moorish, Byzantine and Noman architecture. As you can see from the photo, it is definitely not disability friendly. The faithful must be pretty fit in Amalfi.

The Cathedral museum has some fine artefacts. It is said to be the resting place of St Andrew (I think we have seen at least half the apostles on our trip so far), and his reliquary in the Cathedral is a piece of brilliant craftsmanship, as were the silver heads of some other saints.

Amalfi the town seemed super busy, with a lot of people and traffic funnelled into a small space. We watched one hapless chap in campervan circle the roundabout multiple times  while we had lunch, perhaps waiting for a parking spot to miraculously appear, or perhaps he was just totally lost.

We caught the ferry back to Salerno, a much quieter trip than last time, and the ferry kept much closer to the coast, so we could see the palazzos, the little towns and harbours, and  the ruins of various fortifications stretching back over the centuries right down to World War 2.  Back to Salerno which also seems but a bit less frenetic, or perhaps we have chilled out a bit thanks to our time in Ravello.

We are catching the train to Sicily tomorrow, a long trip and a big jump. We've been stocking up on supplies as rumour has it that the catering is non existent on the train. But we are looking forward to it, to be somewhere so historic and remote.

Ravello, Wednesday 4 June, Day 42

Today we tried to sleep in, but we couldn't resist the light and the view, so we sat soaking up the morning sun and the panorama for a while then headed down for breakfast on the terrace. The view and the fragrant lemon trees seem to make food taste better - those were the best corn flakes ever.

After a bit more lounging round we pottered off to explore the nearby garden of the Villa_Cimbrone. I knew nothing about it and had no expectations, but as we approached it past a cliff face covered in honey suckle and roses, all in bloom, I began to think it might be something special, and it was. The location is stunning, on a little peninsula of land pointing out above the sea, and the gardens have been laid out by some inspired gardeners. We spent an extremely happy couple of hours wandering, admiring the faux temples and statues, the rose gardens, the magnificent vistas, the artfully framed groves. There were even two massive gum trees, exuding the nostalgic scent of the Australian bush, to remind us of home. It is a truly beautiful place. We liked it so much we want to go back there tomorrow.

Today's pic is us on the Terrace of Infinity at the end of the garden, me clutching Anne in terror as the cliff drops sheer several hundred metres -at least - just behind us.

The Villa Cimborne would be a hard act to follow, and indeed our next stop, Villa Rufalo, seemed pretty average by comparison, a bit scrappy and shop soiled. They hold a music festival on the grounds, and build a platform on scaffolding out from the cliff face to accommodate the orchestras. I would be too terrified to play a note.

For dinner we went to a restaurant with a magnificent view in the opposite direction to last night, so we could watch the shadows slowly creeping up the face of the mountains opposite as the sun set. We had a good talk with an older English lady we had met briefly on the train coming into Salerno on Saturday. She was an inspiration, travelling by herself, with a walking stick from a recently broken ankle, but really having a good time.  She has spent the week here in Ravello, and next time round I think we would do the same. We had a lovely dinner, listened to the happy banter of a Danish family with two lovely young sons sitting at the table sitting next to us, and shuffled off down the enchanted streets back to our hotel, feeling very fond of Ravello.

We will be sorry to leave tomorrow.

 

Ravello, Tuesday June 3, Day 41

This morning we got up bright and early and decanted a couple of days worth of stuff into two backpacks. After breakfast we left our bigger bags at the B&B, and headed off blissfully unencumbered for our mini trip to Ravello.

We caught the ferry to Amalfi which was packed with Italian school kids, about 12 or 13 years old from the look of them. It was a bit like being in the middle of a herd of sheep, as they seemed to make a continuous wall of sound, which reflected the collective emotion of the group, excitement, consternation, contentment. They were lovely kids though - Italian children are loved and valued, and it does them a lot of good. The trip along the coastline is well worth it, with little settlements, forts, and the fantastic mountains as backdrop.

In Amalfi we fortified ourselves with a coffee in a nice café overlooking the 'beach' - a patch of darkish pebbles a few hundred metres square, with the jetty on one side, bus stop on the other. A few hard core beach goers were lounging there or swimming. Makes me realise how lucky we are in Australia beach - wise.

We needed the charge from our coffee to fight our way onto the bus to Ravello. About 50% more people waiting than the bus would hold, and there was general mayhem in the crush to get on. The bus ride up the mountain was pretty exciting too - a tiny little road with hairpin switch backs, and cars and buses and motor scooters going in all directions. Some great sheer drops to contemplate on the way. Two girls behind us spent much of the trip clutching each other and exclaiming 'Mama Mia, oh, Mama Mia ...'. But we got to Ravello without mishap, and had lunch on the Duomo square to build up strength for the last climb up to our hotel, which perched high above the town, and way above the bay. Ravello is gorgeous!  Our hotel room has a sunny terrace with spectacular views back towards Salerno.

Ravello has been a destination for artists since the nineteenth century. There is a plaque on one nearby hotel recording that D.H.Lawrence wrote Lady Chatterley's Lover there. Wagner was a big Ravello fan. There is a lovely photo down in the main square of Humphrey Bogart on a donkey under a Ravello arch. He made a film here with Gina Lolabrigida which I really have to track down when we get home. The place has been a retreat and refuge for a very long time. You would have to be a very determined invader to attack someone holed up here, but it was overthrown by the Republic of Pisa in 1137.  The scenery is truly spectacular, the air is beautiful, and because it is so hard to get to, at this time of year at least it is very quiet. Unlike Salerno, the little streets are in good condition and very clean.

Here is a picture taken from the ferry looking up the mountain, with Ravello perched around the heights. We are somewhere way up there right now.

We had dinner in a restaurant admiring the terraces across the valley that generations have carved into the hillsides, watching the hues in the sky deepen, lights come on in the little clusters of buildings clinging to the rocky outcrops, and a lovely crescent moon appear.

We are looking forward to exploring the town and surrounds tomorrow.

Salerno, Monday, 2 June, Day 40

Today we hurried off early to catch the train to Paestum. A bit chaotic at the station, and the automated ticket machines had decided to go on strike in response to public demand, but a nice older lady saw me standing with furrowed brow trying to make sense of the notice, and pointed me in the right direction to buy the necessary tickets.

Paestum was originally a Greek city, Posiedium,  founded around 500-600 BC. Legend has it that Jason and the Argonauts, on their way back from seizing the Golden Fleece, had established a temple at the mouth of the nearby river, which led to the establishment of the Greek colony. After centuries of Greek inhabitation, which saw the construction of the impressive city walls and the temples to Minerva, Poseidon and Ceres, all of which stand to this day largely intact despite thousands of years of neglect, the city was taken over by the Romans, who added their own structures.  After the decline of the Western Roman Empire the city fell into decline. Malaria from the nearby wetlands caused the population to shift inland, and the city was largely abandoned for centuries. Interest was revived by people on the trand tour circuit, and Goethe and Shelley both visited. During world War 2, the American landings were made at nearby Paestrum Beach, and the Americans set up their command posqt at a nearby villa. There is footage in the museum of an American field hospital set up inside one of the temples.

It was special to be able to walk down the streets, through the houses, some of which still have the mosaic floors and shallow marble pools which were the focal points of the courtyards. The temples are impressively massive.

It was nice to be out in the country side as well, as we've been in cities pretty much the whole way. We had lunch at the most chaotic establishment of the trip so far, pottered round the few touristy shops, then headed back to catch the train back to Salerno. It was siesta time when we got back, the streets were quiet, the shops shut, and the lift was having its afternoon nap, so we dragged our tired sorry stumps back up the hill and settled down for a rest.

We had dinner at the lovely little restaurant that we discovered our the first day - lovely fresh sea food and a nice bottle of Ravello wine, then went in search of an ATM - a Bancomat in local parlance. I think Salerno has more churches than Bancomats. We only found one, which only had 50 Euro notes and was no good to us, but we passed numerous churches and shrines. Goes to show that mammon hasn't triumphed in Salerno yet.

Tomorrow we are leaving most of our luggage here, and catching the ferry to Amalfi, and the bus up to Ravello, where we will be staying for two nights.

Salerno Sunday 1 June, Day 39

Today began with an amazing breakfast prepared by our young hostess at the B&B, freshly baked muffins, an apple cake, home made marmalade, tart, plus the usual stuff, cereal, yoghurt, fresh coffee. We sat around a large circular table looking out over the splendid view, comparing notes with some of the other guests.

After that breakfast we definitely needed to get some exercise. We set off up and down the little streets, visiting first the Museum of Medical History. The first medical teaching institute on the world was established in Salerno so the place has a long tradition, and the museum certainly has an extensive collection of medical implements. Not exactly the most cheerful place however. Lots of prints of appalling medical conditions and people having holes drilled in them or implements inserted in them.

From there, to lighten the mood we visited the crypt of the Duomo, with its door lintels composed of life sized skeleton carvings, just in case you missed the point and thought you were going into a pub. This weekend is a long weekend in Italy, the Festival de Republica tomorrow and the feast of the Pentecost last Thursday which is also a holiday here. I guess that is why Rome train station was so busy. One nice thing about the long weekend is that a number of the churches, including the crypt, had teams of lovely young art students stationed outside many of the churches who were just waiting for visitors so they could provide commentary and background. Their pride in the history of the buildings of the city was very nice to experience, though I am afraid we didn’t understand too much of what they were telling us. Next we headed on to the Duomo itself, believed by the faithful to be the last resting place of St Matthew, and he certainly has had a few resting places.

The church was built by Robert Guiscard, the extraordinary Norman freebooter who took over Southern Italy around 1035 – the carvings have a very Norman feel.

Moving on we visited yet another church, Chiesa di San Michele, with more charming guides, and admired the grilled gallery where the Sisters of St Claire, an enclosed order, could attend mass without being seen.

Highlight of the morning was the archeological museum, which amongst other things has artefacts from the excavation of a number of Greek and Etruscan burial sites from the area around Salerno. Most amazing Greek pottery including this vase, dating from late 6^th Century BC.

After all that art and culture we were starving, and stopped at the first place we found, which was very nice. Managed to catch the elevator back up the hill before its siesta time, then we followed its example and had a siesta as well.

Late afternoon, we joined the passagiata along the sea front. It really is a very civilized past time, everyone can join in, dogs, children, older people like us, young people checking each other out. A fair chunk of the population of Salerno seemed to be down there enjoying the warm Sunday afternoon.

Tomorrow we plan to catch train to visit the nearby ancient town of Paestum.

Salerno, Saturday 31 May, Day 38

We managed to be extremely efficient getting out of the Hotel early, and catching a bus just as we got to the stop, which meant that we got to Rome railway station more than an hour before our train departed. On a Saturday morning the station was packed both with people heading off somewhere, and a steady stream of other people whose role in life seemed to be to ask as many people as possible if they had a spare Euro. Some of them weren’t particularly polite about receiving a negative answer, and it was a relief to get on the train and be hurtled away from Rome at around 289 kilometres per hour. 

Under 2 hours later we were pulling onto Naples, then rolling past Vesuvius, then through a mighty long tunnel to emerge at Salerno. We headed off to walk to our hotel, which took us a bit longer than the GPS’s optimistic estimate of 28 minutes, due to us taking a few wrong choices at forks in the road, the steepness of the terrain, and the GPS’s inaccuracy. We missed our destination by about 200 metres today which caused us a bit of walking backwards and forwards.

After we checked in, we were feeling in serious need of lunch, and we set off to search for a restaurant recommended by the lady in our B & B.  Finding it however proved too hard for us in our enfeebled condition, so we stumbled into the first open restaurant we come across, and had one of the nicest meals of the trip so far. The food was great, and the Signora was lovely.

After what seems like weeks of blue skies and sunshine it started raining as we hit Naples, and as the day proceeded there were some mighty thunder storms over the mountains which ring the coast. Which gave us a perfect excuse to do not very much for the rest of the day.

The place we are staying has a magnificent view of the town, the port and the bay, and we spent the afternoon watching the lightning, listening to the rain pour down and the thunder reverberate off the mountains, enjoying the incredibly fragrant lemon blossom scented air, and, eventually, admiring the double rainbow over the nay which appeared near sunset.  Here is part of the view from our little terrace.

There is a lift we discovered, quite close to the B & B, so we caught that down to near sea level. (The lift, as is only right, has a siesta each day from 2.30 to 4.00pm)

After dinner we went for a walk along the sea front, admiring the crescent moon appearing over the mountains in one direction, and the huge electrical storm lighting up the sky far out to sea in the other. Found our way back to the lift through tiny winding streets, and managed to negotiate the rather bewildering series of locks to get back inside. So all good so far. We are very glad to be somewhere a bit quieter for a while. Lots to explore tomorrow.

Rome, Friday 30 May, Day 37

Today we wanted to slow the pace down a bit, as we were both noting a decrease in our genial spirits yesterday. It gets a bit tiring to have people trying to sell you things all the time, and it feels like the whole place has got busier in the time we've been here. Anyway, we slept in a whole 15 minutes and had luke warm showers as a result.

We planned an outing to mix culture with practicality, and caught a bus over to the area near the Piazza Della Republican, dropped our washing off at a sort of laundry service, then after an invigorating espresso - we've become hooked on them - walked to the church of St Maria del Vittoria, which is home to Bernini's famous sculpture, the Ecstasy_of_Saint_Teresa.  Appreciating the sculpture was made difficult by the crass commentary which a tour guide was delivering sotto voce to his client. I guess people have to make a living, but especially in a church where there is little other sound, it really detracts from the experience of other people.

We collected our washing then went to wait at the bus stop, which we shared with an older Italian gentleman with a shopping jeep, who had both no English and something amiss with his voice box, so we communicated with elaborate mime. After an interminable wait, our bus came along packed solid. It drove off leaving us all still waiting, to be followed by an empty bus with a sign saying the equivalent of 'not in service'. Our Italian friend taught us some new and very expressive gestures as the bus sailed past. After another interminable wait he gave up and trudged off into the crowd, so we decided to walk it as well.

It was actually an interesting walk though, over the Quirinal Hill of ancient Rome, past Trajan's_Column and the ruins of the Basilica_Ulpia.

Back at the hotel, Anne wanted to finish a book she borrowed from the hotel's collection. I walked through lots of little winding streets over to Castel_Sant'Angelo over the little bridge that has been carrying people since 134 AD, and was for centuries the only bridge across the river in Rome.

There's an internet meme put-bird-on-it which has come to cover 'any design trend which as reached its peak, and is bordering on saturation'. Today as I walked through the Castel, having crossed the Pont's Angel lined balustrades, past the space which was once called the "Courtyard of Executions" for obvious reasons but which now has a statue of an angel and so is called "Courtyard of the Angel", to the very Castle itself, with its massive statue of the Archangel Michael, I wondered if "put an angel on it" might not be equally appropriate.

There was however a very interesting exhibition which documented the Catholic Church's interest around the 16th century in the early Christian period and the surge of archaeological activity that went with it, in an attempt to demonstrate to erring Protestants that there was indeed continuity between the first Christians and the church of the day. Also had a 16th century guide book to the major sites of Rome, open at the page showing a plate of Trahan's Column.

For dinner we headed back to the little restaurant in the square near Santa Barbara di Librari, and, supporting my theory that the invasion has really begun, where last time we ate there we seemed to be the only non Romans, tonight the tourists were around 80% of the clientele.

We've really enjoyed our time in Rome, and right up to our last walk round tonight we are still discovering new areas we'd like to explore further. Next time, I think come earlier or later in the year though.

Tomorrow were are off to Salerno and the Amalfi Coast for a spot of R and R.

Rome, Thursday 29 May, Day 36

Got up half an hour earlier and it was a different world down in the breakfast room with no students. We were out the door by 8.30 and wandered without a very fixed plan over towards the forum. Heading the shortest path in a straight line took us over the Capitoline Hill, and past the Capitoline_Museums.

It is claimed that these were the first museums in the world, and I wanted to show Anne the giant head and feet from the colossal statue of Constantine that is located in the courtyard there which I saw last time I was in Rome. It was free then, but now you pay 12 Euros, I guess that is progress. We paid up the entry fee, and it turned out to be way the best thing we have seen so far in Rome. The collection is phenomenal, from the bronze she wolf from 500 BC (a relative of the Chimera of Assezo I suspect) to the amazing 2nd century BC roman statue of the many breasted fertility goddess Diana Efesina (or the Efesian Artemis ), to the magnificent 4th Century BC bronze horse, to the views of Rome and the Forum from the terrace, to the super sized equestrian bronze statue of Marcus Aurelius, plus so much else besides, this one gets our 'museum of the journey' sticker by quite a margin. Lost some points for being almost deliberately confusing in layout and signage, but the collection and location more than made up for that, and it was all the nicer because we got in early before the rush. As an added bonus, there was a special exhibition of Michelangelo's work, which had drawings and sculptures which I had never seen before, including a marble bass relief which he completed at the age of 15.

Had pizza in the roof garden, then a bit of down time, then I headed back to visit the Forum. It really is extraordinary to walk down the same streets, and stand outside the buildings that have been the scene of so much history. The Curia, for example,  where the Roman Senate would meet, is pretty much intact, though the doors were purloined for a nearby church.

Before dinner we decided to revisit the Pantheon and to check out the Trevi Fountain, which turned out to be not such a great idea as the streets were choked with crowds of tourists and people trying to sell things to tourists. The Pantheon was filled with people chattering away excitedly and futilely taking photos with their flash on, all those little flashes getting lost in the vast dome. Despite the annoying fellow humans, the building itself is just wonderful. I realised tonight that it functions something like a sun dial as the light from the sun shines down through the open disk at the apex of the dome.

After the Pantheon we battled our way to the Trevi Fountain, which was an extraordinary scene - probably breaks some world record for the greatest number of people taking selfies in one place. My estimate is that less than 10% of the people there were actually looking at the Fountain.

It was good to get back to this side of town. Dinner in a restaurant with average food and nice wine. On the way home, we saw that the little church of Santa_Barbara_dei_Librai, which we have walked past many times and which has always been locked up, was open. It is a lovely little church, and provided just the antidote that we needed  to the tacky crowd scenes from earlier in the evening.