Europe 2023

Before we leave Le Somail to start our long cruise west to Negra, we have to visit that bookstore with over 50,000 books on offer.... The "Le Trouve Tout du Livre" - a World famous bookstore that was a delight for Brenda to visit. So the crew (that's Brenda) and the captain (that be me) need to master the canal locks. Over the next ten days we have 66 locks to get through. These days, fortunately, there are full-time lock keepers who have remote controls to operate the locks. So it's important to remind the crew how much easier their job has become. No more running over the the top of the lock gates and grinding away to open and close the sluice gates - it's so easy for them now. Of course the captain still has to skillfully manage the vessel through the lock and keep an eye on the crew while they fiddle around with some ropes! The locks are big enough to fit three cruise boats at a time. Then after a day of cruising it's time to tie up at a quay. You can para...

We have finally arrived in France - but not without some drama! What are the chances of travelling to the other side of the world and bumping into your neighbour? Less than winning the lottery I reckon. Maybe I should buy a ticket. So we took a flight out of Rome to Amsterdam. And we are standing in the line at the departure gate for our flight and I happen to turn around - and standing right behind me is Jen Feltham (one of our neighbours). "Hello" I said and we both had a good laugh  - what are the odds of meeting like that? Well that was the upside of the day. Unfortunately in my haste to make our connecting flight to Toulouse - I left my phone behind in the terminal at Schiphol airport! Bugger! Fortunately the  lady who discovered my phone (who must be way more tech-savvy than me) managed to find a way to email me and I now have her to thank for arranging its return to me - she is sending it to our Airbnb in France where I will be able to collect it when we get back from ...

Everywhere you go in Rome you see "SPQR" - on noticeboards, engraved into stone plaques, and even on the man-hole covers in the streets. It's an acronym for "Senatus Populusque Romanus" - which translates to "The Roman Senate and People". It is a reference to the original struggles between the senators, the people of Rome and the early Roman Empire. For me it is a reminder of the antiquity of this great city and the historical impact that its leaders (both political and religious) had on much of the western world. It begs the question, where would the world be today without the Rome of yesteryears? I cannot answer this question, but I suspect it would be somewhere very different. Enough hypothesizing. Today we visited the Vatican. I know from previous visits that the museums and the basilica can get very crowded. But never have I seen so many tourists in one place. The lines for those who had not purchased skip-the-line tickets stretched completely out...

Sadly we must leave Sorrento behind, but with a sense of anticipation, we head north on the autostrada to Rome. We had planned to stay at an Airbnb apartment right next to the Trevi fountain - so very central to all the must-do highlights of this ancient capital city. However - you know what they say about the best laid plans! A few days ago we got a message from our hosts at this Airbnb to say that their very ancient building had some issues - the cellar below was collapsing! Not much one can do about that - we had to find somewhere else very quickly. I have to say that Airbnb were very helpful - and we managed to secure a beautiful alternative apartment just north of the Tiber river. It was a much more expensive option - but Airbnb agreed to pick up the difference. So, drama over, and now it's time to go for a look around. We planned to do a tour of the Colosseum first. We had wisely chosen to pre-book our "skip-the-line" tickets. The queue for those that didn't was...

After an incredibly hectic journey for the last 20 kms coming into Sorrento with traffic at a crawl (or stand still) we have finally made it to our r ooftop terrace apartment.  I have passed though Sorrento on a number of previous occasions - and I can confirm the town is perched on the cliffs of  a beautiful coastline; it has a  very quaint and busy little center; and has long been a tourist favourite. The last time I stayed here was about 25 years ago - and not much has changed (except for a big increase in traffic)! Here are some views..... Looking across across the bay from our rooftop terrace - Mount Vesuvius in the distance on the left Night-time view from the terrace Looking down on the town over the port and harbour Our first planned activity while here in Sorrento was to visit the ruins of Pompeii. Just 15 miles away across the bay - and with the crazy road traffic - it felt like we could have swam it in less time than it took to drive there!! But the trip was wo...

We are leaving our beautiful "Il Cerqueto" farmhouse where we have enjoyed 11 days of sunshine and a mix of chaotic hilltop towns interspersed with some much needed chillaxing around the pool. Brenda enjoying some reading time Enroute to our next Airbnb - is one of Italy's hidden gems - "Civita di Bagnoregio". This is the last of the 13 hilltop towns we have visited - and its the toughest to get to.  It's a long way up from here, and our car (parked as close as possible) is even further and higher up behind us! Due to its unstable foundation that often erodes, Civita di Bagnoregio is famously known as "the dying city". It is a member of the "I Borghi più belli d'Italia" (The most beautiful villages of Italy) association.  As it's not really on the tourist map, and because it's early in the morning, we have the town to ourselves! Brenda's fitbit tells us it took over 5,000 steps to view this town and I am guessing that only...

After a couple more days of relaxing, catching up on our reading and generally enjoying the warm (30c here) weather and peaceful surroundings at our accommodation here in Acquapendente - it's time to venture out again. We have planned to do a circumnavigation of Lake Bolsena with just one hilltop town - Montefiascone - to be included along the route. Apparently, Bolsena is the largest volcanic lake in Europe - and it is somewhat reassuring to know that the volcano responsible for its creation has been dormant since 104 BC. The lake has a surface area of 113 square klms and holds 9.2 cubic klms of water - so big enough for a swim! Being just an hour away from Rome - the shoreline is dotted with expensive holiday homes and boutique hotels. Brenda enjoying the view A drone shot of the marina with the town of Bolsena in the background.  The cost of real estate along the shoreline, while probably not rivaling that of Lake Como in the north of Italy, must still be pretty high. The roads ...

After a couple of days chillaxing - it's time to head for the hills again. Where we are staying in Acquapendente is very central to the hilltop towns of the Tuscany, Umbria and Lazio regions. Our first stop today is Assisi. The "not to be missed" - Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi Two days after his death in 1228, Francis was proclaimed a Saint by Pope Gregory IX - and two days later the pontiff himself laid the foundation stone for what was to become the Basilica bearing the new Saints name.  The Basilica is built on two levels.... The upper level - with its high ceilings and beautiful wall frescoes The underground level (the Crypt) with its stunning ceilings and artwork The Crypt has the remains of the Saint buried in a sarcophagus sited directly below the main altar upstairs The streets are steep and lined by beautiful stone buildings in an immaculate state of repair Well enough of Assisi - it's time to move on to Montefalco. This town is almost completely walle...