7th Sorrento - Capri - Rome

Today we drove by minibus to the Sorrento Port, once again through some narrow scary streets, these are buses where to sit in the front seat requires pretty sturdy underwear.
The ferry was a fast one, it only takes 20 mins to Capri. At the island the main group went on a boat tour of some of the islands many limestone grottos.
Lynette and I had planned to run here, thinking it would be a nice flat sandy island, not a mountain in the sea, once again bringing our ignorance to light.
We caught the venicular to the top and did manage to find a reasonably flat track along the top of the hill - by reasonably flat I mean a 10 - 15% grade. We changed into our running gear in a niche on a corner and ran along a track signposted to Villa Jovis, dodging the narrow electric carts they use for deliveries and transport.
Tourism at speed, the views were stunning on the way so the run had lots of stops and starts, it turned out that Villa Jovis is another Roman ruin, this one where Emperor Augustus lived, there was also a Roman lighthouse that was in service for centuries. The view from the Villa was back to Napoli harbour with Mt. Vesusius in the background.
Lynette went over on her ankle just before the top but after 5 minutes of swearing at rocks she was good to go again.
We ran back to town - downhill was a little slippery. Had one of the electric carts in front of us, like driving behind a fire truck, it cleared the traffic for us. Made it back and walk down to the beach, to cool down. We gave a couple with a 6 month old embarking on the stair journey our ticket for the Venicular.
Had a change, quick coffee and lemon cake and met our Trafalgar family, we were told to grab something to eat before boarding the ferry. We got a Panini to go. The ferry is a 45 minute journey to Napoli where we joined the bus.
There is a massive fort at the harbour entrance, I was dogged by the genuinely fake Ray Ban vendor on the way to the bus. Sam had him down to from 20 to 5 euro for glasses worth 150 euro, quite the bargain if you believe the Jargon.
Drove through to Rome (hereafter called Roma, because of a whena in a Roma....). The weather was getting a little biblical on us but cleared off for our walk around the center of Roma. The highlights was the Trevi fountain and the Pantheon. We saw so much more, I'm now convinced the Romans were aliens.

Looking Back to Sorrento from the water

The Venicular track

Looking down to where the local tour boats go

A hidden treasure

Lynette after the run - at a Roman bath

More Roman ruins

The view back to Naples with Mt. Vesuvius in the background 

At Naples with the fort behind Lynette and Nigel photo bombing

Lynette at the Trevi Fountain

A column with inscriptions of the Roman trouncing of the Germanic Peoples 

The Pantheon

Inside the Pantheon

Lynette outside the Pantheon

6th Assisi to Sorrento

Travelled along some pretty windy roads in the mountains to Pompei, the weather was clear in the morning. Had lunch at Pompei before heading through the ruins with our local guide again.
Pompei is one of those places you always hear about but don't really imagine it as it is. It is a whole city, it is huge, the tour took in the shops, the houses, the bakeries, the baths, the plumbing and the brothels with cast penises on the walls to point the way. It is a very special place, already before Christ they had worked out ways to earthquake proof buildings.
After the tour we headed to Sorrento. The drive there was beautiful along high cliff top roads, the streets are very narrow hard to manovuer a bus through the streets especially when they close streets due to a soccer match.
After a short drop off at the hotel we drove to Positano in smaller mini buses- that drive was exhilarating the roads are built into the side of limestone cliffs, in many places counter levered over the ocean 300 meters below, a bit of a thrill ride.
In Positano the houses are built into very steep cliffs and one on top of the other. Century's old and very unique, what a day!

Pompei

The street of Pompei - check out the wheel ruts from high use

The famous plaster cast from a suspected thief

One of the brothel images

Statue of Biggus Dorkus

Relics that have been uncovered from the ash

Mt Vesuvius in the background

the Positano 500 Fiat rally

Positano

Positano

the Positano 500 Fiat rally

5th Venice to Assisi

Early start again to get the bags to the bus in time. Boated back and started the drive to Assisi. It was bucketing down on the way but once we arrived to the Mary of the Angels Basilica it slowed to a light drizzel.
The Basilica housed the church that St. Francesco of Assisi rebuilt and the house that he died in - both inside the building.

Pope Frances had visited the day before us and had left a terrible mess all over the yards. Saw a 'Forniture'  shop on the edge of town, I can only imagine what those pieces are like.
We then went up the hill to the Basilica of Francesco of Assisi. This place was the home of the Pope for many years. We had a local guide again, this guide was also extremely good and had a very good message of love thy neighbour and respecting each other at the end of the tour.
The town of Assisi and district of Umbria have a wow factor. The places are just stunning. Enjoyed the local Gelato, then walked the street before heading back to the hotel. As soon as we arrived we changed into our running gear and took off for another 1/2 run. Did 5.8km the track was flat but the legs were hard to move today.

Basilica Di Santa Maria Degli Angeli (Mary of the Angels) Assisi

Basilica Papale Di San Francesco (papal Basilica of St. Frances)

The Town around the Basilica

The Town around the Basilica - very steep streets

4th Venice

We started the day with a boat ride to on of the islands for a Murano glass blowing demonstration. It was amazing how quickly the craftsman could make a vase or horse. Then of course we had the opportunity to part with our money. The pieces of art were brilliant but we resisted.
We travelled back to St. Marks square. Lynette and I had a quick tour of the bascilica and it's marvellous mosciacs. The tide was coming in and the entrance was under water.
We had a walking tour with a local guide, she was a Venetian treasure herself, she was about 80, born and bred here, she was full of life, singing as she walked and calling us all together with a 'yoo hoo'. The walk mainly took in the life of the peoples, from the beginning through to today. Like a lot of cities, foreign investors have pushed up prices so much that most of the locals only work here, they live on the mainland.
After the walking tour we slowly made our way back to the hotel with Nigel and Leanne,  through the many back streets and bridges. We stopped on a canal near the Rialto bridge for lunch, we ordered drinks and asked for one pizza to share, the waiter was insulted by this and told us to leave - welcome to Italia.
We walk down two restaurants, asked before sitting if we could share a pizza and told 'of course'. It was so good I wish we had ordered one each. We continued our dawdle home past many many shiny things.
Once back we only had enough time for a cup of tea then off for a tour of the Island of Burano. What a very special and pretty part of the world. Very colourful houses in a small fishing village known also for lace making. They have a leaning tower which plays a very important role - when it looks straight you know you have had enough to drink!
We would have watched the sun go down if it wasn't covered by cloud. Had a delicious dinner. Shrimp Risotto, Pasta with baby mussels, Sea Bream and salad with Tiramisu and coffee to finish, throughout the evening the wine flowed freely.
It was only nine-ish when we arrived back at the hotel, we still hadn't run here so made the effort through the endless crowds and narrow alleys and bridges working up a time of 30 minutes at a reasonable pace.

Murano Glass blowing demonstration

On Borano Island

On Borano Island

On Borano Island

On Borano Island

On Borano Island

On Borano Island

3rd Vienna to Venice

Started at 7.45am, drove through some beautiful alpine areas when we first entered Italy, this time the weather was behaving well, we could actually see the mountains. Drove through to alluvial plains, very flat farmlands.
Besides stops for coffee and lunch, there were no tourist  stops. We drove across the Mussolini era causeway to Venice where we transferred from the bus to a boat and boated across close to the Amadeus hotel where we stay for 2 nights. I was amazed at the logistics of moving the luggage and people around. It is something that has to be witnessed to be believed. Police, Ambulance, Construction, Rubbish collection - it all happens by boat.
We dropped the bags then caught a taxi with guided tour through the canals, went up the Grand Canal to St. Mark's Square. We had a little time here on our own to admire the architecture, the seamless blend of Gothic, eastern (Morrocon, Turkish etc.) baroque before we embarked on a Gondola ride.
Our Gondola had one other couple - Paul and Leslie, who were on their honeymoon - so we had one of the serenades in our boat. Very nice cruising down the canal with the piano according playing and an Italian man booming out the hits of the 70's (1870's). Then back in the water taxi's, we went home a different way past the cruise ships and expensive yachts, up to the hotel room for a minute before walking across the street for dinner with the tour group.
I like the way the Venetians eat, many small courses. Enjoyed a couple of local wines, by the time we returned to the hotel it was 11.00 pm. My mojo was sleeping well before this.

The Grand Canal

The Rialto Bridge

St Mark's Square

Doges Palace

Can't remember the name

On our Gondola tour

On our Gondola Tour

2nd A Day in Vienna

Woke up early 6.15am for a 7.45am departure to Schloss Schonbrunn Palace - the Habsburg's Summer Shack. Pretty impressive building, we had a early viewing with a local guide, the doors open before general public viewing for this, well worth the trip and early rise although it was freezing, a vast difference to two months back when it was stifling hot.

After this we had a city tour walking from the Winter Palace to the Opera House. Had a coffee and walked towards the hotel, had lunch then returned to the room for a catch up sleep. Had pre-dinner drinks in a local pub then had dinner in a cafe and back to the hotel.

Others in our group were more adventurous, taking horse and carriage rides, going to concerts for Vienna Waltzes and enjoying lavish dinners with local wines.

Netty at the Palace

Netty in the Gardens

1st Innsbruck to Vienna

Back in the bus, a big driving day. Stopped in Salzburg the home of "the sound of music" for a walking tour, we walked up to the fortress gates but didn't have time to enter to get value from the 7.50 euro entrance fee.
Back on the bus to Venice. Once there at the Austria Trend hotel we went running in the Belvedere Palace gardens right behind the hotel for 35 minutes. After that we met other couples on the trip Nigel, Leanne, Chris and Karen. Had some Baileys and peach snapps then walked to a local brewery for dinner. Tried the Hell Fire chili beer, it was hot but flat - like drinking Tabasco sauce. The food was great though. Had a nightcap at the hotel and called it a night.

Overlooking Salzburg from the castle gates