Pompeii (Day 2)

This morning it rained, it thundered, it rained even heavier, Mount Vesuvias dipped in and out of the cloud, and the other three vans all left, So it's just us here tonight. Mid morning, the weather began to settle, and we put on our lightweight, waterproof jackets and backpacks, and set off, looking like a pair of geography teachers, on a school trip.

By the time we reached the ruins of old Pompeii, the weather had settled. We were suprised how quiet the area was, but by lunchtime, the coaches began arriving, with passengers from the cruise ships, and suddenly, we were flung into the world of tour guides and loud Americans.

We entered the site by the large amphitheatre, then viewed the nearby grapevines, whose grapes produce 1,700 bottles of wine a year, which you are unable to purchase, as the bottles are sold at auction.

The ruins were absolutely fantastic, and the realisation of what had happened here, was both unbelievable and fascinating. We could see the site was an ongoing project, with works going on all around.

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We wanted to see as much as possible, and the photo opportunities were endless, although made difficult because of the crowds of people. Stone columns, mosaic floors, wall paintings, brickwork, statues, the houses, the shops, shop signage, the streets themselves, where you could see the grooves of the cart wheels created over time, so much to take in, and then there was the brothel, tiny rooms with stone beds, very comfortable!

We heard one of the tour guides describe the image of a phallus carved in one of the large stones, that made up the road, as a pointer to the brothel for men, who'd lost their way, it seemed most of the customers were sailors from nearby boats.

After walking around the ruins for, four and a half hours, we seemed to have barely scratched the surface. With weary legs, we set off on the 30 minute walk back to Marge. Luckily, the man who owns the campsite spotted us,and stopped to offer us a lift, which we gratefully accepted.

This evening, Vesuvias looks dark and daunting, but quiet. It's unbelievable to think that its eruption all those years ago eradicated the lives of 20,000 men,women and children. Tomorrow, we will leave here, and hopefully escape the heavy rain that has plagued us the last two mornings.

On a lighter note, prosecco drinkers, it's 3.29 euros a bottle in the supermarket here, with an extra 10 percent discount if you buy six bottles.

Pompeii

It rained, nearly all through the night, so the view we were hoping for this morning, after driving part way up Mount Vesuvias, was not to be seen. Late morning, abandoning any idea of travelling further up, we set off downwards, Marge, confident, following a coach, who paved the way. Yesterday, we realised, that driving in Italy was a little bit like crossing the road in Italy, you need to get in there, so we did, whilst still remaining vigilant. Marge, being Marge, lured us into the back streets of Naples. So, incident number one, Marge had to reverse, out of the end, of a one way street, then turn right, tightly, minding the low wall, and up a gradient. Of course, the Italians are not very patient drivers, so whilst trying to reverse, they cut around in front of us, and, tried to squeeze behind us, all the time, sounding their horns. The Marge we know, would have loved all this male attention. We have worked out, that about one in fifteen of the drivers are on your side, whether you are trying to cross the road, or, waiting while you sort out your driving! After that, it was another case of 'get me out of here!'. So we followed road signs for the autostrada. Eventually, on the toll road, all was calm. Then, we exited for Pompeii. After leaving the autostrada, the roads, seemed like they'd been bombed, and because of the heavy rain, all the more dangerous. Then, incident number two. 'The bridge approaching, is too low for Marge'! 'Reverse, onto the junction'. More impatient Italian drivers, with blaring horns. So, we allowed the sat nav to re-route us. Incident number three. 'This roads narrow'. But Marge had, had, enough. The drivers coming towards her, either had to stop, or reverse back. By then, we were only about four minutes from our destination, great! Then incident number four. 'Those trees are TOO LOW! '. 'Sorry, Marge, this might be a little uncomfortable'. And then we arrived at the campsite. Greeted, by the cheerful owners, we were relieved to have arrived. We were each, given a welcome drink, of peach juice, and some fruit, a little like small peaches, from a tree in their garden. After being shown the facilities, (great, hot showers, toilet etc.), and being told information about, New and Old Pompeii, we decided to take a breath, and have our lunch, and celebrate surviving Naples. The site is a thirty minute walk from Old Pompeii, so after lunch, we took a walk out. The area, near the campsite, is very run down, and we were a little bit apprehensive about it, but twenty minutes later, we arrived at a beautiful, large church.

The painted ceiling was stunning, and impressed everyone who stepped inside to see it.

On, one of the walls, there was a painting of Ava Maria, adorned with gold jewellery, which caused a lump in the throat, and a tear in the eye, as this was Marge's favourite song as a young child.

The organ, which sat above the main door, was the best we'd ever seen, and we've seen some organs, having frequented so many churches on our travels in Europe, secretly praying that ourselves and Marge remain safe. Today, was the day, that we both thought Marge might come to grief. As usual, we were pestered by tour guides, one telling us the mini bus tour up to Mount Vesuvias was 15 euros each, when we knew from our hosts, that if you boarded it a the station it was 10 euros! On top of this, was a 10 euro, standard charge, to walk, to the crater. We are now firmly in Mafia country, and were put off one of the overnight stops, because the price was basically decided on the spot, after giving you the once over.

On our way to the large supermarket, on the edge of town, we were lucky to be rewarded with a free, sneak preview of Old Pompeii.

After, buying some provisions for tomorrow's packed lunch, we walked back to Marge. The evening was fairly warm, and after taking advantage of the on-site showers, we settled down, with a pre-dinner drink, appreciating, we had the best seat in the house, with a clear view of Mount Vesuvias.

We are looking forward to spending a couple of nights here, away from the rat race, that awaits us on Italy's roads. The Internet connection, is very poor here, so our blog may take a little while to come through, whilst we are here.

Ristorante Piana dell Ginestre, on the slopes of Mount Vesuvias

As the museum awoke this morning, and the first coach full of visitors arrived, something attracted our attention in the nearby stream.

Diving in from the bank, frogs, taking an early morning swim. In the trees above, pigeons, clumsily bounced from branch to branch. The other English couple who stayed here last night, left fairly early. They had not left their van since arriving. We could not understand why, when you could view the gardens and outdoor exhibits, even when the museum was closed. Each day, when we arrive at our overnight aire, we take great enjoyment, from taking a walk around. Just before we left this morning, we visited the museum shop, which was full of Army surplus items, some from Canada and Russia. As we made our way back to Marge, a very large military vehicle, which we deduced to be, a vehicle used to make up a floating bridge, was being loaded onto a low loader lorry.

There was much precision involved in the process, but little health and safety.

A final walk under the eucalyptus trees, on the way back to the van, we stopped to photograph the very large woodants, on the ground.

Nearby, lizards, warming themselves in the sun, with one eye open, waiting to pounce.

(picture from the Internet as we where not quick enough to take a photo)

As we drove away from the aire, we saw a Hoopoo.

As we headed south, the Italian driving became worse. Today, they've taken to heading straight at Marge, so desperate to overtake. On one dual carriageway, we saw a motorcycle overtake a small van who was already in the overtaking lane, even the van driver seemed shocked. Along the coast road, we travelled through tunnel after tunnel, through the mountains. In between two of them, we stopped to look at the amazing views, and take advantage of a photo opportunity.

Continuing on with our journey, we were finding it difficult to find somewhere to stop and have our lunch. Finally, at just after 2 pm, we pulled in to the car park of a Euro Spin Supermarket, (Italy's equivalent to Aldi). Once re-fulled, we ventured into the supermarket, for some much needed supplies. The wine was priced very reasonably, so we stocked up on that as well. Two litres of decent stuff, for less than two euros! Whilst in the supermarket, we saw a range of female bodysuits, made from sheer material. Now we know where the working girls buy their outfits!

Tonight, we should have stayed in Caserta, where there is a Roman amphitheatre. Driving into the city, it was a bit like riding into Dodge City. The area was very run down, and there were lots of dubious looking people. We found the aire, parked with the few other vans already there, and feeling more than a little vulnerable, set off in search of the entrance to the amphitheatre. In the end we gave up, the area seemed to be secured, and we weren't happy about leaving Marge. She had already attracted the attention of some east Europeans in the car park of the supermarket, looking so new and modern, against their older cars. So adopting the policy, if something doesn't feel right, it probably isn't, we left the city of Caserta. Ironically, whilst driving out, we saw a restaurant, aptly called, The Wild West. Well Marge was riding out of town! We had decided to head for an overnight stop, which had received good reviews on the internet. for its position, with great views over the bay of Naples, and the islands of Ischia, Procida and Capri.

After about a hour of very stressful driving, resulting in a very slow climb in second gear up Mount Vesuvias, with fast moving downhill traffic, narrow roads and hairpin bends, we arrived at tonight's overnight resting place. Marge had held firm, persisting slowly, whilst her driver felt increasingly unwell at the stress of it all, knowing Marge would say, 'get a grip!'. Eventually, we pulled into the car park for the Ristorante Piana dell Ginestre. After some discussion with the manager/owner, we paid 10 euros to stay the night.

We have a nice secure spot, on grass, under the trees, with views towards the bay of Naples and the islands. Just after we arrived, a group of young men turned into the parking area, in a blaze of flying gravel. They asked John if he could photograph them as a group, with the bay behind them. On leaving, there was the boyish prank of pretending to leave one of them behind, this resulted in the young mans right foot being run over, he seemed O.K. though. Whist we ate our evening meal, a group of people arrived, for what appeared to be a party for twin teenage boys They appeared to have brought an official photographer with them, but the boys seemed unwilling to meet his demands on how they should pose for his photographs. In the end he gave up.

It has been a warm day, but this evening it is raining a little. We are hoping the weather will be clear in the morning so we can obtain some good photographs of the view. Some years ago, we used to frequent an Italian restaurant in a local town. The couple, originated from the island of Capri, and on the wall in their restaurant, they'd hung a tourism poster of the island. We would never had thought all those years ago, we would be in sight of the island of Capri, ever.

Tomorrow, we will head to Pompei. Before we set off, we may drive further up Mount Vesuvias, park, and take a walk. The volcano, has not erupted since 1944, and is constantly monitored, but hey, what a fantastic photo opportunity! Behind Marge is some molten, fossilised lava, how cool is that?

Outside, we can hear the fireworks going off in Naples. From our position, we can see just how vast the city is. We have decided not to visit it, but enjoy it from up here on the mountain.

Note if you want to use any of the photos for any purpose please do so, but put a link to: https://www.muddymarge.com

Piana delle Orme

Yesterday evening, the air was still and warm, whilst we enjoyed a glass of wine, and planned our onward journey. As the sun faded, the sky was smudged with warm swathes of lilac. Through the power of the internet, we kept in touch with family at home, and especially smiled, at the video of our youngest grandson, who is now crawling. Oh dear, parents, now things get serious, don't forget the stair gate!

This morning we were up early, as our plan was to leave Rome by 4 pm, so we would avoid the worst of the traffic.

We returned to the nearby tourist office, arriving just before they opened. The young lady there, wrote down the number of the bus we would need, and which metro line and station we required for our visit to the Vatican City. Armed with this information, we purchased four metrobus tickets from her. Each ticket offers unlimited travel for a continuous 100 minutes, the clock starts ticking, as soon as you board the bus. So six euros later, we stand nervously at the nearby bus stop. But no need for nerves, 35 minutes later, we were walking out Ottaviano metro station, right near the Vatican City.

The time 10.30 am, and the crowds were already forming. As we walked the streets, we were irritatingly, pestered by the tour guides, but we have to limit our spending, as we must be able to fill Marge up with fuel, to continue our trip. For us, just the experience of seeing all these wonderful places is enough.

The innocents abroad.

How surreal and awesome, did it seem, to be stood in St. Peter's Square? All round, there was something to see. Don't forget to look up, down that side road, turn around, and what a view!

The architecture was impressive, the bright limestone of the columns magnificent. Who'd have thought, John and Angela Hampton would be here? After our manic experience in the centre of Rome, despite the people, and traffic, it all seemed a little calmer here, why would that be? But the dangers of crossing the road were evident. At one zebra crossing, there was a large pool of dried blood near the kerb. Let's hope the pedestrian who leapt, before they looked, is alright.

Having eaten our breakfast earlier than normal, we were ready for lunch at 12.30. We'd hoped to be able to buy two more delicious deli sandwiches like, yesterday, but to no avail. So, we returned to a small cafe, we'd passed serving kebabs and pizza. The man, seeing us interested, offered us a sample of, pizza each.

Clever move, we were in the door before you could say pizza. But it was worthwhile, and after a vegetarian and caprese, we left full and satisfied, well done young man on your sales technique.

Our journey back across to the other side of the river, was straight forward. The metro was a lot busier than this morning, but the modern, light, open trains, did not make us feel claustrophobic, despite the hoards of passengers. At one station, a nun boarded. John, forever the gentleman, gave his seat up to her. She seemed both suprised and grateful.

A few shots of Rome before we say arrivederci

We arrived back at Marge at around 2.30 pm, and, after sorting ourselves out, left Rome around 3 pm. It was with mixed feelings that we left. We would not miss the traffic, noise, chaos, sirens, but would miss the atmosphere, the architecture, the history, and the thrill. We are overall glad we passed by this way, and will be forever grateful to the lady in the tourist office, for making our trip to the Vatican City so effortless. So, goodbye, Rome, we will now leave you, to all those millions of visitors, who will follow in our footsteps.

Not having driven Marge for a couple of days, we decided to drive to an aire less than two hours away, just south of Rome. Despite being on a main road, the condition of the road was diabolical, it made the ones in England seem perfect. In the unlikely event you are reading this, Italian minister for roads, please could you do something about them. We bet the road surface outside your house is perfect! On the way to the aire, we passed some 'ladies, offering afternoon delight'. One of them, was wearing a skirt that barely covered her lunch! Another, had heels on her stiletto boots, that must have been eight inches high, probably to be able to see into a lorry drivers window! Still, they gave us some amusement, and we wondered where do they buy their outfits! The answer, well just google it!

Tonight we are staying at the aire, adjacent to the car park of, the Italian, Agricultural and Military museum, at Piana della Orme. A strange mixture from ploughs to Cold Starfighter! With a lot of noisy peacocks thrown in for good measure.

So it's, 'a night at the museum'. The aire is set amongst the trees, there is another English van here, but the couple don't seem very friendly. We think there may be a little bit of snobbery, between owners of coach-built vans, and van conversions, (apologies to our friends Andrew and Trudy).

It is now just after 9.00, and the sun has gone down. We are tired from our few days in Rome, but also exhilarated, from having been there. Checking the weather forecast, it looks like it is going to become a lot hotter, as we head towards Naples.

Note if you want to use any of the photos for any purpose please do so, but put a link to: https://www.muddymarge.com