Monday 16th September, 0630 start from the inexpensive (£3.50 a night) park and ride overnight car park near Canterbury to ‘Le Shuttle’ and offered an earlier shuttle. We had quite a long journey across France & Belgium and into Luxembourg, so the earlier shuttle was a welcome bonus. We had one stop for lunch on route and reached our destination at 1530, so a long day on cruise control – which was very welcome and helped us to achieve 27.5 mpg in the 4.35 tonne motor home and towing the Toyota Aygo behind.
Tuesday we plan to stroll all over the main city and on Wednesday visit a few castles, so hopefully I’ll have a few pictures to share with you all.
Tuesday 17th September: Luxembourg
After a short journey to the free Park & Ride car park on the outskirts of the city we had a quick journey into the city. After a cloudy start, we crossed this bridge and walked down into the valley below and up to this view. The weather improved and ended up quite warm, so a cool beer was required. Misty decided to cool down with a different approach:-
Later in the day, we visited the old part of the city and walked along the river, or in Misty’s case, swimming in it!
Tomorrow, we will visit the valley of the 7 castles.
Wednesday 18th September:
Took the car out for a spin in the countryside today and headed over towards the boarder with Germany to two locations; Beaufort Castle and Echternach (reported to be the oldest town in Luxembourg).
We then headed back to the ‘Valley of the 7 Castles’ which wasn’t as impressive as the statement suggests. We visited 4 of the 7 and 3 are shown below:-
We think a few days in Luxembourg was probably enough; good to visit the capital and see a little of the wonderful countryside, but passing through it as we have planned. So tomorrow and Friday we travel through Germany with just 2 overnight stops, so the next update will be after that when we expect to be in the Dolomites.
Saturday 21st September: Into Italy. Thankfully we are now in Italy as scheduled, but the trip wasn’t as smooth as we may have anticipated. We left Luxembourg on Thursday after filling up with fuel (which is the cheapest in Europe). Each day we planned approximately 4 .5 hours driving across Germany and Austria with a first stop scheduled in a remote area near Pforzheim for our first experience of wild camping.
As it turned out we experienced no issues, but I can’t say I was comfortable with it. Note to wifey – we’ll not do that again!
Heading east, we spent the next night at Bad Aibling, which this time was a site regularly frequented by motor homes for just 10 Euro a night which included the electric hook up. Much easier to relax here with my cheese and wine (which I didn’t share).
Saturday we headed off towards Austria stopping just before the boarder crossing to check out the travel vignette requirements for travelling through Austria. Unfortunately we hit a blockage!
As our motor home was heavier that 3.5 tonnes, we needed to purchase a ‘GO box’ for 80 Euros. The price you pay depends on the number of axles and the emissions rating for the vehicle. So it was lucky that Vanessa had taken our vehicle logbook, green card and emissions certificates with us to get this box.
After that, the rest of the day was all uphill, into the Austrian mountains and onto Italy
At least we had good weather for the journey for the 1000 metre climb into Austria and down again in Italy.
After turning off the main toll road in Italy we headed up the steepest incline to the Dolomite region and travelled through a few lovely villages which we may visit again later in the week.
The motor home managed the incline with relative ease in 3rd and 4th gear which I was pleased about. We arrived at Camp Valle Verde near Predazzo which looks like a good site – another good bit of detective work by Vanessa.
Sunday 22nd September: The Dolomites. We left Campsite Valle Verde (just east of Predazzo) heading east for a mountain stream to get some photos. It was a reasonable forecast, but rain expected later, so we couldn’t plan to hang around for sunset.
The mountain roads were, as you might expect, steep in places and with plenty of bends. So we were very surprised when 3 German cars, all BMWs, came speeding past everyone, overtaking several cars at a time – even on a bend; what total ‘Richard’ heads!
At this time of year, we photographed a mere stream in comparison to a torrent of water expected in the thaw if the number of white boulders is anything to go by.
Tomorrow we are expecting rain, so we plan a short trip to stock up with provisions: Wine, Weissbeir and apparently food has made it onto the bottom of the list.
Monday 23rd September: A wet day in the Dolomites.
So what do you do on a wet day in the Dolomites when you still have 8 weeks available in Italy. We took a day out and visited the local town for a few provisions. First stop was to practice my Italian in a bar – I must have made a mistake as we ended up with 2 coffees and a cake. Never mind, I’ll soon get that perfected! Vanessa went shopping whilst I collected the car – fortunately she remembered at the till that she forgot my wine and rectified that mistake immediately.
So, I’m writing this whilst enjoying a few glasses of 2016 Chianti Classico after a very enjoyable chicken and tagliatelle evening meal; cooked by my own personal cook.
Before you think I was just sat around doing nothing today; then you’re wrong, I completed a very important project. Those of you that know we well enough know that I do enjoy my music. Well, 9 weeks in Europe without some decent audio was an unbearable thought. Not any more…..
New speakers installed and very nice they sound when played through my Chord Mojo DAC with the phone as the streamer. Retirement plans are definitely being implemented and enjoyed.
Tomorrow looks like a better day, so we plan an early 0700 start to get the early cable car up into the mountains. I’ll share some of the views with you tomorrow.
Wednesday 25th September: It was about time we did a little more serious exploring, so we had a few favourite locations identified and we’d try as many in one day as we could. Out of 4 planned for Tuesday, we only managed 2 despite a 0725 start. We had approximately a 1 hour 30 minute drive to the first location which involved a leisurely cable car ride up to the view point. There were too many peaks to identify, but if you are interested in the location, we used the Falzarego Lagazuoi – Cable Car Station.
Really magnificent views from on high – it is possible to stay overnight in a hotel above the cable car station to get sunrise shots, but they were full and also don’t allow dogs to stay overnight, so we had to make do with these snaps:-
Several mountain walks can be started from here, but we were planning more visits, so decided to head off and return back down by Cable Car.
Returning to the car, we continued our journey east to a well visited park (which costs 30 Euros to enter) and parked the car at ‘Tre Cime’. Then set out on foot to a wonderful mountain range known as Paternsattel.
Same peaks taken from different sides. Weather was forecast to be better, but the clouds give the images a more dramatic feel.
After this we headed back to the car and had no more time for any other locations. In fact we stopped at a pizzeria for something to eat and travelled the last 60 minutes home in the dark – not something I wish to experience again as the hairpin bends and poor lighting made it a difficult drive back to base camp.
Wednesday, we thought we’d take it easy as the weather was supposed to be wet – so a slightly lazy start and we headed of to the other side of the local town to walk the dogs.
The weather forecast was wrong; it was glorious, so we started a 3 mile circuit up into the hills. Unfortunately due to a storm last October there were still 1000’s of trees down which blocked our return route, so we had to back track down the same route.
Fortunately the weather remained good, so returned in the dry.
Finally we got back to camp for several beers and a bit of sun:-
Thursday 26th September: After wifey’s complaints about yesterday’s inclined stroll we decided to visit one of her suggested locations. The descriptions and images of Lake Solapis suggested it would be quite a picturesque location. So Thursday morning we set off for another 2 hour drive to get to the starting point for the walk.
The road side around the starting pathway was crammed with cars, which gave positive indications that we were in for a special walk. After approximately one mile, the path started to incline and as we later realised climbed for the next 3 miles.
I’m not sure we would recommend this walk to 60+ year olds, but you can judge that for yourselves with some of the next images we took on the way back down
We were very pleased to complete the walk, but after the exhausting climb, we did grant ourselves one small luxury in the cafe at the top:-
Friday 27th September: After the exertions of the last few days, we planned a relatively short tour in the car to a few locations. The two dogs would also be grateful of the rest day. The first location was to a small church, but unfortunately we realised when we arrived that the best time for photos would have been sunset, but never mind, we had to make the best of the opportunity presented to us.
After a cappuccino and apple strudel in the nearby hotel, we headed off up the into the mountains again to see what views we could find….
Shortly after this we returned to the motor home to start packing away ready for an early(ish) getaway tomorrow. Looking at the route to Lake Garda it is mostly downhill, so hopefully we’ll have a good journey ready to explore our next destination.
Summary: The Dolomites proved to be an excellent photo location and we will almost certainly return in the future, but we may have to stay some of the nights in hotels local to selected photo locations to get a good opportunity to take sunrise and sunset photos – this wasn’t really possible this time as most locations were at least 90+ minutes from our campsite and the roads were a little steep to consider dragging the motor home and Aygo around to other locations.
Saturday 28th September: Leaving the Dolomites behind for now (as we will return another year) we arrived at our campsite and selected a pitch right on the beach.
We decided to take the afternoon off and relax on the beach. The next day we toured around the lake perimeter stopping at a few towns.
As we walked to the town of Malcesine we passed a green landing strip at the side of the lake – used for the para-gliders which seems to be a very popular past-time over hear.
Tomorrow we’ll continue touring, but after I get out on the bike in the morning.
Monday 30th September: We were scheduled to have another 26 degree day around Lake Garda when the UK is slightly worse off with lower temperatures and rain – no gloating! I thought I’d get up early for an early morning ride before temperatures got too high. So I set off on a planned 22 mile ride around our local area:-
I returned to a deserted motor home – no cuppa, no brekki, no dogs and no wifey; a few of these were unacceptable. So after a late breakfast and shower we headed off to Sirmione (on the southern peninsula into the lake).
Did I say it was 26 degrees around Lake Garda – well inside the castle walls it was much warmer so naturally we stopped for a drink:-
After a late afternoon return to the Motor home and cooking a couple of steaks, we watched the sun go down (as Vanessa grabbed her camera and tripod)
Tuesday 1st October: Lake Garda is OK, but it was difficult to be totally excited by the area. Yes, there are a few locations we would have enjoyed returning to like Malcesine, but today we went outside the immediate vicinity and headed off to a couple of smaller lakes.
Our end destination was Arco, but we needed lunch and a beer (& Coke) before exploring the area. The main attraction was the castle – which brought back memories of our mountain goat escapade in the Dolomites….
All the photos looking towards Lake Garda were rubbish due to the huge amount of haze over the lake – so I think we chose the right locations today.
Tomorrow we head off to Lake Como.
Wednesday 2nd October: I first woke up at 0400 with the sound of rain on the roof of the motor home, so got up to ensure the roof windows were closed. The cause of the rain was entirely my fault as I chose to clean the motor home the evening before to remove the tree sap as I foolishly chose a pitch under a tree. The rain at least helped to remove any remaining dirt. Fortunately everything else had been packed away that evening as we were travelling to Lake Como the next day.
The journey was OK, but as we approached Lake Como we could see we were in for a special few days. Arriving at the campsite we selected our pitch (under another tree, but promised this one will not exude sap all over the roof).
After initial set up, we walked the dogs along the beach to the local village and then we realised we were in paradise. . . .
But, what about the view we have from here. . . .
Our first impressions of this place are very high and looking forwards to exploring many of the towns and villages we passed through or saw across the lake during our journey.
Not missing home at all for some reason. . . . .
Thursday 3rd October: Our first night at the ‘Magic Lake’ campsite wasn’t quite as restful as I had expected. The wind picked up in the night which disturbed one of our dogs (Misty) which in turn disturbed me at approx. 0400. After losing several hours sleep, we decided on a late start with a trip down to the southern tip of the lake – Como (west) side.
We only spent a few hours in the town, which seemed enough and just a few snaps of a couple of viewpoints.
We then drove up to Bellagio passing through several small villages with narrow roads. We stopped several times along route to photograph some of the sites across the lake.
We arrived in Bellagio and lucky to find a parking space as the town was very busy. It’s a town with narrow cobble stoned streets and the usual array of coffee shops and ice cream parlours.
We left via the ferry to shortcut the journey back to the campsite. . .
Tomorrow we decided to have a lazy rest day.
Friday 4th October: I was out with the dogs before sun up on the local beach, wondering if it was worth dragging Vanessa out of bed for some photos, but the sunrise never really materialised, so the wrath of ‘V’ was avoided (this time anyway).
After a late breakfast we walked to the local town of Dongo and I practised some almost perfect Italian in the Cafe asking for two ‘very hot’ cappuccinos (as the previous day they were just warm). The waitress corrected me on a small wording error – as I used the wrong word for ‘hot’ – which in Italian is ‘Calda’. So I thought I’d got the message across, but we received another two luke warm cappuccinos ! So Vanessa immediately took the coffees back and in her best English got extremely two hot coffees (which needed to cool before we could drink them). So why did I spend all that time learning Italian?
In the afternoon we assembled the dog chariot and headed off for a 9 mile round trip cycle ride to another village north of us. The cycle way is a bit hit and miss, where as the roads could be miss or hit, but we managed it one way or another.
Tomorrow we’ve planned some hiking.
Saturday 5th October: Greenway Del Lago
This was a 7.5 mile walk which Vanessa has discovered on the internet before arriving here. We drove and parked at Griante, then caught the bus down to Colonno. You may be able to check out the tour on Komoot: https://www.komoot.com/tour/97698867 if you want to see the route we took.
It took us approximately 5 hours, but we stopped at numerous points to take pictures or find a bar. Not much more to be said, except to let the photos speak for themselves – we would recommend this walk to anyone. . .
It wasn’t particularly hot (~22 C) but we had to think about cooling the dogs down; and of course ourselves.
Tomorrow – another walk planned, but this will be more challenging.
Sunday 6th October: We decided on another of Vanessa’s discovered walks although we knew it involved more hill climbing, but if it was as good as the Greenway walk yesterday, then we looked forwards to it.
The start was quite abrupt with a long 30% hill climb which continued for about 1 mile up to a church (which was in use for the Sunday service).
It levelled off for the next 1/2 mile and then climbed again at 25% for the next mile, but unfortunately no views to be seen, just trees. Eventually at the peak of our walk we came across a deserted church.
After lunch, we started the decline which for the most part was down a rough road used by 4×4 vehicles. If you are interested in the route, then check out https://www.komoot.com/tour/97796757 for details. As we descended we caught site of the first church we passed on the incline.
Back at the car, all I needed was a drink, but Vanessa wanted one additional stop off as she had heard Mussolini was executed very close to us. After a little searching she found this. . .
Then we returned to the Motor Home, for that drink I promised myself.
Tomorrow, we move on to Cinque Terra, more to follow in a few days.
Wednesday 9th October: Cinque Terre
The drive down from Lake Como was fairly flat for the first half then we meandered around and through the many hills around Genoa, which was an early indication of the terrain around the coast leading to the Cinque Terre region.
Cinque Terre translates to ‘Five Lands’, but means the 5 towns along a small stretch of the coastline.
On Tuesday, we took a free shuttle bus from our campsite to the Railway station (which is the only practical means of visiting these 5 towns). We purchased the ‘Cinque Terre National Park’ card for the day (the dogs also needed a card each) which covered all our trains or hiking within the region.
The first town was Monterosso, which only served as a cooling point for the dogs – as we plan to revisit this town another day.
Foolishly and not learning from our previous mountain goat escapades we opted for the coastal walk to the next town of Vernazza. For details you can checkout: https://www.komoot.com/tour/98127033. The climb involved large rock steps and in places the path was quite narrow which didn’t help with people passing from the other direction.
For us ageing pensioners we found this walk a little too gruelling and couldn’t really recommend it. The dogs loved it, but it showed it’s affect on them later in the day. We did find occasional watering holes along the route.
I said we couldn’t recommend the coastal path, mainly as the view points were relatively few and mediocre to look at apart from the one at the end. . .
Remember I said there was an affect on the dogs later in Vernazza
After this we took the train down to the 5th town, Riomaggiore, which was ‘just OK’ we thought. . .
But the main plan of the day was to end up in the 4th town of Manarola for sunset. Judge for yourselves if we were successful
Rest day planned on Wednesday as are getting a spell of typical British weather – the sun should then return. When we plan to see Vernazza again for a sunset opportunity.
Thursday 10th October: As planned we returned to Cinque Terre to spend more time in Monterosso, Vernazza and visit Corniglia for the first time. It was warmer, but the seas hadn’t calmed down from the bad weather the day before. This gave us a few different photo opportunities.
We moved on to Corniglia which involved another short hike uphill from the station to an interesting little town, but not really a sunset opportunity.
We headed back to Vernazza for the planned sunset, but the viewpoint we had picked wasn’t going to be as successful as first thought. . .
We headed down into the town for a better sunset opportunity. . .
Tomorrow we move on again heading towards Tuscany.
Saturday 12th October: Lucca
This is the 3rd time we have visited Lucca and it is a town we would recommend. If you fly to Pisa for a weekend break, spend one day in Pisa and travel to Lucca by train for the 2nd day – you’ll not regret it.
We parked in a free zone outside the walled town and went straight to the oval piazza.
It wasn’t long before Misty and I needed a drink. . .
We later found a restaurant we had eaten in the last time in Lucca and decided to eat their again – an interesting place with an unusual proprietor . . .
Afterwards a quick tour to capture the night lights. . .
. . . before returning to our motorhome.
Travelling on to Tuscany
We had an early start the next day as the car park we had used was restricted from 0600 for the market traders. So headed off and arrived early morning at our next destination in the Tuscan hills. After a restful day with a siesta, we ventured out in the evening hoping for a sunset, especially as the ‘Hunter’s Moon’ was scheduled this weekend. . .
Sunday 13th October: After a late return yesterday, we started later today to head towards a well known photo location via a few stop-offs along the way.
After a nice coffee and bruschetta in the town of Asciona, we headed off to Podere Baccolino.
We hope to return here again for sunrise or sunset photos when the weather settles as we are approaching some rain on Tuesday.
Monday 14th October: The weather was dry and very hazy, so we decided to visit a few hill towns in the region. On the way I spotted a potential photo opportunity (when the light improves)
The first town we visited was Pienza which was high on a hill with good, but hazy views.
Moving on to Montecchiello (another hill town) we were very impressed as the streets were virtually devoid of any people – especially all those tourists that get in the way. Below a selection of the many photos we took. . .
The last town was Montepulciano which as you can see below is another hill town.
This was the least interesting town of the 3 we visited, but it also had a few good views
Rain forecast for Tuesday.
As the rain was scheduled for Tuesday, we were going to have a lazy day, but in the morning the skies were fairly clear, so we dashed out to see what we could photograph nearby. We returned to the location 20 minutes from us to see what we could capture (I still think sunset will be better).
Later we travelled to a small village of Ieri near us to walk the dogs although it had just started to rain. But they needed a walk, so we carried on. This village had some interesting artwork scattered around
After a very cheap cappuccino in the local cafe (which was also the supermarket) we headed back to the motor home for that lazy day we promised ourselves.
Wednesday 16th October: We thought it was about time we got up before the sun.
After yesterday’s rain, today’s forecast was good, so we set off at 0625 only to stop at the campsite gates – they didn’t open until 0650. Fortunately we still arrived on location just a few minutes before the sun cleared the hills to light up our subject. Hopefully the images speak for themselves. . .
A great reward for the early start – we then ate breakfast in the car before heading to another location we looked down on the other day. . . Can you remember the film Gladiator
The first scene was filmed just outside the walls of Pienza, on the unpaved road that leads from the Pieve di Corsignano to Podere Terrapille.
After this we had a very well deserved coffee in Pienza and Vanessa photographed this little courtyard. . .
One last stop along the road off before lunch back at the camp site. . .
One last outing an hour before sunset – back to Caggio al Chiostrio
Tomorrow we may try to get above the clouds again. . .
Thursday 17th October: As planned, we headed up into the hills to capture images in the expected misty conditions. We drove towards Asciano as there was higher ground and we were lucky to capture these images. . .
We moved on to Asciano to look for another vantage point and took these images. . .
After this we headed into the town for a coffee and then returned to the motor home for a more relaxing afternoon (although that didn’t last)
I decided to get the bike out and hit the hills with a 20 mile cycle ride ( details here: https://www.komoot.com/tour/99732122 if interested).
Tomorrow we’ll try another location; I’ll let you know how we get on.
Friday 18th October: We thought we’d try something a little different today and headed back north to San Gimignano, but unfortunately we didn’t locate the best vantage point this time, but at least we grabbed a few photos. . .
San Gimignano in the distance as the mist cleared. We looked for other locations in the area, but not really ideal. But there were plenty of vineyards. . .
Then headed into the city for breakfast
We bought a 2020 calendar and then headed off to one of the locations displayed which was nearby.
Headed back to the camp site for lunch and start tidying up as we are heading further south tomorrow.
Sunday 20th October: After a terrific week in the Tuscan region we moved on further south (after a hearty cooked breakfast – only our 2nd since we left home).
First stop on route was to fill up the motor home with fuel – ouch! 123 Euros for 3/4 tank top-up, but at least over here they try to make you feel you’ve got value for money. . .
We were heading for Tivoli (near Rome), which so far has been our worst driving experience in Italy – on the Rome ring roads. They have several multi-lane roads running in parallel and you have to be careful to make sure you get on the correct carriage way. Worse still the main 4 lane carriageway had no lane markings, so it seemed to be a bit of a lottery finding the correct lane.
We did eventually arrive safely at a campsite just north of Rome.
Day trip to Tivoli
We left early to miss the traffic, although for a Sunday we expected that to be light. Parking is free on Sunday and we walked around the older part of the town. A few street images below. . .
We then entered the Valle D’Este which is known as the garden of the hundred fountains. More images for you to peruse. . .
We enjoyed walking around all the fountains and would recommend this to others (13 Euros each adult).
The last stop off before returning to the campsite was Hadrian’s Villa, a few miles outside Tivoli.
Tomorrow we head south again.
Tuesday 22nd October: Pompeii
It was a great relief to get away from the chaotic roads around Rome and we eventually arrived at Pompeii, but not to the correct campsite (initially). It was like looking for a greek taverna! There were touts trying very hard for you to turn into their parking/campsite and in the confusion we missed our turning by 50 metres. Luckily I managed to escape and eventually get into the correct entrance; once a stupid motorist realised we couldn’t enter until he moved his car which was completely blocking the entrance (and holding up a long queue of cars behind us).
On arrival we were told we couldn’t use the road we arrived on with a vehicle longer than 7 metres, so we had to purchase a 5 Euro license to give us legal rights to use the road when we leave.
Apart from food shopping, we rested up at the campsite for the rest of the day as temperatures were hitting 27C.
Pompeii Ruins
The next day we joined the queue to the ruins at 0850 (10 minutes before opening) and spent 3.5 hours inside – it was massive and well worth a visit, but we do recommend you avoid the summer and start early to at least get 1 hour of cooler temperatures. A few photos included for you to review. . .
We thought the site map provided was not adequate to really be sure where you were amongst the ruins. The signposting inside wasn’t much better as several people (including us, where unsure of the direction they needed to head in). But eventually we covered most of the area, so definitely allow yourselves 3 to 4 hours and don’t dash into the nearest bar afterwards for refreshments as they were expensive.
The heat was a challenge for the dogs (even though they were wearing ‘cooling jackets’), so we’ve decided to try where we can to only do morning trips and rest up in the heat of the afternoon.
So tomorrow we’ll get up very early to visit mount Vesuvius and return before lunch. Tomorrow’s blog we’ll confirm if we made it to the top.
Wednesday 23rd October: We’ve always heard people say – never drive in Naples (or Napoli as it is called in Italy). But before that, we had an early start and headed up Mount Vesuvius for a sunrise over looking Naples.
Notice the large shadow of Vesuvius across Naples in the 2nd photo.
After this we had breakfast in the car as we had a one hour wait until we could pay for a parking ticket. Luckily getting there early meant we were at the front of the car parking lane – which is along one side of a long dead end road. Once you get the parking ticket, you take a 1 euro (per direction) shuttle bus which takes you another 1.2 miles up to the ticket office to then buy your 10 Euro ticket for the privilege of walking the rest of the way to the top of the crater.
It wasn’t long after this that our trouser leggings were unzipped and removed for a cooler walk. For anyone thinking of doing this, it wasn’t as steep or challenging as we had expected, but maybe that’s due to our previous mountain goat training sessions. But pay attention to the photo – the path is in the shade of the volcano and remained so virtually all the way up; so start early! Note also that the dog coats are COOLING COATS and wet – which has been a must have to keep them cool.
The photos around the top of the crater are not as inspiring as we had hoped – what do you expect from a big hole. But it was on our list and now we’ve done it.
On the way down I had to carry Holly most of the way as she was so tired – good job we are only doing morning trips; but the path was in full sun and we had to worm our way through the hundreds of people walking up who had arrived by coach (Vanessa counted 16 coaches – and more on the way).
Driving Home
Now back to that drive home – Vanessa drives the small Toyota Aygo on the day trips (as I handle the motor home) and Google got us safely down the mountain and into the one-way system on the outskirts of Naples, which initially took us closer to Naples before finding the correct one-way road back towards Pompeii. Now, I used the term ONE-WAY, I should have said ANY-WAY, because we had cars, vans, scooters and pedestrians coming at us from all directions and some of the roads we had to use were really quite narrow. Vanessa was very calm and only tooted the horn twice – I think she’s been away from home too long! But we did eventually arrive back at the campsite in one piece.
I haven’t lost my engineering touch
Later that day I got advice from a UK support desk for our fridge/freezer as we’ve not been able to open the freezer compartment for a week. I did try an Italian support engineer but they were useless as were the UK dealers for the motor home. The dealer suggested we force the door open and get it repaired when we return – so I checked their advice with the UK agents and they provided a few steps to try first which allowed me to wiggle the freezer door free. There is still a door catch issue, but we have resolved it well enough for now.
Tomorrow we’ll travel to Sorrento and then use the bus along the Amalfi coast – so the dogs should get a little less walking and more riding.
The Amalfi Coast
We weren’t sure what to expect along the Amalfi coast from a driving aspect as we have plans to drive their later for sunrise photos, so on Wednesday, we took the train from Pompei to Sorrento and then the ‘Sita Sud’ bus to Positano and then Amalfi.
The bus drops off at the top road around Positano and there is only DOWN to reach the town centre (unfortunately realising as we progressed that to return the bus stop again was going to be an upward challenge). Parking is expensive in the multi-storey car park shown in the last photo below – 7 Euro per hour, so the bus may be the best option at 10 Euro each for 24 hours!
Once in the town there were a nice selection of tourist shops, bars and Pasticcerie (pastry shops). . .
It’s not a trick photo, those are cool refreshing soft drinks for us both – as it was very hot outside.
After this we continued down to the beach.
Then back uphill to the bus stop – the next bus driver refused to let us on because the dogs weren’t wearing a muzzle. So I bodged one out a dog lead and Vanessa’s camcorder bag strap – good enough to get on the next bus, but we think it was just one difficult driver (although muzzled dogs on public transport is the rule).
We moved on to the town of Amalfi, which was fairly uninteresting, although no hill climb this time. We walked around the corner towards the next town (Atrina) looking for potential sunrise locations.
We thought we would return to these locations tomorrow morning for sunrise, so headed back to Sorrento on the next bus – the dogs were getting tired anyway.
We’ve been walking the dogs less this week with their cool jackets as the temperature is higher, but it has still been challenging.
Note: Unfortunately the forecast for Thursday wasn’t good!
So we decided to stick with our original 6 night stay in Pompeii and returned to the Amalfi Coast on Friday – so I’ll cover what we did on Thursday later and complete the Amalfi Coast now. . .
Sunrise on the Amalfi Coast
Alarm set for 0500 with a plan to leave the motor home at 0545 – target met, and we arrived at the town of Ravello which was one of the higher towns which looked down on the coast. Location was a pure guess, hoping we might have a good view of a sunrise – judge for yourselves. . .
We didn’t wait here for the sun to rise above the skyline as the plan was to head back towards Amalfi and Atrina. . .
After this we headed east along the rest of the coastline, which got less and less inspiring as we travelled into the sun. Vanessa did the driving and managed to avoid the oncoming traffic well – luckily at the earlier time of day it wasn’t as busy.
Well it proved very worthwhile getting up early, so we returned to the motor home for 10:00 for a rest. We did head off again later into Sorrento to see it by daylight – lovely town, but best to visit it and eat in the town at one of the many restaurants we think. Note in the 2nd photo, the Xmas decorations up in October!!!!!
Back to Thursday – the day we had a rain forecast! I awoke in the night with the sound of a few raindrops on the roof – but that was it. It was cloudier in the morning, so glad we had postponed the sunrise and decided to have a lazy day and give the dogs more chance to rest. I relaxed listening to the HiFi whilst Vanessa was booking next years holiday to South Africa (in the sunshine, so still no rain).
The forecast improved as the day progressed, so we decided to visit Herculaneum which was highly recommended to us by a close friend. Unfortunately we only discovered when we arrived that dogs were not permitted in the grounds, so they rested whilst Vanessa and I took turns to look at the ruins – we both agreed that this was much better than the Pompei ruins and virtually no people.
The motor home is now all packed up as tomorrow we start heading east before later turning north for cooler weather and slowly head back to the UK.
Sunday 27th October: Matera
After the last 3 day update, just a short one today. First thing this morning I realised that some clocks were out of sync, then realised it was us that was out of sync. Rectified this issue and we then left Pompei at 0830 and arrived at Matera at midday.
We decided to relax for the afternoon with 30C heat in the motor home and later left to a sunset photo of the town. So just the one photo today for you all.
Tomorrow we’ll spend the day in the town and maybe look for a different sunset perspective. Tuesday morning we’ll try a sunrise as well.
Monday 28th October: This town has quite a history – the people in the past used to live in caves excavated in the rock and these dwellings still exist.
The old town grew around these caves and much later a whole new town extended out over the plateau.
We only had time to look at the old town which proved fascinating.
The dogs were getting tired again by lunchtime, so we returned to the motor home and waited for another attempt on the sunset.
Tomorrow we may try a sunrise before moving on the the next location.
Tuesday 29th October: The day started early again as we headed back to the rough ground looking down on Matera ready for a sunrise this time.
It wasn’t as spectacular as the other sunset sessions, but worth the visit. The plan for the day was to drive 1.5 hours down to Albarobello as Vanessa wanted to see a little village of small houses with conical roofs. The roads we travelled on were the worst so far with many stretches limited to 50km/h due to the many bends and pot holes. We eventually got to the town and after a little confusion found a car park in the town where we could leave the motor home for a few hours.
I then asked Vanessa for the car keys so I could uncouple the car and ‘A’ frame from the motor home. Well they weren’t where she said she had put them! We then spend the next 30 minutes searching high and low for them.
I got the spare set out of the safe, but I still wanted to find the main keys, so checked back with the last campsite – after a small language barrier, we got the message across – nothing handed in and nothing after a search of the area.
So we went through the steps again – what she did when she got into the MH after locking the car – EUREKA. She immediately opened the plate cupboard and pulled out the keys. I was very calm and very relieved. So after losing this time, we paid for just 1 hour parking and dashed off to this village. . .
1 hour was just enough time and we returned to the MH car park 1 minute before the traffic warden arrived. I prepared the car with the ‘A’ frame ready to hook up and leave for Bari which was another 1.5 hour drive.
The roads were slightly better, but when we arrived at the campsite – IT WAS CLOSED. So we quickly replanned and headed another 30 minutes north after first phoning ahead to make sure this one was open.
I hadn’t expected retirement to be this stressful, so after the early mornings and late evenings we decided to stay put tomorrow and chill out. The dogs will be very pleased I’m sure.
We can truly say we are heading back north towards home and we’ll spend some time over the next few days looking for our next locations (as it looks like we are heading towards some typical British weather). After 6 weeks now we’ve only been affected with 2 days of rain, so some rain is due.
Wednesday 30th October: We decided to stay on site today and do very little as we all needed some rest, but that would start after I’d rustled up our 3rd cook breakfast of the holiday. Bacon is very difficult to locate, but we found it and enjoyed it with 1/2 a sausage each, poached egg and mushrooms (for me).
Unfortunately during the cooking of the above, the floor hatch covering the water tank dropped free. So after breakfast, I got out my tools, screws and spare blocks of wood and managed to implement a reasonable repair. This was a design flaw as the hatch is just beneath the raised platform we eat from and so receives additional load every time we step down. Anyway, I fixed it well enough for now until we get home.
In the evening we thought we’d travel 15 minutes down the road to see if we would be lucky with another sunset in the town of Trani.
Thursday 31st October: Just a short update today:
Travelled 350km (218 miles) today for another overnight ‘wild camping’ session as we’re heading back into Tuscany tomorrow for a few days. The temperature has started to drop as we head towards home and we had a few drops of rain as well – not something we’ve experienced much of in the last 6.5 weeks.
The dogs are still sleeping as much as they can on the journey. They’ll wake up at meal times though.
Vanessa was planning to cook tonight and then pointed out there was a good recommendation for a pizza restaurant a few yards away – so I guess she won’t be cooking after all.
Late update: Vanessa not cooking was the best decision she ever made as I have just had the best pizza ever!!!! I’m not normally a pizza lover, but the truffle, Gorgonzola and Fungi pizza I’ve just eaten was made in heaven. So if you ever find yourselves in the Teramo vicinity, you have to visit Pizzaria Ristorante La Stazione – you’ll not regret it. I’m wondering if they are open for breakfast.
Friday 1st November: After the excellent pizza and weissbeir that I consumed last night, I dosed off quickly, but was rudely awakened at around 0200 with a large lorry + trailer trying to park up for the night in the space next to us, which was just large enough. Fortunately I managed to dose off again despite the heavy rain.
We left at 0730 in the rain to stop off on the way for breakfast. It was good to get back on the autostrada’s smoother roads and arrived at a campsite near Assisi around lunchtime. We couldn’t book for 3 nights as planned as their season ends in 2, which is the next problem Vanessa is trying to overcome when looking for sites that are open in November.
Later we headed off to have a look at Assisi – yes, the Assisi made famous by ‘Frances of Assisi’.
Temperature now staying around 16C and more rain forecast for tomorrow and next week, so I’ve rigged up the TV aerial and tuned to the Italian stations – as I discovered that RAI will be transmitting the Rugby world cup final tomorrow, so with a few beers, rain outside and feet up relaxing – I’m Sorted!
Saturday 2nd November: No, we’re not home yet, but it now feels like it. The day started badly with England losing the rugby after all the effort to screen it on the Motor-home TV. Then after lunch we headed off for Perugia (another hill town), but as we arrived through the archway, the rain arrived and slightly dampened our spirits. So we sheltered in a cafe for a couple of treats. . .
The town had a good medieval feel to it, but it was no where near as impressive and clean as Assisi which we visited the day before. The town had a large market in the streets, so we did purchase some prosciutto ham before taking the rest of the photos and then leaving to escape the rain.
Tomorrow we will reach the Italian west coast again and in the next few days we’ll be leaving Italy and heading back home via France. The weather will help us to decide on the amount of time we spend travelling up through France. If it doesn’t improve we could be back 1 week earlier than scheduled.
Monday 4th November: We left Assisi on Sunday for La Spezia and had to endure some difficult wet and windy conditions. After a quiet night on a basic parking area, we started early on Monday for Sanremo. The morning weather was completely contrary to the forecast and was sunny and dry.
Everything was going well until we hit Genoa – where I decided to take the shortcut (saving 45 minutes) and headed across the city on the A10 – Bad decision! After a few wrong turns (as our Garmin maps were not correct) we eventually struggled out of the city. The skies were still clear, but the wind had picked up with strong gusts. I had to drop the travelling speed when we traversed the high roads in between the many tunnels.
Sanremo isn’t much to write home about, but I’ve included a few photos below. . .
Whilst returning back to the motor home, Vanessa spotted the most amazing and unusual multi-coloured cloud formation which exhibited the colours of the rainbow: –
Tomorrow we head into France.
Tuesday 5th November: Welcomed into France…
. . . by the police! The first shock was the ridiculously high toll charge after a short crossing of the boarder. Immediately followed by a nice policeman asking us to move to one side where the other police officers were standing.
What was the issue we wondered? The ‘A’ frame towed car or a passport and documents check perhaps. Neither, they just asked to inspect the inside of the motor home. As the policeman entered they were warmly welcomed by both Misty and Holly lurching forwards and barking to show their disapproval. Fortunately they were tethered (as required by the law). The police were happy with their very quick inspection and said we were free to go.
After a few more large toll charges, Vanessa pressed the red button and questioned their level 4 vehicle classification (which classed us as a lorry) – they immediately dropped the level down to either 2 or 3 which significantly reduced the cost. So we’ll continue to question it at future toll stations.
Today’s journey was the longest I’ve done in one day as we really wanted to get to the Millau Viaduct before sunset, so after 450km we eventually arrived in the pouring rain at an overnight parking place overlooking the viaduct (and it’s free).
But the rain didn’t stop us getting our cameras out in the hope of a last minute sun-ray through the dark clouds. Fortunately the rain eased off to a light drizzle and we managed a few shots.
The forecast tomorrow morning is more promising, so we’ll be up before sunrise to try again.
Wednesday 6th November: As planned we awoke early to the sound of rain on the motor home, but this still didn’t stop us getting out 30 minutes before sunrise. There was still a lot of cloud around but also some clear skies and a hope of getting a glimmer of sunshine.
All around us the skies looked fantastic, but just not where we needed it – behind the viaduct. So we moved to a lower vantage point.
We had a rainbow behind us, golden clouds to our right, sun-rays to our left, and this view in front. This was probably the best we could manage in the time we were there, but we have agreed to return to the valley below on a future trip and try for more photos with a different perspective.
After breakfast, we headed onto Vichy which was mostly on good ‘free’ motorways and later incurring only a 7 euro toll for the day as we approached Vichy. The last 4 days of driving have tired me out, so I’m under orders to stay for 2 nights in Vichy. The weather is forecast to improve tomorrow, so we’ll wander into the city.
Saturday 9th November: Well Vichy was useful for a 2 night rest stop, but it offered nothing of interest, so no need for anyone to include it on a holiday location.
Next stop was Tours for 3 nights to help continue my relaxation before re-entry into the UK. This city did have much more to offer with interesting locations which we visited after the vets when Misty and Holly received their mandatory worming tablets – so now we have 5 days to leave France.
Tours has some interesting old buildings and it looks like an excellent location to eat out (in the warmer weather), We spent Saturday wandering the streets and have these images for you to review. . .
If the weather holds tomorrow, we hope to drive through the Loire valley.
Sunday 10th November: This is the last report for this trip as the next few days will only involve travelling and overnight stops as we make our way back home.
The weather today was relatively good to us and the rain stayed away, so we picked 4 fortresses or chateaus to visit. The first location was Chinon
Then moving on to Chateau d’Usse, which provided the inspiration for the ‘Sleeping Beauty’ story.
Next was Chateau de Langeais, which was probably the best preserved of all those we saw.
Finally Chateau de Luynes, but we were too late to go inside
I had expected to come across many more chateaus, but we’ll have more time on another visit in the future to explore the area some more.
The End.
Bateson's Travel log 