Sue70

My last two days in Italy were spent in Naples and Rome. I took the train from Sorrento to Naples, and on the train, on the seat behind me, was the teacher I had met on the way to Naples a week earlier! Her husband was off doing a hike, but she was going to check out Herculaneum. I was a bit surprised that I ran into her again! What a weird coincidence. I had known that she was going to Positano for several days, and then off to Capri, but who would have thought we'd bump into each other again? I made my way to Naples, where I walked to my B&B, again cursing the lack of street signs and the lack of detail on my map. I managed to find the location, but my ... read more

I arrived in Sorrento, hot, sweaty, and a bit miffed that the "10 min. walk" to the hostel took more like 20 min. in the beating sun. Again I was told, "Today is the hottest day we've had this year!" Lucky me. I was brought to my hostel room, which in reality was a hotel room with 5 beds in it. The hostel was more like a hotel or resort, with a lovely pool, a pool bar, a restaurant, air conditioning, and just overall nice accommodations. I dropped off my stuff and made my way to the pool bar where they were still serving lunch for another 15 min. or so. I ordered spaghetti, and it was okay. A little pricey for what you got. I decided to take it easy, so I went back to ... read more

I got up reasonably early today and had breakfast with my host, who gave me some info about Pompeii. He suggested certain areas not to miss, how to get there, and suggested that I get the ArteCard, which was 27 euros and included two archeological sites plus transportation for all around the area (including getting to Sorrento tomorrow) for three days. I got ready, got the card, and made my way to Pompeii. On the regional train platform at the main train station, there was an American couple who approached an American family and asked if they were in the right place. I overheard and said I was 95% sure it was right. Once aboard the correct train (I was right!) we chatted all the way to Pompeii. Boy, it's easy to meet people when you ... read more

I arrived in Naples yesterday, after a very long train ride from Pisa. The train left at 6:49am and arrived in Naples just before 1pm. The train ride was fine, although long, and I napped for the first half. Once we hit Rome, the train compartment was full, as a Canadian couple took their seats and tried to deal with their large suitcases. The husband was not in good spirits, trying to lift his bag up on top of an already full luggage rack, and his wife tried to calm him down. When I heard them speaking English, I suggested that he try to sit my big backpack upright. I would have done so, but couldn't reach that high. He did, rearranged his bag so it wouldn't land on anyone's head, and we started chatting. Turns ... read more

After leaving the hostel in Corniglia, I had lots of time to make my way to La Spezia for my train to Pisa. I got on the bus to the train station, got a ticket at the train station, and took a train to La Spezia. I met three Canadians along the way; a girl in her 20s and her parents were traveling to Florence. It's really nice having the Canadian flag on my bags, because it starts so many conversations that way. I've only been mistaken for American once or twice, when I didn't have that Maple Leaf showing prominently. ;) In La Spezia, I had two hours to kill. There was a McDonalds there, so I got a meal, and made myself comfortable. More than an hour later, I made my way to the ... read more

So I made my way from my hotel in Genoa to the train station with lots of time to spare. I had a quick breakfast of cappucino, a croissant with jam, and freshly squeezed orange juice. (This was the deal for 3.90 euros.) I found my spot on the train to La Spezia and sat and waited to leave. And waited, and waited, and waited. Finally, someone who worked on the trains came and explained in Italian (of course) that there was a problem and a delay. I didn't really understand what was being said, but got the jist of it that there was a problem with the doors. After that, I didn't know if she was saying we would have to switch trains, or wait another 4 hours, or what. Fortunately there was a really ... read more

So I'll be backtracking a bit to catch you up. I think I will separate the blogs into chunks, so that you can choose whether you want to read all, some, or none of them. ;) My last day in Toulouse was pretty uneventful. It was pretty relaxed, with no rushing around. I got up late, had a quick breakfast, and went to the Capitole to meet my brother's friend, Olivier. I got a text saying that he was running a bit late, so I texted back and let him know where exactly I was sitting waiting for him. He found me pretty easily, and we set off walking a bit to start the afternoon. He wanted to show me some spots in the city that I might not have already seen, and he was hard-pressed ... read more

So after two days in Toulouse, wandering around and seeing the sights, I made my way to Carcassonne. It was a quick train ride in a TGV (train à grande vitesse -- means fast train!) and I arrived in the city. I made my way to the tourist office kiosk to ask how to get to the hostel, and I was given a map, directed to the nearby bus stop with instructions to take the #4, and was asked where I was from. They seem to do this at all the tourist offices here. When I mentioned that I was from Canada, they asked if it was the French part? What a compliment! (Don't worry, later that day when I asked for more info at another office in town, they asked if I was from English ... read more

I arrived in Toulouse yesterday, to a cute little hostel that is located about 1 minute away from the subway. The owner is very nice, accepts my unpractised French with no questions, and gave me lots of places to go for photographing neat buildings and views. The city itself is pretty big, with a river (Garonne) in the middle, and several canals. The Canal du Midi is quite long, and goes down to Carcassonne. I hope to walk along or cycle along that when I get to Carcassonne. Here in Toulouse, it's not very pretty. The river though, is quite nice, and they have boat tours (bateaux mouches) that you can take. I might go on one when I come back to Toulouse on the weekend. There are lots of old building here, with lots of ... read more

I arrived in Rome on Saturday afternoon, quite tired, but excited to be there. I had enjoyed the flight, sitting beside a mother of three teenagers, who still appeared to be about my age, and we exchanged stories and chatted for quite a lot of the flight. I tried to sleep on the plane, and dozed for maybe about 3 hours in total. Bleary-eyed, I picked up my luggage, headed for the bus to Terminal Station, and proceeded to look for my hostel. My Rome guide book was buried in my big backpack, because I'd moved many things the day before in order for the carry-on bag to make the 5kg weight limit. They didn't even weigh it! Anyway, I had thought I knew where I was going, but after 10 minutes of walking with my ... read more