Apologies to Naples … you are not chaotic … ferry embarking and disembarking along the Amalfi Coast is chaotic … definitely would not pass the slimmest of safety regulations. Witnessed a young lady being grabbed as she was about to topple into the sea at Positano … a crew member came within centimetres of losing both lower legs … the crush of people in the ‘every man for himself’ boarding procedure … enough with the negativity … From Sorrento, along the coast to Positano to Amalfi, up the mountain side into Ravello the vistas were magnificent… the vistas from Ravello, truly awesome. Ravello, a resort town set 365 meters above the Tyrrhenian Sea by Italy’s Amalfi Coast, is home to iconic cliffside gardens. Overlooking the Amalfi Coast, Ravello is the city of music, a medieval village ... read more

(Vicarious comes from the Latin word vicarius, which means, "substitute." Apt, as I am in Italy. You may have vicarious enjoyment through the feelings or actions of another person. You might get vicarious thrills of adventure by reading your friend's Facebook posts or blogs from overseas.) After an early breakfast we made our way briskly to the port to catch the ferry for the 20-minute sail to Capri. We were booked on the 2nd ferry; however, the Italians were too busy shouting at each other that no one checked our tickets as we boarded the 1st ferry. Maybe the masses of people had them not caring anyway. We disembarked to join even bigger masses on Capri. You want something, anything, on Capri … queue for it. We have quickly learned that ‘it’s every man for himself’, ... read more

Travel. Travelling. It does have you learning about yourself … what you prefer … for me, it’s the wide-open spaces of red dirt, spinifex plains, corrugated tracks and white, sandy beaches of Australia … compared to the hoards of people on narrow close-up roads, noise, continual vehicular traffic and having to pay to have swim. Dragging a small suitcase each across uneven, cobble footpaths, the 10-minute walk to the Naples Central Railway Station took us through many hundreds of ‘newly arrived’ Africans, ¾ or more being men. The women were gathered separately. Police and immigration were everywhere. The station was packed on all levels and eventually after negotiating our way through the throng we found our platform with not a minute to spare. We barged our way onto a crowded carriage as the train began to ... read more

Organised chaos. It has totally amazed me that I did NOT witness: one vehicle prang, a scooter or motorcycle rider being hit, a pedestrian being run over, road rage, a parking ticket being issued, a car chase, police issuing fines … What I DID witness went against everything I had been taught and adhere to about road safety … It goes against my grain but today I witnessed organised chaos working … however it scared-the-crap-out-of-me. I experienced it firsthand, walking the streets, riding on a hop-on-hop-of bus, crossing roads using a pedestrian crossing. There is constant movement at speed. There is constant noise … no escape from it. For the uninitiated such as myself, being Awake Aware Alert, had the senses working overtime. It was damn hot today, so exploring the city was challenging. Jane coped ... read more

Headspace. Body space. Dialogued decision making. Do we cancel the remainder of the planned holiday and go home or see if there is improvement and continue on? The above dominated our days. Assessment and Treatment by a leading BPPV physio. Carrying out of advice/treatment. Plenty of rest. Patience. BPPV (Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo) is definitely an illness you do not want to experience. We have been told that it is caused by the movement of minute calcium carbonate crystals into the semi-circular canals which disrupts normal eye movements causing repetitive jerky eye movements called nystagmus in certain head positions (such as turning over in bed). Sensations of room spinning, vertigo and nausea accompany this. For Jane, being able to stand or walk without support has been impossible due to the spinning, vertigo sensations. Vomiting accompanies each ... read more