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Up early and head for Igoumenitsa, we have decided not to explore the rest of Greece but return to Italy where hopefully there will be more people travelling with children. We have not found Greece a particularly friendly place this time but on refection it is perhaps unfair because we have become accustomed to the amazing welcome we received in Turkey.
After an uneventful trip to Igoumenitsa we are booked on a ferry at midnight. We travel about 8km along the coast and find a small quaint village with a harbour and pass a leisurely afternoon enjoying the sun.
Arrive in plenty of time for the ferry but unfortunately it is running late and it is after 1am before we are onboard and settled. This ferry is not as big or as ‘posh’ as the last one but after exploring a bit we end up in the cafeteria having a pre-bed chicken dinner (or Calum does) and getting to know some Turkish truck drivers getting to bed about 2am. 7am comes round too quickly and by 8:30 we are off the ferry and heading for Pompeii.
Italy 13 June 2010 - Distance Travelled 9580 km
Arrive
in Pompeii and shoe horn ourselves into our tiny pitch on the campsite on the up side we are only 50m from the entrance to the Pompeii site. As luck would have it we park next to an English couple and by the time we are sorted, the kettle has been boiled and there is a cup of tea waiting for us. Have a wander round the town and have a mediocre pizza for dinner. It is still very hot and we are, once again, grateful for our fan.
Up early and eager to get to Pompeii but as usual it takes us ages to get organised. It’s about 11 when we leave and already 36 degrees but we head for the ruins undaunted. Pompeii is vast and we decide to get audio guides to help explain things. As expected it is busy and there are lots of tours but it is still possible to escape the hordes and find a quiet street to explore and absorb ambience of the site. We spend the next five hours exploring the site visiting the Forum, the House of the Tragic Poet, the House of the Faun, the Villa dei Misterie and
the Grand and Little Theatres. Our only disappointment is in the amphitheatre which was not worth the long walk in the heat. Some of the places we wanted to visit are closed for restoration but there are enough statues, paintings, mosaics, room and courtyards to satisfy us.
We head back to the campsite and once again I am impressed and proud of my son who has walked all day in the blazing sun through the crowds without sulk or complaint. What a star!
Back at the campsite we have an attack of mosquitoes, luckily our neighbours have some handy spray!
Rome is calling.
We have decided to climb Vesuvius and visit Herculaneum en-route but it was one of these days where things were not going to go according to plan and the no blame culture would be put to the test! We see a signpost for Vesuvius and turn off the autostrada but unfortunately we end up driving up through a town with the one way streets getting narrower and narrower. We have just become the local entertainment! It is one of these times in Italy of the disappearing signpost! There is nothing to do except
keep going eventually we reach a fork; a narrow cobbled road to the left disappears round a sharp bend and has a small Vesuvius sign the right hand road indicates it is going back to the autostrada. There are times when you think someone or something is trying to tell you something and you just have to listen. We opt for the right fork (Vesuvius will have to wait for another visit) and end up on a two way road but still as narrow.
This is a busy town and there are vehicles and people everywhere. Just when we think things can’t get any worse we arrive at a bridge with a height restriction of 2.8m the beast is 2.9m. We have nowhere to go there are vehicles everywhere (remember this is Italy so it’s not at laid back as Greece or Turkey). After a deep breath and with fingers crossed we pass under the bridge no scraping sounds so we are ok. A couple more corners and we are back on the autostrada heading for Rome.
We are disappointed not to have been able to climb Vesuvius and have also decided not to go to Herculaneum.
Rome
After our near escape the journey to Rome seems to take forever. For once the mad nav woman gets it right and we arrive late afternoon at a campsite on the banks of the Tiber river. It is a big camp and before we settle down we decide to find a supermarket. We are given directions to one about 15km away. It is late by the time we get back and the mosquitoes are out in force and even using spray and lighting a mossie lamp we are all bitten.
Not happy campers.
After an unsettled night and loads of dogs barking we decide to move to another campsite away from the river.
The mad nav woman strikes again and takes us in the wrong direction (getting good at these U turns). Eventually we arrive at the ‘Happy’ camp, find our pitch and settle in for a couple of days.
The campsite has a swimming pool and a bus that ferries people to the train station from where it is a 20 minute train journey in Rome.
Calum meets some Irish boys who are his age; Freddy and Jimmy are
brothers and Patrick is their cousin. They are staying at the campsite for a couple of months while their dad’s work nearby.
Next day we are up and get the 10 o’clock bus from the campsite into Rome (we still haven’t cracked the early mornings). We have decided to give Rome 3 days which isn’t nearly enough but we figure we will all have had enough by then, especially Calum.
Arriving in Rome make our way to a Tourist Information Office to buy a Roma Pass via the Trevi fountain (fab). We buy the pass giving us 3 days unlimited travel on trains, buses, trams and the metro; free entry into two museums, without having to queue, and reduced rates after that. We head for the Colosseum and use our pass to skip the queue (result! - it is mega busy and hot).
The Colosseum is vast and for us a bit of a disappointment but hey you never know until you have been somewhere. Leaving there we hop on the metro and head back to the underground terminal where the two metro lines cross and there is a major station. Not one of the best journeys
we have ever had it’s time for a beer, wine and galeto. Wander and find a small cafe/bar tucked away on a side street where the staff are very friendly and take ½ hour or so to unwind. As luck would have it we also come across 2 bookshops selling English books we get one for me and one for Calum (he has read the three he got in Gerome). Back to the campsite and Calum disappears to play returning a short while later to cook a late tea of scrambled eggs for us and his three friends.
The boys watch a DVD for a while before bed.
Next morning we are off to the Vatican museum and St Peter’s Square. The Museum is busy and we have to queue for a while before getting in, refusing lots of offers of an English guide tour to beat the queues. Even though we had read about it we weren’t prepared for the sheer scale of the building, its exhibits, furnishings and decoration and the volume of people. We took the recommendation of the Rough Guide and decide to visit the Raphael rooms and the Sistine Chapel and lots of other
interesting and not so interesting exhibitions along the way. Calum’s favourite was the mummy at the Egyptian artefacts section.
By the time we reach the Sistine Chapel we have all reached overload and by the look of some of the other visitors we are not alone. While you have to admire the scale and sheer brilliance of the wall and ceiling frescoes for me it was just too busy with so many people being pushed through the chapel. I was expecting a wow moment and it was a disappointment for me that it didn’t happen but I am still glad to have had the experience. Not too sure about Brian and Calum! We leave after a few minutes, weary and with sore tired feet it takes us another 20 minutes to get out of the museum.
A 15 minute walk to St Peter’s Piazza and we are overwhelmed by the sheer size and scale of it, spend some time just being there. A quick look at the length of the queue (and Calum’s face) and we decide not to go into St Peter’s Basilica. We walk to the Piazza Navona then catch a bus to Piazza Del Popolo
before getting the train and bus back to the campsite. BBQ by committee (Calum and his friends) a DVD and then (another) late bed in preparation for our last day in Rome.
Our last day in Rome was (another) one of these where forces conspired against us. We had decided on a short day to visit the Planetario and Museo Astronomico then perhaps the catacombs and home. It was Calum’s job to plan the route and get us there and back. We got to the correct Metro station but we didn’t have a very good map and the museum wasn’t well sign posted so after a lot of trial and error we arrived at the back entrance and missed the showing at the Planetario. We see the Museo della Civilta Romana instead which turned out to be really interesting put the history of the Romans into better perspective. It was on a scale that didn’t overwhelm and had amazing scale models including the Colosseum , battering rams, weapons , how they laid siege to towns and buildings. The bonus was it was empty!
After the museum we decide to grab a coffee, gelato and some more books for
Calum before heading off. Rome has been an interesting experience but has reinforced that for us this is not what the trip was about. As an adult you enjoy wandering round cities and admiring the buildings and the vibe of the city with the occasional glass of wine or beer. As a nine year old it doesn’t quite cut it. That is not intended as a criticism of Calum who has never moaned about being dragged round a busy city to look at yet more ruins or old buildings, walking for miles or travelling in overcrowded trains in temperatures of over 35 degrees when all you really want to do is go back to the campsite and do some school work (yeah right) or play in the swimming pool with your friends (more like it).
Back home we decide to have dinner at the campsite restaurant, where my son surprises us by ordering a pizza with more than just cheese on it. He is becoming really adventurous with food which is great. End up back at our camper with the boys watching another DVD then bed.
On Sunday we have a quiet day then watch New Zealand draw 1 all with Italy while having a beer with an Australian couple. Calum wants to stay here another day so we will head off on Tuesday to where?
Well that has yet to be decided but it won’t be a big city!
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marlene
non-member comment
hi
hi to all the happy campers. Really enjoy reading your blogs. You are really travelling some miles, even if you are not enjoying the experience of the roads etc. With us in the heart of winter, some warm sun and no rain would be welcome now. Take care. Were to next .......