Blogs from Italy, Europe - page 12

Today was spent totally relaxing. Apart from visiting the laundromat it was a 'do-not-much' day. We went out for the evening to enjoy Sorrento for one final time. Goodbye Sorrento. All packed ready to head out early by train tomorrow. Another chapter to begin.... 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

The morning aim was to purchase train tickets from Naples to Caserta for the 4thof July and tickets for tomorrow from Naples to Sorrento. Mission accomplished. We spent all the morning walking the crowded streets. Everywhere is crowded all the time … locals, tourists, refugees. There are many homeless people sleeping on footpaths or begging. Large containers for rubbish and bins are overflowing. It would be difficult to keep such a bustling, crowded old city such as Naples clean. Car horns continually blare … the ‘creep’ along and between, by vehicles, keeps the traffic moving and people relatively safe when crossing roads filled with vehicles. Scooters heading towards or coming up behind you on footpaths is common too. One must be 360o aware. Police are everywhere. All are armed. Even with the above being said, I ... read more

Ingolstadt, Germany "There is no 'Sie' above two-thousand meters," That's my friend Wolf-Dieter explaining the informal way people greet each other on alpine trails. We were following our students up a steep mountain slope near the border between Bavaria and Austria. Following instead of leading, because I had twisted my knee in a tango mishap a week before. (Don't ask.) Wolf-Dieter's wife, Suse, a retired physical therapist, lent me a pair of crutches that made me look like I belonged on a March of Dimes poster. Wolf-Dieter was good enough to keep me company as I crutched myself up the mountain. Hikers passed me like salmon swimming around a turtle. In preparation for the climb, I rested my knee all week by confining myself to my hotel room in Ingolstadt. I dutifully hobbled to the lab ... read more