Blogs from Europe - page 11362

Wednesday 1st August Day Sixteen, Today we visited the excavations of the ancient town of Pompeii. As it was so close we could start by half ten and we didn't leave till half five! Armed with a guidebook, we explored the infamous streets under Mount Vesuvius powerful gaze. We saw homes, shops, taverns, temples, baths and brothels. Some still had their pots, wall paintings and mosaics, or occasionally a plaster cast of a victim of Vesuvius. Many of these things however were in a separate area or Naples museum, but we would have preferred them decayed and insitu! We also walked through Pompeii’s amphitheatre, the oldest discovered from the Romans. Next to here was a gymnasium complete with pool and up the road laid the giant Roman Forum. Uncannily, we were walking these streets on just ... read more

After the yoga festival I was debating where to go, and since I still had a few days left on my railpass, I decided on Amsterdam. I haven't been there in some time and thought it might be nice. Arriving around 11pm without a place to stay, I found a booking agency expecting to pay through the nose, and also discovering that the reason everything was booked..it was gay pride weekend! Luckily, I was able to get into a hostel, again sleeping in a room with 20 other people. Although sleep is something you don't get a lot of in Amsterdam! Amsterdam is an amazing city, and the vibration and energy is truly liberating. The people are very tolerant and laid back. This is not due to the legalization of soft drugs, this is just part ... read more

After the highs of South America it was time to look for a campervan back in good old England so that we could embark on the second leg of our journey in Europe. We must admit it did take us longer than anticipated, although we were a bit presumptuous of how long it would take considering we had never owned one before and were starting from scratch. Once again why let that stop us! Well having looked at hundreds of vans we ended up with an absolute gem. By chance we stumbled across a private sale and bought it at a bargain price, a combination of Rob’s good negotiation skills and the seller getting desperate, probably the latter. So I hear you ask........tell us about her. Yes, yes....she is only 4 years old(we were expecting to ... read more

(To see the new website for Stylecrete go to www.stylecretecumbria.com) As my Dad will vouch I barely know which end of a shovel to hold. Well that was until I started working for a concreting company. Now I know which end to hold, how to saw wood, wheel wheelbarrows, float concrete, pull my pants down so you can see the top of my crack and various other trade secrets. Anyway I thought I’d give you some background on the company and what we do. Firstly there are four of us: - Jock who started the company 17 odd years ago and is supposed to be retired now that he is 66 but probably works harder than any of us. - Andy who is Jock’s son and has now taken over the company. He has said that ... read more

..La Serenissima.. "The Most Serene".... Generally speaking Venice is not that serene, most of the time completely packed ear to ear with tourists. The only time really when Venice is serene.. is probably at night.. I've been to Venice probably 4xs in my life, and I've never been bored of it. (so far) Italians will recommend that you find a hotel on the mainland (in venezia mestre), and not in the city of venice, b.c it's always cheaper. But I absolutely love to ride the waterbuses up and down the grand canal at night.. which you'd probably wouldnt be able to do, if u didn't stay in the city. One of the last times I was there i had gone to 2 museums, the Guggenheim, and the Accademia. Unless you are a die-hard fan of ... read more