Blogs from Cosenza, Calabria, Italy, Europe

It's day 10 of our trip and so far everything is going great. Today is a rest day as we have been going out every day then out at night too. Will start from the beginning as per my diary. Friday July 30 2010. The day has arrived we are off to Italy today. Bags are packed and Miles the cat is organised. Plane is delayed by 2hrs due to fog in Sydney and Brisbane. Dramas at Airport. Security Alert on mine and Michaels passport! What the? Bags have been sent to Rome not Lamezia...... keep smiling! Cathay Lounge totally awesome thanks to my good friend Regan. Arrived Hongkong flight good but tiring. Have a 2hr wait before our connecting flight. Mum fell asleep on the floor, Gabriel on the chair. Michael had coffee with Armando ... read more

I left Rogliano station around 11am with fellow helpex'r Hannah. Our train was a single carrige and looked resplendent as fook covered front to rear in graffitt - see photo above. The Italians seem to love graffitti, it's everywhere. Not your average UK attempt, oh no. If an Italian writes on a wall it's to declare his undying love: "Princepessa ti amo!!" We arrived in Cosenza around midday - bad idea. The traffic was not what I had expected. Streets were rammed, horns were blaring, the whole Italian-shebang. Shops close at 1pm for siesta so food was needed before we walked any further. I don't do walking on an empty stomach....After a quick bite we walked through the newer part of town for about an hour, marvelling at the mad Italian parking: parallel parking on a ... read more

Soooo I'm thinking it may have been not the wisest idea to go away again so very soon after being away for so very long. Whilst here is amazing, I kinda just wanna be back home... Lame I know, but I can't help it, I had a tantalising brief moment of home and then went again... I have been rather enjoying the Italian male idea of fashion. The all dress in a way that, were we in England, they would be rampant homosexuals. There are guys here who even shave their legs. All perfectly straight guys, I might add, the strict catholocism and small village setting make it somewhat of a no-no to be gay. Yet for some reason, they all dress like it. Why? Pass. Ideas on a postcard. I feel rather like Cindarella here. ... read more

We left Lorica today earlier than expected but we just need to adjust to changes in our intinerary. Lorica is high in the mountains and very green but also secluded. Like I said no Internet access. I wanted to mention the food at the hotel. Lorica is known for their mushrooms. They have an annual mushroom festival. Our spaghetti is just a tomatoe sause and we've added mushrooms for a change. They are wonderful. We've driven up and down the mountain several times and now realize it is no big deal to drive in the country. Our intentions were to have a picnic by the lake today but it was thundering and raining so that ruined the plans. In spite of this weather...we still didnt need a jacket and had the ac on in the car. ... read more

May 17 , 2008 Amantea, Italy We drove down from Sorrento to southern Italy and spent one night in a small beach town called Amantea on the south west coast. This is a very nice part of the country and is getting better known for the beaches and great weather. We had a nice hotel on the beach a little ways from the main town and enjoyed the peace and quiet and a beautiful sunset over the ocean. This would not be a hard place to come back to for a week or so. The drive is easy on very good roads ( a bit of construction but well managed ). You would not believe the number ( and length ) of the tunnels built through the mountains. It really is amazing and it really straightens ... read more