Blogs from Ischia, Campania, Italy, Europe

Nach dem Frühstück habe ich wieder das Hotel verlassen und mich auf den Weg zum Hafen gemacht. Das Wetter war dabei sehr schön und blieb es auch den ganzen Tag. Ich kannte ja schon den Weg zu den Jetfähren, denn eine solche hatte ich mir im Internet ausgesucht. Pünktlich war ich am Schalter, aber man hat mir gesagt, dass aufgrund des Wellengangs keine derartigen Schiffe fahren. Das war natürlich blöd und könnte den ganzen Tag ruinieren. Aber dann hat man mir gesagt, dass die konventionellen Schnellfähren am anderen Terminal fahren. Da bin ich also hin, das war ein paar hundert Meter entfernt. Wie es der Zufall wollte, war die Abfahrt eines von ihnen kurz danach geplant, auch wenn es sich leicht verspätete. Bei wunderbarem Wetter haben wir also abgelegt und sind diesmal im Norden der Bucht ... read more

I hadn't meant to devote my day to the Giro, but Ischia basically shut down to everything except the race. Buses were not serving any part of the island where the race was for the whole day apparently. So, I was stranded, but that made the day easier. Ischia is a sweet resort town, with thermal spas which we unfortunately couldn't visit easily. We instead walk in the shopping district, eat gelato, and partake of the crowds. This was a team time trial, so each team starts together on their own, spaced 3 minutes apart. A row of young ladies stand on the stage, and their job is to hold the bikes while the cyclists perch at attention on their bikes on the countdown. Further down the road a policeman on a motorcycle waits until given ... read more

Fotos :)... read more

Here we are in Ischia and finally were able to get online. This is a very strange place but the bruschetta is wonderful! The service industry definitely caters to Italian tourists and does not appreciate our inability to speak the language. Everyone stares at us all the time and does not seem to care when we notice. Tropo caldo! The sun has been wonderful, if not a bit overwhelming. It must be 40 degrees everyday and it is intense. Otherwise it has been lovely to relax at the pool. We visited a thermal park called Negombo and enjoyed a sandy beach day with tropical drinks. Tomorrow we are on our way to Switzerland to visit Jody's family and see the alp and their farm. I'm looking forward to it. For now we will enjoy our last ... read more

Friday afternoon and we were flying from Gatwick to Napoli. Summer in London has been shocking so we were looking forward to some Italian hot weather. We sat in the departure lounge waiting to board and Ian Wright walked past! For those that haven't heard of him, he's a well known ex-soccer player! We arrived at around 9 and took a taxi to the Grand Hotel Europa in the city centre. Taxi was 43 euros, we discovered later it should have been more like 15! Great introduction to Italian driving - almost airbourne on more than one occasion, as we sped along at 140 kph in 70 zone! Hotel was very nice. We were on the 3rd floor. Unfortunately, the lift only went to the 2nd floor. Feeling quite guilty as the elderly porter struggled with ... read more