Andy's World Tour of Europe 2000 Diary
Wednesday May 17, 2000
Had my first shower in days. Sorrento is absolutely beautiful, the city built on sheer cliffs that drop vertically into the sea. It's a shame we didn't see it for more than a day. At least while we where there we had time to visit the ruins at Pompeii. This is a huge site. 20 thousand people living there before Mount Vesuvius erupted. The locals are getting nervous again about Vesuvius - the volcano is supposed to erupt every 30 years, and last did in 1944... probably good to get out of there. After about 2 hours we had to get back to the Sorrento campsite to catch our Busabout coach to Rome which left at 2pm. Everyone on the bus is Australian or Kiwi, including the driver and guide, and from what we've heard, very few Americans have discovered it yet, which is great. Traffic jam getting into Rome.
Thursday May 18, 2000
Rome is massive and hot and I’m suffering from severe hay-fever. First stop, the Vatican. We witnessed a little bit of the Pope’s birthday mass. Found an internet cafe to send some messages back home, although the Italian keyboard took some mastering. The girl there didn’t speak any English - so it was fun trying to work out how much we owed her! Then it was onto the Vatican Museum. We walked through hallways and rooms full of impressive art works. By the time we entered the Sistine Chapel, it felt like an anti-climax. By then it’s mid-afternoon. Bought some Claratyne for my hayfever. We walked along a street to Plaza de Popolo, and later found the Spanish Steps.
In Italy, the Busabout people organise to stay at camping grounds rather than hostels. We're staying in what would be best described as canvas bungalows, and here in Rome they're situated right next to what looks like a creek, but smells like the toilet outflow. Italy and Greece have yet to discover toilet paper or the wooden/plastic seat that sits on top of the dunny. Surprising that they've come as far as they have... We can't wait to return to some civilisation!
Friday May 19, 2000
Another day of heavy duty sightseeing in Rome... Trojan’s Column, Roman Ruins, Colosseum, Trevy Fountain, The Pantheon, etc... In a quiet back street we bumped into William who we met on the train ride to Naples. That evening we were invited to a Busabout dinner with a few of the Busabout crew and passengers. Very cold overnight.
Saturday May 20, 2000
By now we realise we're spending more money than we budgeted for. Time to leave Rome... Our first Busabout stop of the day is Orvieto. Accessed via a funicular, its main attracted is the Duomo. Next we stopped at San Gimignano, with its many towers. We overnight at a campground outside of Florence. This one’s better than what we’d had in Rome and Sorrento. Had dinner (pizza) with Wal.
Sunday May 21, 2000
Busabout to Pisa to see the Leaning Tower. The bus driver couldn’t find the new bus park and we drove around for about an hour! In the afternoon we had a short stop at La Spezia and then to Nice, on the Côte d’Azur in Southern France. We’re staying in a hostel this time, much more civilised, but it’s opposite the noisy train station. That evening we walked along the Promenade des Anglais down by the beach.