April 18 - Capri

With help from Mirko, we are getting better in sending pictures from Italy for the blog.  Mirko is the grandson of the family who own the apartments where we are staying in Sorrento.

There are only two pictures from our day in Capri.  The first shows the ferry leaving from Sorrento. The second shows a cluster of boats waiting outside the entrance of the Blue Grotto.  The small row boats are the ones that are able to get through the low entrance into the grotto.  I have posted these two pictures so that you can see the incredible blue of the water here.  The color is truly amazing!

April 17 - Colosseum Pictures

Thank you to our hotel manager for his assistance and the use of his laptop.  We have now been able to post some pictures.  The first picture was taken from a small piazza above the Colosseo Metro Station showing Sue in front of the Colosseum.  The next two pictures show us inside the Colosseum on the third level.  This level overlooks the floor of the stadium where the gladiators fought.  The arena is huge.  On our tour we also walked around the lower (basement) level where the wild animals were caged and where the gladiators prepared for battle.  Here as well, many slaves worked to operate the winches to position the animals and the sets for each performance.  As well as jungle and desert landscapes it is even thought they were able to stage battles at sea.  There is evidence to suggest the stadium floor could be flooded with water.

As stunning as this may all seem, we were most in awe at the age of this structure which was completed in A.D. 80.  We were standing in the same place with the same outlook as others had experienced nearly 2000 years ago.

April 16 - Sorrento

Lyle and I spent today walking the streets of Sorrento. This morning we walked by many of the grand old hotels which overlook the sea.  They were very impressive, but I mist admit that I am happy with our small apartment in the heart of Old Town.  It is compact and freshly painted with good lighting. The induction top two-burner stove will always be a mystery for me to operate so Lyle is doing the cooking.

On our walk we strolled by the Hotel Syrene built on the ruins of the ancient Roman villa where Agrippa Postumo was exiled by his grandfather, the emperor Augustus.  With such a magnificent vista, it would not be too bad a place to spend in exhale!

This afternoon we sat on yet another bench and watched the traffic go by.  With the speed of the cars, buses, bicycles and scooters and pedestrians crossing at random, Lyle was sure we would see at least one accident. Amazingly, this was not the case.  As we sat, Lyle described the scooter riders to me. There were all types from young to old, male and female.  Some were casually attired while others wore business suits.  There were even families.  Lyle saw a father and mother with a child in between, and also a woman with a very young child in front and an older child behind.  All of the adults wore helmets but not all of the children.  Scooters appear to be the easiest way to navigate the narrow streets and also the easiest way to find a parking spot.  On one street we saw close to one hundred scooters parked in a row at the edge of the road. We have not yet found a computer where we can transfer pictures from our camera, but we hope to be able to post some pictures later.

April 15 - Capri

Today Lyle and I took the ferry from Sorrento to Capri.  I had always thought of Capri as an island of romance, but commercialism and tourism have definitely take over.  Paying 35 Euros (return) each for the short ferry ride was just the beginning than expensive day.

Of course we had to visit the Blue Grotto but the minibus ride there on the impossibly narrow road was more spectacular than the grotto itself.  The rowboat ride into the cave itself was only for about five minutes.  I found it too dark for me to see anything.

The highlight of the day was definitely the chairlift from Anacapri to the summit of Monte Solaro. The lift was for single passengers so Lyle went first so he could help me off at the summit.  The ride up was in silence, suspended in space.  It was totally awesome and I loved it.  The ride took nearly fifteen minutes to reach the top.  At times my feet seemed to nearly scrape the cliffs and tree branches, and at other times I was way above ground level.

The view from the top was amazing, with blue water and blue sky on every side.  We had packed a lunch and sat outside enjoying the sunshine. Coming down on the chairlift was equally spectacular as going up.  When it was time to get off the lift operator must have noticed my white cane because he used a strong arm and a handshake to get me out of the way of the next chair.

We took the steps and pathway to return to the ferry.  The sign said it was a ten minute walk. After a twenty minute walk we had or race along the pier to catch our ferry with thirty seconds to spare!  All in all, it was a great day.

April 14 - Rome to Sorrento

Lyle and I are in Sorrento.  On Saturday we caught the express train from Rome to Naples.  While it is not unusual for me to see very little of the landscape from a train window, I was surprised when Lyle mentioned that he was also seeing only a blur. There was however a good reason for this.  At point our train was travelling at 300 km/h.  No wonder it was hard to focus on any details outside answer sped along.

At Naples we were able to make an easy connection to the local train to Sorrento.  The driver on this old train had higher aspirations of speed but only succeeded in rattling our teeth!

The town of Sorrento is situated along the top of a cliff and is a long vertical drop to the sea.  This morning we sat on a bench near the cliff top overlooking the water, and this afternoon we took the lift down to the port and found a different bench for the same activity.  It was a lazy day in the sun.

Our small apartment is in the historic area of Sorrento.  I find that walking on the cobblestone pavement and narrow sidewalks is difficult, but I love the ambiance of the narrow streets, the small shops and busy restaurants. We are still surprised when cars and scooters appear out of nowhere behind or in front do us.  It is only the beginning of the tourist season here but there seem to be people everywhere.

April 12 - The Colosseum

Today was our tour of the Colosseum and Lyle managed to get us from our hotel to the Colosseum Metro station fairly easily. Our first glimpse of the Colosseum was amazing. It is an awesome architectural structure and although it is now only a ruin of its former glory, it was exciting for us just to be there. Unfortunately, our guide today seemed a little inexperienced and her English was difficult to understand. Nevertheless, Lyle and I were both thrilled to be standing in the midst of so much history.

I found the walking and the steps on the tour today quite strenuous. The pavement was very uneven and some of the walkways were irregular stones. The stairs were very steep. The elevator on the one level was not working and our guide ignored the second elevator completely. She rushed ahead from one interest point to another and my white cane might as well have been invisible.

However, one of our tour members showed an almost overwhelming concern for me. Perhaps she thought Lyle was neglecting me because she insisted on taking my arm in an almost vice-like grip on several downward flights of stairs. I found this very unnerving. I am never sure how to respond to this type of uncalled for assistance.

Now we are back at our hotel and I had to laugh when we read an email from my friend, Jean. She reminded me of the importance of constant hand washing when travelling. Well, after the excursion this morning I scrubbed my hands almost to the elbows. During the morning I had held on to so many dirty and sticky handrails, I was glad I could not see what I was touching.

Tomorrow we catch the train to Sorrrento. I hope the fine weather here continues. From what we read on the internet, we are missing some heavy snow in the forecast back home.

April 11 - Big or Multi Grande!

Rome is big! When Lyle and I looked at our map we thought that St. Peters Basillica was only a fifteen minute walk from our hotel. Instead, it turned out to be a half hour bus ride. Everything here is big.

In some ways "big" is better for those of us who have partial sight. In other ways, it is not. I was able to see the large outline of St. Peters. On the inside I was able to experience the vast expanse of the high ceiling and huge statues. However, I could not see the detail of the mosaics and other monuments.

Last month Lyle and I watched TV when the new Pope appeared on the high balcony. Today, Lyle took a picture of the same balcony. It is interesting that the camera can see what I cannot. I am hoping that when we get back to Canada I will be able to see this picture under my CCTV Reader.

Today at St. Peters our guide was excellent. She definitely noticed my white cane. Many times when we stopped at a point of interest she would call me to the front, saying, "Lady, come here!" I appreciated the individual attention, and at one point in the tour, was able to touch the bronzed left foot of St. Peter.

We would recommend a guided tour here. It was a great first day for us, and we did not get lost!