Ugljan, the "Olive Island"

Halfway around St. Michael's Fort, Ugljan, Dalmatia

Day trip to St. Mihovil's (St. Michael's) Fort, Ugljan

The island of Ugljan (pronounced "oog-li-yan") is an easy 20-minute ferry ride across the Zadar channel. Whenever the bustle of town life got to be too much, I'd hop on the next ferry to spend a few hours hiking and exploring this lovely Dalmatian island. The Jadrolinja ferry from Zadar arrives in the port of Preko, where there are a grocery store and a couple of cafes / taverns, as well as bus service to other towns on the island.

Hiking trail on Ugljan, springtime blooms

On one day trip I determined to make it all the way from Preko to St. Mihovil's fort, formerly a Roman depot and later a Venetian fortress, on the top of the island's highest peak. The hike leads from the port through a small residential area, climbing steadily upwards through 2,000-year-old olive groves tended by local families. The local residents also harvest grapes and make wine, for family consumption. It's absolutely lovely, especially in spring when all the wildflowers are in bloom. My lunch spot above was reached after about 2 hours of steady walking. The rest of the way around the mountain was a bit of a scramble over limestone boulders on the cliff face, aided only by a few cables attached to the rock face. It was exhilarating and not too difficult, well worth the views.

Visit the Preko Tourism Ugljan Island website for information and advice on what to see, how to get there, and the natural and cultural history of the island.

Rain shelter in an olive grove

Lunch with an island family

One of my husband's students, Ivan, lives on the island with his wife Suzy and their daughter, Marie. They invited us over to their home for lunch to sample some of the fish from Ivan's aquaculture operation on the remote western side of the island.

Lunch with Ivan's family. The fish are from
Ivan's aquaculture farm on the western side of Ugljan.

Like her mother, Suzy was born on the island. She and Ivan are starting an aquaculture business so they can stay on the island and make a life for themselves and their daughter. Fresh fish are in high demand as wild supplies are being depleted throughout the Mediterranean. The fish were harvested that morning and by noon we were feasting on the freshest, most delicious grilled seafood I've had in ages. The entire day was spent hiking, eating, and drinking endless rounds of homemade wine and local cherry brandy (Maraschino). Such a treat!

Two Months in Zadar

little Zadarski girl, rockin' out

NEW!! Croatia Travel Tips Magazine 2016

For the last 2 months we've been living in a rented apartment in the middle of Zadar's historic old town.  Zadar is an ancient port city in the central part of Croatia's Adriatic coast in an area known as Dalmatia. It's a small, friendly and cozy place, where you can easily fall into the local groove and get to know your neighbors. We are loving it here.

Old Town Zadar occupies a small peninsula off the mainland coast of Croatia. The city is surrounded by tall limestone walls built by the Venetians in the 1500's to successfully defend against the invading Ottoman Turks. At the southern end the walls are breached by the "Lion's Gate" affording passage to and from the city and the mainland. Zadar is thus surrounded on three sides by walls and water, and has a very active harbor with ferry service to the nearby islands (Ugljan, Dugi Otok, Iz, Olib, and Silba to name a few). I'll post an entry later with some photos so you can see how beautiful these islands are.

Cafe Toni, right below our apartment.

A typical day in Zadar

Our routine is to wake up around 9 or 10, eat a small breakfast of bread and cheese or jam, get dressed, head downstairs to the main square for a "bijela kava" (latte), take a walk around the city walls, shop for groceries at the market, then have lunch at one of the dozens of konobas (taverns) or grab a "pizza cut" (slice) to go. The bulk of the afternoon is spent sitting at a cafe just watching the local fashion parade go by. People here do this cafe sitting thing for hours every single day, nursing an espresso or macchiato and chain smoking....Lots of chain smoking. Croatian "Dead Zone" is from 3-6, when nearly everything shuts down while people recover from lunch and get ready for dinner and drinking late into the night.  The day is not complete without an evening stroll down the waterfront to listen to the Sea Organ, and watch the Sun Salutation's trippy solar-powered LED light show. (More on those later!) It's not entirely clear if people have jobs to go to. I can't see how they'd fit it in. It's a good life.

Roman column at Trg 5 Bunara (Five Wells)

Some Observations on Croatian culture:

1. Everyone smokes, everywhere. 
2. Both men and women tend to stare. Good, solid eye contact with random strangers while walking down the street. It's not offensive to stare back.
3. Everyone minds their own business (except for the staring). No one is going to bother you. But if you need help and ask for it, they will go far, far out of their way to help you. If they can't help you they will hand you off to someone who can.
4. Women dress to the nines. We're talking catwalk-quality fashion dressing and full makeup to go to the corner cafe, complete with 5" stiletto heels, at 10 am.
5. You are not Croatian if you do not own at least one pair of designer sunglasses. Preferably several pairs, and in this year's style, not last year's.

Next: Day Trip to the Island of Ugljan

Pongo in his native habitat 

6. Fun fact: Dalmatian dogs are actually quite popular in Dalmatia. For some reason I thought seeing Dalmatians here would be a naive cliche, like seeing parades of Pugs in Beijing or German Shepards in Frankfurt. But it's far from a cliche, this is their home and people love the breed. Plus there is the whole fashion thing - Croatians are all about looking good, so of course they have polka-dotted dogs.

Sarajevo, city of hope

 Assassination site of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of
Austria, whose death in 1914 triggered WWI

Sarajevo is an enigma. The city today is warm, welcoming, safe, and pleasantly multicultural, yet reminders of its turbulent history are hard to miss.

The city is nestled in a mountain valley, surrounded on all sides by rugged terrain. In winter there is usually snow (Sarajevo hosted the 1976 Winter Olympics) but this year, in March, what snow had fallen was long gone, and the hills were brilliantly green. Except, that is, for large white patches on all sides... no matter which direction you look, you see the green interrupted by white. It isn't snow. It's gravestones. Thousands of gravestones. The modern capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina is surrounded by the victims of the Yugoslav civil war, a constant reminder of the atrocities committed here and throughout Bosnia as the former communist nation was torn apart by separatists. In some parts of town, most buildings more than 3 stories tall are pock-marked with holes from mortar shells and artillery fire. It's quite sobering, yet hope is also everywhere evident... in the artwork, sculptures, monuments, and memorials found throughout the city encouraging remembrance, forgiveness, and vigilance against hate.

Hotel VIP, Sarajevo....

My return flight is out of Sarajevo; I look forward to coming back to learn more about this fascinating city. I hope to join one of the organized walking tours about the lives of citizens during the civil war, when the locals were essentially trapped in the city by Yugoslav-Serbian forces in the surrounding hills. I remember back in the early 90's, seeing footage of people pinned down by sniper fire ("Sniper Alley" was infamous for fatalities, as it's orientation afforded the Serbian snipers a clear shot of anyone on the street), running for their lives. As a traveler, I like to think that people are essentially good-- and my faith is not yet shaken, but one gift from Sarajevo is knowing that people can overcome even the worst of human nature.

A day in Sarajevo

Springtime in old town Sarajevo

Arrived at the Sarajevo airport in good shape after a 20+ hour trip to witness a minor miracle - my checked bag appeared in the carousel. Before leaving San Diego I'd decided to chuck my carry-on only rule and packed a sacrificial bag full of warm but expendable clothing that I wouldn't fret over if never seen again (I had two extremely tight connections in SFO and Istanbul and doubted I would make it through both, let alone a checked bag.) Kudos, Turkish Airlines! It's cold here in March and I am grateful for the extra layers.

There are numerous outdoor cafes, all with wifi

Joy of joys, the owner of my hotel was waiting for me right at the exit. We sped down the highway and arrived at my home for the next two nights: Hotel VIP. When checking in I mentioned I'd like to take a walk to shake off the flight, and maybe have a glass of wine. The owner's daughter took me by the arm and walked with me across the street to show me Bašcaršija, or old town Sarajevo, explaining that it was perfectly safe for a lone woman to be out and about late at night. At 10:00 pm the streets were full of people, shops and cafes were open, and the vibe was happy and energetic. She pointed out some of the sights and then I was off on my own. I felt extremely safe and enjoyed exploring the winding, narrow pedestrian alleyways. When I returned to the hotel, the owner's daughter greeted me and said she'd left a little gift in my room. It was a small bottle of local red wine. So very sweet.

Ottoman period fireplace, Svrzo House

View from Svrzo House to old town

I love to visit museum homes - private residues that have been turned into museums showcasing how life was lived by ordinary people in the past. One such home is the Svrzo House, located just a few minutes walk from old town. Svrzo House offers an intimate view into the daily life of a wealthy Muslim family in the late 18th century, when the Ottoman Empire ruled the Balkans. On the morning I visited, I was the sole guest. There is no tour or pamphlet to guide you, but there are interpretive signs explaining the functions of each room in English as well as Bosnian. I spent a very enjoyable hour exploring the home, imagining the family at home. My favorite memories are of the "Girls' Room" upstairs, protected by a heavy and onately carved wood door sheathed in iron, and the bathroom, complete with a hot water shower. The ornate fireplaces are ingeniously designed, studded with colorful round ceramic tiles (also ornately detailed) which would absorb the heat from the fire within and radiate it slowly to warm the room. 

Bosnia or Bust!

Lovely Zadar, on the Adriatic Sea

I'm off to Sarajevo, capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Sarajevo was the most affordable destination landing me within a reasonable traveling distance of Zadar, Croatia (winner, European Best Destination 2016), where my wonderful husband will be teaching this spring at the University of Zadar. The general plan is to arrive safely (that's on you, Turkish Airlines!), stay a few nights to explore Sarajevo, then make my way solo to Croatia, stopping in Mostar and Split on the way, and up the coast to Zadar to an eventual happy reunion with Rob at our AirBnB apartment in the center of the old city.

They said I could bring a backpack..

I'm a little nervous about this trip. Not that I'm going solo; I've done plenty of solo trips before. It's silly, but I have never flown Turkish Airlines and I made the mistake of googling and reading some scathing reviews from travelers who have had the misfortune of having things go wrong. Now, most people have wonderful things to say about Turkish, but the unfortunate souls who get bumped, have luggage misdirected (permanently), or get stuck in the Istanbul airport overnight tell piteous tales of woe, describing a supremely uncaring customer service culture that apparently hasn't changed much since the Seljuk Empire. 

Due to the scary reviews and my tight connection time in Istanbul (barely 90 minutes to catch the last flight of the day to Sarajevo), I'm once again going carry on only. The carry on limit for Turkish Airlines is 1 overhead item at 8 kilos, roughly 17.6 pounds. My carry on bag weighs at least 5 pounds.

This should be interesting...
Next post, Sarajevo!

Budva: Mega-Yachts and Madonna

Lonely Planet gives an excellent introduction to Budva:

Hotel Meridian on the Budva Riviera

The poster child of Montenegrin tourism, Budva – with its atmospheric Stari Grad (Old Town) and numerous beaches – certainly has a lot to offer. Yet the child has moved into a difficult adolescence, fuelled by rampant development that has leeched much of the charm from the place. In the height of the season the sands are blanketed with package holidaymakers from Russia and Ukraine, while the nouveau riche park their multimillion-dollar yachts in the town’s guarded marina. By night you’ll run a gauntlet of scantily clad women attempting to cajole you into the beachside bars. It’s the buzziest place on the coast so if you’re in the mood to party, this is the place to be.

Read more: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/montenegro/coastal-montenegro/budva#ixzz3w15uzEDE

Budva itself is functional, plain and uninteresting. The real draws are the lovely walled Old Town (Stari Grad, worth a half day) and the beaches of the Budva Riviera, which stretches for 22 miles along Montenegro's Adriatic coast. We decided to splurge on a reservation for 2 nights at Hotel Meridian, located at the far southern end of the Riviera on Bečići beach. At $50 a night, it was an affordable luxury.


The biggest hotel on Bečići beach is the Hotel Splendid, a luxurious five-star resort that cost 70 million euros to build. It was the choice of The Rolling Stones and Madonna as well as Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie during their stay in Montenegro.


There are numerous cafes, bars, and restaurants along the extensive beachfront promenade. We had a lovely swim off the beach and a delicious fresh seafood lunch at Tri Ribari (the 3 Fishermen). Afterward we enjoyed a long stroll south along the walkway past some interesting people (most were Russian tourists from Moscow, an easy 3-hour flight away) and some interesting geologic formations - highly folded and warped layers of light and dark metamorphic rock are exposed by weathering along the coast here.

Lunch at Tri Ribari (Three Fishermen), Bečići

Bevare!

Motor Yacht A

Gazing out at the Adriatic, we couldn't help but notice a large, strange-looking vessel several hundred meters offshore. It looked like an evil genius' submarine, something out of a James Bond movie. It was pure white, and more than anything else resembled an intergallatic battle cruiser. Asking around, we were told it was "Motor Yacht A", the ultra-luxurious mega-yacht built by French designer Phillipe Starck and owned by Russian businessman Andrey Melnichenko, who spent over $300 million on the ship's construction. This is the same guy who had both Whitney Houston and Christina Aguillera perform at his wedding to Serbian model Aleksandra Nikolic in 2005. His other yacht, also designed by Phillipe Starck, is nearing completion and will be the largest sailing yacht in the world -- "Sailing Yacht A," nicknamed "The White Pearl".

Seriously, these mega-yachts are ridiculously lavish. Once I started researching them it was hard to stop. The technology going into these ships is quite impressive, perhaps justifying some of the outlandish amount of money involved. The article below gives a good sneak-peak. Or, just Google "white pearl sailing yacht":

"Baccarat Meets Bomb-Proof Glass on the High Seas" - WSJ story on Motor Yacht A, w/ photos

Best Bus Station Award goes to - Budva, Montenegro

Apologies for the late posts.. keeping up with bad WiFi during the trip was harder than I thought.

Bay of Kotor, Montenegro

October 1-3, 2015: Dubrovnik was enchanting, but after a few days we were ready to explore further afield. Our choices came down to: north to the Croatian coastal city of Split, east to Bosnia-Herzegovina, or south to Montenegro or Albania. Many of our shipmates were making similar plans, with a place called Kotor in Montenegro emerging as the most popular destination. We chose to head south to Budva, Montenegro, a seaside resort area popular with the Russian jet-set and just another half hour from Kotor.

The Kotor bus station

There is no rail line serving Dubrovnik. To get to Montenegro using public transportation means you take the bus. Buses here are clean, fairly reliable, and fairly inexpensive. Our bus to Budva had a transfer in Kotor, so we would at least get to see it along the way, and if it looked really awesome, we could cut our time in Budva short to spend a day in Kotor. Although on a map the two cities look very close, the ride from Dubrovnik to Kotor took about 3 hours, due to the lack of any bridges spanning Kotor Bay, a long, deep, and very scenic fjord (technically, it IS a fjord, just like the ones in Norway) forming a three-pronged trident shape with Kotor on the southeastern prong of the trident. The views along Kotor Bay are spectacular, with the brooding stony mountains rising nearly perpendicular from the road cutting along the bay's edge. But Kotor didn't look very enticing from the bus stop, so we were happy to press on and transferred to the bus for Budva. Happy too that there was a working toilet at the spartan-looking Kotor bus stop, even though it cost about 50 cents to use and was pretty filthy... the local buses don't have bathrooms aboard so you need to make sure to use the facilities when and where you can on a long trip.

Budva - Best. Bus Station. Ever.

Arriving at the bus station in Budva was a surprise; the place is obviously someone's labor of love. The Budva Bus Station, or "Best Bus Station Ever" is a multi-faceted, quirky establishment combining a rest stop, ticket office, gourmet deli, gelato shop, magazine stand, bar, and restaurant surrounded by gushing fountains, swans, lush gardens, and a menagerie of little animals -- tortoises, bunnies, goats, pigs, turkeys, songbirds, and deer cavorting together inside their chain-link paradise. To top it off, there is a big treehouse with a few tables inside where you can sit suspended above the zoo, and waitresses come up to take your order. After enjoying a couple of refreshing (and cheap) Montenegran beers in the bus station treehouse, we knew we were really going to like Budva.

Some photos of the Budva Bus Station:

The awesome treehouse.

Awesome treehouse waitress.

Budva bus station cafe

Swans & fountains

Greece: 3 days on Hydra (Saronic Islands)

While we slept snug in our cabins, the World Odyssey slipped quietly into its berth at the international dock in Piraeus, Greece (the capital, Athens, is 30 minutes northeast of the port). The sun had yet to rise, but the vibration of the docking props was our signal to wake up and get ready for a Greek island adventure!

This was the "No Reservations" leg of our journey, intentionally unplanned.  We had 5 free days, and did not intend to spend them in sketchy, prostitute-filled Piraeus. Once the purser announced hat the gangway was open, we were off with overnight bags packed to see what was happening at the ferry terminal. The rough plan was to pick our destination based on which ferry was leaving next, as long as the trip was 6 hours or less. We needed to make sure we could get back to the ship relatively easily, just in case; strikes are not uncommon, and that could easily turn our Greek island idyll into a dystopian paradise of no escape.

The high-speed ferry to Hydra

Outside the steps of the Piraeus ferry ticket office we encountered a group of Syrian refugees, mostly women and children. From the looks of things -- blankets, bags, discarded food packaging & empty water bottles, etc. -- it seemed like they had been there for some time. They didn't ask but we have them some small change, which was gladly accepted. There are thousands of refugees in the Athens area, most fleeing the violence and chaos in Syria, all trying to get out of Greece as quickly as possible on the way to Germany or northern Europe. 

FlyingMule 1 at dock

It was now 9 am. Inside the ferry office, a young woman dressed in an all-black, skin-tight nightclub ensemble informed us that we could just make the next ferry to Poros, Hydra, and Spetses. All three are islands in the Saronic group, close enough to Athens to make them day trip destinations but far enough that they enjoyed crystal clear water, clean air, and fewer tourists than some closer islands. We chose the island in the middle - Hydra - bought our tickets and rushed out to board our bright green "Flyingcat" hydrofoil. FlyingCat 4 is like a wide-bodied jet, indoor seating only. When these high-speed boats get going, they don't want anyone flying off overboard.

No shortage of cats on Hydra.

In 2 hours or so, FlyingCat 4 throttled back and coasted into the gorgeous, tight little harbor of Hydra town. Whitewashed, tile-roofed homes spilled down both sides of the harbor, ending in a happy, bright row of cafes, restaurants, and shops encircling the marina. We were met with a line of donkeys and mules awaiting passengers and cargo; motorized vehicles (except for garbage and fire trucks) are prohibited on Hydra, so privately-rented donkeys and mules provide most of the transportation services for the island. Hydra is steep, so if you have a lot of heavy luggage, or you just want to try a mule ride, this is your chance.

Bridge on coastal path south of Hydra town

Hydra proved to be a great choice for a 3-day island escape. It's small, compact, has a great walking trail along it's stunning coastline, several swimming spots, and a huge variety of decent tavernas. My favorite was To Pefkaki, a tiny 6-seater taverna along the trail south from Hydra town. The menu is written on the blackboard, mostly vegetarian, very fresh salads, homemade dolmades, giant beans, spanakopita, and other light bites. And, of course ouzo!! Before or after lunch, you can head down the narrow path to the swimming platform built into the rocky shore and have a refreshing dip in the crystal-clear Aegean Sea.

Sunset, Hydra harbor, Greece

Out of an abundance of caution, we returned to Piraeus a day before the World Odyssey was due to depart for Spain. Our last day was reserved for Athens. I'd been to Athens and toured the Acropolis many years ago, and assumed it hadn't changed (the Parthenon was mostly covered in scaffolding for a restoration project anyway), so I decided to take the bus into Syngtagma Square and start walking. 

Looking towards Mt. Lycabettus, Athens

Crossing through the touristy but fun and car-free Plaka, I headed towards the base of the Acropolis. There were some windy streets heading up into the side of the hill, which I followed, taking some photos of the view along the way. Around a corner there appeared a small enclave of artsy, funky homes built one atop the other on the steep slope in the Acropolis' shadow. When I got back to the ship and Googled it, I learned that I had found Anafiotika, a neighborhood in the Plaka known for the eccentric and creative people who call it home. 


The graffiti here is striking. Athens is one of the world's great cities and the cradle of western civilization, so it was interesting to observe the lasting passion for personal expression reflected here. Some works were stunning (to me), especially the example shown below, looking out above the Plaka and toward Mt. Lycabettus.

It was getting late, but I had just enough time for lunch before returning to the ship for final boarding. A very kind lady I met recommended a little cafe in the Plaka - Ο γλυκύς ("Glykys" in English; address Geronta 2, Athina 105 58, Greece). A few hundred feet away from a bustling shopping street, this tavern is nestled into a small recess behind the storefronts. It had a large covered outdoor patio surrounded and shaded by tropical palms and large-leafed ferns. I settled in and ordered an ouzo (a traditional Greek liquor similar to pastis, served straight with ice on the side), dolmades (marinated grape leaves stuffed with seasoned rice), and sausage with roast peppers. Bliss. The tavern cats slept, I ate. 

I did not miss the boat.

complimentary lap cat with lunch at Ο γλυκύς.

Croatia: To King's Landing (Dubrovnik)

King's Landing (Dubrovnik, Croatia)

It was a windless and calm voyage south, out of the Bay of Naples en route to our next port of call: Dubrovnik, Croatia. As a die-hard Game of Thrones (GOT) fan, I was thrilled to visit the HBO series' setting of King's Landing, the capital of Westeros. GOT enthusiast or not, Dubrovnik is a treasure, with it's surreal marriage of architecture, history, and uncanny sense of place.

I stumbled upon the fabled pier of King's Landing by accident while looking for an alternate view of the city walls... while looking for the right spot to take a shot, I realized I was standing exactly where Sansa Stark, Littlefinger, Rose and Shae gathered in Season 3, Episode 1. I kept telling myself this should NOT matter so much to me, it's just a TV show... but honestly, it's already one of my best memories. A little voice in my head kept chiding.. "you have a bachelor's in History... really, this is more exciting than the Roman Forum?" Yes. Yes it is. I have no regrets.

Hiking trail on Lokrum

Just 15 minutes by ferry from Dubrovnik, the island of Lokrum is a gem. The little island looks like a bumpy green lump in the sea, green because it is a protected natural habitat. Lokrum is crisscrossed by trails, and to our surprise hosts the #2-rated restaurant in all of Dubrovnik. Lokrum is also the filming locale for GOT's Qarth scenes, except for the House of the Undying (that's Minčeta Tower, back in Dubrovnik). It's exceedingly pretty, and we had a lovely half-day here, just swimming off the rocks by the tiny ferry landing and lunching at Lacroma Snack Bar, an offshoot of the island's deservedly high-rated restaurant.

View south to Lokrum, Dubrovnik

Regardless of your passion for all things Westeros, Croatia charmed me like no place has ever done. I can't pin it down to any one thing. Croatia is a heady combination of geography, climate, and people that refuse to be pigeonholed into a neat classification. Euro-centric culture? Yes, but... (see: Ottoman Empire).  EU member? Yes, but... (see: Kuna currency).  Staunchly Roman Catholic? Yes, but... (see naturists). It helps to remember that Croatia is a very new country, having won it's independence from the quagmire of the former communist state Yugoslavia in 1995, just 20 years ago. 

Walking the City Wall, Dubrovnik

What to do with just a day in Dubrovnik? Grab an early breakfast and beat the crowds to walk the Dubrovnik City Walls right when they open at 9:00 am. Arriving before 9:30 guarantees you a mostly crowd-free and leisurely experience. The views are incredible, make sure your camera is charged and ready! If you start at the main entrance near the city gate, about halfway around the city you will be at the seafront, and there are a couple of cafes (the Buza Bar is one) nestled against the outside wall and the Adriatic. It's a nice place to stop for a bracing cappuccino or espresso.

Cold tsatziki soup

Taj Mahal, Dubrovnic

After all that wall-walking, we were famished. What's good in Dubrovnik? How about Bosnian food? A charismatic little cafe named Taj Mahal on the western edge of the walled city was just the ticket for lunch - it specializes in traditional Bosnian home cuisine and is the only Bosnian restaurant in Dubrovnik. I started with a creamy, spicy buttermilk-based cold soup followed by grilled lamb kebab and a baby jacket potato. The cups, bowls and especially the Turkish coffee service (wish I got a photo!) were uniquely handcrafted in traditional designs from pewter, copper, and tin. The outrageously reasonable bill arrives in an ornately carved little wooden box... it's a nice touch.

Dubrovnik, I miss you already...

Next stop: Greece and the Saronic Islands.

Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast

Okay, so I am running a bit behind in updating. My last post was Testaccio, Rome and right now we are somewhere off the coast of Greece en route to Piraeus. I blame it on the ship bandwidth - when at sea, I am competing with roughly 700 undergraduate students who were born with an iPhone in their hands, so uploading to the Internet requires bucket loads of patience. 

800 people live on this active volcano.

On day 2 of our cruise south from Naples, our ship made a close pass on Stromboil, an active (and inhabited!) volcano off the coast of Sicily. It was puffing clouds of steam and ash every few minutes... close your eyes and imagine a volcano island, and this is it. Elon Musk, we've found your secret lair...

Stromboli Volcano from World Odyssey deck, Adriatic Sea

Marina Piccola, Sorrento, Italy

Breakfast, Marina Piccola 73, Sorrento

On Sept. 20, we caught a fast train from Rome to Napoli (Naples). From there, it was an hour on the Circumvesuvio (literally, "around Vesuvius") train past Herculaneum and Pompeii to Sorrento, on the north side of the Amafli peninsula. Sorrento makes a good base for excursions to the famous excavations at Pompeii and the ridiculously picturesque towns hugging the Amalfi Coast. Sorrento itself is one big limoncello shop, touristy to the extreme. Thankfully, our hotel was an oasis from the crass commercialism... Marina Piccola 73, hidden away at the base of the cliff below Sorrnto proper and fronting the small port where ferries whisk throngs of visitors to their dream destinations: Amalfi, Capri, Positano, Salerno, Ischia.

Our initial plan for an Amalfi day trip involved renting a two-person scooter and doing the famous cliff hugging drive from Sorrento ourselves. What could possibly go wrong? We'd driven scooters in Italian rush hour, so we felt we could handle a twisty-turny, low-speed road. Thank God the rental agency required a driver's license, which my husband had left on the ship. This turned out to be a godsend. 

Yours truly, with El Jeffe del Norte

Less than a minute into the "fun" part of the Sorrento-Amalfi bus ride (the part that hugs the sheer cliff on the south side of the penninsula), we knew we had narrowly averted disaster by being denied a scooter rental. We had a comedian at the wheel who loved scaring everyone on the bus by pretending to lose control at hairpin turns 1,000 feet above the ocean, yelling "OH MY GOOOOODDD!" in his thick Italian accent. Anyway, we made it and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. 

Amalfi is stunning, and steep... Lots of narrow, winding alleyways, and although there were lots of tourist shops, they did a better job of blending in. We had our first ocean swim of the trip here on Amalfi's public beach. located to the far east of the main drag. No sand here, all rocks, but the water is clear, inviting, and warm, perfect for a dip after lunch.