When Dinghy’s Fly

Today we had a shorter sail and ended up on a free mooring SW of Scario in the Gulf of Policastro.  We were originally going to stay in an anchorage on Point Iscoletti but it was FULL…boats were rafted on the moorings four deep…not something we wanted to do.  So we headed down the coast and found these moorings and some locals told us they were free and rated for our size boat and they were for overnight use.  We began to question our informants as ALL the boats on the other moorings left us all by ourselves around 7pm but we stayed anyway.  There was a bit of a swell but nothing like Positano…until our 2nd night which was a nightmare…again no sleep.  It was a beautiful coastline although a bit creepy when we saw the cross in the rock right next to our mooring.

Day number two was just another day in the Mediterranean when what is this????  A Flying Dinghy!!!!  I’m not sure I would have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes.  And I’ve checked it out online…there are a few videos of these on You Tube.  Now John wants one for Christmas.

Third time was not a charm…

Since we were awaken so early we decided to head back around Capri and visit the Blue Grotto…again.  The seas were flat so we were sure today was going to be the day (we have tried twice before but the seas were too swelly and they close it down).  We arrived to a mass confusion of tour boats filled with tourists and a few small row boats that take you inside the Grotto.  I was trying to wave them down to pick me up but since I was a loner passenger (John was going to stay on Jay Sea Dee while I went in and then we would trade off) nobody even noticed.  There was too much boat and crowd activity for our comfort level so we decided to forgo the Grotto again:

Rounding the Island of Capri was beautiful.  We enjoyed our day regardless of our Blue Grotto experience.  With the flat seas, we saw a few more Sunfish…always an awesome site.

Now in the Tyrrhenian Sea we sailed on to Positano.  We had driven the Amalfi Coast with the kids just a week ago and were anxious to see it by boat.  We found an anchorage at the foot of Positano.  It is still a bit rolly but we are hoping it calms down this evening after the traffic stops.  The town is beautiful from the sea.  It reminds me a lot of Cinque Terrre.  We can see the bus/car/scooter traffic above that we maneuvered through last week.

Last night it was rocking and rolling…very rough…no sleep.

Arrivederci Roma

Kids made it home yesterday and we miss them already. We paid for our months berth and headed out. Today we sailed about 100 miles which took around 13 hours. We were pretty tired when we finally reached the Island of Ischia. The sun was about to set and the full moon was already out but we found a small area near the Port of Ischia and set anchor. It was very tight amongst all the fishing boats and pretty rolly due to all the ferry traffic so we set a stern anchor as well. We went to bed listening to three different karaoke bars and it must have been amateur night for sure :)

This morning we were up early thanks to the early ferry schedule and as we headed out we got a glimpse of the beaches and the early morning aquasize class. We rounded the corner and got a good view of the castle. In mythology the island was said to be inhabited by Typhoeus, a hundred-headed monster who was the father of Hydra.

Ice, Ice, Baby

OK…so we found one more thing to do in Rome…The Ice Club.  The only  bar in Rome entirely built out of ice.  The temperature is –5 degrees celsius.  We had done a lot of touring in the heat and humidity so when I saw the poster for this I just knew we needed this treat.  You walk in the door, pay your 15 Euros per person, they give you an insulated cape to put on and some gloves.  Then you enter the chamber where you all have to get inside before opening the opposite door into the ice bar.  Your entry fee includes a free drink in a take-home glass made of ice…needless to say it didn’t make it home…haha.

Then you sit on pieces of fur and enjoy the colorful show with lights and music to dance to.  What a ball!!!!

   

The true picture of Roma

OK, it’s our last day to do the walk,bus,train, metro thing into Rome and we were off.  What do most people think of when they think of Rome?  The Colosseum is my guess.  On our way there we passed the Vittorio Emanuele Monument.  It was built in the late 1800’s to honor the first king of Italy.  We also passed a headless Busker:

The Colosseum was started during the Vespasian empire around A.D. 72 and inaugurated in the Titus Empire in A.D. 80.  So off we go, into the land of Gladiators:

 

Off to the Pantheon.  This is one of only a few Ancient Roman buildings still intact.  It was built in 27 B.C.  but reconstructed by Hadrian in the early 2nd century A.D.  It is a perfect sphere resting in a cylinder.  The walls are 25 feet thick and the bronze entry doors weight over 20 tons each (that is about the size of Jay Sea Dee).  Today it is a Catholic church but until the 5th century it was a Pagan temple dedicated to Roman gods. 

We’re done sightseeing in Rome, but there is one more thing I have to do…Death by Chocolate Gelato!!!

The Vatican and St. Peters Basilica

Back in Roma, we decided to head out to the Vatican.  The Vatican guards are actually Swiss, hence the uniforms (see photo #1).  The map they include with your entry ticket is horrible so have a map of your own as your guide.  There are many, many museums and you must pick and choose your time wisely or you could be here for days.  We started with the Egyptian museum and headed to the Raphael Rooms and on to the Sistine Chapel.  I was surprised to find out that most of the frescoes are actually paint mixed into the plaster which is how the color remains so intact.  There are no photos allowed in the Sistine Chapel but we found a Dali piece in the rooms just prior.  At the back right side of the Sistine Chapel is an exit door specified for groups but you can sneak out that way and be only yards away from St. Peters Basilica.  Otherwise it is almost a mile walk to get back to the front of St. Peters.  So be aware of this before you purchase your audio guide to the Vatican Museums as you will have to go back to the front (instead of sneaking out the back) to return the machines and retrieve your ID. 

The line for security into St. Peters Basilica was the worst part.  But we had the Rick Steve’s audio guide that kept us entertained while waiting.  They really do a good job at adhering to a strict dress code here:  No shorts for men or women, all shoulders must be covered and skirts must be down to the knees.  You do have to pass through the “Fashion Police” after security.  The sun was passing through the windows at the back of the Nave which just made you go ahhhhhh.   My favorite piece in St. Peters is La Pieta by Michelangelo.  It is carved out of one piece of marble and he was only twenty-one when he did this.

The Amalfi Coast…what a wild ride

If you ever want to see scenery of a lifetime and scare you passengers, drive the Amalfi coast.  We started out in Sorrento, passed through Positano(the Verical City…see photo#2), Amalfi and got off the coastal ride right before Salerno.  Look at the photos of all the Vespas and Scooters that just weave in and out of the cars.  And God Bless the Bus Drivers (see photo) who have to pass each other on a one lane road.