Eating Humble Pie

Rodney Bay Marina (still), St Lucia

Dear Friends,

Specifically, those who have commented on our blogs and never been answered, we send to you our most humble apologies.  Having managed our blogs for some 17 years now, the Galley Slave/Blog Manager has only just stumbled upon the Comments section.  Here lie many missives, that until now, have mostly sat forlorn and unnoticed.  This apology also extends to you too Alexandra, one of our most loyal readers.  Oh dear!  

Our Galley Slave has just finished revitalising the now ageing blogs.  A perfect job indeed when on hurricane watch sitting in a marina for a few months.  Low season maintenance tasks!  We have six blogs to manage, with only two connected to our regularly accessed, email accounts.  These are the busiest blogs, although I hasten to add that none of them are appearing in any top ten popularity lists (just yet!).  That’s fine with us; we’re not in it for glory, money or bow-bunny pix.  We started our blogs as an easy way of keeping contact with family and friends as we moved about and to have journals to remind us, in our dotage, of “our wilful youth.”  They are also a way for us to participate in and share with our communities.  The Cap’n writes of his boat maintenance efforts and GS, her travel, textile and other arty stuff finds.  Our Cap’n is also a big fan of the Cruiser net community.  Many a problem has been thus solved.  

Thank you all for your efforts to engage us.  We shall endeavour to be more attentive and prompt in the future.  Always learning!  And a big thank you to everyone who reads and enjoys our adventures.

Saturday, 9th November, is nearly upon us.  WJ3's nose will then be pointed north, after a couple of days acclimating in Rodney Bay, to the hardship of wind, swell and waves.  We heard it was snowing in the US already... Just whose idea was this?  

Shellfish grow at an alarming rate in our sea-water plumbing

No Sleigh Ride

Corsica, France

We did an early morning run through the narrow passage at Porto Venere

Then waved farewell to Italy & the lovely little church on the rock

Leaving Le Grazie, we stepped out into a bit of a swell (Mistral generated) which we thought we had a handle on until it came to us that we were skidding and skipping to a NW swell meeting a SE swell.  Interesting & very strange!  Our voyage was cheered along by a lone dolphin, quite old and large, who popped by briefly.  

So, continuing to dance our way across to Corsica, we finally came to rest at Macinaggio, where we hoped the anchorage would give us refuge for the night.  The anchor was hardly wet before a rib, with 6 men-in-black (never too many, GS says!) requested permission to board.  We could hardly say no, it was after all the French coast guard and we were the only non-EU boat in the bay.  The last time we had met them was in St Barts (Caribbean) when they couldn’t wait to search Boy Wonder’s cabin…hee hee hee!  Anyway, here in Corsica, we passed muster, had a nice chat and encouraged them to apply for a job in Guadeloupe.  Another day, another dance!

These were the colours of first light that greeted us

Followed by stunning views as we motored down Corsica's east coast

Next morning we left early; even so, we were last to leave the anchorage.  A nasty swell had kicked in overnight and even the Cap’n was pleased to leave.  Sad really, as the water was so clear and the cape so wild, it reminded us of our time in the Caribbean.  Most used the wind to head north (perhaps to France) but not us; we had plans to stay at a marina in Bastia.  By now, we’ve discovered that calling ahead for a berth in peak season means there will always be a “no vacancy”, so now we boldly enter, tie up to a “reception” dock, visit the office, then smile and hope for the best.  It's worked well for us, so far!

Vieux Port, Bastia

We enjoyed our stay at Port de Toga.  Aside from the vast supermarket opposite with rows and rows of wine, we found a Thai food takeaway and even a roast chicken pop-up shop - of all things.  We skipped sushi at €35 per tray but relished the opportunity to tuck into foods we'd not had for years.  The Cap’n took the time for a sexy French haircut then we visited the old downtown precinct before having lunch at Vieux Port – loads of mussels in creamy onion sauce as only the French can do.  We also learned that Bruce is a “bateau pneumatique” (said: bat tow new mat eek!) and GS scared the locals when she inadvertently used the men’s showers at the marina.  Such girls!  Since when have the French been so modest!   

Ahhh!  We began to feel almost human.....

This large church was closed but had an interesting
structure (unfortunately not enhanced by some most
unattractive modern additions)

It also came with interesting graffiti...

with humour as only the French could have

THE Capital of Arts

Florence, Italy: Day 1. And so, to the Capital of Arts!

Florence, or Firenze, is without doubt the “IT” city when it comes to the arts and  Renaissance.  This city, in the 15^th c, witnessed a real growth spurt in human development that left its mark in so many ways, it would take a life-time to take it all in.  We had 3 days, losing a little to travel by train (just over 2 hours from La Spezia with a change at Pisa).  And given our very short notice arrangements, we would not have any chance of booking those not-to-be missed galleries, museums and churches.  

So a plan (yes, another) was hatched to use the City Sightseeing bus to get the city & environs “picture” and then take a couple of walking tours (with pre-booked admissions) leaving time to explore a few sites in more depth.  Thankfully, there were some vacancies with Walks of Italy and somehow we even snagged a hotel room RIGHT in the heart of the old district.  Beside the Duomo, no less!   

Blocks & sheets of that beautiful white
(expensive) Carrara marble, seen from our train

Carrara Marble Quarries, quiet in summer holiday mode

So, our first day began with a train trip that was interesting in itself, as we zoomed past a few famous sites.  The Carrara marble quarries still seem to be churning out great chunks of the stuff, though I suspect these days much of it goes into bathrooms rather than wondrous sculptures by the likes of Michelangelo’s contemporaries.  We also passed Viareggio where in 1822 Shelley drowned in his boating accident.  Apparently, it was quite the scandal and its telling worthy of a Gothic novel. 

Having arrived at Florence Centrale we purchased tickets for a tourist bus (there’s a counter at the rail platform) and then navigated our way deep into the historic centre to find our hotel.  Not before encountering the impressive and rather breathtaking Duomo!!.  It really is something and certainly outclasses almost everything else (in the church department) we’d seen to date.  Hotel Bigallo was just around the corner!!  The Loggia del Bigallo (1358) was in its day, a home for orphaned or abandoned children.   

Florence Duomo & Brunelleschi's engineering marvel, the famous dome

Time then, to ride that bus for a quick round of the City environs!  One of the routes took us up high into the hills behind Florence to the neat little hilltop village of Fiesole, for a bird’s eye view.  There was quite a bit to explore there; Etruscan & Roman ruins too, besides more “recent” constructions.  However, our minds were focused on the Renaissance, so it was back to Florence and back to the history books to come to terms with the famous Medici family and the huge stable of artists for whom they were patrons.  

Views over the Tuscan countryside from Fiesole

We finished off our day with a meal at a typical (& recommended) Tuscan restaurant.  The menu offered a delicious selection of antipasto (a starter), primo (pasta or rice), and secondo (meat or fish) courses.  After our busy day, we were sadly not up to such a generous meal, so settled for a shared octopus antipasto with Florence’s famously salt-free bread, followed by an unusual pasta carbonara made up of quail eggs, a local cheese, shavings of wild boar and flakes of black truffle.  So rich and so delicious!  We also tried a bottle of local wine too - a rather nice drop.  No sleeping pills necessary that night!  We needed to be up early for a date with a technically younger (and perhaps just a little more muscular) David.

Nice little deli in Florence selling all sorts of local goodies - note size of ham!

(Photos to follow - we're galloping along the Spanish coast at the moment, as we post this.  More on that to follow!)

Divine Inspiration

Pisa, Italy

Gluttons for punishment, and as a final test for the anchor (will it hold if we are bold enough to take an overnight to Florence?)*, we decided to visit further afield and take a day trip by train to Pisa.

A quiet day in Pisa, except for the tourist hot spots

A leaning tower
for every occasion!

Looking across the River Arno, it is hard to imagine that Pisa was once an important Roman naval base (5^th c) and commercial port, building its power to eventually become an independent maritime republic (9^th c), a rival to both Genoa and Venice.  By the 13^th c, times were tough and Pisa chose the wrong side to back, losing both Corsica and Sardinia to Genoa.  Pisa later passed under Florentine rule and the wealthy Medici family took an interest in this aristocratic city.  Quite possibly because the city’s previous prosperity had seen the rise of a distinct architectural style, peculiar to Pisa alone and showcased in the delightful Romanesque Cathedral.  And the Medici’s were instrumental in the rise of the Renaissance, as we know!

We arrived at Pisa Centro (rail station) and decided on a walking tour of our own fashioning, helped along a bit by guidance from a chatty chap at the Tourist Information office.  We had, at least, a city map in one guide book, so we were doing rather better than our blind navigation through La Spezia.  Pisa had been noted as a city for walking, with the star attraction (the Leaning Tower) just 15 minutes away.  Other than tourists at the station, there seemed few others about, shops were mostly closed and traffic minimal.  This had the effect of making the city seem quite surreal.  So the tiny but extremely ornate Santa Maria della Spina (1230) built to house a thorn from Christ’s Crown of Thorns seemed oddly at home on its riverside frontage. 

Santa Maria della Spina

Inside the more modest Santa Caterina

Further on, we crossed the Arno at Ponte Mezzo and wandered into the bowels of Pisa’s shopping district, Borgo Stretto.  Somehow, we missed our turn and ended up at the church and monastery (now a school) of Santa Caterina.  Although it doesn’t feature in any of our books, it is certainly worth a peek inside.  It’s likely a little “old school” in comparison to the exotic Duomo but is non-the-less impressive.  Our path led us round the corner and quite close to the old city walls to crumbly Roman ruins, Nero’s Baths.  One has to wonder how they've even survived!  

So, this is where everyone is!! 
Leaning Tower with Duomo behind, & under repair.

Finally we could see our quarry, resplendent on the aptly named piazza, Field of Miracles (Campo dei Miracoli).  Seen together, the 4 buildings – the Duomo (Cathedral), the Baptistery, the Campanile (bell tower better known as the Leaning Tower) and the Camposanto (cemetery) – are simply, just that, miracles.  Built well before the engineering advances of Renaissance times, it is hardly any wonder these constructions provoked divine inspiration.  Galileo (1564-1642), a Pisan resident, climbed the tower to test his scientific theories.  We did not.  Galileo probably didn’t have the queue issues that exist today and I’ll bet he didn’t walk the Cinque Terre the day before either!  Indeed, we didn’t line up to go into any of these buildings, preferring to save ourselves for Florence.  So we sat in the shade of the Duomo, ate our lunch and admired the inspired creativity of mankind (given adequate financial backing that is).

Bapistery

Actually, it still has quite some lean

Continuing on down Via Santa Maria, we turned into the Piazza dei Cavalieri, the historic centre of Pisa surrounded by the Church of St Stephen, the Palace of the Knights of St Stephen and Palazzo Gherardesca.  The latter is built over the site where the bold Count Gherardesca (and his children) was condemned to die by starvation for his role in a naval defeat.  Well, it was the battle that saw the decline of the Pisan Empire and he was charged with treason but…

If I recall, this was the famous Knight,
Le Vallette (remember Malta)

Something to see at every turn

Commanding Municipal Buildings

Priceless timber carvings
in public view 

We wound our way back to the river, stopping to take note of a less famous leaning tower (yes, there are others) before a mercy dash to the station to take us home.  Our little legs would walk no further.

 

The Other Woman has never been left on her own overnight at anchor before.  It was a big moment indeed for the Cap'n - well, both of them really, to even consider taking a 3 day trip to Florence!  Of course, when we arrived back from our day trip to Pisa, WJ3 had dragged.  Now, she’d been well and truly dug in on arrival in La Grazie, in glutinous mud that gripped like concrete, not moving one iota since.  So the suspects were of course, our neighbouring day-trippin’ Italians, whose anchoring habits just have to be seen to be believed.  We guessed that one had dropped his anchor over our chain and managed to dislodge Bertha.  He must have wondered what on earth he’d caught when he pulled up his chain with 33kg extra attached!  So far this season, we’ve hauled up a bicycle wheel, a brick and enough rope & line to equip a fishing boat.  Well, undoubtedly a fly-on-the-wall moment missed and thankfully no damage done!  Bertha just got busy and dug herself right back in…. 

Ancient Pathways

Cinque Terre, Italy

Vernazza's very pretty and popular harbour

The Cinque Terre is quite a walk.
Our juice break taken at the
house, top right

The Gulf of La Spezia is known as the Poet’s Gulf and certainly a list of greats once lived here – Yeats, DH Lawrence, Shelley, and Byron amongst others.  Romance was certainly in the air…  We were keen then to take a day trip to the Cinque Terre, a cluster of 5 romantic villages and rocky terraces set into dramatically steep cliffs.  This area has been listed as an UNESCO Heritage site given its isolation, adherence to old farming practices and retention of an ancient pathway, Sentiero Azzurro, that links villages.  Cars are not allowed access, so it's a choice of walking, taking the train or riding a ferry. 

At La Spezia Station (when we eventually found it!), there is a helpful information desk staffed by pleasant young ladies who even spoke English.  We took the opportunity to ask lots of questions…this was a rare event indeed.  The Cinque Terre is a popular destination and cruise ships offload their passengers regularly to visit.  We were then, most certainly not alone in seeking tickets for this destination.  With day passes in hand (€16 each) we had transport and trail fees taken care of.  Our plan was to take the train (30 mins) to the furthest village, #1 Monterosso al Mare, and work our way back – not all of it walking…

Travelling along the pathway to Corniglia

Monterosso has quite the beach scene happening and being that it’s the end of the line, cars, scooters and buses cram in limited parking areas.  We sat overlooking the beach to eat our picnic brunch wondering how Italians feel when they visit Australia’s wide sandy stretches with not a jungle of sun umbrellas & sun lounges in sight.  The walking path to Vernazza looked busy too, so we made for the train and skipped this 3.6km section.

Houses really do cling to cliffs

Vernazza.  Going up & up the
stairs behind the village

We took our time to explore Vernazza’s busy streets and harbour full of bobbing fishing & tourist boats – it’s rather more scenic than its neighbour.  Over coffee, we hatched a plan (Cap’n Cavalry almost convinced) to walk 3.45km to Corniglia, a journey our map assured us took 1 ½ hrs.  Vernnazza, we discovered as we followed signs to the trail, has really steep steps (called arpaie); Dangar’s looking pretty good by such measures.  Up we went, up and up never-ending stairs – until after rather more than an hour, it evened out momentarily.

Are we there yet?

The camera ran hot

Here, a resourceful villa owner offered a chance to rest and revive with wine, beer or orange granita.  We sat sipping fresh orange juice, admiring the view over Corniglia from the balcony, pleased we only had 30 mins (or so) left to go & it looked to be mostly downhill.  Do not even begin to think we were alone on this trail.  There were all sorts from dedicated walkers with all the right gear, enthusiastic joggers, bored teenagers and even someone in bathers & no shoes.  

 

It was something of a relief to arrive at Corniglia and also to find out that the next trail to Manarola (2.9km) was closed.  A Park notice also informed us that only 100 metres between Manarola and Riomaggiore (1.1km) could be accessed.  Gosh, that WAS bad luck!  We’d have to take the train then. 

Corniglia is a riot of pastel houses plastered against a steep cliff face.  From the village, a set of 320 (or was it 430?) stairs lead down to the station, overlooking a rocky beach.  We just had to try some home-made lemon gelato before attempting them.

Yes, yes I'm sure there was a Gelato store at the bottom of these stairs.
I'll just wait here for you to get back...

In all, it was an adventurous day (for us non-hiking types).  The scenery was an interesting mix of bold seascapes, terraced olive groves and vineyards, some long since abandoned.  If you are after peace and quiet, August is not the month to be here for sure, but the villages are quaint and somehow it’s easy to imagine them providing both inspiration and a garret for artistic types to follow their creative spirit.  Or even house a mistress or two!

Not that Riviera

La Spezia, Italy.  Tuscany by the Sea

WJ3 (second from the left) at anchor, Le Grazie

No wonder everyone loves Tuscany, it’s just so different to other places fringing the Mediterranean Sea we’ve visited.  The hills are green, farms luxuriant and villages colourful.  Cypress pines dot the landscape and everywhere people are in boats of all shapes and sizes enjoying the last of their summer holidays.  The days are delightfully temperate and the nights cool.  We arrived late after another long day to settle into a peaceful anchorage off the small village of Le Grazie.  Technically, we are on the edge of Liguria here but who’s telling?  There is a large local marina nearby and beyond that a fish farm.  We tuck ourselves in near the church and wait for its early morning musical chimes to ring out over surrounding hills.

From La Spezia, a short bus ride away, we can catch a train to the Renaissance heartland - Pisa, Siena and Florence.  Nearby is the famous Cinque Terre.  So, if it all pans out AND the anchor holds, we’ll do a little exploring before heading off to Corsica, our only taste of France this year.

View over Porto Venere back toward the Gulf of La Spezia

Just as a warm up expedition, we took the local bus to Porto Venere.  It was Thursday, but judging by the crowds, you could quite believe it was Sunday.  Still, we walked the quaint old town set into the side of a steep coastline and admired the views out over Palmaria Island to a very busy anchorage and the cliff-lined coast north along the Cinque Terre. 

Views north along the Cinque Terre coast from Grotta di Lord Byron.
Little wonder he found these views inspiring! 

San Pietro perched on the cliff's edge at Porto Venere

Porto Venere is considered, unofficially, the 6^th village of this area and it is possible to walk (yes, hike) along the verges to village #5.  We chose instead to explore San Pietro, a very pretty 13^th c black & white marble church perched on the seaward slope of the village.  Some parts of this church date back to the 6^th c.  At its foot, a door leads to a grotto where Byron is said to have enjoyed swimming.  He swam (apparently quite often) to Lerici across the Gulf of La Spezia to an apartment he rented there, and furnished with 2 mistresses.  After all, it was the time of the great Romantics and Porto Venere is named in honour of the goddess of love, Venus!

Climbing through the village

Climbing a maze of rickety stairs (that could well have been ladders!) through the village, we encountered the second church of the village, the 12^th c San Lorenzo.  Significantly larger and rather more severe, it’s named in honour of a saint who was martyred over a grill (alive!!)  Those medieval types certainly had an interesting punishment list.  Just in case you weren’t entirely clear how he met his maker, a sculpture over the doorway depicts this fate graphically. 

Of course, we had a further climb to a small citadel, Castello Doria (12^th c) that crests the rise above the town.  The village was fortified by the Genoese, a powerhouse state at the time.  The castle was defended by a garrison of archers, musketeers and sometime later, cannon.  During Napoleon’s time, the citadel was used to hold political prisoners.

When you think you've got it tough today,
spare a thought for poor Saint Lorenzo!

Back down steep stairways that wound through pastel coloured and very tidy villas (I want one!!), we decided on a late lunch at one of the many tiny restaurants lining the main pedestrian street.  At 3pm, there was no service until at least 7pm!  Needless to say, we are still adjusting to Italy’s meal times.   So, a quick nibble on pesto (a free sample made from locally grown basil) then on down to the corniche for at least a beer and a little bikini watching (that should read, watching incredibly little bikinis!), before heading back to Le Grazie.

Finally, a chance for a little girl talk!

(Photos later when we have better Internet connection, grrr!)

Free-Wheeling Rome

Rome, Italy.  Touristico Essentials

Given that Rome is spread out, and there is so much to tempt the visitor, we made up our minds to follow history and art rather than fashion and food.  It’s a tough choice indeed, but start somewhere we must, so with a trusty “Lonely Planet Rome” (offering a series of self-guided walks), and a selection of passes** (see info below) we had purchased in hand, we hit the road.   

From the marina, we took a bus to Ostia Lido Station; then a train to San Paolo (the end of the Lido line), changed here for the Metro Line (where the Metro name is Pyramide) then sallied forth into the bowels of Rome to the Metro stop nearest our quarry – a good couple of hours travelling each day and a hearty after breakfast walk along the marina and back to the bus stop to keep these figures in trim. 

Although there are restaurants a-plenty near to the marina, we shopped daily at the 24 hr supermarket opposite the Ostia Lido station.  All we wanted to do when we arrived back was put up our feet and have a recovery beer or two.  Neither of us could be bothered dressing up to go out; indeed our only day eating out was the second on-board work day.  Then, we treated ourselves to a huge bowl of mussels in garlic and wine served with freshly made focaccia followed by very delicious (home-made) pasta with tuna, olives, capers and cherry tomatoes.  A southern Italian dish we were told by the friendly owner.  We wished we had eaten there more often!  Now, what was that about losing weight?



We need to work on the selfie poses, as you can see!

Back to designing that punishing schedule!  With 4 days for touristico-ing we planned to spend a day each given over to:

1. Ancient Rome,
2. The Historical Centre,
3. A day for anything we felt we had missed, and then
4. The Vatican.

This worked in well with our various collection of passes, remembering that the Vatican required times be booked for our visits.  Book a few days earlier to ensure you get the times you want (See below for Omni Office details).

We were also warned about pickpockets, so made sure our backpacks were well secured (not wishing to repeat our Athens experience).  We also avoided illegal and aggressive vendors selling everything from iced water to squidgy things that squeak.  We carried water bottles too, which could be topped up from any one of Rome’s many ancient street fountains. We'll give it a try!

La Dolce Vita (The Sweet Life) in Trevi Fountain.
I wonder if she was just filling her water bottle too?

** Passes:  Not nearly so organised (or generous) as our Venice Card, a three day Roma Pass (€36 each) included only 2 skip-the-ticket-line admissions from 38 choices and 72 hrs unlimited bus & train transport.  We later added a one day Omni Pass for the Vatican (€50 for skip-the-line St Peters & the Vatican Museum & one round of the Omni Bus) and purchased a separate 24 hr transport travel pass (€7 each) to cover bus and train for our last day.  All are well worth it, especially when you see the lines waiting (in the sun & for hours) for admission tickets at popular spots.  The Roma Pass did offer reasonable discounts for the other 36 choices; our entry to the Museo Altemps was only €7 for both.

The only Omni Office (look for the yellow windows) we could find was on the left of St Peters Piazza (as you face it).  They also sell a combined 3 day Omni & Roma Pass but you are limited then to 3 days.  Roma Tourist Information Offices did not know anything about the Vatican.  “It’s a separate country!” they said bluntly.  Be warned too, that the Omni Bus really connects the dots between major churches spread over Rome - it's not really a sightseeing jaunt, unless you want to overdose on churches that is.  I gave up trying to find an on-board audio guide on the bus that worked, so just relaxed and enjoyed the drive through the city highlights instead!

Simply Ruinous

Pompeii Scarvi, Italy.  Free Wheeling

Lively Fresco still in good condition on the walls of a casa (house)

Rather than leave Pompeii immediately after our walking tour, we chose a few other places to visit, stopping along the way if something took our interest.  It would be possible to spend days here if ruins really take your fancy, but we wanted to take a day to see the National Museum of Archaeology in Naples, which promised to be full to the brim of artefacts from Pompeii and other towns drowned by Vesuvius’s eruption. 

So, these photos come from our further explorations of the site.  In all, we must have spent over 4 hours wandering.  And a further 30 minutes lining up for tickets - such is the lot of a high season tourist! 

This may be the famous Pompeii Red

These are the fast food serveries of the time.  This one was the up-market version

 

(Two photos above from the Casa di Loreius Tiburtinus, which was more of a rich country estate than a city dwelling.  His garden was quite extensive and incorporated statues and water features.)

The Amphitheatre, the oldest known Roman (80 BC) in very good condition

Inside the Amphitheatre, trying not to get the crowd in the photo.  Also,
underneath was an exhibition of photos of a recent rock concert (Que??)

And a few other finds (prehistoric) on site...

The locals had a penchant for
all things Egypt

And there's a mix of the new
for good measure 

So, back to the Basilica where we ended our tour, leaving by the
old Port Gates.  The sea is quite some distance now

A good deal of the detail of life in Roman times has been given to us from unearthing Pompeii.  It is certainly worth a visit if you're in the neighbourhood.  

So, for us, it was back on the train to Torre del Greco, with hopes of finding something interesting for dinner.  Never a problem in Italy!