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Well here we are again at the end of another journey for the year.  It seems a long time ago now that we were in the lovely little harbour of Pali on the island of Nisyros where we hired a car and did a little tour over to the volcano site.  It was quite huge, and a wonderful walk around. This island popped up after the first of 3 big eruptions, first one around 150,000 years ago.  We saw some beautiful views along the way, and up to the highest village of Nikia, at about 400 meters.  On the return to the harbour we stopped at Emporios to see the little natural sauna, a tiny little stone room which emanates sauna like heat when we step inside, all naturally coming from the ground and completely natural.
After some more driving around we returned to Wrighteau just in time to see a big charter boat coming in beside us, it was multi national, and one of them from Australia we discovered a very good friend of a very good friend of ours who moved to Australia 5 or so years ago.  Another example of the small world we live in

Nikia

The little natural sauna
We returned to Symi again, we ventured into the mad town, it is a very noisy spot, but there is always plenty of entertainment watching the anchoring to quay antics, and to prove the size of the small world once again, we bumped into the son of a very good old friend of Joe's mother.  Our primary reason for Symi this time was to check out of Greece, so the usual march from one side of the harbour to the other to visit police, and then port police.  We noticed a lot of very darkly shaded people at both places, particularly the port police seemed to be exceedingly pre occupied by the presence and predicament of how to deal with all the refugees about the place.  Joe asked why they don't just run away, they were not constrained in any way, but of course on an island, and a very barren one at that there was hardly any place to run, or any reason .  They have managed to achieve what they set out to do so, here they were.  It seems to be such a world wide problem now.

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We actually enjoyed a few days of very nice sailing.  In fact never have we seen so many gullets with a full wardrobe of sails up, it could be a sign of the times with them also, that with a little less affluence about, they may be suffering a little more, so cannot enjoy the random use of diesel to propel themselves along, it was a nice sight to see.
So, before we knew it we were back to Marmaris, and putting Wrighteau to bed once again.  All the usual procedure really, but we do feel very sad for her when we leave for the last time.  But this time she seemed to be amongst quite a few boats already up on hardstand, so not looking so lonely

Off to the Amalfi Coast

First stop, Positano, which we accomplished all in one day from Istanbul.  A very early morning flying out of Istanbul at 6am, train from Rome airport into Rome, Rome to Salerno, and a ferry for the final part of the journey.  Naturally pretty tired by now, just to be presented with 250 steps to reach our lovely pension (Maria Luisa) run by the lovely Marko, a family run pension.  Lovely trattorias all close by, so we didn't have to descend the 250 steps that night!!!  We had 8 nights planned for here, and days were all pretty busy.  The next day, however, we decided to take pretty quietly, we found a lovely beach bar, they collect us from the quay in a little boat and took us around to the private little bay accessible only by the water.






The view of Mt Vesuvius from Capri
Of course we are not far from the island of Capris when we are on the Amalfi Coast, so we decided a bit of a trip here necessary.  We were not really prepared for the masses of people.  Firstly we made our way up to Ana Capri high on the hill, where we took a chairlift ride to the highest point of the island.  Joe who suffers vertigo greatly was the bravest of all, especially as the chairlifts were single.  A view from on high is a fine thing, but also quite hazy.  A visit to town Capri was frighteningly busy, so we were quite relieved to make our way down the funicular and get back on the boat to get back to little Positana
After 3 nights at Positana, we moved onto Amalfi by ferry
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From here we took a bus to Sorrento, and then a little bus tour around the peninsula.  There is a lot of horticulture along this coast, and in the most precarious positions, high on the hills on impossibly carved out terraces.  Lemons are the big industry, they seem to have them covered to save them from the sun, but I never quite understood what the rickety structures of manuka like timber was all about.  In many cases the shade cloth looks in great disrepair, not sure that our hydrangeas would appreciate this very much.


Photo of lemons growing in front of back drop of Capri Island
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In our planning for this part of the trip, Joe showed some interest in renting a car around these parts, however he soon became thankful that he waned of this idea.  These roads are so windy and narrow, and the buses just seem to be getting bigger.  It absolutely defies logic as to how they make it around them the narrow corners  They use their horns a lot, as in warning at corners, not for intolerance, they are actually very patient.  Especially when passing becomes a major mission because of a car or scooter parked in a most impropriate place.  One time we were at a stand still for about 10 minutes as buses manoeuvred around each other, with more traffic collecting behind them all the time.  I just cannot understand how they get on in the busiest month of August when the traffic volume would be so much heavier
A typically close encounter with another big bus
And the bus conductor, if I can call him that, got out to try to move the guilty party to give room to pass.
One day we took a Sita or local bus up to Ravello, a beautiful little village about 400 meters high.  After enjoying the little Piazza and walking through Rufolo House, we started our mammoth walk down to Amalfi.  Little did we know what lay ahead.  After a gentle downhill walk at the start, we started on the long line of steep and uneven steps.  It was a pretty meander but by the time we got to the bottom my unaccustomed step walking legs were like jelly, and on walking an ordinary straight line I needed to adopt some kind of silly walk to stay upright.  It was a great day out, all considered
A highlight for me was the Sentiero degli Dei, or the Walk of the Gods. It started with one of the most exciting of bus trips we had, a most precarious drive, with a maniac at the wheel, I think he really viewed his career as bus driving as very great sport and adventure.  We were dropped off at Bomerano with many other hikers like us, though they do tend to look very much like hikers with the proper boots, hiking sticks and some how a hiking look.  (I have to say we kept up with even the most professional looking hikers)
It was lovely to see the donkeys at work, although I think really they were more like mules, or is it an ass.  Anyway, in this instance they were carting out firewood.  We heard goats and their bells, and a third of the way along the track we got a big surprise when we came around a corner and there was a little trio entertaining the multitudes with their classical music, it was fantastic.  And again, all the terracing in seemingly the most unreachable places.  Even a little tap with fresh water, it's thirsty work this tramping.  There was some quite rugged terrain, but the views were stunning.  I think the track along is about 6 km.  We reached Nocelle, and the first thing to greet us was a little cafe with an old couple squeezing fresh lemon juice and making tomato and olive focacia, so of course we felt duty bound to share with that.  Actually most refreshing and just what the doctor ordered.
Next big event, Pompei.  We chose to get here by the tourist bus the hotel had on offer.  We generally really don't go in for these tours where you end up following a brolly around, but we decided this was the easiest way for us to attack it on this occasion.  Pompei is a very interesting story, the volcanic eruption in 79AD covered Herculaneum in lava, so that was much more difficult to excavate, and much more destroyed I think, but Pompei was covered in ash, so the excavation was easier, and the town was much more preserved and in its original state.  Any of the wooden structures didn't survive, and the roofs all collapsed.  But other than that you can walk down the streets, and imagine the shops and life going on in the city.
The streets had tracks dug into them when they put down the pavements, for the carriage wheels to  make their way along.  And at regular intervals they had stepping stones across them to get over the street when the rain water comes rushing down.
The guilty Vesuvius, the first and destroying eruption is the low point on the right, then in the following eruptions came the little dip to the left of the column
Incredibly, when they were excavating, they came across vacant cavities when they poked down with whatever it is that they excavate with, and discovered that it was where the bodies had been covered up, and left a space behind as they faded away.  So what they did was pump in plaster so the exact shape of the bodies as they suffocated in the poisonous ash was restored, so in these examples on display, the scull, teeth and fingernails are the real thing.
The last adventure for us was to catch an early bus from Amalfi to Salerno, we got down to the stop for the earlier bus of 7am, not sure if it was the best one to catch.  We made it comfortably to Minori, when a glitch cropped up, the back door would not shut, or operate in any operable fashion at all actually.  The bus driver fiddled, and then though he might just carry on with the door slightly ajar.  We were sitting just behind this door, and we knew that the first corner we went around it would fly open and the results of this imaginable.  So I got down on the steps and held the door.  This alarmed the driver who came with a small stretch of frayed line, and set about trying to tie the door shut, and clearly hadn't at attended any sort of scout group in his young years, I couldn't watch it any more, and dismantled his knots and started again.  Off we went again, however the string he provided wasn't long enough to be at a correct and successful angle, so the door was not secure still.  By now it was full of people, and standing people, so I repositioned myself back on the step, and put my feet against the wall and spent the rest of the journey, about 35 minutes, holding the door shut, and as the driver belted around the corners to port there was plenty of pressure I can tell you.  Much relief to get to Salerno, croissants for breakfast and onto the fast train to Rome.


We only had the one night in Rome, so nothing to report about that, which brings us now to Istanbul, and leaving tonight.  Before we know it we will be home for the first serious rain we have experienced in 10 weeks, just half hour in Positano and half hour at the end of our Pompei tour.


So until next year, that's it from us.