For our last day in Italy, we took the train to a place called Sorrento, a very popular touristy town, and hour away from Naples.
Forgot about the second last day.
So for the second last day, we went to this place called Puzzuoli. First impressions was that it was quite a quiet unremarkable town. There was no one about, but then again, it was a Sunday.
We had got off on a different station to the one initially planned, so it's kind of convenient that Dad had a GPS thing on his phone.
So..... as my Mum proudly displayed her knowledge, this is a market. It's really quite weird. You can't go in, so it's just kind of there in the middle of a random sleepy town.
This attraction lasted for about 5 minutes, as there was no shade. Oh wait, there was lamp-post in which I did pose under, squinting hard, and running away after the photo was taken.
Hmmm, then we started walking up a slope, heading towards a Volcano. And with our high-tech GPS thing we figured after only about 15 minutes of walking, which in that weather equals 75 minutes worth, we were only about a quarter of the way there. So (this may be hard to believe) we voted against seeing this volcano. Harvey's and my reasoning being we didn't want to walk for ages to see a piece of flat land with no shade. I know it's a volcano, but in the guide book it looked like a flat piece of tarmac on a hill.
So, minds changed, we went to the amphitheatre, which meant retracing most of our steps.
This is how amused and patient I was about it.
However the amphitheatre was pretty cool, we could go underneath the stadium bit, where all the performers would be before going up.
Imagine how spooky this place would be in the dark.
Of course we looked the stadium itself, but it was unfortunate we couldn't go up into the seating area.
Nonetheless, here I am in the middle of the amphitheatre:
Ugh, and yes, for some reason my belly is showing.
Something great happened though on the way back to the hotel, we bought ice cream and it was so very delicious. Not as delicious as when I had pineapple and coconut gelato, but delicious.
By this time, we had been quite sick of pasta and pizza, so we found this small Filipino place just round the back of the hotel, which did very decent kebabs. The first time we went, we bought some kebabs, then when we walked past again one of them invited us in to look at their small 'buffet' (in a very casual term). We kindly declined. However, to that day, we really just wanted to eat some vegetables and something that wasn't creamy or had tomatoes. So, the next day, we went there to actually eat. And they recognised us. At the end they struck up conversation.. the kind of conversation you strike up with someone that goes to your restaurant for the second time?
And we walked past again, and they go 'heelloo!' and we go 'hello!' and then it's a little like a venus fly trap because we ended up buying kebab AGAIN.
We nicknamed the place the 'hello' restaurant.
We walked past AGAIN, and we ate there, AGAIN.
And now I am a little embarrassed if I ever walk past again. Because now there is a bond, and I don't want to bond with a restaurant.
For our last day, we took the same train to Sorrento, about an hour away from Naples. It's a very touristy town, which actually has a supermarket that sells fruit.
It's also famous for lemons. I wanted to buy souvenirs, but I don't think plastic lemons for a ridiculous price is great personally.
Also, the lemons are dead ugly.
We went to a special exhibit of Salvador Dali's works, 'The Dali Universe', which was actually pretty good. It was a small exhibit, but his works were truly interesting and different.
However, the best thing that happened that day (possibly that week) we went to a really swanky restaurant for lunch.
The restaurant itself had a very grand atmosphere and it was playing operatic music. Classic stuff. And the main waiter had a really nice suit.
Before we even ordered we were bombarded with complimentary champagne and bread and pizza bread.
Another huge pro about this place is, they turned the air conditioning right up when we arrived.
So, we all had a four course meal.
And these are the highlights.
^ So above was the pasta course, with this fish paste inside, which was quite logically lovely. But, the clams. Oh my word, I am still gushing about the clams because they were the most fresh and sweet thing on earth. And eight of them was not enough.
< That was fish, (can't remember what fish, I think it was sea bass), which was cooked so that the flesh was light and and fairly flakey, and it taste beautiful too.
Above was Harvey's dessert, which was a coconut-ty thing, which is pity because I like coconut. But I put it up even though I didn't eat it as, it looks just so quirky and balanced.
And, on the right, is my face from trying the limoncello. The first sip was really nice, very zesty and fragrant. But perhaps I'm a lightweight, but the alcohol was far too strong for me, and I can only remember it as lemon detergent.
And of course, after visiting an awesome restaurant we want to remember it. So what better way than to have a photo in front of it?
Unfortunately thing went a little downhill from then on.... a coach journey, and our attempt to go home. But that can go in a different post to his one.
Forgot about the second last day.
So for the second last day, we went to this place called Puzzuoli. First impressions was that it was quite a quiet unremarkable town. There was no one about, but then again, it was a Sunday.
We had got off on a different station to the one initially planned, so it's kind of convenient that Dad had a GPS thing on his phone.
So..... as my Mum proudly displayed her knowledge, this is a market. It's really quite weird. You can't go in, so it's just kind of there in the middle of a random sleepy town.
This attraction lasted for about 5 minutes, as there was no shade. Oh wait, there was lamp-post in which I did pose under, squinting hard, and running away after the photo was taken.
Hmmm, then we started walking up a slope, heading towards a Volcano. And with our high-tech GPS thing we figured after only about 15 minutes of walking, which in that weather equals 75 minutes worth, we were only about a quarter of the way there. So (this may be hard to believe) we voted against seeing this volcano. Harvey's and my reasoning being we didn't want to walk for ages to see a piece of flat land with no shade. I know it's a volcano, but in the guide book it looked like a flat piece of tarmac on a hill.
So, minds changed, we went to the amphitheatre, which meant retracing most of our steps.
This is how amused and patient I was about it.
However the amphitheatre was pretty cool, we could go underneath the stadium bit, where all the performers would be before going up.
Imagine how spooky this place would be in the dark.
Of course we looked the stadium itself, but it was unfortunate we couldn't go up into the seating area.
Nonetheless, here I am in the middle of the amphitheatre:
Ugh, and yes, for some reason my belly is showing.
Something great happened though on the way back to the hotel, we bought ice cream and it was so very delicious. Not as delicious as when I had pineapple and coconut gelato, but delicious.
By this time, we had been quite sick of pasta and pizza, so we found this small Filipino place just round the back of the hotel, which did very decent kebabs. The first time we went, we bought some kebabs, then when we walked past again one of them invited us in to look at their small 'buffet' (in a very casual term). We kindly declined. However, to that day, we really just wanted to eat some vegetables and something that wasn't creamy or had tomatoes. So, the next day, we went there to actually eat. And they recognised us. At the end they struck up conversation.. the kind of conversation you strike up with someone that goes to your restaurant for the second time?
And we walked past again, and they go 'heelloo!' and we go 'hello!' and then it's a little like a venus fly trap because we ended up buying kebab AGAIN.
We nicknamed the place the 'hello' restaurant.
We walked past AGAIN, and we ate there, AGAIN.
And now I am a little embarrassed if I ever walk past again. Because now there is a bond, and I don't want to bond with a restaurant.
For our last day, we took the same train to Sorrento, about an hour away from Naples. It's a very touristy town, which actually has a supermarket that sells fruit.
It's also famous for lemons. I wanted to buy souvenirs, but I don't think plastic lemons for a ridiculous price is great personally.
Also, the lemons are dead ugly.
We went to a special exhibit of Salvador Dali's works, 'The Dali Universe', which was actually pretty good. It was a small exhibit, but his works were truly interesting and different.
However, the best thing that happened that day (possibly that week) we went to a really swanky restaurant for lunch.
The restaurant itself had a very grand atmosphere and it was playing operatic music. Classic stuff. And the main waiter had a really nice suit.
Before we even ordered we were bombarded with complimentary champagne and bread and pizza bread.
Another huge pro about this place is, they turned the air conditioning right up when we arrived.
So, we all had a four course meal.
And these are the highlights.
< That was fish, (can't remember what fish, I think it was sea bass), which was cooked so that the flesh was light and and fairly flakey, and it taste beautiful too.
Above was Harvey's dessert, which was a coconut-ty thing, which is pity because I like coconut. But I put it up even though I didn't eat it as, it looks just so quirky and balanced.
And, on the right, is my face from trying the limoncello. The first sip was really nice, very zesty and fragrant. But perhaps I'm a lightweight, but the alcohol was far too strong for me, and I can only remember it as lemon detergent.
And of course, after visiting an awesome restaurant we want to remember it. So what better way than to have a photo in front of it?
Unfortunately thing went a little downhill from then on.... a coach journey, and our attempt to go home. But that can go in a different post to his one.
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