There is a bath in this accommodation we booked for a week in the hills behind La Spezia, Italy. This is a bath in which you can do yoga moves, not because you want to but because it is a necessity to get into/sit in/shower in or bathe in. You can sit in this bath with your back against the…
Take one beautifully hand cut stone stair, then multiply that by 300 and you have the stairs from our car to our accommodation on the Path of the Lemons. Multiply THAT by 1 ½ times and you have the stairs from Maiori back to the Path of the Lemons after a spectacular walk from Minori. Multiply THAT by 1 ½…
The 9 Rules for peeing on holiday… RULE ONE always know where your nearest food outlet is that might be big enough to have a toilet you can use RULE TWO be prepared to spend 3 euros on a cup of coffee you don’t need that will only make you want to pee again sooner rather than later RULE THREE wear suitable…
I took off my jeans today without undoing the button, or unzipping the zip. I did it really without thinking. Those jeans were, if not too tight, then certainly tight enough to be a little uncomfortable three and a half weeks ago. Bits of me that should not be exposed to the naked eye were squeezed over the top of…
Getting skinny – it’s a billion trillion quadrillion dollar industry the world over. Our lifestyles are not making us fit or healthy they are making us fat. Routines and boredom, lack of time and stress, low self-esteem and unhappiness, the sheer abundance of junk food and hormones (oh those hormones) all conspire to make us fat. Our lives make us…
Public toilets in Italy are few and far between. We have found only a few in our travels.If they are in tourist areas, they will be attended by an anti-social looking toilet attendant who will take your money and hand you toilet paper. The price may depend on where you are and what your need is. How does one become…
I love art. I love it in a very pauper-who-loves-art kind of way. I can’t do art and I can’t afford to own anyone famous, but I surround myself with pieces that make me feel something wonderful no matter their price or origin. I have never had an affinity for ancient art – art based on religion or ancient stick…
We don’t EVER like to accept defeat, but our desire to stay alive won against our desire to climb the Sassi. These trails beat us not once, but twice, (and then again a year later!) We were hiking In the Apennine Mountains in Italy, and the trail that beat us was in the Parco Naturale Regionale del Sasso Simone e…
Midday on the Stelvio in Mid October – 2 cars visible… Not as busy as myth would suggest! Internet myths regarding the wonder of the Alps roads abound. I’ve searched and these articles might be called “Best roads in Italy”, or “5 Passes in the Alps you have to drive” or whatever… You know the ones! Many simply perpetuate information that…
The Italian world starts slow and continues that way. Most things open at 9am and close between 12.30pm and 4.30pm, opening again until 7pm. Dinner is generally 8pm or later. It’s all very civilized. It all seems to flow very smoothly despite a big break in the middle of the day when nothing can be done because not much is…