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Just a few jottings - - Random ramblings, occasional crafty creations & nature notes included. Trying to "Design a life I love" - succeeding I think -----.

Saturday 28 July 2007

A month in retrospect

Well since coming back from Sorrento I don't seem to have had a moment to get on line - - I haven't read my friend's blogs even - let alone had time to write anything for mine! Part of the problem has been my Internet connection - it has been dropping me out every 2 minutes so frequently that I have given up in exasperation! And I have had no access at all at work as we are having work done on the servers - which has to be fixed for Results days!!Not that I can write my blog at work - but I do like to read my friend's blogs when I am lunching.
Anyway - to try and catch up a bit - I have really enjoyed my trip to Sorrento. Lots of details further down!! If you don't get bored before then LOL.
We had our monthly Crop which was great. It's lovely to see my friends and I do enjoy scrapbooking with like minded ladies - so many people don't get it!! Then we went away of course - and came back to our dancing weekend, followed by a WI trip and our WI monthly meeting (Gosh I do seem to have a busy Social Life - LOL, LOL :) - I know I don't seem to have had time for letters and scrapping anyway!) Then I have had my parents to stay for a week which included the Southern Agricultural Show weekend, and I have also been on 2 training courses for work!! Where does the time go????? Anyway on to - -

SORRENTO
Friday 6th July –
So excited!! Doug and I are off on holiday to Sorrento in the Bay of Naples. I worked in the morning as we were on a direct flight from Ronaldsway in the afternoon, and Shirley very kindly gave me a lift home at lunch time. Doug and I got to the airport to the most enormous queue – the biggest I have ever seen at Ronaldsway!! To our amazement Sandy came to join it!! She had booked a last minute ticket! Needless to say the flight was delayed and we didn’t actually leave the island til 5pm, the flight was ok – I got to see the sun setting over the Alps andwe landed in Naples as it was going dark. A coach drive to Sorrento took an hour and a half – so by the time we checked in I was truly starving!!! Fortunately the hotel had kept dinner for us and boy was it welcome!!
Then a quick unpack and bed!!

Saturday
We spent the day wandering round the city, finding our bearings and looking around. Beautiful shops, amazing views of the Bay of Naples, yet the morning was wasted in the “Welcome Meeting” – I didn’t go – Doug did but it went on and on!! I sat in a lovely café drinking coffee – I thought they were never coming back to join me. D said he thought it was a waste of time. We made our way to the Marina Piccola first and discovered this was where the boat trips came in. The route down the cliff was precipitpius – very steep steps making hairpin bends from sea level to the Piazzo Tasso. We had hoped that there was a path all along the coast to get to Marina Grande but no. We had to find another way there. However it was extremely attractive – both the harbour and getting there. Sorrento is the epitome of faded grandeur – with peeling paintwork, honey coloured stone and faded colours of the buildings contrasting so much with the fabulous colour of the gardens - bougainvillea, oleander, and the intense stupefying blue of the morning glories
A place that captures your heart and imagination in a way almost indescribable – its charm is magical – the words of the song say it all – come back to Sorrento

Sunday
We decided on a sail to the Isle of Capri. Intensely blues skies and the Med like a sheet of shimmery blue glass it was so calm, we whizzed over the surface in a huge Jetfoil – which was not really what Doug was thinking of, when he suggested that we sailed to Capri– however it did have the advantage of being fast so that we get to spend a full day here. The harbour and town were so very pretty as we reached the island, lots of luxury yachts moored next to more traditional working boats bobbing gently in the harbour, a jumble of sails and rigging, “beautiful people”, fishermen and tourists and “day trippers”, life and movement, shops and café’s and people everywhere!! White houses, cottages and villas scramble up the hillside reaching ever higher to the cerulean blue of the sky, their terracotta tiles bleached to a soft pink by the sun. What is it about rooftops climbing a hillside that makes everyone smile? A very romantic place I feel, in spite of the sheer volume of visitors – though a very expensive one!! Away from the harbour and waterfront it is again totally charming, the quaint, steep narrow twisty streets scrambling up what can only be called a steep cliff face - bending and winding round corners and zig zagging madly upwards and turning into staircases at the slightest opportunity!! The houses cling to the hillsides and you gaze at the in amazement wondering how they survive on such precipitous ground, Each one adorned with baskets, window boxes and planters full of colour as the flowers tumble out - bright, cheerful and pretty against the white painted walls each with their own “Secret Garden” of hidden courtyard gardens, visible through doorways, gates and archways as we climb the cliff face on the Funicular Railway, which rises through a steep valley filled with morning glory! Arriving safely after our ride in Ana Capri (I think) to fantastic views of the bay below and even more expensive shops here – beautiful jewelry, fabulous linens, clothes, shoes and bags – so tempting!! I did resist though!! After a stroll negotiating the crowds to wander the streets we found a delightful restaurant (bit pricey but worth it) with fantastic views where we lunched and where I had the nicest glass of wine of the holiday!! More wandering a little after lunch before facing the queue for the Funicular to get back down to the port for our trip back to Sorrento. Maybe Sunday wasn’t the best day to have chosen to come here – I think with it being weekend there were many locals also having a day out, but I so enjoyed it – and it really did capture my heart – it is a place to fall in love with!

I have so much more to say - but this post would go on for ever!! so I'll stop for now. Thanks for dropping by.

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