6 October '05, Thursday.
I must say, we have had a few nice days, very few great days, and way too many wet days since we arrive here19 months ago. Italy this time of year, we knew could be a little wet, and wet it has and continues to be. We have to force our way out once in awhile, but most of the time we just take it as, "it could be worse..". This morning we started out with a few clouds, with some of them off in the distance being pretty dark, but we still had to do a load of whites, come hell or high-water. By the time we washed and had them hanging on the line, we realized that we were in for a shower. Off the line the clothes came, to the office for a dryer coin, and start the drying process in a machine. By 1 in the afternoon we had the wash done, folded, and put away. Seeing as how we could see the top of Mt Vesuvius from the campground, we decided to grab one of the city buses that would take us up to the trail. The ride up was just about as good as the ride along the Almalfi Coast. About 2/3rds the way up and just out of the tree line, we came to the point were the hiking trail takes off for the summit. You have to get a "Guide Pass" to go up the trail, and I thought it ment that we had a guide that would take us...wrong. I guess the $6 Euro charge is to help maintain the trail...anyway, it was OK. They hand us a walking stick as we walk through the gate and start the accent. The trail was about 4 feet wide and made up of the rock and dirt from the volcano. The rate of climb got your heart rate up pretty quick, but you could make it to the top with out trouble. There was a high cloud cover, but it didn't hurt our view into the crater or down the slopes to the cities and towns circling the mountain. The last eruption was in 1944, and the lava flow was very visable. Inside the crater there were a few steem vents that were active, but that was all. The trail took us up to, and then about halfway around the craters edge. There is no OSHA around here. The punny litte fence, now only was missing in a few places, it was pushed over in a few others. After about 2 hours of hiking and sightseeing at the crater, we headed back down to catch our next bus back home. I mentioned that the ride up was just about as good as the Almafi Coast ride, well the biggest difference was, this time we were climbing or decending a mountain. On the way down, our bus driver was doing what any good Italians bus driver who is driving and honking his horn at every 180° corner would be doing...TALKING ON HIS CELL PHONE !!! It rang 3 separate times, and he answered it 3 separate times...fact is after the first time, the bus passengers started laughing when it rang next. The only thing he was lacking while talking, was the usual Italian waving of his hands. He made up for that with his animated conversation and facial expressions. He also was quite vocal to pedestrians as he wheeled this big bus around them before they jumped away in fright. What a day...there is always something to experience, and this was just one of those special days. Tomorrow...Capri PS. Please remember that I don't have spell check on this French computer and I need a lot of understanding...
I must say, we have had a few nice days, very few great days, and way too many wet days since we arrive here19 months ago. Italy this time of year, we knew could be a little wet, and wet it has and continues to be. We have to force our way out once in awhile, but most of the time we just take it as, "it could be worse..". This morning we started out with a few clouds, with some of them off in the distance being pretty dark, but we still had to do a load of whites, come hell or high-water. By the time we washed and had them hanging on the line, we realized that we were in for a shower. Off the line the clothes came, to the office for a dryer coin, and start the drying process in a machine. By 1 in the afternoon we had the wash done, folded, and put away. Seeing as how we could see the top of Mt Vesuvius from the campground, we decided to grab one of the city buses that would take us up to the trail. The ride up was just about as good as the ride along the Almalfi Coast. About 2/3rds the way up and just out of the tree line, we came to the point were the hiking trail takes off for the summit. You have to get a "Guide Pass" to go up the trail, and I thought it ment that we had a guide that would take us...wrong. I guess the $6 Euro charge is to help maintain the trail...anyway, it was OK. They hand us a walking stick as we walk through the gate and start the accent. The trail was about 4 feet wide and made up of the rock and dirt from the volcano. The rate of climb got your heart rate up pretty quick, but you could make it to the top with out trouble. There was a high cloud cover, but it didn't hurt our view into the crater or down the slopes to the cities and towns circling the mountain. The last eruption was in 1944, and the lava flow was very visable. Inside the crater there were a few steem vents that were active, but that was all. The trail took us up to, and then about halfway around the craters edge. There is no OSHA around here. The punny litte fence, now only was missing in a few places, it was pushed over in a few others. After about 2 hours of hiking and sightseeing at the crater, we headed back down to catch our next bus back home. I mentioned that the ride up was just about as good as the Almafi Coast ride, well the biggest difference was, this time we were climbing or decending a mountain. On the way down, our bus driver was doing what any good Italians bus driver who is driving and honking his horn at every 180° corner would be doing...TALKING ON HIS CELL PHONE !!! It rang 3 separate times, and he answered it 3 separate times...fact is after the first time, the bus passengers started laughing when it rang next. The only thing he was lacking while talking, was the usual Italian waving of his hands. He made up for that with his animated conversation and facial expressions. He also was quite vocal to pedestrians as he wheeled this big bus around them before they jumped away in fright. What a day...there is always something to experience, and this was just one of those special days. Tomorrow...Capri PS. Please remember that I don't have spell check on this French computer and I need a lot of understanding...