May 1st – May Day in Civitavecchia

Today, our good intentions of catching the train into Rome were thwarted by the May Day Bank Holiday. There was a Sunday service on the trains, and with a much reduced number of trains to catch, we wouldn't have had much of a safety margin if our particular train had been cancelled or had problems (which has happened to us in the past).

So, rather than rushing to catch a train into Rome, and then immediately start to worry about catching a train back, we decided to cut our losses, and stay in Civitavecchia. As anyone who has been to Civitavecchia knows, there isn't much to this port town even when the shops are open; but, on a Bank Holiday, there was even less to do!

So, we restricted our activities to walking along its seafront promenade, having a coffee, and looking for photo opportunities. As you can imagine, this didn't take too long, but at least it gave us time to start on our packing back onboard ship. When you've been away for 4 months, you've accumulated a lot of stuff that needs sorting out. I hope it all fits in our luggage.....

April 30th – Winding Down in Sorrento

The wonderful thing about Sorrento is that you don't feel like you have to see or do too much when you're in town. This place is about kicking back and enjoying the stunning views out across the Bay of Naples to the brooding Mount Vesuvius in the distance; about pottering around its atmospheric little lanes; and about finding a good pizza restaurant and watching the world go by. We did all three today.

Actually, I don't think that I've ever encountered Sorrento when it's been busier. Being a Sunday, there were lots of local families promenading around; but, there were lots of large groups of international tourists too. Maybe they were coming for some early season sun – it was gloriously sunny, if a little bit on the cool side. Maybe it was because many of the other spring sunshine destinations are largely off limits these days (like Turkey, Egypt, or North Africa). Whatever the reason, Sorrento was BUSY.

So, we decided to escape the crowds and walked down to the Marina Grande for a coffee. It was only a 20-minute walk away, but this was like another place entirely – no big tour groups, no souvenir shops, and a little beach where it was just about warm enough to attract a few sunbathers.

After enjoying the chilled out atmosphere, we headed back to Sorrento to join the crowds perusing the shops, before heading to meet up with some friends for a delicious pizza and a bit of La Dolce Vita.

After 114 days on the world cruise, you need relaxing days like this.