Days 31 and 32

(Dan’s comments are italicized)

Our time in beautiful Porto Venere with my lifelong friend is coming to an end. But, intent on not wasting a minute, we spent our last day doing something you’d never expect us to.

We went on a ferry (this time to Lerici) and climbed up loads of steps 😂 [I’ve been thinking about the stairway to heaven recently…it seems cruel to make good people climb all that way 🥴]

Anyway, as this was our very last time on a ferry from Porto Venere, I took a photo of the house where we were staying. It’s the one with the two aqua sunshades (you can see some of our washing if you look closely). One of the wonderful things about spending time with Jules is that our accommodation was greatly upgraded. AND we had a washing machine!!!

As always, the ferry ride was delightful…but this time it was even more special as the three of us were the only ones on the ferry on the way out. Upgraded accommodation, private ferry…I could get used to this lifestyle (Judith!!!)

Right next to Lerici was San Terenzo where Mary and Percy Shelley used to spend time with poet friends such as Lord Byron. The white house right on the seafront close to the right hand side of the photo is where they stayed only then (200 years ago) it was a quiet and desolate place.

As usual, we docked in a gorgeous place…

… and wandered around a bit before climbing up to the medieval fort/castle.

As much as I complain about steps, I find them very beautiful, and the views as you climb are breathtaking!

The castle itself was interesting. Not only did it have some beautiful angles (I’ve realized that I love angles)…

…but it also held an exhibition of pictures. At first I was underwhelmed (I’ve realized I’m not very cultured in the arts) as it looked like a load of (very good) kids’ art to my untrained and unsophisticated eye.

…but then we realized that these were layered cut-outs, depicting a particular staging of Puccini’s La Boheme (which was playing on a TV)

The little chapel provided more opportunities for photographing angles and, outside, presented views and seagulls!

Among all the beautiful boats, I was intrigued to find some that seem to have come from halfway around the world.

These boats served to remind me how much I yearn to travel and how fortunate I’ve been to have seen so much around the world.

Sometimes, I forget…!

The next day we had to say goodbye to Porto Venere, Jules, and our week of luxury. We were back on the road and a bit sad so…no photos!

• Bus to La Spezia
• Train to Pisa
• Train to Forenze
• Train to Naples
• Metro to the old town

We have been very lucky with the train service so far. There are strikes happening all over Europe, but not at the time we are passing through. Keeping our fingers crossed 🤞🤞🤞

Okay, so my ‘no photos’ didn’t last long! I don’t think we’re in the most popular part of Naples! This was the metro carriage…

…and we’ve found the only restaurant in Italy where the servers don’t speak any English 😂 BUT ours speaks Spanish so I get to butcher the language some more!

The restroom is a bit dicey though…a little close to the tables for my liking! Thank goodness I have a big bladder.

We were the only people there, but they were very busy making sure that every table was set for what looked like a soon-to-be busy night. When we left, the restaurant was still completely empty. We ambled back to our place that the ad lists as an “Old room in an ancient building”. They were very accurate in their title, and we are excited to write about it as the experiences pile up.