Perfil de siriluck

I put this under entertainment and parks because there was no option to select "bloody great big volcano".

We stayed for a week in Sorrento so flew into Naples and then took a coach from there. Every time I looked out of the window for the first half hour or so of our coach journey all I could see was Vesuvius looming over us.

We decided take a guided coach tour of Pompeii in the morning and Vesuvius in the afternoon. In retrospect we should have taken the public services which are quite simple to work out and fairly regular these being the biggest tourist attractions in Southern Italy. The Circemvesuviana trainline runs between Naples and Sorrento and you can take it to Ercolano Scavi. From here there are regular scheduled buses which will take you as far as you can go by vehicle up the ancient volcano. I can't remember the name of the tour operator but we bought the tickets through Fiorentino Travel Organization which was in the Piazza S. Antonio. The Pompeii/Vesuvius tour cost €44pp and there was a half day tour of Vesuvius for €29pp. Be warned: these prices did not include any entrace fees and we were herded in to a restaurant of the guide's choosing for a light lunch for €13pp. There was a very basic choice of a soft drink, a beer or a glass of wine; cheese and tomato topped pizza, tomato sauced pasta or tuna salad for the main course and ice cream for dessert. For medical reasons I need to avoid sugary things, I'm not terribly good at digesting wine and I'm not a great beer lover (unless it's Stiegl Weissbier) so I missed out on the drinks and the dessert (that means I paid €13 for a pizza!!)

Our guide was in his very late 60s and had clearly been doing his job for a very (too?) long time. He had some interesting facts about the area around Vesuvius, the different lava and rock formations as we passed them on the way up and, interestingly, was able to recall the last time that Vesuvius had been active in 1944. Once we got off the coach, however, we were on our own. We were directed to the ticket office and told that there would be an official Vesuvius National Park guide to take us to the very top of the crater.

The tickets cost €6.50 each and this allows you to climb the one mile/1700 meter trail (walking stick provided and very useful!) to the crater. The guide told us it would take about 20 minutes to get to the top. I don't think he really got a good look at us because at my best it would have taken me at least half an hour. As my friend was not so used to walking up inclines (I live on top of a hill) and I was stopping to take photos (if anyone has a Loreo 3-D viewer send me a message and I'll post some 3-D pictures - I find it works quite well on the computer) it took us about 45 minutes to reach the crater. I managed to graze my right knee going up and my left knee going down but the volcanic rubble gives you a really soft landing so I hardly felt a thing even though there was a fair amount of blood.

In all honesty the trail is not too steep and there are plenty of places where you can stop and lean on your stick for a bit. A wooden rail stops you tumbling down the side of the mountain but the trail is quite generous in width and allowed for the upward and downward traffic easily when we were there. It is a little colder than at the base of Vesuvius so it's probably wise to bring a jumper or light jacket. They advise you to wear closed shoes and I would agree with them as I wore Crocs and ended up having to empty them of rubble every 5 minutes.

About two thirds of the way up is a sitting area and shop where you can buy drinks, snacks and souvenirs but we didn't stop there too long as we had been walking for well over the 20 minutes it was supposed to take to get to the top. When we reached the crater we couldn't find a guide so just continued on our own. There are several fenced viewpoints that look over the crater and it is well worth the hike to see this and the views over the Bay of Naples as well. We didn't go right to the end of the trail because our guide had given us a stict time limit and this is the main reason that I wish we had made our own way here. Apart from our guide's interesting personal perspective of the eruption in 1944, it would have been possible to get most of the information he gave us with a little internet research and my friend and I could well have made it to the very top. Maybe next time because I would definitely like to go back.

The May Flower is located in the Piazza Angelina Lauro which is much quieter than the main square in Sorrento, Piazza Tasso. There are a couple of restaurants which are casual and cafe-like and the May Flower is one of these.

The clientele was a mix of overseas tourists, like ourselves, and Italians - especially teenagers. This being Italy, however, they were not raucus or rowdy, they tended to be nursing a single espresso between them. The prices were much more reasonable here than almost everywhere else in Sorrento and the food was basic but cooked well so we went there a couple of times for a quick bite rather than a full blown dinner.

The menu was extensive, with the usual suspects of pasta and pizza (there was one where the toppings appeared to be cheese, sausage and French fries but we didn’t see anyone order that - see my pics if you don’t believe me and draw your own conclusions) and I even managed to order a daiquiri at lunchtime (though they had to double check that this was what I actually wanted) which turned out to be made with lemons. It was quite nice.

Most people ate outside the restaurant under the covered arcarde but there was also a huge covered area in the centre of the square (see my pics) which was mostly empty whenever we went past. They encouraged us to eat there so we did but, if you are prone to mosquito bites as I am, avoid, because I ended up having to leave my friend to pay the bill while I escaped the litle biters.

The waiters were friendly and quickly corrected any errors with a smile. All in all it was a nice place to have a quick lunch or coffee so, together with the reasonable prices and notwithstanding the mosquitoes in the central eating area, I would recommend.

The funicular is supposed to be the quickest way to get from the port of Marina Grande to Capri Town and the journey itself takes about 5 minutes. However, you might be better off finding an alternative way up (bus or taxi - it’s even possible to walk I hear tell) if you decide to go on an Italian bank holiday weekend like we did.

Landing at the port and turning right the funicular entrance is very easy to spot being under a large arch that says “Funiculare”. However, you need to keep walking a bit further past there and buy your tickets from the ticket office first. A Single ticket cost €1.40 and you can pre-buy as many paper tickets as you want or load an electronic card for which you have to pay a deposit of €3 I think. These tickets can also be used on the bus service.

So we queued for ages to get our tickets and then queued for ages to get on the funicular and then missed out on the nice views you’re supposed to get on the journey because the carriages were heaving with people. There is a strict maximum number of passengers on each train and there is a big electronic countdown board so that you can see how little chance you have of getting on the next one. Waiting to get on the funicular was particularly uncomfortable because of the hot sun and being inside the funicular was akin to the worst rush hour crush on the Tube in London - only hotter! The saving grace was the very short journey time but tempers were frayed by the time we got to Capri Town. Going down to the port was exactly as arduous.

To sum up - it is the best way to get to Capri Town from the port but if you see a crowd of people outside the funicular arch just walk away.

Just been to the newly opened Imbiss which is just off Edgware Road and Oxford Street and had an Austrian!

This is food traditionally served with beer in Austria and it’s very nice. They have all sorts of fresh breads such as pretzels (soft and chewy not rock-hard), Kornspitz and Kaiser beer rolls; different varieties of Leberkaese ( a kind of meatloaf); sausages such as kaesekrainer (with melted cheese inside) bratwuerstel and frankfurters; and desserts such as struedel.

We had a mixed platter for two which was £12 so that we could sample as much as possible and I was absolutely stuffed by the time we finished. We washed it down with the draught Stiegl Weissbier which, of course, went perfectly with the food.

This ain’t no theme bar, though. It has a nice chilled atmosphere in sophisticated decor. There is a bar area with a couple of tables on the ground floor and a larger basement which would be ideal for bigger parties.

It’s in a nice area which is just far enough away from the brash and bustly Oxford Street and Edgware Road so it’s ideal for taking a breather while you’re out shopping but it is literally just five minutes walk from Marble Arch.

I would definitely recommend you go here if only to try out the Austrian beer food or the fantastic Austrian beer which is extremely difficult to find in this country and is far superior to the German/Dutch/Belgian tat that we get over here, sometimes.

Einfach Klasse!!

On 24th August 79AD Mount Vesuvius erupted and destroyed the city of Pompeii by covering it in volcanic ash. It was discovered in the 1700s and still being excavated today. The same event also destroyed 3 other towns, including Herculaneum and the excavations here are just as amazing as at Pompeii and offer a different view of Roman life.

Herculaneum is a much smaller site in comparison to Pompeii but this makes it "do-able" in a day and I would have happily gone back for more if I'd had the time. We took the Circumvesuvia train which runs regularly between Naples and Sorrento but there is also a bus service you can get. The site itself is very easy to find once you get off the train and there is a kind of long bridge/walkway that goes over the excavations and gives you a great overview of the whole thing before you actually go down there.

Most of the buildings are open to the public so you can walk about quite freely and, as it's not as busy as Pompeii, you can really take your time and have a good look at everything at your leisure without being bustled about. There is a shop which was preserved almost in its entirety and where some of the goods were also preserved and a ladies baths with some beautiful mosaic floors.

I have attached some photos and a crappy film (sorry I am a bad, bad filmmaker) but they don't really do justice to the place. I would highly recommend a visit if you're anywhere near the Bay of Naples and have to say I enoyed it more than Pompeii which was just too busy and rushed to be able to take in properly.