Our adventure at Cinque Terre

Why go to this lovely world heritage site in winter?  Why not? Actually, I would go again, at any time, and stay longer, and swim and walk....
 The dramatic cliff scape, the buildings are perched on top of each other going up the mountains and are such lovely colours - I wonder if they were always so colourful???

There were no ferries at this time of year  for us enjoy the dramatic views of  villages from the ocean, so we travelled by train to Le Spezia, the main port of the area, then changed to a local train. We first visited Monterosso –the furthest away and with a lovely long beach. Oh, the openness,the freedom, the fresh air and the quiet wave shushing after all those days of narrow smoke stinking streets!!  Bliss….   feeling of freedom...... This and another village got flooded out in 2011, apparently due to global warming, however all the locals got together and fixed everything so today, one would never know.    A quick look around the town at street level and on the train to the smaller village of Vernazza to watch a fishing dingy being hoisted up from the waters far below….  Travelling to Europe in Winter, is so cool - there are no crowds or queues.   However an Asian tour group joined us on the train and we wondered why they did not get off at Corniglia.  This was the only town that had a ‘Welcome to our Village’ sign  and a barking welcome dog - and we soon found out why – there was a switchback series of many stairs to the village high in the hills!  Nothing was open, being the time of year, but thankfully there was a bus service to deliver us to the station down below. Corniglia – visited!! We decided to  eat at Manorola, perched on the edge of the cliff and discovered that the Asian Tour group was dining at a very nice looking restaurant in the main street. As we had plenty of time  for the train before travelling to the next village we elected to settle in for a long lunch of local fare  -  a very good decision, we discovered.  At Cinque Terre one is expected to go walking, we knew, so we elected to do the shortest walk from Riomaggore. However a few minutes into the walk we discovered a very padlocked gate and a notice informing us that the walkway was closed due to slips…….

We then decided to walk up what we thought was the main street only to discover that this was a well  off residential area – odd!!  Back to the station to find an interesting wall lined tunnel  of art leading to the busy main street leading upwards……but we have done enough ups!  Now when is the train leaving to Le Spezia?????

Our Bologna Walking Adventure

Move over, expensive bus tours and Ferrari factory tours that charge extortionist rates! Old town Bologna is a city one should walk around!!! There is only 1 main traffic road passing through the centre that I could see from the top of the Torre Asinelli - the tallest remaining tower in the city  - 598 steps up!! Apparently all families of note erected a tower each. Today most have collapsed or have been reduced to about 3 stories high and capped. Nearby is the Food Precinct in the Quatra Latino area - a must to visit!  Delicatessens with hundreds of hanging meats, cheeses and local foods, wine bars, cafes, fish and vegetable shops, restaurants, pizzerias and the crowded Mercate di Mezzo Food Hall – where we lunched – had so many choices of freshly-prepared-in front-of-you foods. Just around the we strolled through the very upmarket Cavore Galleria shopping mall - which included a Ferrari shop, and the ornate Venetian designed Santa Maria Bella Vita church – well worth a peek inside -  wow! very dramatic! 

The Palazzo d'Accursio museum across from the Basilica of San Petronio in the Piazza Maggiore we enjoyed, for as well as the significant art works and sculptures, the rooms have been restored and have amazing frescoes painted in the 1500’s by Prospero Fontana. Especially amusing was the room at the  far end – which was done up as a leafy conservatory – where one could imagine that a barbie or picnic, Italian style, would have been held. 

The Jamiesons Adventure at Midleton, Ireland

Well worth visiting is the Jameson Heritage Centre in Midleton, Cork, in the South of Ireland.

The heritage buildings, perfectly restored, relate the way whiskey was produced in the past, including the secrets which made Jamieson’s Whiskey so renowned today. After touring, visitors arrive at the pub where one is expected to drink whiskey, not beer - and where they can have a whiskey tasting or sample one of the many ways that Jamieson’s whiskey can be enjoyed.

An ideal way to commence our Cork adventure before travelling to the Carrigaline Court Hotel.

Kilkenny, Castle, National Craft Gallery and Pub, Kilkenny Ireland

Kilkenny, Ireland is a very tidy traditional town, overseen by the large historical Kilkenny Castle, a U shaped series of buildings, surrounding one end of Green Park land stretching ‘into the future’ it seemed. Across the road in the Kilkenny castle yard, originally the buildings of the stables and coach houses of Kilkenny Castle, is National Craft Gallery, opened on 2000. All the buildings, beautifully restored, feature static and working exhibitions of modern and traditional Irish Art and Craft. The National Craft Gallery is a beautiful area to stroll around, indulge in shopping and appreciate the creativity of Irelands best crafts people.

As one tends to do towards as the end of a busy shopping and touring day, we all visited in interesting looking Irish pub, The Left Bank, situated in the former Bank of Ireland Building. As with several pubs we visited in Ireland, the 4 floors inside the pub as well as outside area, were stunningly and eclectically decorated and we spent much time admiring the different areas of the pub.

Kilkenny, even though we only had a glimpse of the historical houses and buildings looked a very interesting town, ideal for visitors to spend more time there and indulge in a local Irish adventure.

Kildagan Stud Kildare, Ireland - a glimpse into the world of Horse Breeding

I guess we realized we were in for something special when we were greeted by security staff at what looked like an entrance to a country manor estate, for our tour or Kildagan Stud. We drove along an asphalted driveway surrounded by immaculately groomed green borders, passing a very old cemetery and pulled up outside a red brick elegant office building. Formerly the land was known as O’Rielly Farm and covered over 4 and a half thousand acres – today it is a modest 1600 acres of beautifully kept farm and pasturelands bordered by luscious hedgerows, ideal for nesting birds. Since its creation as a stud farm in 1927, Kildagan Stud has bred many famous racing winners around the world. Kildagan Stud has the facilities to hotel 400 horses, and its studs are kept very busy in the specially designed mating buildings during the mating season. Mares may come just for the coupling, or stay until the birth in most luxurious surroundings. We were introduced to some of the most valuable horses at Kildagan Stud, valued at around $20million each.

These are very much in demand and command very high stud fees. Kildagan Stud is very environment conscious and we were very impressed with the recycling and compost plant and machinery which ensures that nothing goes to waste. Tours at Kildagan Stud have become so popular a visitor information, exhibition centre and cafe are to be constructed.

Titanic Exhibitions in Ireland - a one hundred year commemoration

As it is the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic there is much interest in the ship and the travellers who sailed on her. In Belfast where the ship was built, a new state of the art exhibition centre (nicknamed “The Iceburg’ by the Befast residents) was erected and opened in March 2012 and by Queen Elizabeth’s visit to Belfast in late June had already received over 250,000 visitors. Everything is ‘Titanic’- the height of the magnificent building is the same height of the bow, an inside wall replicates the cladding on the ship, while outside the exact size of the ship is outlined on the ground. The high technological displays engages all the senses - sights, sounds, vibrations. A strong focus of the exhibition was of the building of the vessel, the people, who and why they were on the Titanic for that partcular trip, and the times. There is also a very touching movie featuring the team led by Robert Ballard of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and what they initially saw on the sea floor in 1985. The only item that is not on public display is the Grand Staircase. This is s huge bone of contention amongst locals and visitors. Apparantly one has to attend a VIP function in order to view this famous Titanic artefact. Down in Cobh, fromerly known as Queenstown, Cork, another Titanic exihibition was available to visit. Ths town is the headquarters of the White Star Line company, which looked after the embarkation of passengers and mail before Titanic set sail. This exhibition had a different focus on the tradegy of the Titanic, focussing on the footsteps of the passengers and the times in Cobh. While there was some discussion about the high cost ot visit this exhibition, those of our fellow tourists who did visit felt that the exhibition was well worthwhile. In Cobh itself the town has preserved the buildings of the times in respectful memory of the people on Titanic and the subsequent disaster that befell them, three and a half days from setting sail from this pictuesque town, overseas to see the world. We have visited several Titanic exhibitions around the world, and the development of technology has enabled us to understand more about the boat, the times, why the disaster occurred. Many people have become quite emotional at Titanic exhibitions particularly in Ireland as they are descendents of the builders as well as the staff and passengers who had embarked on that fateful voyage. It also makes one humble and most grateful for the maritime safety rules and regulations in place today as a direct result of the inquiry into the Titanic disaster.

Ah - Naples, Pompei and Sorrento

Our cruise ship the Costa Serena's last port of call was Naples. Anxious to view Mt Vesuvious we were up early an high up on deck, however mist shrouded this famous mountain and instead we were reduced to viewing the many superyachts lounging about -ready to hibernate for winter. Soon we were on a bus travelling to Sorrento, a quaint seaside tourist town. We left the port, passing many very shabby apartment buildings in the Naples city centre, boarded a train and travelled for about an hour through the Naples suburbs and surrounds. The land is very fertile, our guide informed us and it was interesting to see gardens, lemon tree plantations and glass houses dotted everywhere throughout the suburbs. Upon our arrival at Sorrento, we were directed to a place to have a 'technical' stop, which meant a toilet and coffee break. The local coffee is excellent here. I think it is Neopolitan. It has a unique taste and I have to say that coffee has never tasted the same since - it was so delicious! Off we went on our walking tour. Sorrento is old historic, quaint and very tourist orientated. The streets are narrow - many are just walkways and the whole place is geared for local and upmarket shopping. As it was near Xmas the town was decorated - Christmas trees, leafy bowers under windows and Xmas lights everywhere! It must look so picturesque at night!
Eventually we arrived at the water's edge. Er - not exactly - we were about 50 metres above the water on top of a rocky cliff. In Sorrento it is difficult to get to the sea. And there is no beach! Instead people have to pay to sunbathe on piers stretching over the beautiful, clear, blue waters. At last our walking tour ended -not surprisingly, at a pre arranged shop from where we could purchase almost anything made of and to do with lemons - from a huge array of sweets to lemoncellos presented in most decorative bottles, handcrafts and ornaments.

Thankfully we did not have much time to contribute to the local economy and shop - the prices were Definately for the Well Heeled Traveller, and soon we were back on the train. Oh, look! There are the ruins of Pompei! Why didn't we visit them? other Cruise Ship visitors confirmed what we suspected - one needed a whole day to inspect the genuine and replica ruins on display. I would like to come back to Naples and visit the Pompei ruins, and also inspect the city centre - a group of very tall newish glass buildings soaring like a sore tooth out of the eyesores of apartments in the suburbs by the port's edge.

And now it is back to the Costa Serena and get ready to finish our Italiabn cruise ship adventure at Slovena.