An Italian Adventure ~ Day Three

Taking in Pompeii, Sorrento, The Island of Capri and The Amalfi Coast

Day three saw another early start this one even earlier than the last two, this was so we could hit the road and make the most of our last day before heading back to Rome. We drove from Sorrento down the world famous Amalfi Coast to the small town of Amalfi taking in he gorgeous views along the way. We saw the sunrise over the Mediterranean Sea and the view was just perfect a great way to start your day!

Next up we stopped at a look out over the hillside town of Postiano to get s few snaps of the picturesque little town again watching the sun rise over the hills it was truly magical we took a few shots from the look out and then we got a group shot with all the people on the tour which is a nice little memento of the trip and a good way to remember all the lovely people I met on this trip.

Once we arrived in Amalfi we went to a great little place and had some breakfast pastries before having a little look around the town, we had quite a bit of time to kill and the town was fairly small so once we had looked at the cute shops and the Church we headed to the marina and chilled out there catching some sun. We then met back up with the rest of the group for a little boat trip to see some of the scenery from the sea. On this boat trip we anchored up for a short while so we could jump off the boat and have a swim in the Mediterranean which was a real treat.

Back on dry land we piled back onto the bus and were shipped to the hilly town of Ravello more in land than Postiano and Amalfi. Once we arrived here we went straight for some lunch having a panini and a Peroni of course. We didn't have to much time in Ravello because it is so small but we wandered around for a little while and grabbed a frozen yoghurt with all the chocolate toppings and general yumminess before jumping back on the bus to head back to out campsite in Rome.

Back in Rome a few of us that had booked in to the campsite for the evening before heading onwards on our travels met up for dinner at the campsite restaurant as a final goodbye and also a chance to swap contact details.

This was my first experience of travelling on my own in the sense that I didn't go on this trip with anyone I knew in advance, and this is a very big step for me. I used this trip a taster of what solo travel and organised independent trips might be like, and I must say it was an absolutely wonderful experience once that I hope to do again in the near future. Its such a great way to see the world whilst making new friends along the way. 

You can read Days One and Two by clicking on the links

An Italian Adventure ~ Day Two

Taking in Pompeii, Sorrento, The Island of Capri and The Amalfi Coast

Day two was an early start so that we could get the ferry across to the Island of Capri for a day looking around an exploring the island. We were lucky that a ferry docked up right outside our camp site and we all piled on for a journey across to Capri that took about an hour, we stopped of at another dock to collect some more people from another town and then we headed straight across to the island. On the approach you could really marvel at the beauty of the little rocky island its such a beautiful island. Feeling a touch hungover from the night before i made myself comfortable and had a little snooze, its a real talent of mine to be able to fall asleep almost anywhere! 

Once we disembarked we headed to a little Café for some breakfast, as it was still quite early my appetite hadn't quite woken up so I just had a plate of fries with some Mayo. Other people in the group had some really yummy looking food with Bruschetta, Pizzas and Paninis on the menu that all look super tasty! Once we had finished eating we headed to a little shop that sold food and drinks and I picked up a sandwich to keep for later on. Lunch in the bag a few of us decided to head to the other side of the island to go and see the Blue Grotto.

 We hopped in a stretch Fiat car that took 7 of us across to the other side of the island for our tour of the Blue Grotto. This mini tour of the island was great we went right to the top of the mountain and had some amazing views over the Mediterranean Sea and of the main land to. Once we arrived at the  Blue Grotto we joined the queue which was quite long but we were willing to wait as we had heard that it was well worth seeing. As we neared the front of the queue there was a little bit of a dispute happening between a Italian family and one of the gents that rows the boats that take you in to the grotto. Unable to understand we watched on this typical Italian argument which in itself why quite amusing they get so animated. Soon a few more of the row boat handlers joined in and the family stormed off quite angry and we found ourselves at the front of the queue completely unaware as to what was happening. An Italian further back in the queue approached the rowers to ask what was going on and he then explained to us that the water had become to choppy and it was becoming dangerous, they could get us into the grotto but they may not be able to get us back out again. 

Disappointed we picked ourselves up and headed back to catch a bus to head to one of the little towns on the island to do a bit of sight seeing. We caught the bus to Anacapri where we decided to go on the chair lift right to the top of the mountain to take in the panoramic views. It cost 8 euros for a single trip or 11 euros for a round trip, as we were short on time we opted for a round trip. Now I'm terrified of heights so going on this was a huge deal for me and I'm pretty sure my heart rate was raised the entire trip especially when a wasp landed on my bag and I couldn't move to wafted it away, terrifying times indeed! Up to the top safe and sound I took a look around taking pictures of the beautiful scenery before heading back down.

Back on solid ground we headed back to the marina for the last part of the day sitting on the beach soaking up a bit of the sun before we headed back to the ferry to take us back to the camp site. Once back we freshened up and then headed for some food on the camp sites restaurant. 

That's all for day two make sure you check in again for the third and final day!

You can read days One and Three by clicking on the links!

Joe Rigatonis Darlington

On Saturday I needed to head into Darlington to do a few bits and bobs in the bank and I wanted to have a look at some new beds. Mummy and Daddy Lines also had a few errands to run too so our Saturday plans were sorted. Mummy and Daddy Lines had gone to the pool on Friday night and whilst having a little steam in the steam room they decided that seen as we were in Darlington we should go out for dinner as we haven’t been out for a while and we all agreed that we should try Joe Rigatonis as we haven’t been in so long and it’s a restaurant we all liked.

We headed into town late so that we could be at the restaurant later and we pottered around the town centre and then went off to do the weekly shop. Once we had done all we needed to do we made our way to the restaurant. Now we hadn’t been for so long that what used to be the main entrance to the restaurant was now a completely different restaurant which we only discovered when we sat down and were handed menus! Finding out that Joe Rigatonis was now just in the basement of the same building we made our way down. We were greeted buy a really friendly member of staff and seated promptly as it was still early evening and wasn’t busy. We were given some time to peruse the menu and they had an excellent offer of 2 courses for £9.95 including some of the chicken and steak dishes not limited to pizza and pasta like you find with some other Italian restaurants with similar offers which was great.

While we were deciding on what to order the waitress took our drinks order. Mummy and Daddy Lines went for soft drinks and I ordered one too along with a Cosmopolitan from the cocktail menu which was reasonably priced at £5.95. They had a nice little selection of cocktails to choose from not a vast list but all the popular ones so ill definitely be trying some of the other options next time.

For starters I went for the Bruschetta, Mummy Lines went for BBQ Chicken Wings and Daddy Lines had the Calamari. My Bruschetta was delicious and full of flavour. The portion was just the right size without skimping on topping either. Mummy Lines did enjoy her chicken wings but having been spoiled by the epic wings we eat while in America I think she was slightly disappointed but tasty none the less, and Daddy Lines seemed to like the Calamari. As I said the portion sizes were perfect and not to filling just enough to take the edge of any hunger off.

For my main meal I went for the Smoky Joes Pizza which was a BBQ base topped with Spicy Meatballs and pepperoni and I asked if they could add some onion which was no bother at all, I also asked for some garlic mayo to dip my pizza into and again my request was no problem. Mummy Lines went for Chicken A La Crème which is chicken sautéed with mushrooms and garlic smothered in a creamy white wine and leek sauce and came with homemade chips. Daddy Lines went for the Classic Carbonara it looks delicious too so I might try that out next time I go. We all thoroughly enjoyed the food and were suitably stuffed after we had finished. Unfortunately we had no room for desert but from looking at the menu they had some really tasty sounding options.

I had a really enjoyable meal at Joe Rigatonis the staff were really friendly and very helpful even suggesting items from the menu they would recommend which I like as its shows they really do eat there and like the food that is served. Ill definitely be coming back soon and I wont leave it so long between visits this time.

Joe Rigatonis has branches in Darlington, Middlesbrough, Ripon, Stockton, Harrogate and Yarm so they have plenty around if you fancy visiting one soon!