Lean on me

Leaving Santa Margherita Ligure (SML) was a little sad this morning, however there were also a few reasons we were happy to leave.

Firstly SML has one of the most lovely waterfronts we have ever visited. The paved walking areas, green grass and established trees and palms are key features. The church in the main town is although not the nicest looking from the outside, one of the most beautiful we have ever been inside. The views and panorama's of the town and surrounding area are without question the key attraction, and without these our stay would have been less enjoyable.

On the down side, the Hotel Lido Palace does in no way meet the 4 star rating it has above its door. Without the view, which is impressive in itself, the hotel would be lucky to meet 2 stars with its very dated fixtures and furnishings. One real gripe of ours was the constant requirement to ask reception for a new WiFi password each day and when we were connected the speed, were lucky to be 33kbs (or pre dial up speeds). On advising the staff at reception, we were advised the speed was due to the number of users, however the time of day or the number of guests didn't make any difference.

The final reason for being pleased to leave SML was the very bad case of food poisoning that I contracted from what we believe to be a restaurant in town. This put our plans on hold for a full 36 hours and also made the remaining time less pleasant as health was still getting back to normal.

Enough ranting...

Last night we arranged for the hotel to book a taxi to take us to the train station in Rapallo, we knew a taxi would cost us EUR25 but the cost would be worth it as the busses don't start early enough and catching the train was also not an option.  So when we were checking out the reception advised the taxi was waiting for us out front, we looked and we couldn't see it all we could see was a Mercedes and as it turned out that was the taxi.  The car was brand new and was a top of the line model, when we got inside there were full leather seats and there was enough room in the back to swing ten cats.

The taxi, hotel, and Katie

So the ride to the station was pretty uneventful but we were like a king and queen for the 8 minutes it took.  When we got out the driver opened Katies door, removed our luggage from the boot then turned and asked us for the payment of EUR75, yes 75 Euros!

Well both of us stepped back for a moment and i told the driver that a taxi ride from SML to Rapallo is a fixed price and that was 25. Thank fully i learnt this information only the day before. The driver whipped out his phone and swiped the screen from left then right up and down and within seconds confirmed the price of 25. It was one of those moments that could have been difficult, but thankfully wasn't however i would hate to think who would pay the 75 and if they thought this was reasonable.

After our train ride we disembarked in Pisa, checked our bags as we would be moving on to Florence later in the day and then tried to work the best way to get to the Leaning tower. As time was short it was decided to catch the LAN Rossa or Red line. After about 5 minutes on the bus i checked our location google maps and realised we were heading in the wrong direction, to the airport!

First thinking to pull the emergency stop, i pressed the stop button and we got off at the next stop.  Basically the red line does in both directions from the train station in Pisa, one to the airport and the other to the leaning tower. So it was an easy fix, just cross the road and catch the next red line bus. This however did end up leaving us less than 10 minutes and a brisk walk to the base of the tower. thankfully we go there in time and out tickets didn't need any further checking, but we were advised we needed to check the small bag we carry as none were allowed up the tower.  So with us already worked up a sweat from getting to the tower we raced across the square to check the bag, Katie waited outside then when i got to the front of the line to check the bag was able to read the notice advising i would need my ticket to the tower to check the bag. Katie had the tickets, outside.

Outside i dashed, and grabbed the tickets, re joined the checked bag queue and as if like dominoes in a row, all fell into place and we were up the tower after climbing the steps. Thankfully for this minor drama it didn't allow Katie too much time to doubt herself and i am proud of her for making her way up the great Italian erection.

Having a break, almost there

Don't drop the camera

As it was sunday the bells were rung while we were up there

The afternoon we walked back to the station just to get an idea of Pisa, but glad we didn't stay there as there isn't much else to see. 

Tonight we are in florence and will provide details about this exquisite accommodation in another blog.

Tomorrow - Florence

Many bad connections

Yesterday there was no blog, yesterday I was recovering from a suspected large dose of food poisoning, thankfully good wife was here to lend a hand and that is now behind us.

Today we started with a lovely little hill that separates the two parts of Santa Margherita Ligure.  This hill has been many things over the time but recently ( the last 40 years) has been owned by the Commune Santa Margherita (or local government). It consists of some lovely landscaped gardens, what appeared to be a campus of a university and Villa Durazzo.

The gardens were full of little surprises and one of our favourites was the pond.

Stax on turtles!

Next we walked back down and along the foreshore of Santa Margherita and after having lunch tried to catch the bus to Rapallo. After we thought we missed the first bus and then the second didn't arrive, we asked the tourist information. They advised the line we needed was closed today due to a cycle race. Next option, let's get a Taxi. So before getting in we asked how much to Rapallo. Now this town is only 4.7KM from where we are. We were advised 25EUR (about $36AUD) and he pointed to a sign and said fixed price.  Well that wasn't an option either.  Finally we waited for another 40 minutes and caught the ferry into Rapallo for around 12 EUR.

Blow wave?

It's amazing who you see in the Italian Riviera - Paul Hogan?

Rapallo was packed mostly due to the cycle by hand road race. A beeline was made for the Rapallo Funivar, about a 15 minute walk and then a 25 min wait as it only goes every 30 min. We were on our way to see the great views.

No one likes waiting

Steps - bring em on

Up top there is only a church and some restaurants that are only open when Australian tourists are not there.

The afternoon we wandered Rapallo and took in the sights.

Tomorrow - Back on the rails, it's leaning?

The stuff postcards are made of

It's become apparent, Santa Margherita Ligure is one of those places where you can completely lose track of all time and drift into a completely relaxed state. I have found myself on several occasions asking Shannon even what day it is. Lazy breakfasts, people watching and afternoons spent lounging on the balcony watching the people on the beach below.
Today we decided to take a bus to Portofino, about 10 minutes away from our little paradise. The rumours of Italian driving are true - even more so when on board a bus. He stopped for no-one, bleared his horn at every bend and drove at a speed that made me tense at every bend as we wound our way around the coast. I couldn't help but grin as we pulled into our stop and took in the view. There are moments in life that simply take out breath away - and views as it would seem! I could not even begin to justify Portofino's beauty with words. But a picture, well we all know how much it can explain...

Doing her laundry and watching the tourists

Portofino harbour

A brief side note: for those of you who have not travelled Europe before...public toilets have a service fee. Yes, you read correctly! However, there is good reason for it. Unlike the big places we have at home that are always hhmm let's say grotty, most public toilets in Europe are looked after by an attendant. They keep them clean at all times and usually they charge between 20 and 50 euro cents. For the pleasure of using the facilities at Portofino today the charge was 1 euro...around 1 dollar 40 australian. And...she can get away with it because it's the only public loo in town! Sorry if that bored you, but I find it kind of fascinating that they charge you to use them, but also have someone employed full time to keep them clean.

Portofino was once a tiny fishing village...now...a massive tourist trap, filled with expensive boutiques, restaurants and yachts moored in the harbour worth millions. It's also a popular celebrity holiday destination. We read only yesterday that Beyonce and Kanye West were holidaying here this week for Beyonce's birthday. However, escaping all that is truly one of the most beautiful places I have set eyes on. Shannon and I had read about a castle upon a mountain, where you get the most incredible views. Who could pass up that? The thought of an uphill climb didn't thrill me, but the views did. So we sucked it up and began the climb. It began with stairs, but then turned in to a rocky path. It took us about half an hour to reach Castle Brown - sweaty, tired and thirsty. We were rewarded with spectacular views over Portofino. We enjoyed phone calls home to our parents and much needed drinks before heading down again.

An uphill trek to Castle Brown

We knew Portofino was expensive and thought lunch would cost us...but we walked out of the harbour a little and found a tiny pizzeria where we enjoyed quite cheap prosciutto and salami pizzas.
We took the boat back to Santa Margherita for a different view and while we had planned to go across to Rapallo (part of the Cinque Terre) we ended up returning to our hotel to relax and enjoy siesta as the Italians do.

Tomorrow - Rapallo and a cable car.