Anyone got any travel planned?

[rodi]

Thanks Rodi. That fills in some key gaps in our knowledge. It confirms my resolve to use the train whenever possible. We will probably take the train from Pompeii to Taormina. (I had already confirmed that the train station is handy to Pompeii on cruisecritic.com)

We have already booked the Schuler Hotel (too bad as there are four of us.) We are also going to a restaurant that the brother of a PV chef runs a couple of blocks from the hotel (La Giara?) where he goes every summer to help out.

Anyway, any other tips that anyone thinks of would be welcome.

Hotel Schuler looks fabulous. It was just a bit too pricey - and we were travelling with kids - so having space and a kitchen was important. The hotel can probably shuttle you up from the Giardini Naxos train station. The hotel has a fabulous overlook of the ocean below.

Are you staying in Pompei or just doing it as a day trip? The town of Pompei is a stop before the one you want if you're going to the ruins. You want the Pompei scavi stop if you're going to the ruins. Wear clothes you don't mind getting dusty - the site is full of ash/dust and we were covered in white dust at the end of the day. The train that takes you to Pompei (both the town and the ruins) runs on a different track than the one run by Trenitalia that take you north to Rome, or south to Sicily... But they're both in the Naples train station - just on a different floor. The whole process of the train being loaded onto/off of the ferry to cross Messina was really neat. And you can go up on deck during the crossing.

 

[explanade]

I stayed in town, right where the passagiata passes.

But I parked at a garage near the exit from the freeway.

Don't remember how much it was but it wasn't bad. There is also a shuttle bus service from the garage to the town, because it's above Taormina.

I walked down to the beach and on the way, saw a couple of hotels with parking. Only problem is to get up to town, you'd have to hike up a bit. Maybe there's bus service up to the town.

When I got to the bottom, I looked around and then took the cable car back up.

 

[rodi]

Oh - if you decide to rent a car for a day or two, while staying in Taormina there is a car rental agency at the south end of Corso Umberto - just outside the Catania gate. (Corso Umberto has two gates - the Messina gate to the north, and Catania gate to the south). We rented from them. No need to rent a car for the entire time - especially if you are arriving/leaving by train.

Taormina is truly one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. There's a really good book called "A House in Sicily" that is set in Taormina - it captures the feel of this town (and is an easy read). It's by Daphne Phelps.

 

[Gumby]

We spent our 25th wedding anniversary in Taormina, sitting on the balcony of our hotel room watching the rivulets of lava flow down Mt. Etna on a cool clear night. We actually drove there from Siracusa, drove up the mountain and into town to our hotel. It was a very narrow squeeze in some spots, but we made it just fine. We enjoyed walking up and down the Corso Umberto and ate dinner at a place called the Grotta Azzurra, which was good. In my notebook, I observed that the atmosphere in Taormina was one of cossetted vacationers seeking a romantic spot. We certainly fit that bill.

P.S. - here is my trip report from 2009 http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f46/my-trip-to-sicily-43133.html

P.P.S. - In Taormina, go up to the Greco-Roman theater to see this view, painted by Thomas Cole in 1843. It hangs in the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, CT.

 

[scrinch]

I love the painting with all the subtle browns and greens. And you can't beat volcanoes and ancient ruins!

 

[audreyh1]

When we got to Hotel Modigliani, a couple related that they lost 600 euros in the Paris train station, their first stop in Europe.

We have never lost anything but we go native and keep anything valuable away from creeping hands. We never carry much cash, preferring to use our Chase CC and ATMs.

How do you protect your credit and ATM cards? They are just as vulnerable.

 

[Nemo2]

Further to our upcoming out & back trek between Genoa-Marseille, DW found this site/link regarding Ventimiglia on the Italian/French border:

0618 An Italian Tunnel City (Ita 097—new) - Ventimiglia Travel Blog

At first Ventimiglia just seems like the typical beach town that I got tired of seeing along the Adriatic coast with it boring, flat coast lined with stale hotels and beach shops, but then a sort of mound of very grubby looking houses catches my eye, so I go to check it out.

The closer I get, the more fascinating it looks, until I suddenly realize it’s not a mound of houses-- it’s an entire ancient city unlike anything I’ve seen in all of Europe.

Here there are alleys so narrow I have to walk sideways and walkways that literally tunnel underneath the town-- just like the mud castles of east Morocco! But what’s most fascinating about this place is that people still live here, in what by modern standards would be considered ridiculously uncomfortable circumstances. And unlike the Old Medina of Casablanca, where people live because they can’t go anywhere else, people live here in the Old City of Ventimiglia by choice.

It’s absolutely one of my coolest discoveries in a long time. The underground alleys T off and Y off, and there are stairways up and down the steep slopes with mysterious dark doors that belong to someones home… Then suddenly you have a cozy little courtyard with grimey but very cozy looking homes looking down from far above. Then suddenly you reach the edge of the Old City and immediately you have vineyards, a panoramic view of the valley below and… what is that… snow? Cool! I didn’t think I’d be seeing anymore snowcaps this far south…

Sounds exactly like the type of place that appeals to us.....anyone been?

 

[behindthedimes]

Just booked a 7 night balcony room cruise from NYC to Bermuda in August. Not having to pay for a flight let us splurge a little more.

My wife and I definitely splurge on vacations more than a lbym adherent would but we work two jobs during the school year (I have a year round job) and by the time the summer comes we are burnt out and need a break.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Early Retirement Forum mobile app

 

[LinCella]

A friend needs to take a road trip to Palm Springs (from the SF Bay Area) for a family meeting and I'm tagging along. We will be staying at the Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort for three days. Unexpected trip but looking forward to relaxing in the sun.

Short trip to South Lake Tahoe in August for a Jackson Browne concert, staying at the Hard Rock.

Then in September a friend will be checking out Arroyo Grande as a retirement destination and renting a home near the beach with her husband for a month. I'm invited down for a week and I'll take Amtrak down.

So I was expecting not to go anywhere this Summer but have managed to hobble together a few jaunts

 

[Bamaman]

4/2014--It was Budapest, Bratislava, Vienna and Prague.
10/2014--It was a cruise to Aruba, Curacao and the Turks and Caicos.
2/2015--We went to Las Vegas on the way Oahu and returned through San Francisco--all warm places relative to home.
8/2015--We're going to Copenhagen, catching a cruise to Estonia, St. Petersburg, Helsinki and Stockholm. We're flying to Oslo and will take a train/ferry through the fjords to Bergen, Norway.

I've just got to quit traveling so much. I wouldn't travel so much, but I keep running up on ridiculously cheap airfares and cruise fares.

 

[explanade]

What is the train/ferry through the fjords?

Is that a package or are you just putting together an itinerary from public transportation?

I was looking at flying from Oslo to Alesund, renting a car and going southwards through the fjords towards Bergen, then fly back from Bergen to Oslo.


I also heard that July and August are warm but very wet in Norway, especially the west coast.

 

[aja8888]

A friend needs to take a road trip to Palm Springs (from the SF Bay Area) for a family meeting and I'm tagging along. We will be staying at the Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort for three days. Unexpected trip but looking forward to relaxing in the sun.

Short trip to South Lake Tahoe in August for a Jackson Browne concert, staying at the Hard Rock.

Then in September a friend will be checking out Arroyo Grande as a retirement destination and renting a home near the beach with her husband for a month. I'm invited down for a week and I'll take Amtrak down.

So I was expecting not to go anywhere this Summer but have managed to hobble together a few jaunts

Those are nice trips! Have fun! I have several friends and relatives in Ventura County and in the Bay area. I need to make plans to get out to see them later this year.

 

[ElizabethT]

We enjoy traveling about half of each year, mixing it up between several different forms - RVing, short term rentals, cruising, plane/train/hotel, and backpacking, a fairly new-to-us addition.

This is what we have planned out for the remainder of the year:

July & August - RV trip through California and Oregon. We start with the Sierras and Cascades (Mammoth Lakes, Lake Tahoe, Mt Shasta), then head to Ashland for the Shakespeare Festival, next to Salem and Portland, then west for a slow meander south (Cannon Beach, Newport, Florence, Bandon, Port Orford, Gold Beach, Redwoods Natl Park, Sonoma/Napa, Santa Cruz, Morro Bay).

October - One week backpacking trip into the Grand Canyon with the Sierra Club

December - Two week Caribbean cruise including Costa Rica, Panama and Columbia.

 

[TimSF]

Planning a driving trip to Fresno area and King's Canyon / Sequoia Nat'l Park. Any suggestions of what not-to-miss?

 

[brett]

Finally booked five weeks in Greece in Sept/Oct following a two week trip to visit family in Ontario.


We have wanted more time in the Greek islands for a long time (will give Kos a miss though). Plus a few days in Paris on the way home.

 

[explanade]

Might have to get Drachmas.

 

[aja8888]

Might have to get Drachmas.

Or U.S. dollars!

 

[LinCella]

aja - I keep forgetting that short trips are as good as long, expensive trips that I can't afford at the moment. As long as I can get away from the every day, I'm cool with that! Just hate to leave my dog but she can't come along on these trips, unfortunately.

 

[ElizabethT]

Planning a driving trip to Fresno area and King's Canyon / Sequoia Nat'l Park. Any suggestions of what not-to-miss?

Fresno is not my favorite town, in that it's hot, flat, and pretty rough-and-tumble*, but Sequoia National Park is outstanding. My recommendation would be to stop in at a park visitor center first thing, and talk with a ranger to get their thoughts. They know their parks inside and out.

Boyden Caverns in Kings Cyn Natl Park are wonderful, particularly on a hot day (Kings Cyn at a much lower elevation than Sequoia - keep that, and the subsequent difference in heat, in mind when you plan out your visit)

*Consider Visalia or Clovis as alternatives to Fresno if you must stay somewhere prior to reaching either national park. Both towns have their own unique charm.

 

[TimSF]

Thanks, ElizabethT. Fresno is only a jumping off place to see the Park (and all the in-park accomodations are booked). Will looke into Visalia as an alternative.

 

[Bamaman]

What is the train/ferry through the fjords?

Is that a package or are you just putting together an itinerary from public transportation?

I was looking at flying from Oslo to Alesund, renting a car and going southwards through the fjords towards Bergen, then fly back from Bergen to Oslo.

I also heard that July and August are warm but very wet in Norway, especially the west coast.

We're getting off a Baltic cruise in Stockholm and flying to Oslo (1 night.) The rainy season is Sept. & October. It's never hot that far north, however.

We're going on a Norway in a Nutshell package deal--self guided out of Oslo. We take a train to another train to a ferry to a bus to another train which gets us to Bergen. It's a very popular route.

There's very good information about touring western Norway online, and I understand its sheer beauty is up there with Kauai and Switzerland.

All I know is I want out of Norway as soon as possible, as it's a very expensive place to travel to.

 

[Nemo2]

Just came across a couple links re The Sardine House where we stayed in Lisbon last month.....compact but well appointed....and certainly well situated in the Alfama. Plus, Carla the owner is a gem.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/291959988316595589/

ISABEL PIRES DE LIMA: PROJECT - ALFAMA APARTMENT, LISBON

 

[Lsbcal]

Thanks, ElizabethT. Fresno is only a jumping off place to see the Park (and all the in-park accomodations are booked). Will looke into Visalia as an alternative.

We are going there this Monday. Have reservations at John Muir Lodge and then at Wuksachi Lodge which were made back in late April. You might want to try for last minute cancellations there.

Check out TripAdvisor for some of the highlights in the parks in addition to what ElizabethT said. We found some nice short hikes. There is one little loop towards the end of Kings Canyon with a trail pamphlet (as I recall) that was quite nice and pointed out several nature sights. I'm always relearning this stuff even after years of visits to the parks.

 

[JoeWras]

Finally booked five weeks in Greece in Sept/Oct following a two week trip to visit family in Ontario.
We have wanted more time in the Greek islands for a long time (will give Kos a miss though). Plus a few days in Paris on the way home.

Yes, we skipped Kos. Too bad, but there is the refugee issue. Go to Rhodes (Rodos) instead.

Or U.S. dollars!

I don't want to be an ugly American... but, in the islands which are so tourist rich... They WILL take dollars. Saw this time and again, even though we used Euros. I don't see any problem with them accepting Euros for a long time, even if the economy fails.

 

[explanade]

We're getting off a Baltic cruise in Stockholm and flying to Oslo (1 night.) The rainy season is Sept. & October. It's never hot that far north, however.

We're going on a Norway in a Nutshell package deal--self guided out of Oslo. We take a train to another train to a ferry to a bus to another train which gets us to Bergen. It's a very popular route.

There's very good information about touring western Norway online, and I understand its sheer beauty is up there with Kauai and Switzerland.

All I know is I want out of Norway as soon as possible, as it's a very expensive place to travel to.

Yeah very wealthy country because of the oil.

But I think their currency went down like the Euro did.

I looked at going in August but as far as I could tell, a lot of rain was to be expected on the western coast. April and May are suppose to be the driest, though cooler.