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We were loaded first as usual and then directed to the upper deck. We were placed against one of the sides of the deck and the staff came over to say that we did not need to worry they would secure the bikes. They did a very good job.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7659/...45d2ee3a_b.jpg3 civitivecchia-5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7146/...5b25c023_b.jpg3 civitivecchia-6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7771/...ca5d5573_b.jpg3 civitivecchia-7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr On our huge cruise ship there were maybe 100 people. They have state rooms, but a hefty 150 euros! We slept in chairs in the lounge, ate our picnic lunch, and watched crazy Italian TV shows. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7160/...7ce821c9_b.jpg3 civitivecchia-13 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
It was a very smooth sailing, but we did dock a bit late with all the coming and going from this busy port we have to wait our turn. It is amazing the small spaces these huge boats have to maneuver in here.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7216/...dbb85544_b.jpg3 civitivecchia-10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7654/...1a0f790d_b.jpg3 civitivecchia-14 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7541/...1c1da25a_b.jpg3 civitivecchia-8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7782/...93b132f8_b.jpg3 civitivecchia-9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Finally we got a bit of a break in the afternoon with the rain stopping for a while at east in order to get to the campaign spot near Preci.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7555/...549a149c_b.jpgPreci-14 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7733/...015aefdb_b.jpgPreci-22 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7122/...27ff1dfb_b.jpgPreci-23 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7681/...8d4f22f3_b.jpgPreci-25 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7256/...bdb6591a_b.jpgPreci-26 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7741/...4df55a46_b.jpgPreci-27 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Get rid of these clouds before we arrive :scooter:
Gino & Fiona |
Only sunshine and Curves are in your future!!!
https://c1.staticflickr.com/6/5636/2...c069b366_b.jpgroad trip day 4 32 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
It then proceeded to pour rain all night long, but was down to a drizzle by 9 am and we packed up to leave. The route today is thru the national park of Parco Nazionale del Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7586/...20c0bc15_b.jpgScreen Shot 2016-05-21 at 17.08.42 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
First we headed to Norcia for gas and then up into the hills.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7772/...6607e03c_b.jpg5 poggio picenze by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7385/...41a5cd06_b.jpg5 poggio picenze-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7604/...eb632946_b.jpg5 poggio picenze-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7673/...3494d664_b.jpg5 poggio picenze-4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
It was 3-4 degrees for the most part and when we got to the ski area it was raining and foggy as well.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7424/...63460a59_b.jpgScreen Shot 2016-05-21 at 17.04.53 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr We pressed on mostly on the roads where the surface is so bad and you see almost no cars and so you start to think the road is closed, but on the passes at least there is an OPEN/Overt sign. We rode along the huge reservoir and over the bridge. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7502/...d4bc70a2_b.jpgScreen Shot 2016-05-21 at 17.06.16 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7432/...f44c69d2_b.jpg5 poggio picenze-6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7083/...07bb08fd_b.jpg5 poggio picenze-9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7019/...8f57a1a1_b.jpg5 poggio picenze-10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7131/...0f2e528b_b.jpg5 poggio picenze-14 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr The last pass on the was to Santo Steffani is unreal. The road is in terrible shape and with the rain and dense fog it was very hard to avoid even the biggest of the holes. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7592/...08f868cb_z.jpgScreen Shot 2016-05-21 at 17.09.39 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We were now frozen and starved as we were waiting to eat at the famous Bbq places at the top of the pass. Needless to say insult added to injury when we got there it was pouring and 2.5 degrees and they were of course not open. We were icy by the time we got to Poggio Picenze.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7017/...ff6ae590_b.jpgScreen Shot 2016-05-21 at 17.10.10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7255/...35e4c357_b.jpg5 poggio picenze-16 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr Wandering in the town is a bit eerie. There was an earthquake here 8 years ago and most of the old buildings are condemned. People are living in “temporary” houses and many of the building are braced with wood and metal supports. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7496/...e518dc7b_b.jpg5 poggio picenze-17 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7301/...12b53113_b.jpgPoggio Picenze-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7132/...5a48fb3a_b.jpgPoggio Picenze by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7203/...d5cda4f9_b.jpgPoggio Picenze-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
The forecast was unbelievably for sun and we woke to a bright blue sky. We decided to go back up the mountain to see the views under better conditions. We back tracked to the top of the pass in the cathedral of mountains and from here down the back side thru Castel del Monte. From here we set a direct path to Pompei on the secondary roads.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7685/...1b66114f_z.jpgScreen Shot 2016-05-21 at 17.15.02 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7561/...97dcfc73_b.jpgCastel del Monte-4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7730/...113d38ba_b.jpgCastel del Monte by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7673/...3bbe2531_b.jpgCastel del Monte-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7636/...394a3e29_b.jpgCastel del Monte-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
This whole booking it south thing worked out well for the most part until we made a mistake just north of Naples and this put us on a direct route thru the city.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7773/...22fa00ca_z.jpgScreen Shot 2016-05-21 at 17.15.42 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr This place is nasty. There is garbage everywhere. It looks post apocalyptic. There are “professional” ladies sitting in plastic chairs or standing all along the side of the road wearing what look like bad Halloween outfits. Added to their the traffic is crazy and there is basically no one following any rules of the road. Red lights it seems are “just a suggestion”, people will turn left in front of you from beside you in the right lane, they will turn left on coming to you when ever they want and then look at you as if you are nuts. These people make Peruvian taxi drivers look like angels. This is added to the national pastime here of driving incredible fast and about 1 meter from your back tire even at highway speed. The round abouts and the 4 way “stop” intersections are a complete free for all. Basically you have to ride very aggressively and give not even an inch to any other vehicle. If you hesitate even for a second they will pull in on you, cut you off, or drive in your path from any possible direction. Add to this a huge number of scooters weaving in and out of traffic. Once past the city it calmed and we were on the “coast” road and so there were no lights or cross streets to deal with. https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7319/2...fa56d9c8_b.jpgTo Sicily CC-9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We are here to visit the ancient city of Pompei that was burred under 6 meters of ash when the nearby Vesuvius volcano erupted suddenly in AD 79. We started at one end and wandered thru the major roads to see the Amphitheater, the Theatres, and many villas with painted frescos. Large sections of the site are closed either for repairs or lack of funding to maintain them.
https://c8.staticflickr.com/8/7114/2...a69caeb1_b.jpgPompei-4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7132/2...51c4f582_b.jpgPompei-5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c8.staticflickr.com/8/7438/2...8d27f8cc_b.jpgPompei-6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7205/2...5b5945c9_b.jpgPompei by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7521/2...c0379613_b.jpgPompei by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c6.staticflickr.com/8/7521/2...a3293797_b.jpgPompei-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c8.staticflickr.com/8/7621/2...d2f8f548_b.jpgPompei-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7255/2...f90f9198_b.jpgPompei-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7298/2...9c9e3f4e_b.jpgPompei-7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7705/2...6c74c345_b.jpgPompei-8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7760/2...c490d77f_b.jpgPompei-9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7309/2...4cc02aa3_b.jpgPompei-10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7200/2...f5b9757b_b.jpgPompei-11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7389/2...1e7e2a0a_b.jpgPompei-12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c6.staticflickr.com/8/7497/2...2ba9360a_b.jpgPompei-13 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7248/2...1d794080_b.jpgPompei-14 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7365/2...4e142685_b.jpgPompei-17 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7501/2...a170f13a_b.jpgPompei-4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7696/2...da171d6b_b.jpgPompei-16 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7463/2...37c7d829_b.jpgPompei-19 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7182/2...79ae9cdf_b.jpgPompei-20 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c6.staticflickr.com/8/7763/2...b9fe232b_b.jpgPompei-21 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7602/2...36c485c9_b.jpgPompei by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7053/2...c685c8e6_b.jpgPompei by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We planned the exit from the city on the route of least resistance and this went well. We had big plans for the day to get down the Amalfi coast and then thru the Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park to just before Maratea. Big because just the 52 km section from Pompei to Amalfi can take over 2 hours. We went on a Monday and there was not too much traffic. The predicted 15 km/hr did not happen! That said the 236 km did take all day.
https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7324/2...9bf3915f_b.jpgScreen Shot 2016-05-25 at 20.58.36 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Leaving Pompei you get on the SS 145, which is a 2 lane very narrow road hugging the coast. There is heavy traffic in both directions until you pass the exit to Sorrento. At one point an oncoming SUV tried to squeeze past the transport truck in front us and at high speed in a space to small he hit his mirror on the cliff wall. That stopped the traffic behind us for sure! The village of Positano hangs on the cliff side. The city visitor’s cars were parked on the side of the road started about 2 km before and continued 2 km after the town. They have numerous traffic wardens directing the mayhem. Mostly the bikes are let thru when they are holding the cars to let traffic pass in one direction at a time. The streets are too narrow in lots of spots for 2 cars to pass and there is no way the busses can make it. Most corners have mirrors so you can see if someone in coming on the sharp narrow corners. Past Amalfi the road is still coastal, but normal in width.
https://c8.staticflickr.com/8/7435/2...6f9c61c7_b.jpgAmalfi by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c8.staticflickr.com/8/7697/2...3e33e386_b.jpgAmalfi by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7342/2...f58b7f5c_b.jpgAmalfi-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c6.staticflickr.com/8/7563/2...e95fc017_b.jpgAmalfi-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c6.staticflickr.com/8/7745/2...daab6c31_b.jpgAmalfi-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7714/2...49205cfd_b.jpgAmalfi-4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7552/2...fc1d0489_b.jpgAmalfi-5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7335/2...6acff69b_b.jpgAmalfi-5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7143/2...c5d41b00_b.jpgAmalfi-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr There is so little parking they built one inside the cliff. https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7799/2...607e65d2_b.jpgAmalfi-6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7581/2...31f4d802_b.jpgAmalfi-4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7461/2...7bd4384c_b.jpgAmalfi-7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7496/2...75c018ab_b.jpgAmalfi-8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7725/2...1e4ff862_b.jpgAmalfi-9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7120/2...be41b591_b.jpgAmalfi-10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
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