Amalfi Coast just after dawn

It wasn’t long after sunrise as the ferry from Tunis headed into Salerno. It was Sunday morning and I was hoping to have the chance to ride the famous Amalfi Coast Road without its infamous bumper to bumper traffic.

The wish came true for most of the morning and a long stretch of the road.

But by 11 the traffic was thick and it was time to leave the coast road and into the mountains.

The mountains above Amalfi as beautiful as the coast with small villages, wonderful views and mountain walks.

From here its a lovely ride through the mountains to Ottaviano at the base of Mount Vesuvius.

And onto Naples its beautiful trattoria and fellow guzzista.

Into Tuscany

Mid September 2024, Storm Boris was brewing on the Adriatic Sea, making the best path south to Civitavechia and the ferry to Tunisia over the mountains via Bologna into Tuscany.

And it’s beautiful hilltop towns and cities.

One of the most spectacular of the hill top cities is San Gimignano

It’s popular to visit but not as busy as nearby Florence that I visited back in 2022.

In the city, it’s all walking and full of activity.

Across a little valley from San Gimignano there’s a campground in the little village of Santa Lucia

With a terrace where you can watch a balloon rise over San Gimignano.

As it was coming to the end of the season, so finding a place to camp at Principina a Mare right near the beach.

The beach at Principina has amazing beach shelters made from driftwood.

Out of Tuscany and into Lazio, there was time for a lunchtime time stop in Tarquinia.

That night it was the ferry to Tunisia.

But before then a stop in the Australian summer.

Mountains

It’s been a while since I last wrote, and much has happened. The most momentus was the coming of a grand daughter. Quite a little distraction!!

Back to the last European Summer and some of its great ranges.

Rioja is one of Spain’s great wine regions and Horrow. The wines and food make it a beautiful gastronomic stop.

The Pyrenees.

It’s a short hop into the Pyrenees and the beautiful city of Torla.

This little village sits just below the Spanish/France Frontier and is an the border of the Ordesay-Monte Perdido NP

Montserrat

The mountain trip across Spain ended at the amazing Montserrat.

Parco Nazionale Gran Paradiso

Gran Paradiso rates amongst my favourite national parks in Europe. Once the King’s hunting ground, it was then gifted to the people after the unification of Italy. From a breeding program at Gran Paradiso, the Europen Ibix has been re established in the European Alps.

There are some beautiful views on the walks.

There is often a beautiful mountain and mountainous road in Europe, but these were lovely mountains indeed

Exploring Ireland – Dingle

It was wonderful to be on the wonderful Wild Atlantic Way as I rode south from the Connamarra to Dingle. The twisty roads, quirky sights, and heritage references.

At Kilmer, the car ferry crosses the Shannon River, and it wasn’t long before the Atlantic mist started to roll in.

Connor Pass is one of the great drives of Ireland offering stunning views. But this was not the day!

It was into a damp Dingle I rode after slowly riding down from the clouds over Connor Pass.

But after unpacking the bike it was time for an Irish Red Ale and some good craic ant the pubs.

Music starts in the pubs around 6pm flows through to midnight. The musicians move from pub to pub mixing and matching with each other, playing all variations of Irish Music.

The next day, the rain stopped…

I started the day with a walk along the Dingle Bay out to the Lighthouse and its views out to the Atlantic.

Then a ride up to Connor Pass to see the view and what a view!

There is a waterfall just below the top of the pass.

Climbing up the cliff, there is Lake Pedlar an old glacial lake.

That night at the pub, I was lucky enough to hear the angelic tones of the Harp of Erin, the Irish Harp.

What a way to end my stay in Dingle!

Back in the UK and Europe

Dear friends and followers,

It’s hard to believe I left Australia over a month ago, and have been travelling around the UK and Ireland.

I’m back in London staying with my sister, so it’s time to get my blog up to date.

Mmm, I think I may be becoming a lazy social media content creator (is that the right term) since creating an Instagram account. (@piecemealadventurer)

London does have its own beauty, as the view from the balcony at the Tate Modern shows

Over the years, I’ve come to appreciate what a great art city London is. Melbourne, my hometown is no slouch, but the breadth of art in London makes one feel spoilt.

There is the public art around the streets: