From Italy

Hi Everyone,

This is day 24 of our fantastic tour and I cannot believe this is the first email update I have written. Apologies to those who have been waiting with bated breath for news!

Today the sun is shining brilliantly, it is not too hot and our group is discovering the magnificent Plitvice National Park in Croatia with its crystal clear lakes and cascading waterfalls.

However, I should start at the beginning: - Our flight to Rome was uneventful and on time. The Eternal city welcomed us with radiant sunshine and a hotel that had been flooded the night before by a burst water pipe. No problem, another hotel had been booked for us. This replacement hotel is well located near Termini station, within walking distance of the Colosseum and Trevi fountain and has a metro and train station practically at the door - most convenient. For some of our group our three-night stay was an introduction to Rome but for most it was a very pleasant re-acquaintance.

Our group of sixteen set off in our comfy mini vans to Sorrento via Pompei. Visiting Pompei has become a lot more of a commercial exercise since my last visit with designated parking lots and landscaped entrances to Pompei but the excavations remain as they were of course and are still fascinating. We had three nights in beautiful Sorrento with our hotel overlooking the bay of Naples. Perched on a cliff and surrounded by lemon and orange groves, Sorrento is a real tourist resort of natural beauty without the bustle of the larger cities. It is easy to amble around the cobbled streets and find great restaurants snuggled under bougainvillea pergolas. It is also the ideal location to base and take day trips to the islands and the Amalfi coast. Most of our group took the ferry to Capri and Ana Capri on the first day here. The next day was rainy but this didn't dampen anyone's spirits, they took the very hairy bus ride to Positano. Absolutely stunning views all the way on this narrow snaking cliff-side road to this fascinating village that is famous for the invention of the bikini and home to some very rich and famous people.

From Sorrento we travelled mostly on minor roads from the Amafi coast into the Citron Rivera of Calabria. Our stay at Cape Vaticano in a country family run hotel was wonderful. We left laden with bags of oranges from their trees and Papa's home made wine. Cape Vaticano is the last strip of land before the Straits of Messina. About 10 km away we spent a morning in the popular resort town of Tropea that overlooks a stretch of the Tyrrhenian Sea. This ancient historic town has for years attracted archaeologists and historical researchers looking for Calabrian history. It is full of monuments, churches, ancient memorial plaques and narrow cobbled streets and of course has panoramic sea views. Few people speak English here in this region. The streets were full of life and processions; we think they were celebrating May Day.

The next nine days we spent discovering the best of Sicily. What can I say? Sicily is steeped in history and a mind-boggling heritage. Everywhere we visited on this lovely island was fascinating. Brian Johnston, the author of the book 'Sicilian Summer' said that although Sicily might be overlooked today, conquerors of the past recognised its attractions. Today the legacy left by the Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans and Spaniards who all ruled Sicily at some time is both breathtaking and fascinating and clearly evident in well preserved ruins, glittering mosaic work and baroque churches.

We stayed in a beachside hotel in amazing Taormina and drove to Mt Etna on our way to our elegant hotel on the medieval baroque island of Ortygia, Syracuse, with the harbour on one side and the sea on the other. The island is linked to the mainland by bridge and is a maze of streets and alleyways with elegant Piazzas and Baroque squares. We visited many notable villages such as the baroque Noto and Caltagirone famous for ceramics and mosaics and we stayed in the heart of the World Heritage-listed 'Valley of The Temples'. The Sicilian countryside is absolutely beautiful. Our timing to visit was perfect, the weather was kind and we meandered through miles of fields full of various brightly coloured wildflowers to the ancient seaside resort town of Cefalù in northern Sicily. From here we took a train to the dilapidated capital city Palermo with its scruffy buildings and the striking and dazzling world- renowned Monreale mosaic cathedral just outside of Palermo. I know when one is travelling one can tire of visiting endless castles and cathedrals but this cathedral is a definite must-see. I should add here that if I do not visit another ruin for a few years I wont mind!

Next we had an overnight crossing the Adriatic Sea on the Marco-Polo from Bari in Italy to Dubrovnik. Visiting Dubrovnik again has confirmed that this historic city is close to the top of my 'favourite destination' list. The drive up the Dalmatian coastline is definitely the most stunning I have ever experienced. After our stay in Split and visiting the World heritage town of Trogir, we came here to the Plitvice National Park.

As I mentioned we have sixteen fun loving travellers in our group, all easy to travel with. We have enjoyed many evenings wining and dining plus a few memorable impromptu parties singing songs as John played his beloved ukulele.

Our only hiccup on the tour was the death of a starter motor on one of our new Peugeot Boxer buses with only 1200km on the clock. We now have a suitable replacement bus- a VW Opal.

Myles has again proved that he is a navigator extraordinaire. He delights in finding the back roads and over-ruling and reprogramming Rita (Rita The Router - our GPS). Rita served us well in Italy but does not know Croatia.

Besides navigating, Myles has taken hundreds of wonderful photos. Add his to mine and you could be are in danger of wading through a very large photo album or slide show!! So be warned.

Tomorrow we go onto Verona via the fabulous Postojna Caves in Slovenia.

To those who email bits of Australian news I thank you. I am thrilled to hear that the Swannies are getting some points on the ladder.

Wish you could all be here sharing this wonderful travel experience.

Arriverderci and Doviðenja for now.

Jeanette