As Ned said - such is life, so up and at em, we have been given day release! Breakfast? I always like to under sell and over deliver, well let's just say this in not the situation we find ourselves in at the breaking of the fast.

The ruins await no one, who knows the Volcano may just have a cough and then splutter on our watch . It is hard to describe a pile of old rocks in a very descriptive manner but rest assured a morning well spent. In fact one could spend a few days wandering, keep in mind we are talking about an area that had a population of 10,000.

I am always up for a surprise, today's was the aplomb in which tour guide Lucas, Mary went about her duties. At one stage she was giving directions to other tour groups. She methodically worked us over and may I suggest some enjoyment was derived from her afforded position in the party. Really pleased that she liked this and did a great job as well. See photo description that provides a few parra account of the events that took place that fateful day in 79AD. It took to the mid 1500's to first find the buried city and then to the mid 1800's before a full excavation took place, think about that as a time line.

Funny - our Italian postal experience. Kathy and I decided that we could race around to the postaitaliane and send a package off to London saving some weight in the packs . We had 30ish minutes so plenty of time prior to the boy driving us to paradise. Wrong wrong wrong. We turn the corner to the PO and note a line up outside the door, we get there and with much muttering by the locals we find that the door is on automatic lock and inside is completely full. How were we to know that one needed a cut lunch and a day pack just to drop a parcel off. With our poor italian and their very poor english we work out that as a certain number of people depart (one at a time via an air lock door) then the door will open for a few seconds allowing the privileged few to rush the entrance door. After 20 minutes we get in then find a push button numbering system to get a printed number. The trick is to know which section thus which printed number line to join. As we are national celebrities in the PO, everyone looking and smiling with or maybe at us we get a ticket. Time ticking away and 50 people in the room, I say no chance here to Kathy. Anyway we get to the front after 45 minutes, now one would have thought that we wanted to post a mack truck to Alaska! Talk about a trial, with 3 postal staff on the job and much haggling we get a reasonable price to send . Next, where is our actual package, sorry we do not have a box, so some more negotiation and a box appears. I had to take a photo of it because it will be the last time we see it. Nigh on an hour to post a parcel, when we first said that we wanted to send it to Australia they fell on the floor with laughter. I took a few pics in the PO and on departure all the locals waved and practically cheered our successful transaction. I also had some post cards but just didn't want to go there.

What I failed to recount earlier was our tribulations upon check out of said B & B. Thought best to group the following events.

Redemption B & B gallery style - at check out we inquired about the best possible way for our on forward to Ravello, train to Sorrento then bus to our final destination? We asked about costs for a taxi, the lady then said wait a minmento and sought her husbands help, he said that they could possibly complete a delivery although the cost of taxi is around 125 euro . We said sorry, not at that price. He sought a conversation in Italian with his wife, next thing his son is said to be available to assist our travel plans at a very reduced price of 90 euro. The Don made a bad guy offer of tops 60 euro which was greeted with no no no and then I made a good guy offer of perhaps we could stretch the amount to 70 euro - deal done. The boy ( hope he is old enough to drive) is to take us at 1.00 pm as we are special guests of the B & B - sure.

Let me say when travelling you spend good dollars and you spend bad dollars. The trip we undertook with the boy was to say the least a brilliant scenic and hell raising ride. We rose in a criss cross fashion high into the mountain range and then on a near death defying ride being blindsided onto mad italian drivers in all types of transport. The boy found it tricky to find our accommodation, Ravello is generally located high up in the hills on the Amalfi Coast but our location was right down waterside . The boy after going round and round told us that he was lost. We nutted it out with him and after getting stuck between concrete walls and buses made it more by good luck than good fortune in 90 minutes. This my friends was some of the best 70 euros one could spend!

Hotel Marmorata in Ravello is a top end spend for us so expectations are high - deluxe superior sea view room including breakfast. Anyway, both our rooms are very good, Amalfi Coastal accommodation can be as high as you want to go so we think we have obtained sound value for our euro. I am a view type of person, not really worried about the actual nuts and bolts so to have two aspects on a corner high room really did the trick.

I told the others to contact the paparazzi as I was hitting the water, pool that is not ocean. When my hands had wrinkled sufficiently the time was ripe for some Pieras taking in the water views. Sort of hard to impart the feeling but trust me, one difficult to replicate. All at peace on the western front with my fellow adventurers as well. M-L impersonating a rock lizard drinking cocktails so all fine there as well.

Dinner on the terrace overlooking the water and all things Amalifi Coast just makes the Pieras that little sweeter, the seafood that little plumper and the local DOC Ravello wine that little easier to swallow (the price tag I mean). A fine dining 4 star experience, some finishing touches required when I take up resident consultant status will give the extra sparkle another star demands. Just a real good night with my fellow adventurers.

As a very wise man once said and taught me to say - This is the Life.

He would have sat here taking it all in with the biggest and best grin.