Unexpected Activity in Camp

Today was another lazy day in and around camp. After an initial sunny start the skies clouded over and the wind got up. This was very unfortunate for our German neighbours who has opted for a boat trip around the Isle of Capri. We decided to do some catching up back at base and just relax. There was still some activity in camp when everyone left for their excursions. On the pitch next to us we were unexpectedly treated to a couple performing what comes naturally. We managed to capture the activity on film for your pleasure.

During the morning a couple of cruise ships anchored in the bay below our campsite and ferried their guests ashore to top up on tourist tack in Sorrento. After some lunch we ventured off into the unknown with a visit to a small village by the sea where there was nothing but a hotel, car park. a couple of small restaurants and a small shingle beach, entry to which cost €6 per person inclusive of a neatly aligned sun bed. Unfortunately one of the restaurants was cooking fish, but the prices were ridiculously prohibitive. We then immediately took a short cut across the peninsular and found a supermarket in Sorrento where we bought some fish and had our own al fresco fish dinner at a fraction of the restaurant cost.

Time for Reflection

Southern Italy’s is not what I had expected. The countryside along the coast is interesting provided you like vertical aspects. Anything remotely horizontal has been built on or otherwise scarred by man. Only in the historic areas are the buildings of any interest. Towns are drab and roads are poorly maintained. There does however appear to be a nice harmonious way of life amongst the chaos. Life is for living and the Italians do just that in their own way and at their own pace. Streets are very narrow which provides shade from the sun and creates a very pleasant ambience when you can get away from traffic. In Sorrento everything is geared towards the tourist but you can glimpse a more relaxed way of life through the tourist veneer. Shops shut for a couple of hours during the day and everything is done at an unhurried pace.

The south must be the area where Italians get their reputation for driving habits. To the north in and around Rome driving is quite sedate and broadly conforms to international standards. In the south it’s just manic with very little appreciation of laws. Drivers and scooter riders appear to exist in their own little bubbles with no concept of what’s going on outside. To get anywhere you must just get on with it and hope everyone else has the same desire to reach their destination intact. I quite enjoy this style of driving but the ACAS system sitting next to me keeps going off.

Top ten driving tips:

1.  Check your vehicle regularly, if the hooter works it’s OK
2.  Disengage your brain before moving off
3.  Drive on the right, but only if it’s convenient
4.  Don’t look in your mirrors, it will frighten you
5.  Don’t consider others when manoeuvring, it’s not your problem
6.  Speed limits must not be obeyed
7.  Prohibition signs must be ignored at all times
8.  Always follow cars ridiculously close to their offside rear corner
9.  The loudest hooter has priority
10. When parking, make sure you overtake just before stopping