Not Dead

In case anybody has been wondering- no internet means no blog- been off the grid and off the map for a week= stay tuned for future updates

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Salerno sin touristas!

Although originally planned as a quick overnight before Rome, Salerno turned into a two night stay that has turned out to be quite a nice break from the mad crush of tourists jamming the Amalfi coast. While the time we spent in Ravello was nice, even being a 30 minute drive above Amalfi did not spare us the cruiseship flocks who seemed to come by the busload.  Our B & B was, some 900 years earlier a Palace owned by a wealthy family. The B & B was built into the original structure and offered a reasonable degree of comfort if one didn't mind the hike up ancient stone stairways. The town itself is a small maze of streets wandering in all kinds of random directions over the sides of the mountain and offers some amazing views of the coast below. From the town there are several walking trails that lead to neighbouring villages on the mountains, or if one keeps going- all the way back to Amalfi and also Minori. Requiring some 45 minutes to an hour the trails wander off in differe...
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Bye Bye Istanbul

Sunday night is being spent in Amsterdam,  or to be exact Hoofddorp, a suburb adjacent to the airport.   A dreary night awaited us when we arrived from Istanbul, and from weather reports, that is also what we can expect for the next few days.  We wrapped up the last couple of days in Istanbul with a Saturday morning visit to Topkapi Palace where I finally managed to see the section dedicated to the Holy Relics of the Prophet Muhammad. Under renovations on my last visit and blocked by massive queues of Muslims due to Ramadan in 2006, this was a case of 3rd time lucky. Worth the wait? I think so- where else are you going to see the Staff of Moses and the Sword of King David and bits of Muhammad's beard ( OK, Other than Ripley's Museum at Niagara Falls!)   True to form, the kitchens were closed on this visit.I dont think the palace is ever FULLY open to the public. At least the Harem was open but sadly there weren't any taste tests being offered!  An afternoon visi...
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How Many??

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