Going Coastal

The middle part of the Italian trip took place in the Amalfi Coast, a gorgeous stretch of coastline on the Mediterranean. Steve and Rachel took us in their rented convertible which Steve bravely drove along some of the narrowest and windiest roads I've ever seen in my life. But the views were absolutely stunning.

We found a good deal on a hotel in the town of Amalfi, but we weren't expecting much. But turns out we got a balcony, with the following view:



Nice.

It has to be said that this is not normally my thing. I'll never be a beach holiday guy. I just don't understand the appeal. Roasting myself in the sun and swimming in the sea and drinking, then repeat, for days on end sounds dreadfully boring.

However, I've discovered that to do this for a day is pretty sweet.

The town of Amalfi, while small, was very picturesque:


We also took a few mini-trips, including a drive up a mountain road to the town of Ravello (fantastic meal!) and a daytrip to Positano (best swim of the trip).

All Roads Lead To Rome

Since the weather has all of a sudden become rather cold in these parts, my thoughts have strayed back to my last holiday where the temperature was distinctly warmer.

Yes, after spending a surprisingly small amount of time off this island that is Great Britian, I finally got over to mainland Europe again for my first visit to Italy. Fi and I met up with Steve and Rachel in Rome where we spent four days in total.

I've always loved classical history ("I Claudius" marathons in high school anybody?), so seeing many of the sites that I've studied was a genuine thrill. We did our best to cover as much as possible, but honestly there is just so much to see you cannot do it full justice. We also had some fantastic evenings, eating wonderful food and knocking back the red wine while catching up with old friends.

Rome is a wonderful city to wander about in. I loved how the classical architecture blends seemlessly with the modern, how Romans madly drive around in their scooters, how the coffee lived up to its reputation. But visit outside of August if you can - it's bloody hot.

The Roman Forum


Trevi Fountain


Colosseum


Pantheon

Good Weekend

A brilliant last few days. A great mix of friends and music, the latter consisting of some old-school ska in the form of The Skatalites on Friday and the always amazing Buck 65 in Edinburgh on Saturday. And on Sunday I was introduced to the world of water canyoning, which consists of abseiling into water and floating down mountain rivers and over waterfalls. Seriously. Check it out:

My first ever abseil


Jumping into a freezing mountain river - why not?


I don't know if I could have done this if I knew how high it was...


Still in one piece!


Abseil down a waterfall