Adventure & hilarity
I am having such a ball! It's like God is giving me presents to open every day! I am now in Spoleto in Umbria, just arrived at the train station so am about to explore various Roman bits and pieces. Stayed in the most beautiful walled village last night. Really small place, all I could find was a chemist, grocer's, one restaurant (where I ate, it was fab and it seemed like the patrons couldn't believe I was alone, could hear them having a discussion about me in the kitchen!) and that was about it - really narrow cobbled streets, could walk round the place in about 10 minutes. Views from village were fab. Yesterday I also visited waterfalls which were really impressive and did lots of walking up and down, calve muscles are feeling it today.
 
The day before I was in L'Aquila in Abrruzo which is a main city and surrounded by mountains, again beautiful. In the evening I just happened to come across an open air concert in a building in a beautiful wee courtyard, so I felt very cultured -  it was a trio: clarinet, cello and piano and really top-quality stuff - great!
 
On Wednesday I was still at the first place I mentioned in the last post and there was another family staying there who invited me out for the day with them. We went on a gorge walk along a river and did some paddling and bathing in rock pools. Then we went to find some grub and were in such a small place that everywhere was closed. Eventually found somewhere about 3pm and had a fine feast. Abruzzo is known for sheep, sheep and more sheep, so lamb featured on the menu - had wee lamb kebabs - now I don't usually go for lamb but this was soooo tasty! I was stuffed! Later in the evening a local town was supposed to be showing 102 Dalmations in the open-air, so I trotted off with the family only to find that they had cancelled the film because it was too cold!!!! I thought that was hilarious, now it wasn't warm, I was wearing my fleece, but still us Irish would have stuck it out even if there had been a blizzard! Funny.
 
Oh yeah, getting to L'Aquila on Thurs was hilarious. Needed a lift to the train station, thought I had it arranged, but the hostel owners must have forgotten. So anyway I found one of them (quite good-looking too!) who took me there only I knew I was going to miss the train and there wasn't another one for 2-3 hours. I wasn't too worried - you just gotta take what comes with a holiday like this! Anyway this guy drives like a dervish to get me to the train station, sure enough I've missed it, so I dander up this small town to the supermarket and then have the brainwave of finding a bus to L'Aquila. Sure enough there is one in just over an hour's time, so I find the bus-stop and settle myself to wait. It was so funny - everyone stared at me as they walked past. I think I was the equivalent of a Japanese tourist sitting in the middle of Cullybackey! Plus I was sitting in the sun taking the chance to catch some rays and subtly trying to slap on the Factor 15.
 
So anyway, I'm having a great time, the weather is great - really hot and sticky yesterday, and I'm sunburnt but I don't give 2 hoots! Okey-dokey time for some more sight-seeing! Ciao!