NoNames European Vacation (Paris, Italy, Zurich)

[NoName]

Once again apologies for the delays with this one. Have been down with a cold the last week or so unfortunately.


Positano - Day 1

Just after 3pm we reached our destination – Positano Art Hotel. Its hard to tell exactly how far up the mountainside the hotel was as it just seems to go up and up and up but if I had to guess I would say perhaps one third of the way. The walk was about 10-15 minutes from the beach. Cost was €576 for the 3 nights which was reasonable. Prices here vary considerably depending on the time of year and location with stays closer to the idle of summer and closer to the shoreline being significantly more expensive.


Our room was spacious with a separate fold out bed for NoName Jnr, reasonable sized bathroom and a lovely balcony looking out over the cliffs towards the water. We would have no hesitation staying here again. Yes it would be nice to be at a lower location but it was really no issue for us and in the scheme of things this was pretty good.

NoName Jnr was keen for a swim so we set off down the mountainside to one of the beaches. As mentioned, it was about a 10-15 min walk. Strenuous but a good workout (particularly on the way back up). NoName Jnr was the only one brave enough to hop in the cold water so we let him a splash around as we relaxed and took in the view.

Once we got back up to the hotel it was time for dinner. Mrs NoName had booked a table at da Gabrisa which was in another hotel next door. Food was nice but a little pricey. We would come to expect this over the next few days.

Beer: A good way to start!

Mrs NoName's go to pasta - verdict: Fantastic!

Lamb: Was better than the photo

Once done with dinner it was back to our room and out to the balcony to watch the sun set. Just an amazing scene to end the day.

 

[NoName]

Positano – Day 2


We were up pretty early and raring to go. A quick breakfast in our room (we brought a box Nutra Grain from Australia to ensure NoName Jnr would at least eat something) and we were off down the hill again to the main beach to jump on a boat trip to Capri. Mrs NoName had done the research here and had come up with Positano Boats who had offered a full day trip to and from Capri for €190 (2x Adult 1x Child). There are a number of companies who run these tours and no doubt they would be much the same so it really came down to price for us. We joined 7 others all from the US. While the boat wasn’t that big it had enough room to comfortably accommodate everyone. The trip over took a couple of hours with several brief stops along the way to point out places of interest and take photos.

Eventually we reached Marina Grande and after docking were told to meet back at the same spot 4 hours later. Off we went wandering around Capri, first at the area around the marina and then up the Funicular to the top part of the town. We wandered around here for a while through the little streets and into a few of the shops before deciding it was time for lunch. Ended up finding a nice enough restaurant where we were able to sit on the roof looking out to the marina below.

What would become the standard NoName Jnr meal – ham and cheese pizza

More beer:

A bit more wandering around before it was time to head back down the hill and back to the boat for the return trip. Making our way back to Positano was a lot quicker since we had already just about circumnavigated the island on the way over and before we knew it we were docked again and ready for the steep trek back up to the hotel. What can I say about Capri? We were only there a short time so probably require a return visit but it was beautiful. We would most certainly return and perhaps even stay there if price was reasonable.

With the walk being strenuous, the talk from Mrs NoName naturally turned to food. We both felt that we didn’t really want to eat out tonight so we decided to stock up at a kind of convenience store/delicatessen just up the road from our hotel. Prosciutto, cheese, lasagne, limoncello & prosecco and we were set. Another bowl of Nutra Grain for NoName Jnr followed by a shower and bed and we were ready to eat and relax on our balcony watching the sun set in a truly beautiful location.

The walk back up to the hotel was more strenuous for some than others:

 

[Straubs]

Looks like a lovely family trip. Kudos on being brave and taking the little one. I think travelling with kids is under-rated ... at least when you understand and expect that the days may not be so action-packed with a child along for the ride (ie when you know their limitations).

 

[NoName]

Positano – Day 3


After a simple breakfast in our room we headed a little further up the hill to one of the bus stops so we could take a ride down the road to Amalfi. The 5 minute walk was pretty easy despite the complaints of the two other NoName’s. We were looking at the traffic going down the tight, windy roads as we waited for the bus and began to wonder how exactly this was going to work. Surely a big bus coming down here was going to be quite the struggle? Well yes it was. We hopped in the jam packed bus and made our way slowly towards the destination. This is not a trip I would enjoy making as a driver. Slow going, very tight, large drops off the right hand side of the small road. We were glad to make to Amalfi in one piece!

NoName Jnr was keen for a swim at the beach and despite the cold water I decided to join him. With the Italian beaches being full of rocks instead of sand, I needed even longer to ease myself into the water to avoid slipping straight into the cold. A bit over 30 minutes later and I was fully submerged.

Not so bad once you’re in! Swam around for a while then we both hopped out, ready for some lunch. Grabbed an outside table at a restaurant a hundred metres up the road where we settled in for the usual.

We walked around for a while having a look at the town and a couple of hours later we were ready to brave the bus again on the way back to Positano. The trip was equally as hair-raising but we made it back all the same. NoName Jnr was keen for another swim by this point so we jumped off the bus a little before our stop and walked down to the main beach.

We both went in again (I only took 15 minutes this time), refreshed ourselves for a while before hopping out to relax on the warm rocks for a while. When we were done it was time for another stroll up the face of the cliff back to the room to prepare for our dinner at La Tragliata

Mrs NoName had stumbled across this place in her research and we were glad she did. It was fantastic. Located high up on the mountainside , it is a small family run place which farms all their own produce. They pick you up from your hotel and transport you back afterwards so very convenient as well. €40 per person (NoName Jnr was free) for several big courses plus drinks. It was basically all you can eat and drink. A really fantastic meal and we would highly recommend putting it on your list when in Positano.

We stumbled out absolutely stuffed! Jumped in the bus back to the hotel and collapsed into bed. That was it for Positano, it had been a fantastic few days but the time had come to move on.

 

[Straubs]

Loving it - Mr Straubs just rustled up some Aussie bruschetta (baked the bread, reared the herbs etc). So yummy, I could (almost) feel I was there!

 

[Deleted member]

CX279 HKG-CDG A350-900 continued......

Attempted to watch a movie for a couple of hours in-between encouraging NoName Jnr to entertain himself. Didn’t really work. Eventually it was time for him to get some sleep and he was compliant enough. With peace and quiet it was time for us to relax. Mrs NoName continued to watch a couple of movies while I decided to test out the inflight wi-fi. UD$9.95 for 1hr, US$12.95 for 6hrs or US$19.95 for the whole flight. I went for the whole flight option.

I wasn’t expecting much in the way of speed but I was pleasantly surprised. I don’t have an upload/download speed but it was more than usable. I was able to load websites reasonably quickly, text, chat on whatsapp etc with no issues at all. I’m no tech expert and assume that being over land may have helped but it makes me wonder why QF haven’t been able to make this happen yet.

Half way through the flight I decided to try the beef burger on offer. Took about 15 minutes for them to prepare. It was a little bland and could have done with a decent sauce.

A couple of hours out from CDG and it was time for the lunch service.

Scallop and couscous salad was great.

We both chose the braised lamb shoulder rack which was great. Nice and tender, plenty of flavour. Good choice as was the 3 or 4 glasses of the French red that I washed it down with.

We had ordered a childs meal for NoNameJnr which he promptly refused to eat (recurring theme of the trip). Sausage, egg & veges to which he blurted out a big “blurr” noise. Didn’t want to waste it so I ended up eating it. Tasted fine to me and I’m sure most children would enjoy. He ended up downing 4 or 5 pieces of garlic bread. Hey, better than nothing right?

Also had the cheese plate and shared some ice cream with NoNameJnr.

By now it was time to prepare for landing. Down we went and before we knew it we were landed at our final destination – CDG.

Thoughts on the CX A350 J product: Seat was great. I didn’t sleep at all but did put the seat into bed mode to lie down and just relax for a while. I found it more than wide enough around the head and shoulders and ok in the foot section at the end. I’m 6’4 so I was taking up the whole bed more or less but it was still great once in the right position. When in seat mode it was very comfortable to recline a little while watching TV. I did find the cabin to be a little warm at times so that would be a minor negative. I thought the food offerings were pretty good without being spectacular. I’m no expert but Champagne and wine were to my liking – ie they tasted good. Overall this is definitely a product I would opt for again.

Mrs GPH and I did this (similar) itinerary in a Finnair A350 from HKG -CDG (via HEL) and we found that the Bulkhead seats were a better option than in the middle of the cabin. We are booked for a trip in April 2019 to do your exact itinerary BNE-HKG-CDG return in a mix of mostly J and F. This TR has been very informative so far

 

[Deleted member]

Mine would require that all green bits are picked off prior to eating it but is otherwise equally addicted to refined carbohydrates. Crackers, in particular, are a favourite on planes.

I am fortunate, my grandchildren have a preference for adult foods and one prefers vegetable meals over meat .... lol.

 

[Deleted member]

A thoroughly enjoyable and informative TR. thanks for posting.

 

[Buzzard]

Enjoying the TR and can't wait for the next installment.

 

[ALH]

Agreed. Our one and only trip five years ago was a last minute addition to our plans, as I had little interest in the place.
Can't believe how stupid I was, and the two days we spent there was nowhere near enough.

Looking forward to more of this report.

I’ve always avoided Paris in the 30 odd trips I’ve had to Europe. Finally went last year and just loved it. Go figure!

Booked again for April next year.

 

[ALH]

Enjoying your trip report immensely. Looking forward to the next instalment. GPH and I have been to Italy many times, but I have explored a lot more with my brother and/or friends. My brother and I spent 4 days walking Cinque Terre on one trip and it was so much fun. Walk, Wine, Lunch. Rinse and repeat. Scenery was stunning.

 

[rubygirl]

Looking forward to more of this trip report

 

[ALH]

Looking forward to more of this trip report

As am I. Waiting patiently.

 

[NoName]

Positano to Rome

As mentioned previously it was time to move on. Our next destination was Riomaggiore in Cinque Terre but to get there we were going via Salerno and Rome (staying the night). We had a nice sleep in before packing up luggage and checking out. I has wanted to simply wheel our suitcases down the mountainside but Mrs NoName insisted on paying a porter (not a person but a small vehicle). Approx €10 per bag from memory and it was almost certainly money well spent.

Breakfast:

We got down to the port, collected our bags and waited for the ferry to arrive. The Travelmar ferry from Positano to Salerno was €38 for 2 adults, 1 child and 3 pieces of luggage. Pretty decent.

Goodbye Positano!

The scenery along the way meant that the ferry ride could have easily substituted for a tourist activity in its own right and I’m sure people do just that. Fantastic views in all directions meant that the approx. 1hr ride went by in the blink of an eye.

We arrived in Salerno and made the short walk to the train station where we sat and waited for our train ride to Rome. €41.80 for the three of us on a super economy fare. I don’t really know how the travel class system works for Italian trains but our reserved seats were perfect for the 2hr ride. For all our train tickets we had simply purchased the cheapest option on the particular train that suited us. Maybe there are better ways to do it but it suited our needs very well.

High speed!

2hrs and a few stops later and we were at Roma Termini. We were ultimately off to Cinque Terra but had decided to break the trip up and spend the night here in Rome. We were glad we did. Our time was only brief but it was enough to know that we would have a fantastic time when we returned in a couple of weeks.

An 800m walk through the streets from the station had us arriving at our hotel – Hotel Elide. This place was in the same vein as our digs in Naples – decidedly average but with a price to match. Basic room, a shower that seemed to spurt water all over the bathroom, a non-functioning TV & air-con. We discovered the latter two when we returned to the room after wandering around the streets for an hour or so and treating NoName Jnr after he spotted the golden arches. When I went down to reception to seek help for the TV/air-con issue I wandered into a scene of semi chaos with a couple of tourists in an animated discussion with the man on duty. He was happy enough to ignore them for a couple of minutes and when I asked he said he would come up after dealt with these people who had had something stolen from their room. Obviously the reputation of the property isn’t a high priority and they’re happy to openly discuss the negative experiences of other guests. :S

Well he never came up to see us but the issue did resolve itself in the end….sort of. At 9pm, out of nowhere both the TV & air-con sprung in to action. Great! Well, not really. The problem was now that we were unable to turn them OFF! Ended up putting the cords out of the wall. Off to bed, thankful it was a one night stay and that we would be on our way to Cinque Terre early the next morning.

 

[NoName]

Rome to Riomaggiore


We were up and out of bed about 5:30 and packed and out the door by 6. Another bizarre experience at the front desk on checkout with the guy manning it telling us that he didn’t actually work there, he was just a friend of another employee, presumably one that should have been there. Paid the balance in cash and was sure to keep the receipt. No follow ups from the hotel so assume there was no funny business going on.

We retraced our footsteps from the night before and in about 15 minutes we were back at Roma Termini ready for our 6:57am train to La Spezia and then on to Riomaggiore. Cost for the 3 of us was €74.80 for 2nd class super economy tickets. The train was again perfectly adequate for the 3hr45min trip.

We hopped off at La Spezia and made our way up to the correct platform for the Cinque Terre trains. Wow! What a shemozzle! It was chaos with a huge crowd of people on the platform all wanting to get on the same train. How was the going to work? If we didn’t get on the first train, more people would arrive at the platform by the time the next one came and we would be in the same predicament. In the end I told Mrs NoName to carry NoName Jnr and just shove her way on, I would meet her at the destination.

Well we did manage to get on somehow even with a child and two big suitcases. It was uncomfortable to be crammed in like sardines but it was only a one stop, 7 minute trip. We were on and off before we knew it and after a short walk through a tunnel and 100m up a hill, we were outside our apartment waiting to be let in. The property was called Rosa Dei Venti and was located right in the heart of Riomaggiore. One bedroom with a fold out bed for NoName Jnr, kitchen, bathroom – we really couldn’t have asked for more. It was perfect. We got ourselves set up for the next 4 nights before heading out.

We wandered down the hill looking at the sites as we made our way to the beach. It was a pretty hot day so a great idea to have a swim and as it turned out the only day that would be suitable as weather was colder and overcast on each of the following days. NoName Jnr & I both had a dip and I’m pleased to say my reluctance to get in the water in the Amalfi Coast had completely gone – it now only took me 20 minutes to fully submerge myself!

After a couple of hours of swimming and just relaxing on the warm rocks out of the water it was time to have a bit more of a look around. We walked up and down the little streets of Riomaggiore for a while and it really is a beautiful place. It was immediately on the list of places I would like to return to.

By now we were ready for a bit of a rest so headed back to the apartment to relax for a while before dinner. Once that was done we headed back down and grabbed a table at one of the nearby restaurants. Restaurant is probably a bit of a stretch as most of these places are more like cafes. That’s not a bad thing as generally the food was great.

On the way back we popped into a shop and grabbed some meat and prosecco to help Mrs NoName & I get through the evening. Back up the near vertical stairs to our room and soon after it was off to bed.

 

[rubygirl]

Thank you
Keep em coming, i'm hooked!

 

[NoName]

Cinque Terre – Day 2


As usual the 4yo NoName Jnr woke us up nice and early and there was only so long a bowl of NutraGrain and an ipad could keep the peace. We ventured out around 8 with the aim to see some more of the area. We knew that the towns were quite small so made the decision to knock off a couple each day. Day we had seen out own town. We would do two more towns on each of days 2 & 3 with the final day left to do whatever took our fancy. The destinations today were Monterosso & Manarola.

Since Monterosso was the furthest down the line of the 5 towns we decided to make it the first stop. Down to the station and wow what a difference to what we experienced the day before! Virtually no one on the platform and a similar story on the train. We grabbed a seat and a short time later we were off and ready to explore. This town is probably the biggest and it simply stunning! We wandered around for a bit looking at the different parts of town.

Lunch time came around and of course it was time to eat. We ended up finding great little restaurant that specialised in prosciutto – La Prosciutteria della 5 Terre. This place was fantastic! Probably the best lunch we had on the trip. Fairly simple food but so good, and full of prosciutto. Definitely recommend this place if you are even in Monterosso. They come up on google maps and are also on Instagram as @laprosciutteriadella5terre so will be east to find.

We had a salad, a couple of rolls, some bruschetta and a few beers. Superb!

Following lunch we continued to wander around the town. We stopped at a playground to relax for a bit while NoName Jnr gave it a road test and once that was done we were ready to head back down the line to Manarola.

 

[NoName]

Cinque Terre – Day 2 continued…….


Another pretty easy train ride and within a few minutes we were at Manarola. Getting to the town required a walk from the station through a tunnel a few hundred metres long. A pretty easy walk but it was the long line of people queued up on one side waiting to get on to the platform that worried us a little. We hoped it would be shorter when it came out turn to return to the station.

Again we wandered around the town seeing what it had to offer and again we were impressed. This region was fast becoming one of our favourite places.

We walked along a path on the coastline for a look at the scenery and when we turned around we were met with the iconic shot of Manarola that seems to come up whenever you search.

It was now getting fairly late in the afternoon and it was time to head back to Riomaggiore. Back towards the train station and then we saw it – far from dissipating, the crowd lined up through the tunnel to the station had increased…significantly. This was a problem. The tunnel to the station and then a further narrower tunnel under the tracks to the main platform creates a bottleneck and is very slow moving. We could see that there was the potential for this to take an hour or two to get on a train. Then I had a brilliant idea – we could simply walk back. We only had to get to the next town and it was very close, less than 1km along the walking trail on the coast. Perfect! We kind of. To get onto the trail we still had to go through the tunnel only we would turn left onto the trail instead of right to go to the platform. We made our way into the tunnel and attempted to walk past the waiting crowd. Well that didn’t go down too well as they all assumed we were trying to skip the queue. After being shouted at constantly and physically blocked multiple times we eventually got through and were able to get onto the path. Fantastic! We were on our way and would be home in less than 20 minutes. Wrong! A couple of hundred metres down the path we were confronted by this:

I guess I should have done more research. This path as it turned out is closed due to a landslide a couple of years early and wont be restored and reopened until 2020-ish.

Back towards the station where we hoped to somehow be able to avoid the massive line and get onto a train quickly. Down to the station area where we saw a few other who had come the same way being let into the front of the queue by a conductor. Phew! We did feel a little bad about getting to the train this way as it wasn’t our intention to jump the line but ultimately we were just happy to be getting home. We slowly got through the tunnel under the tracks and on to the correct platform which as it turned out was almost empty. Bottlenecks will do that I suppose. Extremely inefficient but what can you do? Train arrived soon enough and before we knew it we were back at the apartment.

A quick freshen up and we were off downstairs for a quick dinner. The standard pasta & pizza with a beer & wine and that was it for the evening. We headed straight back up to relax and sleep and be ready to knock off another couple of villages in the morning.

 

[NoName]

Cinque Terre – Day 3


Day 3 in Cinque Terre began much the same as previously being woken up by NoName Jnr. Par for the course. Anyway, we headed out again with the aim of exploring the final two villages – Vernazza & Corniglia. First stop was Vernazza and this place was great. We had been recommended to look at staying here by one of Mrs NoName’s friends and we instantly saw why.

We started off wandering up the hill looking at what the town had to offer. Up and up we went as the complaints from the other NoNames rose. Eventually we got to a point where were met with spectacular view down to the town (and castle) as well as out over the ocean. This is where the complaints stopped and there was an acknowledgment that the effort was worth it. Amazing!

Once we had taken the obligatory photos of the view then the obvious thing to do was to go back down and visit the castle up close. Going down the hill was much more appealing.

With that out of the way it was time for lunch and we managed to find a nice enough place to eat which was on a fairly open square with nice views. The food was decent as well which always helps.

After lunch it was back onto the train and one stop down the line to Corniglia. Another poster mentioned earlier that the train station was quite a distance from the town and this is accurate. I was happy to walk down the road then up a long series of steps to get to the town but other members of the party weren’t. Staying in this town and having to lug a couple of suitcases all the way to an apartment would not be recommended. That said, we managed to reach the town with no problems. The weather was beginning to set in so we had a very quick look around followed by a well-deserved gelato before heading back down to the station and back to our home base.

Back in our apartment and with the rain here to stay we decided to eat in. I ducked down to a nearby store and grabbed some staples – meat, cheese, prosecco – for dinner. Corn flakes (we were out of Nutra Grain by now) for NoName Jnr, the rest for us and we were done.

 

[NoName]

Cinque Terre – Day 4


If this was surfing then the final day of our stay in Riomaggiore was a lay day. Persistent rain meant that our enthusiasm for doing things was well ad truly dampened (pardon the pun). I had planned on taking the train back down to Monterosso and walking one of the hiking trails back to the apartment, however I was without any real hiking equipment. In the dry this wouldn’t have really mattered but with wet, muddy paths to deal with I decided that this would have to be put on the next time list.

We lazed around the apartment most of the morning, popped out to the laundromat across the street for an hour, came back and lazed some more before I decided to head out for a bit on my own. I wandered around to a few of the spots we had missed and they reinforced the feeling that we should return here one day.

Late in the afternoon the weather finally eased off enough for the other two NoName’s to be willing to venture out as well. We walked around along the cliff taking in the views, down to the train station area, back up towards home before coming across the castle – unfortunately closed for repairs.

https://s22.postimg.cc/coughrlv8u9/IMG_7689.jpg

We took the long way back to the apartment and this proved to be a masterstroke as we stumbled across a restaurant that Mrs NoName had put on her list prior to departure – Ripa del Sole. Of course, with it being close enough to dinner time there was no way we were not going to go in. This place was great. It served the usual kinds of dishes but they were much better than average.

https://s22.postimg.cc/coughrltbe9/IMG_7701.jpg

After completing the walk back to the apartment it was sadly time to pack up and prepare to move on the next morning. We loved Cinque Terre! It was a beautiful place, so scenic and plenty to do. As I mentioned, it is definitely on the list of places to return to. Admittedly most places I have visited would be on that list but this was right at the top. Loved it!