I think Christian got up and left while I was still in bed. Either way, I think by the time I'd showered and got upstairs to breakfast, there were only a few diving stragglers left, and the ladies.
It was a cheery, bright room, and we seemed to be the only guests in the hotel. Breakfast was a simple affair - they had Twinings tea, which was welcome (though I had brought my own), along with cereal (I think), cheese and meat, pastries, and an egg boiler that looked a bit too scary to use.
I had a chatty morning with the ladies up on the balcony. It was good to catch up with Annie and Sue, and to meet Elaine. We decided to wander down to the water, near the dive shop, to get some lunch. As we left the hotel, we met Christian going the other way, as he'd forgotten something I think.
We said hi to the divers - it was a nice, laid-back area, though there wasn't 'beach' to speak of, and they seemed to have had a good morning underwater. Lunch in the cafe/bar nearby was very simple - most of us just went for pasta and tomato. When we were finished, I took my leave and set off for a walk around the bay.
The section down to Lucrino station was fine, but just after the narrow 'bridge', the footpath ran out, and as the road rose, it was very much about hugging the wall to avoid being run over. Oh, and crossing the road to try and find refuge every now and then. It was about here that I think I saw the divers' RHIB out on the water. The road back downhill through a village improved, but then got worse as civilisation ran out again and the road wound around a couple of huge bends.
After a climb, and after passing a camp site, I was at the Castello de Baia, which was sadly closed by this time in the afternoon. I wasn't the only one to be disappointed, as some other tourists asked me whether it was closed, and then asked me to take a photo of them. The view towards Naples and Vesuvius was almost worth it.
It was warm, and I really didn't fancy walking back on those roads. I'd seen plenty of buses, but couldn't tell where most of them were going. Taking a chance, and guessing most would take the coast road to Pozzuoli, I stopped to wait for the next one. The one I got on didn't go to Pozzuoli, or Arco Felice, or anywhere useful. It went to Fusano, which was the end of the train line. After a lot of attempts, the bus driver communicated what was going on, and even helped me find the station.
So I waited for the next train. I decided that, given I was going to be on the train anyway, I'd stay on until Pozzuoli and see about some ferry tickets. At Pozzuoli, I saw a sign for an 'anfitheatro', and thought that would be interesting, so I followed it, up steep steps to a main road. The theatre was immediately across the road from here.
Once I worked out how to get into it, I found that the entrance fee was almost nothing, and so gratefully went in. Turns out that it was a Flavian Amphitheatre, which is the third largest in Italy, and its interior is almost completely intact - the inside looks amazingly preserved and I'd never seen anything like it. It had been excavated exhaustively over the years, and looked like it had been built on to host modern events at one point. Outside were some lovely sculptures that had been taken from elsewhere on the site. I looked all around it and underneath it, and felt like I'd learned lots and had my fill of culture for the day.
From there, I made my way down to the port to find someone who'd sell me ferry tickets. The port area was beyond a grand promenade, with lots of people out and about in the balmy late afternoon. I started at the southern end, where most of the restaurants were, and found the office for Caremar, which was closed. The schedules on the wall suggested it would not be my best bet, however. So I looked up the Medmar office (which was on the north side of the port), and made my way there, via a mint gelato.
The man there gave me the ferry times, but couldn't sell me a ticket over the counter that far in advance - no idea why. So I took a copy of the schedule, and turned hotel-wards.
I let Christian know that I was on my way back. It didn't seem worth getting a train, so I intended to walk, as it was only about 5.30. He offered to come and get me, so we arranged to meet in a car park just outside town. The drive back to the hotel was not very fun, but Christian seemed not to mind it.
Back at the hotel, we relaxed before going back out for dinner. There was a lot of faffing at the hotel, waiting for others, in the end, Christian and I led the charge, and as soon as we spotted Len and Rita in a restaurant, we went in to join them. The others didn't think much of Rosticceria Da Roberto, and kept going somewhere else.
It was a nice enough dinner - I had lots of small plates, including insalata caprese, and an arancino.
We were back at the hotel around 9.15, and I think we turned in, possibly watching some telly before bed.
It was a cheery, bright room, and we seemed to be the only guests in the hotel. Breakfast was a simple affair - they had Twinings tea, which was welcome (though I had brought my own), along with cereal (I think), cheese and meat, pastries, and an egg boiler that looked a bit too scary to use.
I had a chatty morning with the ladies up on the balcony. It was good to catch up with Annie and Sue, and to meet Elaine. We decided to wander down to the water, near the dive shop, to get some lunch. As we left the hotel, we met Christian going the other way, as he'd forgotten something I think.
We said hi to the divers - it was a nice, laid-back area, though there wasn't 'beach' to speak of, and they seemed to have had a good morning underwater. Lunch in the cafe/bar nearby was very simple - most of us just went for pasta and tomato. When we were finished, I took my leave and set off for a walk around the bay.
The section down to Lucrino station was fine, but just after the narrow 'bridge', the footpath ran out, and as the road rose, it was very much about hugging the wall to avoid being run over. Oh, and crossing the road to try and find refuge every now and then. It was about here that I think I saw the divers' RHIB out on the water. The road back downhill through a village improved, but then got worse as civilisation ran out again and the road wound around a couple of huge bends.
It was warm, and I really didn't fancy walking back on those roads. I'd seen plenty of buses, but couldn't tell where most of them were going. Taking a chance, and guessing most would take the coast road to Pozzuoli, I stopped to wait for the next one. The one I got on didn't go to Pozzuoli, or Arco Felice, or anywhere useful. It went to Fusano, which was the end of the train line. After a lot of attempts, the bus driver communicated what was going on, and even helped me find the station.
So I waited for the next train. I decided that, given I was going to be on the train anyway, I'd stay on until Pozzuoli and see about some ferry tickets. At Pozzuoli, I saw a sign for an 'anfitheatro', and thought that would be interesting, so I followed it, up steep steps to a main road. The theatre was immediately across the road from here.
From there, I made my way down to the port to find someone who'd sell me ferry tickets. The port area was beyond a grand promenade, with lots of people out and about in the balmy late afternoon. I started at the southern end, where most of the restaurants were, and found the office for Caremar, which was closed. The schedules on the wall suggested it would not be my best bet, however. So I looked up the Medmar office (which was on the north side of the port), and made my way there, via a mint gelato.
The man there gave me the ferry times, but couldn't sell me a ticket over the counter that far in advance - no idea why. So I took a copy of the schedule, and turned hotel-wards.
I let Christian know that I was on my way back. It didn't seem worth getting a train, so I intended to walk, as it was only about 5.30. He offered to come and get me, so we arranged to meet in a car park just outside town. The drive back to the hotel was not very fun, but Christian seemed not to mind it.
Back at the hotel, we relaxed before going back out for dinner. There was a lot of faffing at the hotel, waiting for others, in the end, Christian and I led the charge, and as soon as we spotted Len and Rita in a restaurant, we went in to join them. The others didn't think much of Rosticceria Da Roberto, and kept going somewhere else.
It was a nice enough dinner - I had lots of small plates, including insalata caprese, and an arancino.
We were back at the hotel around 9.15, and I think we turned in, possibly watching some telly before bed.
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