HERE AND THERE

We depart from Rome on our cruise and our first stop is the Amalfi coast. Here we are at anchor, on the ship, having breakfast with the town of Amalfi in front of us. (You can hear the clink and clank of breakfast utensils.) The Amalfi coast is south of Rome and south of Naples, the regional capital of Campania. The Sorrentine peninsula juts out into the sea for about 10 km, and small towns and villages lie along the very picturesque, very very steep coastline. Technically (a

It's been 43 years* since we last visited Rome. We're back for another visit – together with a gazillion other tourists. Talk about overtourism. (Yes, I realise we are part of the problem.) While the stunning sights are still stunning, everywhere we go we have to fight our way through crowds. Other problems are construction and renovation projects with large hoardings in front of famous buildings, detours through narrow uninteresting roads, and massive traffic jams. Apart fro

Our carefully planned trip to Rome had included a few days in Dubai, to visit our Dubai family. But this itinerary was derailed by the deranged Trump war in the Middle East. So we're travelling (the longer and more expensive way) via Singapore and Frankfurt instead – the route less likely to be interrupted by missiles. Flying across peaceful Afghanistan and Georgia ... ! Our flight to Frankfurt was with Lufthansa, whose primary hub is Frankfurt Airport. Frankfurt Airport is t

We've been to Lord Howe Island before, in 2024.* We liked it so much that we have returned: not only to the island, but to the same accommodation, Pinetrees Lodge . They did a great job last time so they deserved a return visit. Lord Howe Island is about 800 km northeast of Sydney across the ocean, and is part of New South Wales. No passports needed. Has anything changed in the last two years? Not much, as far as we could see. Lord Howe Island has a permanent population of 40