This morning we enjoyed a drive along the Bay of Naples before we continued north to view the Abbey of Monte Castino, famous for it’s roll in the world war two battle in 1944 where many men lost their lives. From there we made our way back to Rome for last minute shopping or a visit to a museum.
In the evening we had our farewell dinner put on by the tour company. It was a fun night with music, singing and wine drinking. Our fellow tourist wished us well and sang happy birthday to Lorene. It was her 87th birthday. Dal and Jenny from South Africa sat by us and Joe and Theresa from Las Vegas next to them. We all new each other pretty well by now and there was much toasting. Two songs were composed to Tony, our guide and Eduardo, our bus driver, by members of our group. We sang patriotic and just fun songs. We drank just enough wine to loose our inhibitions and wandered off to our rooms with a happy glow on.
I would like to express my appreciation for the help and sympathy given to me by my fellow travelers on this trip. When ever I was having difficulty walking or couldn’t keep up, some one was there to lend a helping hand. My heavy back pack was hauled from place to place and at times the group slowed down to let me catch up. I thank all of you for your consideration.
9-27-09 Sunday Day 16
Final Day
In the morning we packed our bags and dragged them to the lobby. We ate an early breakfast and where on the way to the airport at 6:45 AM. It was time for the long flight home. We said our last goodbyes. Our wheelchairs attendants were waiting. They knew which way to go. Going though customs was no trouble because we were waved on through without opening our bags. We were in the front of the line boarding the plane and had a wheel chair waiting when the plane landed. The flight from Rome to New York was long and tiring but again we were wheeled to our next plane and on our way to Seattle. Lorene’s daughter, Deloris, meet us at baggage in the SeattleAirport and on the way home we stopped and ate at the Poodle Dog Restaurant. The trip was great but it was good to be home.
We drove through the lava flow and then to the church in Sicily where, in the movie, the Godfather, this church was used as a setting for the marriage of Michael to the daughter of the local Don.
The path up to the church was steep. I was having trouble trying to climb it on my own. Clive, from Australia, and John, from Arkansas, each took one of my arms and practically carried me to the church door. John and his wife, Barbara, had owned a hardware store which they sold to go into retirement. Barbara had been the pharmacist in their store. She went to work at another store and is still working. John said, “That’s the hillbilly way. When you retire, keep your wife working.”
The church was small but beautiful inside. There was very nice paintings and wood carvings. The ambiance was pleasant and restful. It was not as overpowering as some of the large cathedrals were. Coming down from the church was not as difficult as going up but the cobble stones were still hard to travel on.
In the evening we went to another fish dinner. There was very good entertainment consisting of a guitar player, an accordion player and a man with a tambourine-drum who was also the vocalist. They played Italian and Sicilian songs with great gusto. It was a pleasant, fun evening.
9-24-09 Thursday Day13
In the morning we packed our bags and left them in the hallway to be loaded on the bus. We were finished with Sicily and returning to Italy. On the way to the ferry the traffic slowed down and finally came to a stop. The reason for the stoppage was that the road had become impassable because a landslide had shut down the only road to the ferry. We sat there a half hour while Tony was on the phone exploring our options on ways to get back to Italy. He finally was able to book passage on an overnight ferry back to Italy. This ferry was newer. The cabins were larger with wider bunks on both sides. We each slept on a lower bunk.
9-25-09 Friday Day 14
Isle of Capri Excursion
We ate breakfast on the ferry and, after some sightseeing, we boarded another smaller ferry to the Isle of Capri. We walked from the ferry dock to an incline car that took us to the upper part of the city. An optional tour had been planned but we didn’t go because Tony thought the walking would be too difficult for me. Lorene and I walked through the shops and found a restaurant to have lunch. This was a popular destination for tourists so the sidewalks and streets were crowded. There was no evidence of a world economy slowdown here.
We road the incline car down to the lower level and found a place where we could get an ice cream cone and eat it at a table under an umbrella. Some of the members of our group who had not gone on the optional tour began collecting on the empty tables around us. The waiters let us sit there because it was late in the day and the crowd wads thinning.
By the time Tony showed up with the excursion group, we were all together and ready for the ferry ride back to the mainland. We rode the ferry and were driven to our hotel. We were given our room key but couldn’t find our room. The desk tour attendant gave us directions but we were still lost. With the help of John, from Arkansas, we finally found our room. We had time to take a nap before collecting in the hotel dinning room for our evening meal.
Dal and Jenny from 
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