FRIDAY 26th JUNE

23:02 Landed. Will arrive Perth around 00:25.

22:05 Airborne. Expected to land 23:12.

21:42 Boarding now.

20:55 UK time: We are ready for the Edinburgh flight but it is 45 minutes delayed. Hoping to be in Perth around half past midnight.

18:52: The Rome-Gatwick flight, scheduled to arrive 19:50, is in the air and expected 19:54, so we should have plenty of time to catch the connection to Edinburgh. Looking good so far.

17:55: We are waiting at the boarding gate at Rome Airport. As the flight is due to take off in a few minutes, we'll clearly be a little late leaving. The plane is here, though. We got to the airport after a sleepy journey from Vico. The coach driver thought for a moment it was the other airport but arrived in good time. Check-in, however, took ages, one at a time, so we had to hurry to the gate. Looking forward to home and to some peace and quiet!

Morning: Breakfast was at 9 today and we leave for Rome at 11.30. Fingers crossed for no delays. I shall try to update as we go.


THURSDAY 25th JUNE

Evening: Today was perhaps our best day yet. The weather cleared as we climbed from the car park to the summit of Vesuvius, so we saw everything clearly, though the cloud came over later. Then it was on to Herculaneum, eating our packed lunches on the bus. There we saw the Roman baths, as well as some of the dead bodies and charred timbers of staircases that have been there since they were buried in the pyroclastic flows on August 24, AD 79. It never fails to impress.

After our return to the hotel, twelve of us went down to the beach to relax until dinner. Now, after dinner, we are in Sorrento again for the last time on this trip. Just as we left the hotel, a group from St John's High arrived, so we'll be busy keeping order later on, no doubt!

Morning: Vesuvius and Herculaneum today. I am really hoping for good visibility on the top of the mountain.

I meant to say that when we arrived at the hotel on Monday, they were very pleased to see us again. Handshakes and smiles. I think they are glad of the business at present: we have seen fewer tourists everywhere than in previous years. The hotel management gave us all better rooms than those we've had in the past, which is nice. The pupils are now two to a room instead of four, which has a drawback for the staff: twice as many rooms to get to on our rounds! The rooms are scattered down the hillside: the hotel has been described as being like a small village.


WEDNESDAY 24th JUNE

Evening: There was a bit of rain as we left Positano on the boat, but not the deluge I had feared. The boat trip, however, took longer than scheduled and we missed the 5.55 train from Sorrento that we had been aiming for, so we're now having a late dinner: pasta carbonara. It's 28 degrees now. We'll still have time to get into Sorrento again by train later this evening.

2.30 (UK time) We are on camera again at the jetty in Positano, waiting for the boat to take us back to Sorrento. A bride is passing by, getting on the boat ahead of us. This morning we took the train from Vico Equense to Sorrento, then caught the first bus to Positano that could fit us all on. As it worked out, that gave us about four hours in Positano - fully long enough to see everything. I am watching some huge storm clouds gathering and wondering if we shall be in a deluge during the boat ride back to Sorrento (the boat has plenty of covered decks, but we wouldn't see much if it pours). Still, the weather has been mostly kind to us each day and hasn't stopped us doing anything we planned.

I should have mentioned that yesterday evening we all went into Sorrento by train for a session at the shops and cafes. There are two shopping streets. Lots of us had hot chocolate or coffee and cakes at the Fauno cafe-bar in the main square. Much amazement over how expensive such things are here.

11.00 (UK time) We had a small audience in Scotland for our morning webcam appearance, but I am told we were very hard to make out, even when we waved. We'll be back for another stroll in front of the camera between 2.10 and 2.40 (UK time) when our boat leaves. Streaming webcam is at http://www.campaniameteo.it/streaming.php?id=20

10:15 (UK time) We are in Positano this morning. We should be visible on the webcam when we are near the jetty.


TUESDAY 23rd JUNE

Afternoon: We are back from Pompeii, sitting in the sun on the deck below the hotel. The pupils are eating ice cream, and meanwhile the next thunderstorm is gathering over Naples.

Our hotel website has pictures, some on the home page and more if you click on 'Camere' (rooms) and the other pages on the site:
http://www.hoteloriente.it/.

Also for internet fans of our travels, the whole area, from our Hotel at Vico Equense all around the Bay of Naples and up to the top of Vesuvius, looks spectacular in Google Earth.

We saw all we wanted at Pompeii except for the baths which were closed for repairs. However, the cafe and toilets were also closed, which was a challenge! One or two people got skinned knees clambering over stones on dusty tracks, but nothing serious. And one or two got temporarily lost, but not for long. Our journey back was on the usual crowded train, and we are enjoying a chance to relax. Here are some pictures from one of the finest houses in Pompeii, the Villa of the Mysteries: http://www.art-and-archaeology.com/timelines/rome/empire/vm/villaofthemysteries.html.


Morning: We have arrived slightly early for Pompeii, so the staff are having cappuccino while the pupils look at tourist stalls. It is another sunny and hot day, after thunder from 5.30 this morning. Everyone was present for breakfast and ate well, though they had to be chased to get out in time for the train at 9.18. Now we are looking forward to seeing the ruins.

MONDAY 22nd JUNE

Late evening: We have arrived safely in Vico Equense and settled everyone in the hotel. It has been a spectacular evening, with fireworks adding to the thunder and lightning, and of course the view of the Bay of Naples is impressive enough even without any of that. Teachers' rounds of the pupils' rooms took a long time this evening, what with the general excitement, and one or two were jittery about the thunder.

Morning: We are at the Colosseum in perfect weather. Next it's on to the Capitoline Hill to see the statue of Romulus and Remus with the she-wolf. Everyone slept well and needed rousing this morning! We were all packed and had emptied our rooms by 9 a.m. I am so glad to see the sun shine. Everyone is in good form and there are still no moans about sore feet. Our hotel in Rome was OK (it's not the one we have used in the past and I was a bit anxious about it) - it had its good points and its drawbacks. In typical Italian style the corridor lights are all on sensors that leave you in the dark now and then. Anyway, the important thing is that the hotel in Sorrento (Vico Equense) is the one we know well and really like, the Oriente. I'll try to update again when we reach it this evening.


SUNDAY 21st JUNE

Hello to all from a thunderstormy Rome. Actually, the day was lovely until we got to the top of the cupola of St Peter's at 3.30. This morning we walked to the Colosseum and through the Forum in sunshine. From there we went to the Time Elevator which we enjoyed: it reviews the history of Rome from the beginning with Romulus and Remus to the present.

We left St Peter's in the rain, took the bus from there to the Trevi Fountain, and then walked in the rain to the Spanish Steps and so back to the hotel. Plenty of the group were footsore but there wasn't a single complaint, which is impressive. Now we are having a rest at the hotel before heading off for dinner in the station area: Chef Express for some, McDonalds for others no doubt.

Today was a very good day but a long one: it will be less strenuous tomorrow as we shall spend the afternoon on the coach to the south. The only snag so far is that Mrs Rae needs a small screwdriver to fix her sunspecs. Let's hope that's the worst problem we encounter! Looking forward to our morning seeing more of Rome tomorrow.


SATURDAY 20th JUNE

23:35: We are sitting in a fairly cool breakfast room with a breeze, as the air conditioning is not working. All the pupils are fed and in their rooms. Dinner was good: Parma ham, melon, and risotto, but most of the pupils preferred pizza or McDonalds!

6 p.m.(UK time): We have arrived safely in Rome with no missing bags. Now we're on the coach to the hotel, and we have agreed who is getting which rooms! The sun is shining, the skies are blue, but it's very humid. Rome looks beautiful as always. We are all so excited -- just approaching the Colosseum now!


FRIDAY 19th JUNE

Help!!! Weather forecast not so good... pack your brollies!!! Hopefully the forecasters will be entirely wrong... at least it looks like warm rain!!
See you tomorrow, ready to leave the bus park at 8am!


THURSDAY 11th JUNE

Weather in Perth today is.....

Sunny Intervals
Temp: 9°C
* Wind: NE 8mph
* Hum: 95%
* Press: 1012mB
* Vis: Poor

BUT the weather in Rome is

* Sunny
* Max: 27°C 81°F
* Wind: SW 8mph
* Hum: 40%
* Press: 1019mB
* Vis: Good


SATURDAY 6th JUNE

I am sure all of you will ensure that we have all the documentation we need. There were lots of forms to fill in and we need them all! The European Health Card is a must too; it helped hugely last year when we had to take a gashed leg to hospital (along with its owner still well attached!) You will be also responsible for your own passport as we move through airport check-ins and passport control. At other times we will keep your passports in the hotel safes.

We leave at 8am on the 20th June from the school bus park, flying from Edinburgh to Rome via Heathrow. That evening we will eat in one of our favourite eating places where the choice of food is excellent, mostly Italian and healthy, lots of pastas, pizzas and great big salads. We are looking forward to that and to the sites and smells(!?) of Rome already.

If I think of any other useful information, I will post it here. For example it is a good idea to have some sort of bright ribbon tied to the suitcase for easy identification on the baggage carousel! Your luggage should contain any toiletries larger than 100ml. Those toiletries in your hand luggage must be 100ml or less and must be packed in a small clear closed poly bag (20x20cm) to be shown at the security checks. Keep WELL within the luggage limit for British Airways...one bag of up to 23kg max and size H+W+L=158cm to be checked in and ONE piece of hand luggage (56x45x25cm max). You must also remember to pack any sharp objects like scissors or tweezers in the main suitcase as they are not allowed in the cabin. Check the BA web site for further details. Luggage labels for each flight with name and flight numbers and date of travel are also useful to have ready for attachment at appropriate times.We also will provide labels but they are not very robust.

As regards using bank cards to get euros in Italian money machines, it might be advisable to alert your bank here that you are to be in Italy that week; it has been known that money has been refused as the request deviates from your normal UK transactions.

This looks like being another memorable trip ...and for all the right reasons, with responsible, cooperative, considerate, and thoughtful young people who will look out, and look after each other throughout the week. It will be a good one. Fourteen days to go! And the weather in Rome is today......
* Heavy Rain Shower
* Max: 25°C 77°F
* Wind: S 20mph
* Hum: 65%
* Press: 1007mB
* Vis: Very good
But it looks like the rain is to disappear....by the 20th, I hope, it is just sun! Remember the sun cream!

MW

Search

Welcome

Welcome to the new design of Perth High School's website. The redesign is the first step in a series of improvements to the website which it is hoped will be ready for the new school year after the summer.

Upcoming Events

• 18

  Aug

  2010

  1st Day of new session

  
  First day back after holidays