Volcanos, ripped sails and sinking feelings, and some good cruising
30/06/2006

We arrived in Fiumicino intending to stay for a week, to pick up Phoebes passport, and see some of Rome, before heading south before Italy got to expensive. Things don’t always go to plan, we finally left 7 weeks later. After getting through the bridges, we meet fellow cruisers who had come for a week and where now on their second year there, it obviously had something. May be it was due to the reasonable monthly rates, being an hour from the center of Rome by public transport, which depending on your choice of route cost from E1-00 to E15-00 per person, our usual was E2-60 if the ticket machine was working to allow you to buy tickets, more usually we ended up traveling for free, a choice of Supermarkets close and convenient, or large and a bus ride away at Parco Leonardo, or maybe its was because it was close to Fiumicino airport which was served by a free bus from directly opposite the boat yard entrance. Anna in the office was a lovely exuberant and friendly woman, who I will remember standing on the jetty wall under the bridge cheering louder than anyone else when the American Catamaran finally got out on their second attempt. They had tried once and been thwarted despite the full tanks and six additional bodies on board, they bounced twice and the bridge keeper lowered the bridge not waiting for a third attempt, when they returned to the quay, their stood a rather rotund Italian, bursting out of a faded boiler suit with a repaired windex in his hand, he looked at the boat, then back to the windex, which with a resigned shrug, he let slowly droop. The crew were only slightly disheartened, the level in the canal dropped towards evening and the next day the bridge opening was in the evening. For the second attempt, we were once more happy to lend ourselves as extra ballast, along with everyone else they managed to rope in, cruisers, yard workers, people walking past, I counted 22 people excluding children stood on the bridge deck as we bounced once, then slid under on the second attempt, to Anna`s cheers.
We visited Rome, were overawed by the size of the buildings and footprint of the ruins and the Pallentine hill, shocked by the crowds trying to get into the Colloseum, and generally enthralled by the history seeming round every corner. At the Trevi fountain we threw in our coins and Nick, although he was not to impressed about having his head dunked into the water, the clown in him reacted to all the people laughing, he waited until after we had left before he told me that he was cross with me. We made use of the airport for me to go back to the UK to see solicitors and doctors about the car accident, and seeing as it was Phoebes birthday, we all came back for a week, although my doctors appointment got changed and I ended up staying a bit longer. Grandma returned to Rome with Sara and the children, upon my return we visited the Vatican and ended up paying E60-00 for 3coffees and 3 ice creams, angry is not the right description, I should have sent the others away and brazened it out.
Ostia Antica, was a fantastic place to visit, it is the site of the old Roman harbour town, abandoned when in the 4th Century when Rome was sacked, and then the river flooded and its course changed, a new harbour was used and the site never reoccupied, plus the marble was allegedly plundered for churches and temples in Rome itself. The site is the same size as Pompei, but even in July it was empty, with lots of trees providing shade, and you can interact, explore the site at your leisure, with very little blocked off. Phoebe and Nick where fully engaged playing shop in the old Thermoplium, the Roman fast food establishments.
While in Fiumicino, we were hailed from the quay side by a man, demanding to know if we were English, and where we were going. This was Andre’ a Roman who owned a Hallberg Rassey Ketch moored a couple of boat lengths in front of us.

Rome and Home, June Trips to Rome, Phoebes birthday return to UK and grandma’s visit