Author Archives: EllieGee

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About EllieGee

Following the road...

Getting stuck in…

Posted on November 15, 2011 by EllieGee

Some days take on a different dimension quite suddenly and unexpectedly… We spent the night at a nice campsite near Valle dei Templi with the usual large family of characterful camping cats we now expect. We woke up to another … Continue reading →

Posted in By Country - Italy, Food stuff, Personal stuff, Van stuff, Wildlife stuff | 5 Comments

An island we couldn’t refuse

Posted on November 7, 2011 by EllieGee

Our first week and a half in Sicily has been one of ups and downs, mainly due to the weather which has veered from close to freezing point up to high 20s sunshine, with driving rains and gusty winds in … Continue reading →

Posted in By Country - Italy, Food stuff, Personal stuff, Travel stuff, Van stuff, Wildlife stuff | 2 Comments

Getting sassi in Matera

Posted on October 27, 2011 by EllieGee

After Paestum we planned to go to the city of Matera following an enthusiastic recommendation from our Texan friends, Virginia and Zac. Luckily for us it is one of the few places in Southern Italy with a campsite open at … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Culture stuff, By Country - Italy, Personal stuff, Travel stuff, Wildlife stuff | 1 Comment

Coasting to Amalfi and beyond

Posted on October 27, 2011 by EllieGee

The weather broke the day we left Pompei and the heavens opened. We weren’t going far, just 20km along the coast but away from the run down urban edge that surrounds Pompei. Having stocked up at the nearby supermarket, we … Continue reading →

Posted in By Country - Italy, Personal stuff, Travel stuff | Leave a comment

Assisi (twinned with San Francisco, Santiago de Compostela and Bethlehem)

Posted on October 14, 2011 by EllieGee

Assisi’s pale stone buildings in its setting along a hillside can be seen for miles around. Our campsite was around 5 km from the town and we took the walking route there. It felt fitting somehow to approach it on … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Culture stuff, By Country - Italy, Personal stuff, Travel stuff | 1 Comment

Senese Sojourn

Posted on October 5, 2011 by EllieGee

Siena is another Tuscan power house of Renaissance art and architecture with its own key characters – perhaps the biggest names being Jacopo della Quercia and Beccifumo – as well as featuring some of our usual suspects from the Florentine … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Culture stuff, By Country - Italy, Food stuff, Personal stuff, Travel stuff | 3 Comments

A quiet place on the banks of the Arno

Posted on September 20, 2011 by EllieGee

Adrian Garraway Kingsley was my father’s cousin, someone he had looked up to during his youth and spoke of fondly. We visited Adrian’s grave in the Florence War Cemetery for British and Commonwealth forces killed between 1943 and 1945. It … Continue reading →

Posted in By Country - Italy, Personal stuff | 1 Comment

Cinque Terre

Posted on September 19, 2011 by EllieGee

Cinque Terre refers to the area around five villages which are wedged into coves or perch on cliff tops along the dramatic coastline between Levanto and La Spezia, east of Genoa. They are largely only accessible by train, boat or … Continue reading →

Posted in By Country - Italy, Personal stuff, Travel stuff | 1 Comment

From the Alps to the coast

Posted on September 19, 2011 by EllieGee

We woke up to bright sunlight and the anticipation of exploring our first new country for a while. The campsite at Vinadio charged extra for showers – €1.50. You put the token into a machine outside the two showers which … Continue reading →

Posted in By Country - Italy, Travel stuff | Leave a comment

Killing time in the Correze

Posted on August 21, 2011 by EllieGee

We didn’t intend to visit this area other than simply driving through. Our 10 or so days at Sarran, near Égletons – although far from planned – has passed in a most pleasurable and laid back way, tempered by a … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Culture stuff, By Country - France, Food stuff, Personal stuff, Van stuff | 5 Comments