Day 38 – 2nd June. Assisi->Montecassino->Sorrento

Day 38 – 2nd June. Assisi->Montecassino->Sorrento


Big thunder storm at 4am this morning- Graeme said it woke him as the booms resonated in the streets here as they are high up and narrow. I was blissfully unaware thanks to good earplugs! However, we both noticed it wasn’t a very restful night, surprised me as I thought sleeping in a nuns convent would see us peaceful as babies?!

Up at 6am, bags out at 6.30am and on the road at 7.30am. There is a parallel tour running on the same tour itinerary as us, so the TD is trying to stay slightly ahead of them at toilet stops etc for obvious reasons.

On the road for 4 hours then we stopped at Montecassino for 15 mins. The Kiwis are all buried together on the right hand side of this cemetery- it is different to the other military cemeteries we have stopped at in France and England as instead of a white cross or the Jewish star, these were full grey headstones – they have the silver fern on them and for the first time, the age of each soldier.
Danni noted as we walked along 2 Maori battalion soldiers next to each other and said “Mum look - that man only lived 1 day longer than the man beside him”. Out of the mouths of babes…

We walked along and came across the grave of the only NZ’er we saw who had a photo on his headstone. It was one of him obviously taken just before he left for war, in uniform – sitting proudly with Mum and Dad - Corporal T. Wetini,
28th Maori battalion, 25 years old.
So here we stopped, it seemed that this man put a face to all the men from home.

Graeme put the song 'Pou karekare ana' on thru the laptop and I-Pod and we stood and listened to it in the silence. Hearing the beginning where Tui’s are calling out was very poignant. You don’t realise until you are away, the sounds that take you straight back home and this was one of them.
Would have loved more time here to give the respect these guys deserved to just wander amongst the graves but we were last back on the bus as it was ! It was great to have done this as it is new on the itinerary for this tour this year so we were lucky. I liked the way the cemetery looks back over a towering backdrop of mountains – it was very restful.

Travelled along for another few hours on the bus, through Naples to the outskirts of Sorrento, where we stopped at a 4 acre farm that produces all the food and alcohol it serves to the tour group. They showed us they make mozzarella cheese, then served it to us with tomato, salami, olives and bread. This was followed by pasta then a cake with the famous lemoncello poured over it – rocket fuel !! Have included a pic of the dog at the farm, he was so happy Danni patted his tummy!

We returned to the bus and through the windy streets up to our hotel in Sorrento. Quick turn around then back into town for those that wanted to shop. We went as we needed to get a new suitcase – we had found Danni’s suitcase broken at the second hotel- the porters had obviously pulled the handle up so hard that it sheered off and pulled right out, then they had just put it back in! So the TD pointed us in the right direction as Sorrento’s cases are Italian made not Chinese and are good value for money.

Ended up buying a light weight, hard shell case that the lady demonstrated to us by standing on one!!! Graeme is sick of softer ones that eventually break, so he wanted to buy a good quality case.

It had been raining, so we didn’t stay long and were amongst the first in the line to get the hotel shuttle back to the hotel which was great as others ended up paying for taxi’s or waiting ages in the rain.

Dinner was great but more pasta- we are all pasta éd out!! Heard word that the All Blacks had won their match against France and that Team NZ had won the yachting- you get ridiculously proud of such achievements when you are overseas- well the guys do when they are full of home made red wine!

We are off on an optional to the Isle of Capri tomorrow – Pompeii has been left until Monday now when we have more time. Will be good as we have 2 days here. Sorrento looks amazing clustered on the hills as you come in- very traffic clogged though, but better than Naples which was dirty and ugly. Naples has a huge refuse problem and is controlled by the Mafia wives as the Mafia heads are in prison – hence there is a lot of standover tactics it is rumoured and poverty there.