Ibiza was a con, that conned us. A beautiful villa in the deepest, darkest woods, isolated high in the central hills at the end of a 10km dusty track. 8 of us, 8 laptops, 8 passports, ipads, phones, jewellery, watches. All gone at the end of day 2. No signs of a break-in, no insurance coverage, it was an inside job. The rental agency had us - and for sure the Police were involved. How else can you explain marble floors and Tuscan slate wall texturing in village communities crumbling from a lack of investment? 3 more days of phone calls, consulates, taxis, consulates, airports, consulates, police station, consulates. Swift departures back to Italy. We winged it without passports (there is no American consulate in Ibiza) and were happy to leave. Every time i'm promised good food in Spain, and still this time I was disappointed. Fortunately I didn't have credit cards to pay for anything! Next: Milan.
Oh sweet, gentle Milan! Ferragosto and a perfect calm descended on the city. Cool breezes and autumn temperatures gave us Milan at her best. We walked around the cobbled streets, drank fantastic coffee, gazed dreamily at the finally restored Duomo, and visited more consulates. Emergency passports issued, and off to Naples. Could we have inadvertently missed a stop and ended up in darkest Africa? Quite possibly. Naples is disgustingly dirty, and populated almost entirely by North African emigrants who sit in the streets amongst the rubbish playing cards and dominoes - oblivious to the dirt. Everything controlled by the mafia, apparently. It is hard to see the beauty of this city behind the grime, but it is there. The intense humid heat and crowded streets were oppressive. The next morning we ferried to Procida, one of the islands just off the bay of Naples, the pick-up point for our 51.5' sloop 'Fiona' which then took us around Capri and the Amalfi coast along with 6 other friends. In quick succession: Procida (flat and uninspiring), Ischia (mountainous, much more inspiring), Capri (endless cliffs, absolutely stunning), Procida (cosy, pretty cool) and Sorrento (precarious, cliff-hanging, beautiful). In summary, some amazing landscape, that 50 years ago would have undoubtedly been the most incredible seaside location in the world. No longer. Plastic, the Napolitan Mafia/Italian government, and human apathy have turned the bay of Naples into a cesspit. We were barely able to find places to swim without floating debris. I was so shocked as to how bad the situation really is. The whole marine area is an abomination, and worst of all the Italians don't really seem to give a shit. People swim between floating panty-liners, the water is thick with oils, lipids, and gels. The water is oxygen-starved. It really makes me feel sick to be part of the human race when I see that: Life can only thrive with clean water.
On our return to Procida, a quick trip back to Naples and a convoluted set of flights bring us to Reykjavic, our current location. Ridiculously expensive despite everything. Haunting landscapes, haunting light, and unlike the Med - pristine. My oldest friend from University Charlotte got married in true Icelandic style yesterday. A lutheran ceremony followed by a heart-warming reception singing local folk songs around a honky-tonk piano, with talented musicians and singers, in a wood cabin, on a small islet, until the early hours of the morning. Today swimming in the blue lagoon to soak out the hangovers, tomorrow Glasgow and due North to the ever-more-haunted isle of Skye. A great end to a wild month.
