Our hotel is a real mixture of rooms. Some people have sizeable rooms that look out onto the street whilst others have small rooms with good views.
Some have wardrobes, some don't. Some have shelves, some don't. Some have three coat hangers and some have slightly more. I think you get the idea. They seem to make it up as they go along, almost as if they have never been in the hotel business before. But this is Italy and we have been told to go with the flow.
At meal times you have to play the game of avoiding the waiter/waitress as they aren't going to avoid you. So far I have walked straight into two and for once neither close encounter was my fault. One waitress who is very pleasant walks around with a pad on which she seems to be forever writing things despite never having anything to write as we are all inclusive. Perhaps she is writing a best selling novel whilst working in the hotel.
Yesterday's visit was to the volcanic island of Stromboli which has an active volcano apart from when we were there. In the evening our boat circled the island for over half an hour but not even a puff of smoke which was very inconsiderate of it.
It reminded us of Iceland some years ago when a coach trip to see the northern lights was called off on three consecutive nights because of rain. We couldn't get a refund because the small print stated that the northern lights holiday didn't necessarily mean that we would see the northern lights. So they really should have called it a Maybe the Northern Lights holiday.
The main town on Stromboli is (unsurprisingly) Stromboli. There is another smaller village but I'm not sure we found that. Anyway Stromboli town was a rather strange place. If you have ever wanted to be rundown by a golf buggy this is the place for you. There are no cars but hundreds of golf carts and scooters that hurtle around at breakneck speed ignoring pedestrians as if they have no right to be there. The roads are single track walkways.
There aren't many highlights in Stromboli apart from the volcano which may or may not erupt. There are a number of restaurants and The Red House, so called because shock horror it's red.
It does have a rather spurious claim to fame as film star Ingrid Bergman lived there while she was filming Stromboli, a film I have never seen but will be discovering to see if the island was better in the 1950s than it is today. While filming Stromboli, Bergman had an illicit affair with the film's director which is understandable because there's bugger all else to do on the island apart from staring up at the volcano which does erupt on a daily basis but just not on the day we were there.
Incidentally the Red House is for sale and looks as if it could do with some TLC. I find that in Italy, properties aren't necessarily looked after and do tend to crumble. Some may think this is a good thing as it makes it all look antiquated. I'm not so sure.
Have just heard that in two day's time mask wearing will no longer be compulsory in public places other than on transport. Looks like the whole of Europe has decided to live with the virus, although Italy is much more guarded about it than we are back home.
Today's pictures are of Tropea (again) and Stromboli to give you an idea of what the town is like. I don't really feel that it was worth almost four hours on a boat to visit but hey ho this is Italy as we are constantly being told.
I was particularly intrigued by the sign warning that if there is a tsunami everyone should move inland. There isn't a lot of inland on Stromboli.
You will see that there are quite a few photographs of my other threequarters. Unlike me, she isn't camera shy.