Five days in Italia!

We have just returned from a five day trip to Italy. Flying into Naples, we rented a car and drove to Sorrento for a one night stay. The town was lively but quaint, and our hotel was stunning. Sitting up on a mountain, with only a short walk downhill to town, the views from the hotel overlooked all of Sorrento and the Gulf of Amalfi. Our first Italian meal was certainly something to rave about, as was our entire evening, which quickly became a night of indulgence. Between the food, the drinks and the view, we had a wonderful time in Sorrento!


We continued our journey after our first night in Sorrento to Positano, where my parents had checked in to a gorgeous hotel five days prior. The drive around the Amalfi coast was a bit difficult along winding roads amongst speedy drivers, but with our GPS navigation system and our rented Fiat, we reached Positano early Saturday morning. The hotel where we stayed was discreetly built into a cliff overlooking the ocean and was camouflaged with flowers and plants covering the walls, both inside and out. The most unique trait about the hotel was the steep elevator which had two stops: the hotel lobby and rocky beach which lay many stories below. Our private balcony overlooked the next town over and the rocky beach below set independent with nothing but the hotel restaurant and some lounging beach chairs.


Our days were scattered between exploring Positano, relaxing in the sun, a boat ride to Amalfi and catching up with my parents. (Did I mention how great it was to see them?!) Our nights were equally as enjoyable with local wines accompanying Italian meals and rich desserts. Every evening ending the same with tropical thunderstorms which consisted of heavy rain and lightening illuminating the sky line. Some time before the storms but after the desserts, a barge in the water down below the cliff, displayed a firework show that was more than impressive.

As always, our days and nights passed by far too quickly and we have now returned home to London. Our trip was packed with delicious food, incredible scenery and all together great fun. It was great to see my parents, experience a taste of Italy, and of course enjoy some relaxing time in the sun…. Ole!

Why take a car when you can ride a horse?

Thrilling, exhilarating, unnerving, surreal - these are all words to describe my Wednesday commute. Sometimes I find myself smiling, while other times my heart is pounding, as I bring two horses to Hyde Park Stables from their home in Notting Hill. There are two horses that literally commute to work each day, travelling half an hour down a four lane road during rush hour traffic. One horse is ridden while the other is led by the rider. This task is usually completed by the instructor living above the two stall stable, however on her day off, the job becomes mine.

Between construction diversions, tailgating double decker buses, traffic signals, tourists with cameras, agitated cabby's and so on, the trip can sometimes be quite choatic. However in most scenarios the horses remain calm and unaffected by the mayhem which surrounds them. As normal as sitting in the saddle has become for me over the past fifteen years, this Wednesday commute is anything but normal. Only in London...