Italy - 7
Happiness is holidaying, even for three days, without seemingly a care in the world, above. After such an elegantly stylish evening at Orient Express Venizia Palazzo Donna Giovannelli, Girlahead and her travel companions returned to their albeit-temporary elegantly stylish home on wheels, the Dolce Vita Orient Express train.
It was to be quite an interesting experience being rocked to sleep as though one was back in childhood – and it was honestly very agreeable (when the train stopped, as it turned out intentionally, one almost missed that rocking – that night it deliberately stopped for four hours to aid sleep and the second night it was stationary for a full seven hours). The bed was amazingly comfy, beautiful Italian linens and four fluffy pillows. Girlahead was awake in plenty of time for breakfast, by which hour the train was rocking and rolling again. You didn’t worry about bumping as you rock’n’roll walked as corridors are lined in peach suede (below).
The next, and second and last, stop of the journey was S.Margherita Ligure, five kilometres from Portofino. As always, Orient Express had arranged local DMCs to meet and take all passengers to wherever. Girlahead's party of three was helped into yet another mirror-polished boat captained by yet another walnut-wizened man of the sea in obviously obligatory uniform of sparkling white T-shirt and navy shorts.
The trip around the coast to Portofino was quite magical. The sea was calm. The sky was blue. Girlahead imagined the Dolce Vita stars of 60 years ago lying on such a boat. Bardot, Cardinale, Lollobrigida, Loren and Viti, their guys in old-fashioned swim trunks while they bulged out of bikinis under outrageously enormous floppy hats. Portofino was quite quiet on arrival, but later, with a cruise ship and an invasion of other visitors coming in, it was a bit of a melée. The shopping around Portofino harbour was really good. Adam bought eight shirts. Great fabric, great looks.
