been playing a dangerous game with my morning commute to work where I catch my first bus at a time where I technically would just miss my second bus but I'm betting on it being at least a few minutes late so that I don't. not only have I not missed it yet but it's always been 20-30 minutes late so I could technically take an even later bus but I'm not gonna push my luck

An Unexpected Bonus

We wanted to look around Benevento a bit more before we left. Despite almost stumbling on it it had character in terms of some majestic buildings and a laid back ambience and we wanted to make sure that we soaked a bit more up before leaving. After breakfast at the hotel we set off for a look around. It was Sunday morning so unfortunately a couple of very good clothes shops for both men and women were closed though that probably saved the budget. It was pretty hot and we stuck to the shade as best we could while taking in some grand buildings. We had not done too much research into Benevento (it doesn't make the guide books) though Liz thought it had possibilities and hence plucked it out as a destination. We also had read via crits of the hotel that it was a handy pitstop for travellers to/from Rome. Glancing down one of the laneways we saw a Roman arch which merited some investigation. We had stumbled upon a treasure. The arch of Trajan built between 114 and 117 AD essentially to honour the Roman emperor Trajan was imposing and well preserved, albeit with an element of restoration over the years. The original buildings around it had been demolished due to earthquakes over the years so the arch stood stolid, defiant and magnificent as a reminder of the past and arguably the best preserved example that I have seen of this type of structure. The arch has various sculptures and friezes depicting Emperor Trajan in processions or meeting dignitaries amongst other scenes. We probably spent 30-45 mins just walking around it to look at it from various angles. It was both one of those uncanny and moving connections with life 2000 years ago and a glorious piece of ancient architecture. With some reluctance we dragged ourselves away with a few glances over the shoulder to get a final glimpse. Again one of those monuments that you feel that you should visit every year or two and just reflect on and enjoy though that is going to be unlikely in this case. We headed back to the car thinking Liz had done it again and found a small gem in the city of Benevento when we weren't expecting much more than a feed and a bed. Next we had decided for our last day in Italy prior to heading for Latvia that we should soak up some rays and basically just relax by the beach. Also we wanted to keep heading towards Rome so that the final day's journey in the car would be reduced. The hotel Miramare near Latina was our choice. A couple of hundred kilometres away from Benevento. We arrived around 4.00pm, checked in and immediately headed for the beach. It was hot and pretty chokkers with people though through the hotel we had a reserved area to sit on and free beach beds and umbrellas. Settled ourselves down in the front row and went quickly for a swim to cool off. Very pleasant and sandy beach. I headed off for ice creams and on return found a disgruntled Liz was in the process of moving to beds nearby - "the blue beds". We had inadvertently parked ourselves on "the white beds" which though labelłed as Hotel Miramare had to be paid for and were often reserved for a week by the same people. Though empty at the time and it now being 4.30 pm the attendant advised that people may return despite Liz's protestations. She was not happy. Anyway all good and in fact the blue beds offered more shade beside a small building as the sun was getting lower and the umbrellas were of less use. It was a lovely way to end the Italy venture. Our room was very pleasant with a good sized balcony looking out to sea and despite the fact that it was a commercial sort of environment, given the setting, facilities and ease of access to the beach, another day there would not have gone amiss. Early evening post a freshen up we went to the small hotel next door which had an informal open air bar which looked out to sea for a drink. A very pleasant 45 mins or so spent there. Time for dinner. Not too many choices close to the hotel that we were keen on. Either too formal and pricey looking or menu boring but there were only a few options. We decided to walk along the beach road towards Latina which was a couple of kilometres away. Every few hundred metres there would be a restaurant or bar even a couple of campsites. We saw a couple of places that we liked the look of. At the first one we tried, which was really full, they said we were too late as the kitchen was closing (it was around 9.30) which seemed a bit weak. We reckon the owner had made too much, it had been a big night and he'd had enough. Second one was fine and though it also busy, with the staff under a bit of pressure, we enjoyed it. Nice seat in a sort of garden setting. Liz's risotto with seafood was unfortunately a bit more like basmati with seafood but my clam pasta very good. Friendly service too. We retraced our steps to the hotel and it was a very tidy walk but no hardship on a pleasant night. Next morning we set off around 10.30 for the 90 minute trip to Rome airport. A little task first. Our foam beach mats from Greece needed to be ditched. We thought the campsite would be a good place to gift them so drove down and Liz gave them to a mum with young son as they headed for the beach. Not needed on this sandy beach but might be handy in the future. After initial surprise at what the deal was, mum was very grateful. They had come in very handy for us those mats and not sure how you could enjoy Greek beaches without them, together with the protective foot coverings for when you traverse the pebbles into the water. Off we set for the airport and the car not due to be returned till about 1.20 pm. We could take it easy and not rush. Usual shenanigans at the end finding a garage to refuel. We found one after driving around a little, just a couple of kms from the airport though not on the main road in. The navigator was showing signs of concern especially as I had ignored a petrol station with about 17/18 kms still to go to the airport. Relief all round. Also finding our way to the car hire return necessitated negotiating a cryptic maze of signs. The trusty Narelle, the voice of google maps, proved not so trusty on this occasion and lead us up the garden path. She got us to the airport but then took us to the departure area even though signs were pointing to car rental in a different direction. In the end we closed her down and followed the signs which weren't exactly easy but we got there with around 45 mins to spare. Flight not parting for 4 hours so we settled down to wile away the time. It went. Flight took off pretty much on time around 6.00pm and was uneventful. Air Baltic which we booked through Alitalia. One bonus of booking thru Alitalia was that we got a baggage allowance of 23kgs as opposed to the air Baltic standard of 20 kgs. We were both just over the 20 kgs mark so handy. Plane was pretty new and seats much more user friendly than the Aussie squeezy ones with minimal leg room that we all now have to put up with. The flight landed at 9.45pm - on schedule. What I hadn't appreciated was that the Baltics are 1 hour ahead of Italy so the flight was only 2 hours 45 mins not the 3hours 45 that I expected. Usual bus to the terminal job which seemed to take a while by the time it was loaded up and also leaving the plane was a bit slow. However that all paled as from then on things went like a rocket. Appeared to be no customs to clear. We didn't show passports though the check in process had scrutinised them perhaps they rely on Air Baltic's processes. As we walked into the baggage area out came the bags. We were sitting in a taxi around 10.10 with a 15 minute drive to the centre of Riga. We were meeting good friends Sue and Peter Box in Riga so having spoken to and texted Peter from Rome saying we would see them in the morning given our late arrival, I now called him to say if they were still up we would have a jar in the bar. They were and we did. It was a nice way to end a pretty hassle free journey. Perhaps the only discordant note was a regular(ish) one. The taxi driver into Riga was an absolute grump. In fact downright rude. The hotel advised that we could get a slightly discounted taxi journey using red taxis who would be given a voucher when they delivered us to the hotel which the driver could then reclaim. This guy seemed ropable about it. Perhaps he wanted the cash but in truth the meter seemed to be less than the value of the voucher. We were staying at a Radisson and there are 4 Radisson hotels in town. He yelled at Liz " there are 4 madam which one is yours" and so on. Not a good intro. Never spoke the whole way there. No "where are you from", no discussion about Riga. He did lift our bags out but quickly disappeared. Another bloke in the wrong job or perhaps he'd had a bad day. Anyway, Latvia! After much planning we were here. A buzz. Also to be sharing it with Peter and Sue.