Rome-Sorrento-Paris, Part 6 (Island of Ischia & Paris-D'Orsay)

Day 3 Island of Ischia: 9:30 ferry from Sorrento – choppy waters and some passengers were a little queasy (1 hr. ride). The island is very easy to navigate; I purchased bus day pass (7.20 E) although my Campania Artcard was supposed to be valid on the island, they declined it. I had an absolutely fabulous time on the Island of Ischia with a friend from Wales that I met at the hostel in Sorrento. Negombo is a wonderful place with thermal pools and a sauna in a lush garden setting. After our fill of the natural springs/pools, we swam in the Tyrrhenian Sea and at the end of the day enjoyed a Limoncello at the beachside café overlooking the water. We really didn't want to leave Negombo and our island paradise, but the only ferry back to Sorrento was at 5:30. My next Southern Italy visit will include at least 2-3 full days on the Island of Ischia so that I can enjoy the thermal pools again, but explore the island too. Day 4: Off to Paris: Early morning departure from Sorrento via train to Naples and transfer to Orly Airport/Paris; AirFrance bus from Orly to Montparnasse; quick 10 minute walk to Hotel Delambre. I arrived with 20 minutes to spare to take a shower and meet my friend Lynn from Chicago to tour the fabulous Musee D'Orsay – unbelievably beautiful art of Monet, Renoir, Cezanne, Van Gogh and Degas to name a few. Lynn and I had an extra bonus while touring the gallery; there was a genuine fashion show going on at the ground floor level amongst all the sculptures. I don't know who the designer was, but the leggings the models wore were every sharp, vibrant color you could think of; pretty "over-the-top" fashion. Think it might have been fashion week in Paris. Who'd a thought we would be so lucky. After 2-3 hours of museum, we were famished, so had dinner at Le Select and a midnight drink at the top of the Tour Montparnasse to watch the Eiffel Tower twinkle.