Once in Sorrento (I think) the only other vehicles we saw were tiny little garbage trucks. The roads are narrow and meeting an oncoming bus or semi, is harrowing. I suppose that's the reason why they have tiny little trucks, not much larger than those available for little kids to drive around. The vehicles do graduate in size, but most personal cars are similarly sized. I've never seen so many Smart cars or litte wee Fiats. If I lived here I wouldn't even dare to drive one of those. The drivers are nuts. The speed limit on the toll roads is 130 kph. But I digress...
Our perfect vacation is in its final hours. And I must say, they are pleasant hours in this lounge. But let me get back to the days I missed.
On Tuesday we travelled to and along the Amalfi coast. The houses in Positano are about as stacked as in Cinque Terre, but more expensive. The winding road that leads into the town has almost no shoulder. Actually, what passes for the shoulder of the road is a long parking lot. Folks working in Positano park along these access roads, finding that the fines are less than they'd pay to actually park in the town. Sophia Loren's home is in Positano, poised on a piece of land high above the sea. I don't recall exacly what that part of the Mediterranean is called.
Along the road, despite the twists and turns there were a few viewpoints. Those are always accompanied by a shop or truck set up to sell fruits and vegetables. Many of our tour group sampled the freshly squeezed citrus juices in your own chosen combination.
Next stop was Amalfi, equally stunning and equally hilly. We made a "personal time" stop here where we had the opportunity to shop (I bought a bucket hat, an apron, a placemat and a Christmas decoration), eschewing the designer shops for more affordable sources. And of course, there was the inevitable Gelato while waiting for our boat to the next place - Maoiri.
We've had several boat rides and the views were always stunning.
There was considerable walking, with just under 10K steps as it was a slow day for walking - too many bus and boat rides.
Our final day, another day of absolutely perfect weather, was spent on the Isle of Capri. Our bus delivered us to the port of Sorrento where we met our guide, Vincenzo. And once more we attached that nastly little listening device to our ears. It is necessary of course, to hear the guide. You can tell the tourists, if you haven't yet figured out how to do that, by the listening devices hanging by lanyards around their necks.
We boarded the ferry for a 30-minute ride to Capri. The ferry sped over the expanse of water much faster than I'd imagined. I've got to stop imagining things in advance because they don't turn out to always fit my image. Anyway, the group reassembled on the dock at Capri and the tour began in earnest.
We visited all three levels- first the marina level, then the town of Capri itself, then a bus ride up the mountainside with impossible twists and turns, and a visit to Anacapri. The views there are amazing. I'm not sure how I previously pictured Capri, but it certainly wasn't this mountainous in my imagination.
Anacapri is high up, but some of us took the chairlift to the very top and enjoyed even more amazing views.
We met at our rendez-vous point just after noon and got a shuttle bus down to Capri itself where we had another short tour. The final portion was along the narrow streets, clinging to the right hand side because, although it looked like it should be just for pedestrians, in fact, we had to watch for vehicles of all descriptions - most of them quite small. It's not hard to ignore designer shops unless you are looking for €850 plain sneakers, adorned with the appropriate logo. Everywhere we visited there were designers shops. None of us shopped in them.
Lunch was alfresco and consisted of beer and pizza, and the final gelato of the vacation. We were then herded onto a tour boat for a ride aroun the island. The cliffs are quite breathtaking as are the caves and coves, and some terrifyingly located homes and hotels.
When we disembarked from that tour we had to move very quickly to catch the ferry. Our tickets were timed so there were no further opportunities for browsing.
The return trip was much like the one that took us to Capri in the morning. We were met by yet another hired mini-bus for the now-familiar twisting ride to our hotel
The meals were OK, depending on your choices. I didn't always make good ones. I'm not fond of al dente rice as found in the salmon risotto. The desserts looked OK but were always disappointing. We have had some amazing meals, mostly at lunch time for "tasting" opportunities. Only the Bristol Hotel (our first hotel after arriving) was the salad bar fantasic, and the food was served hot. Nothing there disappointed. The remaining hotel meals were usually barely warm. But we were well fed at the various tasting stops. I will miss the breakfast croissants, but alas the time has come for small meals with lots of veggies.
All of the photos were inserted without any editing. I will try to enhance some of them, at some unknown time in the future.
Once home, I'll post some "Musings about Italy."
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