This is not a vacation. A trip- yes. Vacation-no. On a trip, you might have to get up at 6:30, but not on a vacation. But, here we are once again getting up at 6:30. If you want to see stuff, you have to get up early.
Our daughter J arrived at our cabin on time at 7, but my husband K could not find his mask. So, we were delayed going to breakfast. Once there, I had this delicious repast to fortify me until we got lunch sometime on today's excursion.
We are once again in the port of Naples. That is one advantage that this cruise has over a previous iteration thereof that was canceled. That one had only one stop in Naples and we had to choose between Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast. This one stops here twice, so we didn't have to choose. Today we would be enjoying The Best of the Amalfi Coast and Sorrento.
Before we headed down to the World Stage at 7:50, we discovered a familiar cruise line nearby.
When we checked in, we were given stickers for Green 9. Once again, our group was called a little early. We were off the ship at 8:12 and scanned our tickets at the bus, which we boarded at 8:15. I saw this sign, which told me the bus was made in or meant for Germany. (Please don't speak with the driver during the drive.)
As we hit the road, our guide Diana introduced herself and told us her father has been a tour bus driver for 41 years. We would see him later. She then told us about Naples. Sophia Loren, mozzarella, and tomato sauce are all from here. She said that most of the Italian songs, such as O Sole Mio, are all from Naples. The last eruption of Vesuvius was in March, 1944, while the city was being bombed. She lived in a house halfway up to the caldera, because it was cheaper there. I should think so!
At 9, we could see Vesuvius appearing rather mystically out of a cloud. Pretty cool!
As we rode along the SS145 nine minutes later, I got this shot. What a view these folks have! I suspect that there is a rather sheer cliff at the end of the greenery.
The Amalfi coast is known for its lemons. Along the road, we could see they were netted, no doubt to keep out birds.
We could see the coast itself at times and it was often a cliff. Not sure I'd want a great view without beach access - or a beach itself, for that matter.
At 9:16, we stopped for a 5 minute photo op on the side of the road. The views were beautiful, from the flower-covered fence to the town of Meta. We even saw a lemon tree below us.
We could look back and see how the road had hugged the side of the cliff. Ahead, we could see the traffic. If there were an accident on this 2-lane road, it could be a real problem. Well, there was and it was. We were delayed over an hour by an accident up ahead.
10:26 found us riding down Viale dei Pini in Sant' Agnelo. There was a market operating out of vans and such on the far side of the road. Between us and it was a median with the most beautiful roses. I just loved it.
We don't travel to foreign places just for the culture or history. I like to see a bit of how the folks live. We never get into private homes, which makes department stores great. We didn't visit or even see any of those. But, we could notice things about their housing. I saw a lot of windows and obviously glass doors covered by screening like that below. These all seem to be on the outside. I guess they roll up. At what point does the day become so hot that you throw the need for privacy out the window?
The road went perilously close to cliff before it made a big turn. We could see a hotel with this great umbrella tree and also a lovely boat in the water.
We were nearing Sorrento. According to ancient lore, the sirens of the Odyssey lived between Sorrento's mainland and the Isle of Capri. Our guide said that they were turned into the islands that are there now.
We were parked at 10:40 in a large bus parking area. Diana even saw her dad and we all waved. We then had a brisk walk to Piazza Tasso, which we reached in just 6 minutes. There was lots of traffic and crossing to our destination was tricky.
But we did get across and were ushered into the huge A. Gargiulo & Jannuzzi store. It was like a split level house. The lowest level had wood furniture. The upper level had a woodworking demo and linens. The middle level had smaller wooden items like coasters, trays, etc., and ornaments, jewelry, and more. J and I opted for the wood inlay explanation first. It was really quite fascinating. Then, we headed to an even lower level for the restrooms, figuring more folks would have headed there first. J wound up buying some wood and I got smaller trinkets.
We did not have a lot of time for exploring. We were out of the store by 11:10. We saw some beautiful views of this bustling city, that is tucked between the cliff and the mountains.
We went down the main street, looking for postcards, pins and such tchotchkes. We didn't find any, but we did come upon the Cathedral of Sorrento. We couldn't take photos inside, but it was beautiful, as Catholic cathedrals tend to be in Italy. It was built parallel to the street and had a small courtyard.
Diana had mentioned a chocolate shop, but we weren't seeing that either. We did see a promising side street and as we turned to go down, I noticed the manhole cover. It wasn't the fanciest I've seen in Europe, but it was better than ours.
Here we had luck with postcards and pins. We then hurried off to our appointed meeting time of 11:40 back on the Piazza.
We were meeting for lunch, which happened to be right there at Pizzeria Aurora or Ristorante Aurora, depending on the sign you believe. When I saw the outdoor seating, I got worried, because it was much too warm for that. But, happily, we were led inside. K, J, and I wound up at a table all the way at the other end of the room from the door. It was right next to the pizza oven and the window to the street for walk-up business. A woman named Michelle asked if she could join us and she turned out to be a good dining companion.
The tour description had promised local foods. I'm really not clear what the first thing was, perhaps a type of lasagna. It was quite good and I liked the sauce. The bread at the table was a good, hearty bread. The main course was Chicken Sorrento. From what I've seen in looking for a recipe, this is a modified version. In fact I made something like this ages ago with chicken cutlets, sliced tomato, and cheese. Regardless, it was quite good. We had a bottle of wine for the table and were also given flat water. Hurrah, no carbonation! Dessert was a simple slice of cake with strawberry sauce over it and a bit of whipped cream. It was a good meal and we had a good conversation with Michelle.
After taking advantage of the restrooms in the restroom, we all met outside at 12:40 for the walk back to the bus. The walk seemed a little more leisurely than the one into town. At least, I had time to notice more. I noticed these lemons, which seemed very appropriate, and the beautiful flowers hanging over wall in the bus parking lot.
We were on our way at 12:52. The road not only snakes along the coast of the peninsula, but also through towns, which surprised me. I guess that's just the way it developed. We had some lovely views as we went through Piano di Sorrento. I particularly liked the cloud at the mountain, but was intrigued by the netting over the lemons. Are birds that much of a problem?
Soon, we had terrific views of Positano. They seem to have started building on the coast and just progressed up the hillside as needed. I figure it is tough to build here, but to put in swimming pools must be just crazy hard. And when they hit a tight bend in the road up the canyon, they just built on opposite sides of the canyon. The terraced garden down the cliff in the last photo blows me away.
In Praiano, we could see this road with all the switchbacks across the way. What I can't figure out, is whether that's a tunnel up at the top or a garage.
In Furore, there really was a tunnel and we went through it. As we approached it, we had a good view of the water and the beach below. That water was gorgeous!
On the other side of the tunnel, we could see the house below. How, how, how?? How did they build that pool? And, then, there is this lovely beach with buildings built right into the cliff.
Around 2, Diana pointed out the villa belonging to Sophia Loren. It was right on the tip of a point of land and she said it was worth 25 million euros. Well, her view is stunning. The water is just gorgeous. These two photos give you an idea of the Conca di Marini area and the point where her villa is.
Soon, we saw the town for which the whole coast is named- Amalfi. This view through the front window of the bus made me notice all the cars parked alongside the road. I wondered whether there was any place to park in town. When we got there, I saw none.
At 2:10, the bus dropped us at Piazza Flavio Gioia near Marina Grande di Amalfi. The sand looked coarser than ours in Florida. Maybe that is why there was a wooden sidewalk down to the umbrella area.
Diana led us to the main square near the Cathedral of Amalfi. There were plenty of folks around. Diana told us that the cathedral is dedicated to St. Andrew. His relics are in the cathedral. Well, not all of them. When K and I were in Scotland, we were told some of his relics were taken there and later disappeared during the Protestant Reformation. The Archbishop of Amalfi gifted one to the Archbishop of Strain, when Catholicism was restored.
Anyway, besides the cathedral, there are a fountain to St. Andrew and also a picture on the corner of a building.
We were then let loose with the suggestion that one of the things we should do was find a restroom. She said that if we bought a soda at a café, we could use theirs. Other than that, sightsee!
I took one look at the cathedral stairs and said no. I like to visit cathedrals, but I was not climbing those. We looked down the street and it looked like a mob. So many tourists!
But then, to the side of the cathedral stairs, I saw a shop with lemons and what had to be fancy small bottles of limoncello displayed outside. Not only is Amalfi famous for their lemons, but they are also known for their limoncello made from them. This looked like a good place for gifts for folks back home. K was delighted and picked out quite a few, as well as lemon candy bags. J got some lemon products, too. A happy find.
When we came back in front of the cathedral steps, we looked up and discovered a wedding couple posing for photos. We couldn't tell if they'd married inside or elsewhere and had come here for photos. Farther down the steps, we noticed some young women in a group, who were obviously with the couple. Two were in the same color, if not same style, stresses. So, they might have been bridesmaids. No sign of groomsmen. Most of the folks on the stairs seemed totally oblivious to what was going on.
Now, we wanted to take Diana's advice and find something cold at someplace with a restroom. K had really wanted to try Amalfi lemons ever since he saw Stanley Tucci rave about them on his show. We saw window shops with frozen lemons a bit farther down the street, but there was a café right here with a view of the cathedral. It was called Bar Francese and K felt this would be a good choice.
We should have read the menu first, but there was a waiter waving us over and saying there was a free table. J ordered Coke and I got a Coke Zero, while K ordered the frozen lemon with lemon sorbet. As you can see, it was quite a presentation. It really was delicious, even though it had taken a bit longer to reach us than expected. K waited to flag down the waiter for the bill, while J and I went in and down very tight stairs to the restroom. On the way, I photographed a beautiful box of lemons.
When we came back out, K told us the appalling prices he'd just paid. The sodas were 6 euros each- for a can of soda! But, even worse, the lemon was 20 euros! I've since seen complaints on Tripadvisor about the prices.
K went to the restroom, while J and I checked out a store just across the square. Here, we found little houses reminiscent of the Amalfi coast. Both of us have a collection of tiny houses from various places in Europe. I got a nice one for just 7,50 euros, as well as a print for 4 euros. I saw the beautiful tile below and thought it odd that Pisa, a rather inland town, was included with the obviously coastal ones, and all 4 were maritime republics. The shield part, without the town names, of the 4 together make up the symbol for the Italian Navy.
We hurried down to the beach, where the bus had let us off, arriving at 3:13, 2 minutes early. When all were gathered, Diana led us down the dock to the M/N La Lobra for the sailing part of our excursion at 3:20. I had not been totally clear that we did have a sailing part. I am not into sailing in any way, shape or form, so the phrase "motor launch ride" on the trip description had meant nothing to me. However, it did make total sense to take a boat ride, as that is the way to see the entire coast, rather than just what is visible from the road.
From the boat at 3:25, we had terrific views of Amalfi itself. It was really quite amazing to see everything just stuffed in there and little beaches wherever possible. It was lovely, too.
As we sailed east, you could see houses going far up the hillsides. And terracing. So much terracing. Some may have been for grapes, I suppose. Is it just me, or does that white building near the top of the hill in the second photo seem totally out of place??
Based on the map my phone attaches to photos, we were sailing in the Gulf of Salerno. The next beautiful town it identified was Ravelo. I thought the bridges near the water were particularly interesting. Some serious engineering back in the day.
We didn't see just lovely towns. There were interesting caves, rocks, mountains, and trees, too. These photos were taken near Maiori.
One of the most fascinating things I saw was located just about on the tip of the land between Maiori and Salerno. This house has an incredible location for views of the water. I can see that electrical lines go to it, but I can't see any sign of a road. What I do see are those stairs. They lead all the way down to the water on the right side of these rocks. Can you get there only by boat?
Putting a fortress out on the point like you see in the next photo makes sense. But, what interests me is the cave to the left. What's it like in there?
Next up is Spiaggia di Erchie or Erchie Beach, which really is mostly beach with a few structures behind. But, from the water, how dramatic is it with that mountain behind it??
The next photo from northeast of Erchie itself looks like your basic town along this coast. But look at the wild breakwater. Those things look like bones.
The next two come from the Vietri sul Mare area very near Salerno. The town looks so nicely balanced in the first one. Try as I might, I can't find any information on the arches. The second shows the amazing bridge that must have saved a lot of travel time.
As we approached Salerno, I saw those ruins on the hill and was instantly reminded of the Rhine.
Salerno is the last city of the Amalfi Coast and the first one we saw with a working port. We saw some long, low tanker-type ships. But, when we got closer to our berth, we saw what looked like fishing boats. However, look carefully and you'll discover their yellow cargo. Finally, the water here was a lovely emerald green.
The boat docked at 4 and we were on the bus five minutes later. By necessity, we took an inland route back. That coastal road actually is made one-way on busy days. The tour was supposed to stop at a cameo place, if there was time, but there was no time today. It's a good thing I bought mine the other day.
I'm sure I slept most of the way back. The bus stopped at the end of our dock at 4:55 and we gave Diana a 10 euro tip. As we neared the gangway, a guy stopped Keith to tell him he'd left his hat on the bus and he hurried back to get it. We noticed that none of the welcome back things were out. No canopies, no washcloths, no water, just lots of people cutting it close like us.
We were onboard at 5:05 and went to our cabins. In ours, we found that there were no washcloths and they'd put the fancy drape on the end of the bed, when there is already one in the drawer. This is not like our cabin stewards. There was a message on the phone that the account is correct. I checked the app. It is not. "Sigh." I called for washcloths, which came soon enough.
It was Gala Night again, so we dressed. Our reservation was for 6. Since I'd expressed disappointment last time at being at a table that was not served by our regular waiter, Eka, the woman at the desk made sure we were assigned to his table. As always, Eka was friendly and asked about our day.
The menu was no different from the previous Gala. This time, J and I both started with Prosciutto Ham, since this is Italy, while K had Orange-Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail. Both were good.
Next up for me was a Salad of Arugula and Frisée. J got French Onion Soup again and K tried Creamed Artichoke and Heritage Carrot Soup.
For my main course, I stuck with an Italian theme and had Baked Ricotta Stuffed Shells. J chose Rack of Lamb with Cannellini Beans and Garlic Pearls. K picked Blackened Salmon Fillet, so we did not trade with him.
Our choices for dessert were all great: Chocolate Soufflé, Strawberries Romanoff, and Black Forest Cake No Sugar Added.
After dinner, K went to deal with the wine charge from the bottle he bought at Pinnacle Grill. They are still confused over our statement, J and I found.
Just after 7:40, we had the chance to see the Amalfi Coast one more time in the distance. We could also see the isle of Capri with its community of Anacapri.
K went off to hear the port talk on Palermo, Sicily, while J and I took in the sunset from the Promenade Deck around 8:15 before heading back to the cabins to relax.
The phone says I walked 7,826 steps for a total of 2.6 miles. Frankly, I'm surprised it was that much.
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