Come with me to Italy! Beginning on the Southern Amalfi Coast

When I was trying to decide which books to take on our trip to Italy, a friend recommended I just take a notebook and a pen to journal instead. I thought it was a great idea and took her advice, except for the fact that I wrote it on my iPad. I got up every morning and wrote while my husband was still sleeping.

Our trip was really like four different vacations. We started out in Southern Italy on the Amalfi Coast, then met up with our tour group in Rome, then took a tour bus through Tuscany to Florence and our final stop was Venice. I decided to share my Travel Journal here in four parts. You will probably be bored to death by the details, but I really just wanted to get them down for me. Feel free to read if you have the patience.


Our Trip to Italy

4/30/13 Day One

We picked up Tom and Patty at 2pm. Started out at Vino's for a glass of wine and a sandwich in the Delta terminal in Detroit. Smooth sailing to Paris. On the flight to Paris Linc enjoyed Jim Gaffigan and he laughed so hard that he was crying.

5/1/13 Day Two

It's actually day three as I type this and I am sipping on my first cup of Cafe Americano; yes, its amazing! I had always known I would like Italian coffee and its better than I imagined. It is strong, but doesn't taste burnt. I added some hot milk to it. We are in Positano, Italy, staying at Hotel Eden Roc. I am sitting on the balcony overlooking the Mediterranean Sea while I make this journal entry.

I was pretty confused by what time it was for most of the day. I didn't sleep very much on the flight over here. They served dinner and before we knew it, they turned on the lights and served breakfast. I think that's how they help get you acclimated to the six hour time difference (by serving another meal). Anyway, we had a very short layover in Paris. It might have been my only trip to Paris, so I wanted to take full advantage. I was so excited to have a real macaron (even if it was just in the airport!). Really? A macaron stand next to a coffee stand? Tom and Patty didn't really get my excitement, but I loved it because it was mine and Meghan's thing! We had a raspberry, rose, caramel sea salt and coffee one, in case you were wondering. :)

The flight from Paris to Naples, Italy was only 2 1/2 hours. I slept the entire way. We were happy to meet our driver, Pasquale, who held a sign, "Hop****." He was to take us to Pompei, to explore the Ruins, then pick us up afterwards, to take us to Positano. He didnt speak a lot of English, but he told us our tour guide might try to shorten our two hour tour if we let him get away with it. Sure enough, Carmen tried, but we let him know our expectations and he gave us more than our money's worth. Linc overtipped him; I think because he reminded him of his friend, Mark T. He liked his Italian mannerisms, and how he called certain people, "The Barbarians." Linc could impersonate him perfectly. It was very interesting to learn about the Ruins, and the history (before Christ!). We took a lot of pictures, but I already can't remember what they were to explain them to you.

The ride down the Amalfi Coast to Positano was incredible. I had seen YouTube videos, but to see it with my own eyes was unbelievable. I wished I wasn't exhausted so I could have enjoyed it a little more. Pasquale was so helpful. As he took us down the very narrow, windy road he gave us restaurant tips and other useful information. We arrived at our first hotel, Eden Roc, and it was beautiful!

We quickly got cleaned up (exhausted, but forcing ourselves to stay up) and walked through the streets, filled with beautiful shops. We had our first dinner at Saraceno d' Oro Resrorante-Pizzeria. Pasquale recommended it since his girlfriend, Theresa worked there. When we asked our waitress if she was part of the family who owned the restaurant she told us, "No," but she was "in love with the owner's son." How sweet and romantic to refer to her boyfriend like that! It was family owned and was excellent! They served us dinner across the street of a very busy road. It was a beautiful evening. We sat down and they served us a complimentary glass of prosecco. It was so hard for me to hold back the tears. I couldn't believe we are really in Italy! It's been a life-long dream of mine. To be here with our special friends who had waited until they retired to come here was more than I could take. Anyway, the bruchetta had the sweetest, tastiest cherry tomatoes I have ever tasted. I'm not kidding. The warm, antipasti (best I've ever had!) and the pizza pie was terrific. Linc had waited 30 days (preparing) to have pizza and he enjoyed the Margarita pizza the most. I have a feeling we are going to have it every day. The house wine was great. We were stuffed, so we passed on dessert there. We ended our meal with complimentary limoncello. I loved the glasses that both the wine and the limoncello were served in.

On our walk back to the hotel we stopped at another restaurant to share yet another bottle of wine and some tiramisu. I was never more satisfied when I hit the pillow.

I better hop in the shower to get ready to be served our first breakfast and another cup of cafe. I can't wait!

5/2/13 Day Three

We had a slow start, then a nice breakfast at our hotel consisting of cold quiche, scrambled eggs, pastries, fresh fruit, more cafe americano and grapefruit juice. I really liked the apple/pears. It was great!

We took a bus to Sorrento. It took longer than expected to get there because there was road construction. The very narrow road made it difficult to maneuver around the traffic and construction. It was entertaining, but tested the guys' patience a little bit. The scenery was absolutely gorgeous! We spent the afternoon shopping. After lunch (cute restaurant in an alley restaurant- pizza & wine), I had a pair of sandals custom made while we shopped. It was hard to decide on a color and style, but with the group effort, I settled on natural, classic brown ones with straps and a little heel. I couldn't believe it only took1.5 hours to make them. It was fun meeting the shoemaker. Patty found some scarves for the girls and a leather bag. We bought John a football shirt. I also bought a nice scarf and the lady taught me how to tie it a new way. We had our first gelato at a great ice cream shop covered with pictures of a lot of important people all over the walls and ceiling who have enjoyed gelato there as well.

We met a sweet, friendly couple from Peru at the bus station. The wife is a chef and owns 5 restaurant/bakeries. They gave us suggestions to their favorite restaurants in Capri, Rome, Florence and Venice, since they did their trip the opposite of ours. They were on a 17 day vacation. They told us how important they think it is to get away alone every year or so just as a couple. They go on a vacation anywhere around the world. They were ready to get home to their kids. They were ending their trip in Positano. We wanted to help them find their hotel, and tried to tell them where to get off the bus. We were worried that they got off the bus too early, but somehow we missed ours and ended up 10 km past Positano. We still don't know how we missed our stop.

We took an evening stroll through the beautiful streets up to a seafood restaurant that Pasquale had recommended. Our very fresh jumbo shrimp was mediocre, but the wine was good and so was the dessert spot we found afterwards!

5/3/13 Day Four

We wanted to get an early start to take the first boat to the island of Capri. Down at the beach, an Italian lady who worked at the boat rental place talked us into taking a private boat there, with our own captain. She was talking kind of fast, so I was worried she was trying to make us spend a lot of money for no reason. The guys thought it was a good idea and they were right. It cost us 125. Euros and was worth every penny!

The one thing I am already learning is that I don't have proper words to describe the beauty. I need more adjectives. The boat ride was something I have never experienced. It was seriously breath-taking. At lunch Lincoln said it best... "Of all the art we will see in Italy, nothing compares to God's Artwork and the natural beauty He created for us to enjoy." (Or something like that.) Our captain took us into the White and Green Grottos, which are beautiful caves.

When we stopped to see the Blue Grotto we had to pay a separate fee. There were boats everywhere and it was pretty chaotic, but a well run operation. There was a team leader who told us when it was our turn get on our little row boat, where our driver took us inside. It all happened so quickly. He was singing and taking pictures of us in the dark. It was quite an experience!

Right before we arrived in Capri, Lincoln thinks he broke a rib when we hit a big wave and he came down on his elbow. He had a hard time breathing, so he was moving very slowly when we got off the boat. We took a taxi ride up to the other side of the island to have lunch overlooking the water. The views were spectacular! I had the mixed fried fish. When I asked our waiter what kind of fish it was, he said, "Watch," and he threw a piece of bread over the railing and into the water. Tons of fish immediately swarmed the bread. He said, "That's the kind of fish." He was right. When they were served to me they looked exactly the same, with heads on and all. I had to ask him how to eat them and he showed me how to filet them, then he fed me. Good thing, because I was about to eat them whole, bones and all. :)

We rode down the ------ (what's it called?) to catch the big boat back to Positano. It was nice ride, but nothing like our private ride there. When we got back, we all put our feet in the Mediterranean Sea. We sat on the rocky beach for a little while, then had a drink overlooking the beach.

We had dinner on Tom and Patty's balcony. We had picked up some wine, cheese, bread and meats. Later we took a walk to get some tiramisu and limoncello.

If I haven't said it yet, the first thing I will think about is the wonderful aroma here at Positano. We aren't sure what it is exactly, but I bet it is the lemon trees. I want to bottle up the scents and take them home. There is absolutely no wind or bugs.

5/4/13 Day Five

Yesterday I swore I wasn't going to leave Positano again, but changed my mind. We took a bus to Ravello via Amalfi. The bus was packed so we stood for much of the way. It was difficult to hold on, especially on the windy roads. Again, the views were spectacular. It seems like the roads were built for only one lane, and I'm amazed when two buses pass each other. We walked the busy streets of Amalfi for a little while, before catching a bus to Ravello.

It was so peaceful in Ravello. It was so quiet that we could hear the birds. We had lunch at an elegant restaurant with fine linens and silver. The view was spectacular and our lunch was delicious. The gardens were a photographer's dream. Tom has such an eye for the perfect picture, so I followed behind him, trying to capture a good one too. I found myself trying to compete with him. I will never win though, because he is so talented!

We squeezed on the bus to get back to Amalfi. We were happy to finally get back to Hotel Eden Roc. We all decided Positano was the perfect location for our time on the Amalfi coast. The location couldn't have been better! The hotel is beautiful. Linc was determined to take a swim when we got back, so he did just that, before we quickly got ready for dinner.

The very sweet and helpful front desk men recommended a wonderful restaurant on the top of Positano for our final dinner. One of the family members came to pick us up. The view up there was again breath-taking. We ate and drank like it was the last supper, from complimentary appetizers to pasta and mussels (Patty's favorite), to dessert and four different kinds of Limoncello. We loved watching a family that was there for a rehearsal dinner. They were a typical Italian family of all ages. At the end of the night, rain was gently falling. It was emotional hearing about how long Patty... and Tom had been planning for this trip. I am so honored to be here with them. People think we are family. :) I really wanted to buy Tom and Patty a candle holder, but the owners were sorry to tell me they didn't have any extras to sell. They sent us home with some spices; so sweet!

I don't want to forget our breakfast waiter, volcanic Tony. When I ordered an espresso, he got all excited when he asked if I wanted... a single? Or double?! He is so animated and cute!

So far I want to bottle up...
the scent of lemon trees, the views, the tomatoes and bread, the lack of bugs or wind... and the color of the Mediterranean Sea.

Now on to Rome.