The ABCs of Greece & Italy! X, Y, and Z, and that Friends is THE END!!! :) See you in Asia and Australia, Join Me THERE!!

[pkondz]

sometimes the alphabet dictates where we go next!

Now I'm curious to see if you take a side trip to Zanzibar at the end of this TR.

Anara and I stopped at the Grotto della Smeraldo

Smeraldo, shmeraldo...

No idea why that popped into my head but there ya go.

the Emerald Grotto is just as lovely and WAY less touristy. Win-win!

(Not my photo)

OMG!!! WHOSE IS IT?!?!?!?!?

For $5

Not too shabby!

Israeli friends who only spoke a bit of English and Hebrew.

Surprised. I presume they spoke Arabic, then?

The Italian tour guide herded us all onto his little skiff and began his rote spiel (see what I did there?)

I must be tired. No matter how many times I read that, I still don't get it.

I appreciated him letting us have the time to take the photos we wanted.

Always appreciated when the guide(s) understand that need/desire.

Something he knows the photographer-types like is the luminescence made from the splash of his oar, so I definitely took advantage of that!

Cool!

He also pointed out the Nativity Scene placed there in 1956; each year around Christmastime fisherman place flowers there as an offering. It was honestly both enchanting and creepy at the same time but made for a cool photo opp.

That's... kinda weird looking.

I just can't even imagine! Although 9/11 sure gave a small glimpse. Maybe?

One I don't care to revisit.

Yes, I think so, but like Craps? Yahtzee? Enquiring minds!!!

I did a quick Google search. Gambling and games seems to be the most common but may have originated in fortunetelling.

Uh, yeah. Like more than a round trip ticket maybe.

Nah. Just a one way ticket. I'm not sending it back.

 

[Wood Nymph]

We were totally glad we made this out-of-the-way stop and for the price, I’d certainly recommend it.

The grotto is beautiful. I like the photo of the oar disturbing the water.

I'm amused by the advertising surrounding the top of the building.

 

[missjackiemcg]

Wow, simply gorgeous! Sounds like the price was indeed right, and less touristy also sounds delightful

 

[KathyM2]

Amazing pics as usual!! The ruins sure are something, it's good you were able to enjoy some of it early before the hoards arrived!!

 

[Steppesister]

H is for: Heck of a Day! (The Amalfi Coast)​

Hello Friends! Can you believe it’s already October?! Where has this year gone?! The leaves are steadily turning vivid colors of the Autumn palette and another term of classes quickly approaches. Which means the 11 weeks of remaining paychecks I’ll get before having to not work again is looming.

Did you know I’m planning another huge adventure while I’m on this break? I’m starting to flesh in the details now on my trip to the Philippines, Bali, Australia, and Tasmania (yes, I know Tasmania is part of Australia. ) Perhaps one day soon I’ll write up a few chapters as a mini-PTR to show my exciting plans! If you’re interested in something like that, give a YAY or NAY!!! I’m trying to gauge interest – so if you’re a lurker here, now’s the time to raise your hand!

But this TR is still in full gear, so let’s trudge on, shall we?

This is now day 3 in the area of Naples and today’s adventures would lead us to the Amalfi Coast. Anara and I took an early train headed to Sorrento. Here is a map of our day’s route for reference:

​

I can’t stress enough how easy taking the trains is in Italy. Unless you’re with folks who have a harder time getting around and walking and/or it's your first couple of trips. After that, it’s super simple, even if you’re train gets cancelled. Luckily, this time everything went super smoothly and in about an hour and a half we disembarked in the lovely town of Sorrento. I had done exactly zero research about Sorrento but we headed for a short walk, nonetheless.

​

I had high hopes for coffee and breakfast with a spectacular view, but sadly, there was nothing on the route we took that was open. We did, however, enjoy the views into the harbor briefly before heading back towards the bus station.

(The view I'd hoped to have over coffee)​

*** A sad note: None of the photos from Sorrento are mine. Somehow, I’ve lost the SD card(s) with these photos and so basically all of the photos from this day are either taken from the internet or from my (or Anara’s) cell phone. I’m sure it’ll turn up at some point, but my life is too topsy-turvy and I’m not home enough to hunt deeply for the missing card(s).

Taking what we could get for breakfast, we ended up at a tiny street café which did the trick nicely. It was great coffee (Italian espresso always is)... just without the harbor overlook.

​

On the way back to the bus station, we passed a lovely little lemon garden that was irresistible. The warm, filtered light of the trellises invited us in, so we strolled through at a leisurely pace. Again, I’m sad these photos are missing as I spent a fair amount of time trying to get that perfect glisten off of the lemons. Ah well. The memories are what matter. Here’s a photo that gives you a good idea of what we enjoyed on our slow little stroll.

(Not my photo, but I'm positive I got some of these like this somewhere.)​

By 10:52 we’d made it back to the station with these little beauties in our hands.

​

Unfortunately, they were not as useful as I’d hoped. The line up for the bus was very long and we ended up having to wait for about an hour to get on one as they only depart about every half hour (and less frequently as the day goes on), and we’d just missed one. But once on, (thank God we had seats, many did not!) we were in Positano in about another hour. The day was being chewed up and we’d only seen so very little. A word of warning: The road is very curvy, the buses do not go slowly, and there will be times you are positive your bus is not going to fit on the road with an oncoming car. With literally 2-4 spare inches the driver squeezed past on several occasions. If you are lucky, you will even have a seat.

The bus stops are NOT clearly marked anywhere along the SITA route. Remember that.

We got off in Positano and followed the crowd. The obvious place to head was the beach which involves a long, fairly steep trek down, down, down… If you have painful knees think twice. However, while a bit of a hike, it is incredibly beautiful as the path is covered in blooming, purple wisteria vines and lined with local art and boutique shops. All of it was either WAY out of our price range or not reasonable to consider buying and trying to figure out how to get it home (or pay the price on shipping).

​

Once on the beach we found it to be over-choked with beachside bars and restaurants, each with its own stretch of shaded chairs to rent for the day. Included, of course, was service in which you could order $20 drinks and bougie food. Most of my travels are more budget-minded, so we passed and sought out the nearest bathroom. Relieved, we headed back up the hill with pangs of impending hunger. The fresh lemon ice we took time to enjoy was the perfect little refresher before trekking up the hill.

​

Time to find real food.

When we arrived at what we thought was the bus stop, we waited.

For a long time.

Remember, they only run about once an hour. There was a cute pottery shop nearby so we popped in there and browsed.

​

I couldn’t find just the right olive oil dispenser I was looking for so back out the “bus stop” we went. Only to have a bus pass us and stop 2 blocks up. This really irritated me because the driver and we made solid eye contact and we waved at him, while starting to run. But apparently, they wait for no one. Exasperated, we hailed a taxi and $50 later we found ourselves in Praiano. Totally price-gouged, but what ya gonna do?

​

Did lunch make up for it? OH HECK YES! Overlooking the simply gorgeous Church of Saint Januarius, we dined al fresco under the warm, Italian sun with a gentle breeze to our faces. Our view was nothing short of perfection with the colorful hillside homes decorating the slopes near the sea.

​

A Danish couple was dining at the next table, and we struck up a conversation with them about our respective travels. It was easy talking over olives, wine, and a fresh-from-the garden Caprese salad. Next came our main dishes, and while I can’t remember what Anara ordered, mine was amazing- a big serving of rigatoni in pesto with warm, fresh bread. Heaven!

(The charming inside area for cooler weather)

​

We didn’t want to leave Praiano without walking the few steps down to the church below and it was perfect timing. The belled tolled the hour and we had the whole small square to ourselves for photos and solitude.

​

We eventually made our way back up to the main highway and successfully caught the SITA bus headed for Amalfi. (With the stop at the Grotto de Smeraldo tucked in after lunch as we headed to Amalfi.) I also popped into one last ceramics shop and bought a cute little olive oil container painted with lemons as a souvenir from the area. Success!

The day was heading towards late afternoon, and I knew that the ferries back to Naples only ran so late. We were already cutting it close. I found out how close when we got to the ferry ticket booth as was sold the last 2 tickets for the last ferry out. PHEW!!! That would have been a colossally expensive blunder! (A side note: If we'd missed the ferry, we could have taken another taxi into Salerno and picked up a train back to Naples as well, so I did have a back up plan.)

​

The ferry sailed in about half an hour, so we had just enough time to take a couple of photos (which I’ve lost) of the ferry/bus terminal area. (I sure hope that card turns up!) Nevertheless, we hopped on the ferry that returned us to Naples with a very brief stop at Capri to pick up the last remaining tourists and the swarthy young Italian men that served as the tour guides on the island.

The sunset was spectacular as we neared the Naples ferry landing and without too much more ado, we hailed a taxi back to our room for the night.

(One last Precepi to enjoy!)​

And that, my friends, is how we spent 1 day on the Amalfi Coast. I think for me personally, it went under-appreciated mostly because we simply didn’t have enough time to really enjoy the things I’d planned and wanted to do. There are oodles of smaller villages along the way with what look like incredible gardens, the famous Fiore de Furore, and it would have been nice to relax on the beach even if for just half a day.

(The Fiorde di Furore, that I wished we'd gotten to. )​

I won’t lie, the bus situation was frustrating to be sure. They are slow and motion-sickness inducing. Renting a car is really not advised but would maybe be more convenient. Taxis are WAY too expensive, so the getting from place to place is almost not worth the hassle. Anyway, there is my honest assessment. Perhaps again someday…

​

 

[Steppesister]

Now I'm curious to see if you take a side trip to Zanzibar at the end of this TR.

I never know where my travels will take me! Australia really wasn't even on my bucket list at all, but here I am going.

Smeraldo, shmeraldo...

No idea why that popped into my head but there ya go.

OMG!!! WHOSE IS IT?!?!?!?!?

I DON"T KNOW (but I shamelessly used it!)!!!

Surprised. I presume they spoke Arabic, then?

Oopsies! Terrible syntax on my part.

I must be tired. No matter how many times I read that, I still don't get it.

"spiel" is a Yiddish word (derived from Hebrew).

Always appreciated when the guide(s) understand that need/desire.

For sure!

That's... kinda weird looking.

Yeah a bit creepy!

I did a quick Google search. Gambling and games seems to be the most common but may have originated in fortunetelling.

No doubt!

 

[Steppesister]

The grotto is beautiful. I like the photo of the oar disturbing the water.

I'm amused by the advertising surrounding the top of the building.

It was such a cool effect that the reflecting water made. Loved it!!

For real!! Italy does everything in such an artful way.

 

[Steppesister]

Wow, simply gorgeous! Sounds like the price was indeed right, and less touristy also sounds delightful

I like the lesser known, but equally cool sights. Harder to find and usually harder to get to, but always worth it.

 

[Steppesister]

Amazing pics as usual!! The ruins sure are something, it's good you were able to enjoy some of it early before the hoards arrived!!

Thanks, Kathy!!! And yes, Rope Drop always seems to work out!

 

[Paulaparm]

Beautiful!!

And Yay for another trip

 

[pkondz]

H is for: Heck of a Day!

To heck with it then!

Can you believe it’s already October?!

Yuss!!

Which means the 11 weeks of remaining paychecks I’ll get before having to not work again is looming.

What struck me is the "having to not work again" part. Frankly... that sounds amazing.

I’m starting to flesh in the details now on my trip to the Philippines, Bali, Australia, and Tasmania

Whoa! Holy smokes!

Perhaps one day soon I’ll write up a few chapters as a mini-PTR to show my exciting plans! If you’re interested in something like that, give a YAY or NAY!!!

Yay!!!

I can’t stress enough how easy taking the trains is in Italy.

I think that applies to a lot of Europe. I can only speak for a few countries, but... it's so easy!

(The view I'd hoped to have over coffee)

Why did you not?

A sad note: None of the photos from Sorrento are mine. Somehow, I’ve lost the SD card(s) with these photos and so basically all of the photos from this day are either taken from the internet or from my (or Anara’s) cell phone.

Well, poop. That's a real shame.

It was great coffee (Italian espresso always is)...

Coffee? Meh. However...


Also, nice photo of Anara.

I spent a fair amount of time trying to get that perfect glisten off of the lemons.

Oh sure. I do that all the time. Who doesn't want a nice glisten off of the ol' lemon?

Here’s a photo that gives you a good idea of what we enjoyed on our slow little stroll.

Pretty.

But once on, (thank God we had seats, many did not!) we were in Positano in about another hour.

Man, that would've been something. Twisty turns and having to stand... for an hour.

A word of warning: The road is very curvy, the buses do not go slowly, and there will be times you are positive your bus is not going to fit on the road with an oncoming car.

I've heard this about Italy.

The obvious place to head was the beach which involves a long, fairly steep trek down, down, down… If you have painful knees think twice.

And... were your knees painful?

Once on the beach we found it to be over-choked with beachside bars and restaurants, each with its own stretch of shaded chairs to rent for the day. Included, of course, was service in which you could order $20 drinks and bougie food.

It's sand. If it ain't free, it ain't for me.

And a nice photo of both of you.

When we arrived at what we thought was the bus stop, we waited.

For a long time.

Remember, they only run about once an hour. There was a cute pottery shop nearby so we popped in there and browsed.

"While we were in the shop, the bus rolled by and we had to wait another hour..."

back out the “bus stop” we went. Only to have a bus pass us and stop 2 blocks up.

This really irritated me because the driver and we made solid eye contact and we waved at him, while starting to run. But apparently, they wait for no one.

And yet... Not all that surprised. They probably have tons of tourists trying to flag them down, and if they wait for all of them... they ain't gonna git to where they gotta git to!

Exasperated, we hailed a taxi and $50 later we found ourselves in Praiano.

Ouch.

Beautiful!

Is that Anara in the reflection? If it is, what a cool shot!

we dined al fresco under the warm, Italian sun with a gentle breeze to our faces. Our view was nothing short of perfection with the colorful hillside homes decorating the slopes near the sea.

You sure paint a pretty picture. Sounds amazing!

fresh-from-the garden Caprese salad.

<drool>

Too cool for school

holy cow. I'm gonna have to go to Italy just for that salad.

We eventually made our way back up to the main highway and successfully caught the SITA bus headed for Amalfi.

Found an actual bus stop, huh?

I also popped into one last ceramics shop and bought a cute little olive oil container painted with lemons as a souvenir from the area. Success!

Score!

We were already cutting it close. I found out how close when we got to the ferry ticket booth as was sold the last 2 tickets for the last ferry out. PHEW!!!

So pretty.

we had just enough time to take a couple of photos (which I’ve lost)

So unfortunate.

And that, my friends, is how we spent 1 day on the Amalfi Coast. I think for me personally, it went under-appreciated mostly because we simply didn’t have enough time to really enjoy the things I’d planned and wanted to do.

I would think one day just wouldn't be enough. But at least you got a taste of it, both figuratively and literally.

 

[pkondz]

I never know where my travels will take me! Australia really wasn't even on my bucket list at all, but here I am going.

Lucky you. That's one on my bucket list for sure.

I DON"T KNOW (but I shamelessly used it!)!!!

"spiel" is a Yiddish word (derived from Hebrew).

Oh! I had no idea. Huh!

Well played, then.

 

[Wood Nymph]

I love hearing about your trips. The next trip sounds very interesting.

The Amalfi Coast looks beautiful. It also looks like a difficult place to get around in. I agree with you that a nice, relaxing visit to a beach would be a nice way to enjoy the coast.

 

[missjackiemcg]

I love reading about all your adventurous travels, so I am a great big YAY for a mini-PTR (and selfishly hoping for a TR, too!) of your Bali-Australia-Philippines trip!

 

[Steppesister]

Beautiful!!

And Yay for another trip

Getting pretty excited about seeing an area of the world that I haven't been to yet!

 

[Steppesister]

To heck with it then!

What struck me is the "having to not work again" part. Frankly... that sounds amazing.

I think that's years away for me sadly. I love what I do, but financially just not there.

Whoa! Holy smokes!

RIGHT?!

I think that applies to a lot of Europe. I can only speak for a few countries, but... it's so easy!

Why did you not?

There wasn't anything open "up on top". Just fancier lunch places that we didn't have time for.

Coffee? Meh. However...

Saw that, did ya?

Also, nice photo of Anara.

Thanks!

Man, that would've been something. Twisty turns and having to stand... for an hour.

It was definitely a wild trip!

And... were your knees painful?

LOL! My left knee is always painful. Ever since I tore a ligament moving to BG and had surgery it's never been the same.

It's sand. If it ain't free, it ain't for me.

I guess it's the hoity-toity location that inflates the price of this particular sand.

"While we were in the shop, the bus rolled by and we had to wait another hour..."

HAHA!

And yet... Not all that surprised. They probably have tons of tourists trying to flag them down, and if they wait for all of them... they ain't gonna git to where they gotta git to!

I"m sure that's very true. Just wish we'd been not as dolt-ish.

Is that Anara in the reflection? If it is, what a cool shot!

I like how it turned out! Kinda a happy accident. I did intentionally go for the reflection, but this one turned out much better than most do.

holy cow. I'm gonna have to go to Italy just for that salad.

It was so fresh and yummy.

Found an actual bus stop, huh?

Shocker, I know!

I would think one day just wouldn't be enough. But at least you got a taste of it, both figuratively and literally.

Maybe someday I'll get to head back there.

Lucky you. That's one on my bucket list for sure.

Ironically, it wasn't really on mine. LOL!

 

[Steppesister]

I love hearing about your trips. The next trip sounds very interesting.

The Amalfi Coast looks beautiful. It also looks like a difficult place to get around in. I agree with you that a nice, relaxing visit to a beach would be a nice way to enjoy the coast.

I will try and get a little sneak peak material posted at some point. It might not be until I get back to Arizona in January and am only doing classes and not working too.


It actually kind of is. I think if you had 3-4 days to solely focus on that, it'd be a much better time there. But we got a taste of it and that was nice.

 

[Steppesister]

I love reading about all your adventurous travels, so I am a great big YAY for a mini-PTR (and selfishly hoping for a TR, too!) of your Bali-Australia-Philippines trip!

Ok then!! But again, might not be until Jan when I get back to Tucson when I won't be working full time as well as studying.

 

[pkondz]

I think that's years away for me sadly. I love what I do, but financially just not there.

Well considering you’re going to school right now… wouldn’t expect you to graduate and then not use your education.

There wasn't anything open "up on top". Just fancier lunch places that we didn't have time for.

Ah

Saw that, did ya?

LOL! My left knee is always painful. Ever since I tore a ligament moving to BG and had surgery it's never been the same.

Well that’s just not okay.

I guess it's the hoity-toity location that inflates the price of this particular sand.

Sand is sand. Then again, we have so many beaches that paying to sit at one is not something I’d willingly do.

I like how it turned out! Kinda a happy accident. I did intentionally go for the reflection, but this one turned out much better than most do.

Ironically, it wasn't really on mine. LOL!

 

[Steppesister]

I is for: Inter-City Railway to Rome​

Time to hit the road, or the rails rather, and head to Rome. Leaving Naples wasn’t difficult; I honestly didn’t care for it much at all. It was loud, busy, and incredibly dirty. There was graffiti on almost every surface possible and it was not easy to get around in. The precepi were certainly a fun, accidental find but an evening strolling there would more than suffice. The bottom line: If I was to do the planning and traveling all over again, I’d use Sorrento as a “homebase” for both Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast, add Herculaneum, and skip Naples altogether. It just wasn’t my cup of tea.

So! Onward to Rome!

But first a pastry! And Naples specialty is the sfogliatelle- light, crispy, amazing:

​

This is a short and sweet post because it’s been an incredibly wonderful day filled with the palette of Autumn in the Appalachians (Red River Gorge) and Miguel’s Pizza (IYKYK) and I picked up a 12-hour shift in the morning. I’m already burned out from 4 in a row last week so need my sleep.

But travel days are important, and that’s how we spent the day. Another train ride through the beautiful Italian countryside. Goodbye Vesuvius, rest quietly.

​

This train trip had us passing through some lovely, craggy mountains to add a new twist to the scenery:

​

I always got a kick out of how they can accurately estimate your arrival to the stops down to the minute and give realtime info on the speed of your train. They are fast, hence the blur in so many of my photos.

​

Every little bit, we’d see another hillside village of whitewashed homes resembling a Lego set creation. I wished we’d had time to hop off the train and explore each one.

​

Each station was home to a few train cars meant for other purposes, which gave me constant amusement. They are a bit reminiscent of something out of a Richard Scarry children’s book, and I giggled at that a bit.

​

Soon we arrived at the train station, and it was already lunch time. There just wasn’t time to find a taxi, get to our Airbnb, and then go back out in search of a meal. Besides, we’d both gotten to “that point” in our trip. Anara had a couple of nights before me, but even I was now hankering for some mediocre, but predictable “American” food. Not surprisingly, there’s a Mickey D’s right across the massive Rome Centralia and being fast (and not so cheap) we pigged out on artery-clogging crapfood for lunch. Yes, we both ate our entire burgers, fries, and Coke.

​

Sated, we hailed a taxi and in no time at all, we were greeted at the front door by our host and his son at this unbelievably PERFECT Airbnb.

I mean it. This was probably my favorite room we stayed in the whole trip, except maybe a couple of them in Tuscany.

Let me show you…

It was small, but SO well done. The color palette screamed Roman terracotta.

​

It was clean, rustic a bit, and the history just oozed out of the walls. And up from the floor.



Yes! UP FROM THE FLOOR. Say what?!

​

My mouth nearly fell onto the ground when the owner said he had a surprise for us. He turned on a light switch and pushed aside a throw rug. Right there in the middle of the floor was a sunken “museum” filled with treasure’s he’d found while excavating for his remodel. RIGHT THERE!!! Pottery, coins, old pipe, etc…. He’d created a perfectly curated display with lighting and said we could just keep it on and rug to the side so we could enjoy it during our stay, BUT (hush, hush) it was our little secret since he was afraid the po—po’s would ruin his good thing. It was sooooo cool!!

With that, we dumped our stuff and rushed off to our first booked tour: St. Peter's Cathedral and the Vatican Museum. It was a good half hour walk or more, so off we went.

I'll leave you with a few of my favorite shots from my day in the Heart of Appalachia. I'm so blessed to live where I do with wide open spaces and natural beauty all around me!