THE ROAD TO NAPOLI

Well, we get into Napoli from Florence, go down to the other end of the promenade to deposit our luggage, since we packed for 2 nights earlier.this morning. Well, surprise, surprise…the people were on strike and we had no place to drop 6 large suitcases (plus 4 small bags/backpacks)

Take a cab – 200E

Rent a cheap hotel and just leave the luggage – not a good idea

Take the train to Sorrento…with 9 bags

Or

Rent a car – GREAT IDEA!!!! Stick shift (haven’t done that in 30 years), crazy Italian drivers, crazier Italian scooters….I must be crazy!!!!

But there was no other option. So we head to Sorrento by car. The National Car agent told us just take the A3 to Sorrento….48km….no problem. Well, maybe not for him. We made one wrong turn after another and the ‘service’ light lit up and wouldn’t go our and had a message popping up in Italian about the motor and we’re smelling smoke and just kept driving.  There were some close calls, the streets being so narrow, but we made it. Betty now calls me ‘Fast Mama’ and ‘Danica’.

Well, the Amalfi Coast is beautiful. A long, winding road, up, down, around curves, twists and turns and everyone is better than the last. Even though it was only 48KM, it took us close to 2 hours with all of the wrong turns, but we finally got to Carlton Hotel International. I thought the bellhop was going to die when he saw all the suitcases, but he took it in stride and got them all to our room.

The view is fantastic. You can see all of the Amalfi coast, Capri, and the sea goes on forever.

I just can’t get over how rude the Italians are. They push, shove, never say ‘excuse me’ and then curse at you if you tell them ‘no’. I have never seen so many street hawkers pushing their wares; and they just keep coming back!

We had a nice dinner at Tasso, one of the hundreds of ristorantes in Sorrento, drank a lot of vino and headed back for the night.

Pompeii tomorrow…..