Since I'd already been to Florence, Tuscany and Rome the last time I was in Italy, I decided I wanted to see something new. My wonderful mom picked out the coast. 3 hours in a car with my parents and four other randoms on winding, twisting, never-ending roads and cliffs. I had a mega headache every time I even looked at the van, but somehow we ended up right here.
We got to spend time down in two small cities tucked away in coves between the cliffs: Amalfi and Positano. Both had beautiful tiny beaches with a spectacular view. I still don't know how all those people living on the cliff get home from the beach. I swear there are just stairs wrapping all the way up. The sun was hot, it was a beautiful day and I wanted to stay here for the rest of the week.
We had lunch right on the beach in Positano. They look like they are having a heated discussion but surely it was just "Is Leigh our favorite because she's so smart or because she's so pretty?" They can never decide.
The wisteria vines were incredible, and as the daughter of a garden center man, I tend to appreciate the plants a tad more than your average girl. This strip was filled with little vendors and covered by vines. Dad and I were trying to make sure we got to the van on time so as not to miss our ride while mom stopped and almost.every.vendor. Dad goes "We gotta get her to start passing some of these". I also saw a little 4 year old girl using an old CD as a frisbee. It worked pretty well. She even hit my mom with it.
Our last stop on this day was Pompeii. My only disappointment was that they do not sell any good postcards here. I was even willing to pay over my 45 cent maximum but all they had were pictures of art, nothing of the architecture. So. Friends. None of you will get a postcard from my trip here, but I promise I went. There was so much preserved because of the volcanic ash that had covered it. The more our guide explained to us the more inferior I felt to these ancient Roman people who thought they should mix tiny white pieces of stone and marble into the streets and sidewalks to work as reflectors when the moon came out at night.
We had an interesting mid 40s-50 year old Italian guide. With fitted jeans, a big belt, spiky short hair, and dark FBI-looking sunglasses. He was super pushy saying things like "Stop looking at your book- I'll tell you everything important you ever needed to know." "Maybe you would have heard me exaplaining earlier if you hadn't been looking in your book." "Moving a little show, huh? If you don't keep up you'll end up like the people of Pompeii."
Turns out, he was incredible. He knew everything. He was super passionate about the city, the history, the culture. He also "casually" threw out that he was recommended by Rick Steves in one of his books. We obviously had to check up on this information only to find out that we did indeed get the most recommended guide for Pompeii. The man went once when he was 4 with his grandfather and had loved it ever since then. I'd never have pegged him for a man with real interest, but there we are. You just never know.
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