Those of you who have kids know 1. how hard it is to travel with them and 2. how hard it is to send them to a sitters for the first time especially when they're just over 7 weeks old. Fortunately the sitter wasn't some 16 year old junior in high school, but a mom of two who is far more experienced at this game than my wife or me. So yes I left my kid with a good friend who has actually been asking to watch him so I could go to Amalfi with my wife and sister kid free.
Any of you who have ever driven in Italy and missed an exit know just how much of a pain in the arse it is to turn around so instead of getting off on the normal exit I just kept driving to Vietri. Which by the way if you like pottery, especially the broken kind you can find littered all over a beach do yourself a favor and go to Vietri, try not to do it during the summer months though because it's packed and frankly, you'll look like an idiot picking up pieces of pottery with naked 12 year olds and 70 year olds wearing barely a piece of cloth running around you. Being American (or any other race for that matter), it's hard to look like an idiot this far south in Italy.
Further down the twists and turns on the bus cluttered narrow roads of the Amalfi Coast is the famous town Amalfi. The hustle and bustle of the August tourist season has somewhat dwindled down and made walking through Amalfi possible and much more enjoyable. Once you go over the stairs or under the tunnel (the more popular route into the town) my favorite store in the town sits snug in a corner on your left. A frail old man with a slight hunchback waits outside for customers.
You enter the store which is filled to the ceiling with the ever famous Amalfi paper, ink, and quills. The paper for you who are unaware is handmade and a bit intimidating. Typing has forced my penmanship deep into submission and I hesitate writing in such a beautiful book for fear of ruining its appeal. Someday I'll write in it and I'll fill it with adventures that my son will embark on with companions of undoubtedly good taste and humored manner.
Enough of paper and feathered pens. Continuing into the town the first thing that takes your breath away is an awe inspiring cathedral and it's bell tower just passed a fountain in which two of the spouts come from the nipples of a woman. The steps leading to the entrance of the beautiful church are too many to count (that's not true, I was just too busy eyeing it and its bell tower). The arch at the center of the top of the stairs is skinnier than its other 7 or 8 companions, and is nearly twice as high as the others. As you venture forth pass the top of the stairs a sign politely points you to the left where you can purchase tickets for three euro per adult.
After paying to enter the cathedral you're welcomed by its garden with bushes formed into a walkway through a cross with a circle at the center. After you've had your fun playing in the palm garden where you have a beautiful view above you of the bell tower you enter a museum type of room with a few holy nicknacks which you'll want pictures of, just hold your camera steady for you won't be allowed to use your flash. Once your wife drags you from getting your fill of that room you get to enter the crypt and then finally the church. The detail of the cathedral was, as most Italian churches completely jaw dropping yet still no where near that of il Vaticano. You'll see pictures I promise.
We shopped, drank coffee and ran out of time. After all we had only paid for two hours of parking which in Amalfi runs about ten euro. After hopping back into the rental we continued down the coast towards Positano. Pasitano is one of those towns you see in the post cards with houses built straight into the cliff side. We met a man on the way.
As I was watching the road and everything else going on around me as one must when driving that coastline I noticed a man. He seemed to need a ride, he had this I'm a lost tourist look on his face. It wasn't until after I passed him when I realized he really did need a ride. So I pulled the car over and rolled down the window. He needed a ride to a hotel that was in the direction I was headed. (It's always been on my list of things to do before I do, I've just always been unsure about letting a stranger into my car).
I'm happy I was lucky enough to meet him. His name I will not mention, but his website I will: (www.hotelpassion.info). He is a 23 year old traveler from Denmark who has been to over 100 countries, the youngest Dane to pull that off might I add. Oh and he's not done and won't be done traveling until the 4th of April 2012. He's compiling a list of his favorite hotels, restaurants, and experiences from around the world and writing a book about them. Last year alone he flew over 200 times and he's been traveling for 4 years now. Yet I was only the 25th time he'd ever hitch hiked. I thought it was funny how he said he felt comfortable hitching in Italy, but not while he was in California (which i can't blame him) and ended up getting picked up by a Californian.
I'm way behind him in that I'm also 23 and have only been to America, Italy, Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, and one of those impossible places to pronounce with a 'stan' at the end of it and had layovers in Germany, Ireland, and Portugal. Yet I've still been to one country he hasn't... Afghanistan. And I doubt he'll be going any time soon as that country is low on luxury hotels and high on explosions. I recommend checking out his site if you like to travel which I'm sure most of you do.
Fifteen or twenty minutes down the road we parted ways when we spotted his hotel. He was thankful and relieved to make it before dark. Good luck my new friend and the best of wishes on your travels.
And we continued following the setting sun towards Naples. Few sites are as breath taking as a sunset on the Amalfi Coast. It was 8 PM (2000) and dark by the time we got back into town to pick up my son from the sitter. She was reluctant to give him back, I'm not bragging or anything, as my kid is the cutest ever to be born. I was happy to see my son again and to know he was safe.
I hope you've reading this post as I've enjoyed writing it for you.
Thank you,
Bridges U. Stevenson Jr.
After paying to enter the cathedral you're welcomed by its garden with bushes formed into a walkway through a cross with a circle at the center. After you've had your fun playing in the palm garden where you have a beautiful view above you of the bell tower you enter a museum type of room with a few holy nicknacks which you'll want pictures of, just hold your camera steady for you won't be allowed to use your flash. Once your wife drags you from getting your fill of that room you get to enter the crypt and then finally the church. The detail of the cathedral was, as most Italian churches completely jaw dropping yet still no where near that of il Vaticano. You'll see pictures I promise.
We shopped, drank coffee and ran out of time. After all we had only paid for two hours of parking which in Amalfi runs about ten euro. After hopping back into the rental we continued down the coast towards Positano. Pasitano is one of those towns you see in the post cards with houses built straight into the cliff side. We met a man on the way.
As I was watching the road and everything else going on around me as one must when driving that coastline I noticed a man. He seemed to need a ride, he had this I'm a lost tourist look on his face. It wasn't until after I passed him when I realized he really did need a ride. So I pulled the car over and rolled down the window. He needed a ride to a hotel that was in the direction I was headed. (It's always been on my list of things to do before I do, I've just always been unsure about letting a stranger into my car).
I'm happy I was lucky enough to meet him. His name I will not mention, but his website I will: (www.hotelpassion.info). He is a 23 year old traveler from Denmark who has been to over 100 countries, the youngest Dane to pull that off might I add. Oh and he's not done and won't be done traveling until the 4th of April 2012. He's compiling a list of his favorite hotels, restaurants, and experiences from around the world and writing a book about them. Last year alone he flew over 200 times and he's been traveling for 4 years now. Yet I was only the 25th time he'd ever hitch hiked. I thought it was funny how he said he felt comfortable hitching in Italy, but not while he was in California (which i can't blame him) and ended up getting picked up by a Californian.
I'm way behind him in that I'm also 23 and have only been to America, Italy, Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, and one of those impossible places to pronounce with a 'stan' at the end of it and had layovers in Germany, Ireland, and Portugal. Yet I've still been to one country he hasn't... Afghanistan. And I doubt he'll be going any time soon as that country is low on luxury hotels and high on explosions. I recommend checking out his site if you like to travel which I'm sure most of you do.
Fifteen or twenty minutes down the road we parted ways when we spotted his hotel. He was thankful and relieved to make it before dark. Good luck my new friend and the best of wishes on your travels.
And we continued following the setting sun towards Naples. Few sites are as breath taking as a sunset on the Amalfi Coast. It was 8 PM (2000) and dark by the time we got back into town to pick up my son from the sitter. She was reluctant to give him back, I'm not bragging or anything, as my kid is the cutest ever to be born. I was happy to see my son again and to know he was safe.
I hope you've reading this post as I've enjoyed writing it for you.
Thank you,
Bridges U. Stevenson Jr.
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| Cathedral |
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| boobs of water |
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| The coffee was awesome and thanks for the free trears |
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| "You shall not pass" |
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| Now thats a hat |
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| Crypt |
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| Offering |
whatta post! Amalfie + Hitch Hikers + Lemoncello + Handmade Notebook = amazing time
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