Buses, boats, Funiculare, buses, chairlifts and the view from the top.

see all photos »

Well, we’ve settled into our gorgeous life in Praiano, which is really not Positano at all. It’s 7 km away, but a minimum of a 30 minute ride on a very crowded local bus. Crazy.

Saturday night after Jim went to bed, Claudia and I started seeing thunder and lightning. The noises got louder and louder, echoing off the two sides of the cove. We finally woke Jim up and told him we thought a war had broken out!!!! Turns out that when they have a wedding in Amalfi, they shoot off fireworks. It must have been one helluva wedding, since they went on for at least an hour.

see all photos »

Sunday morning, after Jim showered and went for a walk, I heard Claudia saying “hello” from the bathroom. After going to the door several times and hearing nothing, she finally said I had turned the lights off. Now picture this if you will, Claudia is in the 3’ by 3’ shower stall in a room with no windows and no lights, and the lights are out!!! Turns out we had too many appliances going (the hair dryer and the washer), so we blew a fuse. Fortunately, our landlord told us this might happen and showed Jim how to fix it.After an exciting start, we ventured into Positano on the bus. Had a lovely lunch with “very large shrimp” that was just delicious. Just walked around and shopped, sort of figured out where everything was. We’ve been making dinners at home, just because we’re so tired.

see all photos »

Monday, morning, school started. As we looked over our patio to see the school kids, we noticed a small construction truck stopped down the street unloading lumber. Interesting. Then a Positano bus came along and tried to pass by. A school bus and several scooters and cars were now backed up on the street. After a lot of cigarette smoking and yelling, not to mention maneuvering by the first bus, they squeezed by with only one broken side mirror. Unbelievable driving around here. We haven’t moved the car since we arrived and don’t plan to until we leave.

see all photos »

After all the excitement we decided to head to Sorrento, and maybe Pompeii. After we missed the first bus, Claudia decided to stay home, so Jim and I took the SITA bus in to Sorrento. It’s impossible to describe the fear of being on a huge bus, on a road that would be a narrow one way street at home, that fits two lanes of traffic going around the most harrowing turns I have ever seen. Not even the road to Hana can compare. After about an hour ride, we arrived in Sorrento. We had a wonderful lunch (thanks again, Rick Steve’s) at the Foreigners Club. An unbelievable view of the Bay of Naples and the harbor for only 5 Euros, and it was one of the best pizza’s we’ve had. Down to the harbor to catch the boat back to Positano, the heck with that bus, only to wait about an hour to get crammed into the tiny local bus back to Praiano. Once again, old Rick Steve’s was right. Stay in Sorrento, and take day trips to Positano and Praiano.

Today is Tuesday, I think, and we went to Capri. We left home around 8, caught the local bus. Missed the 9 am boat to Capri, but got tickets for the 10 am boat. Beautiful ride over to Capri, but alas, no viewing of the Blue Grotto today. High tide, and rough water. So we got tickets for the Funiculare to the top of the hill. Then caught a bus to Anacapri so we could take the chair lift to the top of the mountain. Claudia’s not too big on chair lifts, but she bravely went with us, straight to the top of the mountain. I have to say, once you got on the chair and above the crowds and noise, it was one of the best things we’ve done so far. Beautiful sweeping vistas of water, hills, gardens and peace and quiet. At the top, we literally jumped off the chair with the help of a worker who was talking on his cell phone. After walking around to see all the views, we read that there was a spot where you can see the “big, pink building near the rocks” where Eisenhower had R & R during the war. Little did I know that Jim’s Dad had been there. His Mom remembered that he bought her a bell from Capri. We took lots of pictures and hope they turn out.

Another Rick Steve’s hint, found a wonderful quiet restaurant above the chair lift office. A lovely terrace, not crowded, with a very nice view. All in all, from the time we left our house, until we got to the top of the mountain, it was 4 hours. By the time we got home, it was almost 7 PM. Travel in these parts is slow.

We’re going to try and use the washer again, it’s about the size of a small wash basin and takes about 2 hours to do one load. Life in these parts is slow, but beautiful and somehow relaxing too.

Ciao until the next time.