# 11 March 16 Home Again

Our trip home was fairly uneventful except for a few hitches along the way and one uncomfortable night for Shirley.

The faithful cell phone goes off one last time at 4:30, and we drag ourselves out of bed. Even Cathy and Shirley are a bit slow hitting the floor this morning. No make-up for me today. We do all the last minute checking and packing and head down to the lobby to catch the bus. It is the quietest bus ride I have been on in a while.

We check in at the airport and I have to pay $80 for over weight luggage. Hitch #1. We have an hour wait before loading the plane. We eat breakfast, wander a round a bit, and settle in to wait for our plane. We finally get to board our plane at least 30 minutes late and then sit on the runway for 45 more minutes before we take off. This loss of time will make a big difference as you will see later. Hitch #2.

Some of the kids get in a snooze while waiting for the plane.

The flight is fine since I sit between Natalie and (for the life of me I can't remember who). I sleep some and read some, but my DVD player is on the fritz so no movie this trip.

We arrive in Atlanta over an hour late which makes Shirley late for flight to Memphis, since she is not going back to the Delta with us. She literally misses her plane by 3 minutes. Hitch #3. There has been really bad weather in the Midwest that is now heading for the Atlanta area and effecting incoming flights. This year instead of scheduling a flight to Memphis and then catching the bus to Indianola, MR scheduled us a bus from Atlanta. That way we would arrive in Indianola about the time we would have just been getting into Memphis. This was the BEST move MR made!

As I am sitting on the bus, waiting for everyone to get on and settled, I talk to Shirley and learn that she has missed her plane and that she is suppose to be on the next plane at 7:15 p.m. Now remember, Shirley has an injured back and is in pain, real pain. Her husband has scheduled a doctor's appointment for her and an MRI later the next day. She also has to go back to school the next morning. It is the Monday after Spring Holidays, plus she has an event to attend honoring a good friend.

As we are leaving the airport , I talk with Shirley and learn that all the fights to Memphis have been canceled until the next morning. Now, if either of us hag been thinking, she could have riden the bus with us to Grenada and Jay could have picked her up there. She could have been home in two hours. Coulda, woulda shoulda!! We are too busy lamenting the fact that there are no more flights that we are not thinking straight. Jay calls around and gets her a hotel room, but she will not go because she doesn't want to miss the flight the next morning at 6:30 a.m. because it is tentative that she even has a seat on that flight. She sleeps on an airport couch. Ouch!!! If MR had not gotten the bus, we would have been on the flight with Shirley to Memphis, and we would have been keeping her company in the airport over night.

Meanwhile back on the bus, we doze and finally arrive in Indianola around 1:30 a.m. Our families are waiting to greet us and gather our luggage and purchases and chauffeur us home to our own beds. I am one of the lucky ones since I do not have to go to work in 7 hours.

I sleep until 10:00 a.m. and call to check on Shirley. Jay tells me she got out on the 7:30 a.m. flight to Memphis and arrived at 7:30 because of the time change. He got her home; she bathed, and went on to school and stayed until 1:30 when she went to the recognition for their friend. She then went on to the doctor and had her MRI. When I talk to her that night, she is planning on going to bed at 7:30 p.m. Is she Wonder Woman or what?!!!!!!

We had a great time on our trip, and I am preparing for our next jaunt to Spain in the Spring of 2009. If anyone is interested let me know. We would love to have you.

# 10 March 15 "Parting is such sweet sorrow . . ." or I don't want to go home!!!!

As the ole faithful cell phone goes off, the realization hits that this is the last day of our trip. We have a full day planned and will try to pack in all we want to see. M.R. has part of the day planned and then we are on our own to get one last look.

We meet in the lobby after breakfast to go to the Spanish Steps. The Spanish Steps is another place I have seen pictures of and have always wanted to visit. Well, I can mark them off my list, and they lived up to my expectations.

Our first view of the Spanish Steps

A Lesson . . .The Spanish steps were built from the Piazza Spagna up the hill to the Trinita die Monti Church. For hundreds of years the slope was a wooded area that was of concern as early as 1515. When plans were first made to build steps between the piazza and the church, a Pope (I can't remember which one right now) did not want the steps to be built because he did not want the area to overshadow the Vatican area (something like that). In 1717 a contest was held to find a designer/architect to plan and build the steps. There were several fights and disagreements over which design would be chosen, but in 1723 construction on the steps began and they were completed in 1725. With 138 steps, they are the longest and widest staircase in Europe. Several yards from base of the steps in front is a Burnini fountain of which the center piece is a boat that was designed when another Pope (you can tell I don't know my Popes) wanted something designed after a boat he saw washed up on the bank of the Tiber River after a flood. The steps have been featured in several movies, and to the right of the steps at the bottom is the home of the English poet John Keats. It was here that he died. Click on the link http://www.pannoramas.dk/fullscreen5/f3_rome.html for a 3D visit to the Spanish Steps.

Class Dismissed.

Me, drinking from the Brunini fountain in front of the Spanish Steps

When we arrive, Shirley, Cathy, Mary Kat and I gird our strength and begin climbing the steps. We take a "picture break" half way up. We take in the view below and then visit the watercolor vendors. After leaving several euros with them, we go back down the steps where I commune with the spirit of Keats and drink out of the Burnini fountain. We gather at the foot of the steps with our group and begin our walk to the Pantheon.

Shirley, Mary Kat, and Cathy stop for a rest as I take advantage of a Kodak moment

We walk down the Via Condotti, which is one of the most famous streets in Rome with its shops that house every major fashion designer. We see Prada, Armani, Ferragamo, Gucci, Valentino, Dolce-Cabbana, Manolo Blanic, and Vercace signs. Some the younger fashionistas thought they had died and gone to heaven. We were told to keep our eyes out for celebrities. For me, the street was the way to get to another historical site. The street leads us to the Piazza della Rotonda, and there it is, the Pantheon.

Our view of the Pantheon as we enter the piazza

A Lesson . . . The Pantheon was built around (circa is the term I believe) 125 AD, and the original construction is credited to Hadrian. He had it built as a temple to all the gods, and it is the best preserved building in Europe and believed in the world of its age. Later another Pope of whom I do not know the name had the building rededicated as a Christian church. The dome over the building is the largest unreinforced dome in the world and in the center is the oculus or The Great Eye that is open to the sky. This opening is the only light for the building, and when it rains there is a drainage system in the floor to take care of the water. Several well-known people are buried in tombs in the Pantheon, including the artist Raphael. Click on the link http://www.arounder.eu/pantheon/pantheon/html for a 3D visit to the Pantheon.

Class dismissed.

After our visit to the Pantheon, we are on our own for the rest of the day. We group up with several more folks, including our experienced guide Debbie, and make plans for the rest of the afternoon. Boy, did we have big plans!!!! We decide to eat not far from the Pantheon at the Palazza Novena, which was originally the site of Roman chariot races. It is now the site of shops, outdoor artists, and cafes. We pick a charming outdoor cafe, and I order what turns out to be a delicious pizza of flat bread, mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, olive oil, ground pepper, fresh basil and balsamic vinegar. Sooooooo Good!!

Our outdoor cafe at the Palazza Novena

After lunch we take the longest walk we have taken the entire trip to the Roman Forum. Along the way we pass the home of the Italian Prime Minister and the window in the home of Mussolini from where he gave speeches to the Italian people during WWII. The Ides of March having just passed, we see several statues of Julius Caesar with wreathes on them. When arrive at the forum, and I have to say this is one of my favorite places to visit on the entire trip. There is so much history here: the seat of the early Roman government, the place of the death of Julius Caesar, and even more important for me, the road on which the apostle Paul entered Rome on one of his missionary journeys. I walked where Paul walked!

Ruins at the Roman Forum

The main road leading into Rome where the Apostle Paul walked

We then head for our next stop, the Church of (I'm not sure), the site of the Truth Rock. Legend has it that a person could put his hand through a hole in the rock, and if he was known to tell a lie, his hand would be cut off. Legend also has it that at some point priests would hide behind the rock and really cut off the hands of those who dared to stick their hands in the rock. The movie Roman Holiday features a scene with the Truth Rock in it. When we get to the church, the line is so long to see the rock we decide not to spend our time in line. We visit the gift shop and get our post cards and get ready to head for the next site. It is at this point that some of our group decide to catch a taxi back to the hotel. It has been a long day, and we have already walked least 7 or 8 miles. I want to tease them for being sissies, but for just a second, I had entertained the idea of going back to the hotel, too.

Debbie, Marion Mauseth (one of the students) and I trek on to one more site, San Pietro in Vincoli, the site of the preservation of the chains of St. Peter when he was jailed in Jerusalem and Michelangelo's statue of Moses, which serves as a tomb for an early Pope. We catch a taxi to save time since the day is almost over. We arrive at the church and see the chains, another tie to our Christian heritage and the Statue of Moses. It is quite imposing and is close to the statue of David. I read in the guide book that the horns that appear to be coming out of Moses' head is the result of the translation of the Hebrew in which the words for light and horns are close to the same. There is a description of Moses that makes the point that light was eminating from his head, hence the horns.

The chains of St. Peter

Michaelangelo's Moses

We get our bearings and head for the hotel by foot. We are not too far and strike out to take in the ambiance and finish the last day of our trip. I literally collapse on my bed when we get back to the hotel. We have walked at least 10 miles today getting from place to place.

We dine as a group for our last meal. We catch a bus for part of the ride and then walk the rest of the way to the restaurant. There is another great meal to end our tasting of Italian food. We have stuffed pork cantalloni in a cream basil sauce, chicken cutlets, roasted potatoes, and tiramisu, along with a bottle of austi spumante.

The highlight of the evening is a stroll to the Trevi Fountain. It is an awesome place at night. There are lights to highlight the fountain, and there are a least 500 hundred people milling around, sitting together, and enjoying the surroundings. The legend is that if a visitor throws 2 coins into the fountain, one over his shoulder, he will return to Rome. The fountain has been featured in several movies, the best known Three Coins in the Fountain starring Clifton Webb and Dorothy McGuire. We buy one last taste of gelato and catch a bus back to the hotel.

Trevi Fountain

Me, throwing one of my coins into the fountain

The evening crows around the fountain

One last picture of the 3 Traveling Buddies

We stuff our bags and hope not to go over the weight limit too much. I set my cell phone for one last time for 4:30 a.m. We are to leave the hotel at 5:30 the next morning.

# 9 Friday, March 14 "Happy Birthday, M.R."

We are up to start a full day of Roman sightseeing. We eat breakfast in a different dining room this morning, but the food is pretty much the same fare that we have had every morning. There are more sweet pastries than anyone could ever eat and more wonderful cherry jelly.

We gather in the lobby to catch our bus that takes us to meet our guide Marina at one of the gates to Vatican City. We cue up for our turn to have the electronic wand passed over us and to go through a sort of customs before we enter the city. As we ride up the escalator, the blue green dome of St. Peter's Basilica comes into view through the window. For most of us, we have only seen pictures of St. Peter's in books and on TV when there is a news highlight of an Easter or Christmas mass being led by the Pope. But no picture or film clip can do this place justice. It is a place that has to be experienced. We follow Marina into a piazza lined with statues and carvings of which she explains the importance. She also explains the Sistine Chapel to us with the help of a display board on one side of the piazza.

The piazza inside Vatican City. Above is the bronze pine cone that is the symbol of the Pope.

As we enter the chapel area, we walk through several museum halls that display statues, paintings, frescoes, and tapestries. Before we enter the chapel, we are given instructions that we are not to take pictures and to talk quietly. The Sistine Chapel is so striking, and I can't remember a time I have enjoyed getting a crick in my neck.. We get to stay 15 minutes looking at the art work and comparing our guide book to the real thing. I have seen Michelangelo's hand of God and it is truly awesome. We go outside the chapel and into St. Peter's. Overwhelming is the word that comes to mind. It is big! It is beautiful! It is crowded! We make our way around the basilica to see the important points of interest, the statue of St. Peter, the toe of which has been rubbed and worn down by pilgrims from all over the world. But, most importantly, we view the bronze canopy that is above the tomb of St. Peter, which brings to mind "Upon this rock I will build my church . . ." We also get to see Michelangelo's Pieta, the statue of Mary with the dead Jesus in her lap, and the red piece of porphyry that marks the place where Charlemagne knelt to be made the first Holy Roman Emperor in AD800 After spending time inside the basilica, we venture outside to St. Peter's Square. It is imposing and amazing with the statues of the saints and the apostles looking down on us. We venture out to the front of the square and look back to the front of the basilica. TV doesn't do it justice. The square is being prepared for Palm Sunday services. We will be leaving early that morning. What a shame to be so close and have to miss an experience of a lifetime.

Art work on the ceiling in one of the areas of the Vatican museums that lead to the Sistine Chapel.

The bronze canopy over the tomb of St. Peter. Only the Pope can lead mass from this spot.

Shirley, Cathy, DK and Mary Kat outside of St. Peter's Square.

The Pope's residence is on the top floor of this wing. When he speaks to those gathered in St. Peter's Square, he does it from the second window from the right.

We eat lunch at a sidewalk vendor and wander around St. Peter's and then meet back with our group to go on a bus tour of some of Rome's well-known sites. We ride along the east and west side oft he Tiber River; see the remains of Circus Maximus, home of the well-known chariots such as the ones in Ben Hur; view the remains of Palentine Hill, the first site of the Roman caesars' palaces. We ride to the Jewish Ghetto where we learn of the fairly strong Jewish population after the dispersion with the fall of Jerusalem. We drive to the site of the ruins of the Coliseum and debark for our tour. Marina takes on an informative tour, and it is amazing and humbling to be be able to see this site, knowing what death and destruction it meant for many of the Christians who met their end on the floor of the Coliseum.

Remains of an ancient harbor on the Tiber River

Ruins of the Circus Maximus

Palentine Hill

View of Coliseum from the street

Inside of the Coliseum. In the lower right is a section that has been added to show where the floor of the Coliseum would have been originally. To the left is the under ground area that had rooms that held the wild animals and the people who fought them for the entertainment of the people.

The marble area was the place where the Caesars and other rulers sat

Yep. I was there.

The day has come to an end, and we load on the bus again for a ride back to our hotel. Shirley and Cathy and I walk to the Pharmacia to get more meds for Shirley's pain and then find our way to the wonderful pastry shop: "Some of these; Oh, two of those; Ah, there are some mini canolis." It can't get any better unless it is some of the tomato gravy I have been eating all week.


We get back to the hotel and go visit Mary Kat to present her with a demitasse set we purchased for her in Sorrento. We hope it will be a welcomed addition to her collection. We snack on some of the pastries and get ready for dinner. We gather for supper and eat fairly close to the hotel. We eat yet another great meal : tomatoes in olive oil, rigatoni in tomato gravy, along with austi spumante. We save room for some of our pastries in the room.


We have a birthday to make note of and sing to M.R. We have sung to her several time during the day, but tonight's version makes it official. The 3 Traveling Buddies give her a silver salt cellar we bought in Sorrento, and I give her a lanyard with Italia written on it for her keys and ID when she gets back to school.


We are so tired and as we have done every night, I set the cell phone and we fall into bed. Tomorrow is our last day in Rome and there is so much to see and so little time to see it.

#8 Thursday, March 13 "When in Rome . . ."

In the same routine of the previous mornings, Cathy and Shirley pop right out of bed while I struggle to put my feet on the floor. We are up earlier this morning because we are leaving for three days in Rome (better known as Roma), and have to get dressed, get our luggage downstairs and eat breakfast. All is accomplished and we we get under way. We are making a stop in Pompeii, which is about an hour ride from Sorrento. Again we ride through some of the most beautiful countryside. As we arrive in Pompeii, the old city walls rise before us hiding what was once the city but is now the ruins that were buried under 23 feet of ash from August 24 ad79 until excavation began in the mid-18th century. The buried city was actually discovered in 1594.

We are scheduled with 2 guides to take us through the ruins. The students go with one guide, and we older tourists go with our guide named Antonio. We start our tour at the city gate known as Porta Marina, through which passed the road that led to the ocean. We gather at the Fourm, which was the meeting place for the city to carry out its government and political business. After getting our bearings of north, south, east and west, we step into the center of the piazza outside the Fourm and look to the north to see Mt. Vesuvius rising in the background. The volcano lasted erupted in 1944 and is still considered the only active volcano on the European mainland. We go on a walking tour of the city visiting the market place, the public baths, two homes, bars, public wells, and other places that made up the town. Antonio shared so many facts and interesting tidbits about Pompeii that there is not enough space to tell you everything. Hopefully some of the pictures will do justice to the town. It is absolutely amazing what was learned about early Italian life from the ruins of Pompeii.

Entrance into Pompeii via Porta Marina

The Fourm

Outside area of the marketplace

The frigidarium better known as the cold bath area in the public baths

Entrance way to one of the upper class homes

Mary Kat standing by one of the grist mills in the public bakery

Cast mold of a man found crouching in a corner covering his nose to keep from breathing the ash

Our tour lasts about 2 hours after which we are own our own for about an hour to eat lunch and by our souvenirs. Now, here is my next story. My mama will love this one. It starts when we decide to eat lunch first. Cathy and Shirley and I opt for the lunch counter that has pasta and sandwiches. I get a plate of ravioli and begin to sprinkle Parmesan cheese on it when the top comes off and my ravioli is covered with grated Parmesan cheese. The lady who is serving gives me the most disgusting look that reveals that she must be thinking, "Stupido Americano." Remember, I thought that's what the police in Pisa probably thought about me too when I was "separated" from my group. I select my drink and pay for my meal. We find a table outdoors and sit to eat our lunch. I get comfortable and take my small travel purse from across my shoulder and drape it over the back of my chair. After a pleasant lunch of pasta and conversation, we decide to walk around some of the souvenir shops to find our travel book on Pompeii and some postcards. I find the ones I want and reach for my purse to get out my euros. Panic immediately sets in. I don't have my purse! I left it on my chair. In my later years I do not panic over things I have no control over. Yes, I was stupid to leave my purse on the chair. No, I can't do a thing about it if someone has stolen it. The money I don't care about. It's my passport I care about. I really would like to be able to get back into the United States when the time comes. I quickly return to my table with my heart beating out of the same chest I did not want the purse strapped across while I ate. A waiter must see the panicked look on my face and asks if he can help me. I describe my purse, small red, two zippers, long strap. I show him where I was sitting. He turns to open a cabinet and then produces my purse. Thank you , Lord Jesus!!!! Yes, I am one of those "stupido Americanos."

Now, the reason I say my mama would love this story is that we have a saying in our family when someone goes on a trip. Several years ago when I went to visit Laura and Chase in San Diego, one of the last things my mama told me was, "Be sure to watch your purse." I remember thinking, I am a grown woman with a grandchild and you are telling me to watch my purse. Yeah, right! Well I guess she knows me better than I thought. She said it to me kiddingly before I left for Italy, but she didn't have any idea that those words would come back to haunt me. Anyway, we never go anywhere now that we do not tell each other to, "Watch your purse."

We load up in anticipation of arriving in Rome in 2 hours. As we first enter the city, it looks like any other large city with modern buildings, but as we get closer to the heart of the city, it begins to look like the pictures we have seen in history books and the scenes we have seen in movies. The place is beautiful and there is a church on every corner it seems, which is the way it should be I guess since there are over 900 hundred churches within the city limits.

Entering Rome, one of the many fountains and piazzazs

We wind our way past fountains, beautiful piazzas, and wonderful architecture. We arrive at the Hotel Genova, a contemporary hotel that looks as if it was decorated by a decorator who liked IKEA furniture. I like it in a way. We claim our luggage, and ride the elevator to the 4th floor with packages in hand, and Shirley pulling the extra suitcase with our purchases tucked inside. I am clutching my pasta bowl with every inch of my being. We arrive at our room and manage to get our things into the room without a problem, at least that is what I think. I get my suitcase situated and begin to tuck my pasta bowl underneath the luggage rack when I hear a rattle, the familiar rattle of broken glass. "No. No. No. Please Lord, tell me I didn't hear what I thought I just heard." I cradle the wrapped pasta bowl in my arms and carefully shake it. It sounds like a baby rattle instead of an intact bowl. I tell Shirley and Cathy to listen. I shake the bowl and the looks on their faces tell me all I need to know. It is broken. Someone says, "DK, what are you going to do?" What can I do? The bowl is broken, and at this point I don't even have the heart to unwrap the bowl. I leave it in the bag, insulated by the bubble wrap. I think I take it pretty well. I am in Rome on the trip I have always wanted to go on and the bowl is only stuff, albeit stuff that I had purchased with money from the Lalis for a special place in my kitchen. I will get over it, but when I think of it even now, I feel sad. I have the web address of the place and plan to get online to try to replace the bowl, but right now if I am going to be charged 50 euros to ship it, i may have to wait a while.

Back to our room. It is a nice room and we open our window and shutters to find the busy Via Cavorso below us. We unpack our things and take out for a tour around our hotel. We find the nearest Pharmicia for Shirley and a pastry shop just across the street where we can purchase scrumptous pastries and, more importantly, a $4.50 coke.

View directly below our room

View to the right below our room

Shirely standing by one of the smart cars. Can you say small?!!!!

We gather in the lobby for a group dinner for another fantastic meal of ravioli and veal cutlets. We catch a bus to the center of Rome and walk around the Fourm area and the monument to Vittorio Emanuele. Some of the students with a few of the adults continue on a evening walking tour of Rome, while the rest of us catch the bus back to the hotel. We take our baths, I set the trusty cell phone, and we fall into our beds. Tomorrow is a long day.

#7 Wednesday, March 12 "It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood"

Well, the ole trusty alarm goes off to start another day. I talk myself into getting out of bed and hope to see the view I know is out our window. I open the shutters and the most beautiful day greets me. The view is spectacular!! The blue waters of the Bay of Naples stretche out before me, and I am immediately jealous of the people who live along the bay who get to wake to this view every morning. We have the same wonderful view as we eat breakfast, and this is truly the first beautiful day we have had on the trip.

View to the left out our balcony

View directly in front of our balcony

View to the right out our balcony

View below our balcony

We get aboard the bus and settled in for a wonderful ride along the Amalfi Coast, heading for our destination, the town of Amalfi with a stop at Positano. The stretch of road winds on the side of the mountains of the coastline. The twisting curves double back on themselves, and the bus driver blows the horn each time he prepares to enter a curve to warn approaching drivers. Many of the turns have large mirrors so the drivers on each side of the curve can see what is approaching. After the maneuvering of the first few curves, we settle in for one of the most scenic drives I have ever been on. MR has forgiven me for my being separated from the group in Pisa and allows me to sit in the front seat with her so I can take in even more of the view, making each turn even more dramatic. The Bay of Naples stretches out before us into a vastness of blue. Homes are perched on the the cliffs on both sides of the road and the continual sound of the bus' horn reminds us of the precarious nature of our drive. It is hard to find the words to describe the view so the pictures will have to do.

One of the many curves with a parking area for the owners of the homes built on the cliffs

View of the Bay of Naples from the front window of the bus. Notice the drop off to the right!


One of the beautiful towns we pass along the way is Positano, which covers a hillside that runs down to the coast line of the bay. An interesting building is a Byzantine styled church Santa Maria Assunta with a majolica tiled dome. The town, along with Amalfi, is the chosen vacation spot for celebrities, including Tom and Katie who have a villa somewhere tucked into a cliff overlooking the Bay of Naples. We stop outside Positano an at overlook point and souvenir place. We take pictures and leave more euros behind. One of the things we seen here is lemons the size of softballs. Lance needs to get some of the fertilizer the Italians use for his garden in Inverness. We load up again headed for Amalfi.

Our stop at the overlook. Cathy and I with Positano in the background

This picture really does not do justice to the size of the lemons, but they really are as large as softballs.

The town of Positano

The Dome of the Santa Maria Assunta Church with majolica tile roof

A look back at Positano as we leave

We arrive in Amalfi at 11:00 a.m. and make plans to be back at the bus at 1:00 p.m. My first response is that I don't think 2 will be enough time to cover the coastal town. It is the typical quaint Italian town that we have all seen in the movies, and Cathy, Shirley, Mary Kat and I strike out determined to do the most we can in 2 hours. Clothes hang from lines stung across the streets from window to window. There are fish markets, bakeries, pastry shops, small eating places, ristorantes, and quaint shops with every imaginable souvenir to take home. Amalfi is where I find my major purchase of the trip, a pasta bowl that is purchased with the money the Lalis gave me for my retirement. It is the most beautiful hand painted pasta bowl, and it takes me a while to pick out the perfect one to display on my kitchen counter along side Lance's mom's handwritten spaghetti recipe that I have framed. Her recipe is a genuine Italian recipe for what is known in Italian speak as tomato gravy. I mentioned fixing the sauce for our Lalis get together back in February. If you want to know more about the Lalis, go back to the post of February 5th, and you can find out about them. Anyway, I finally make a decision, and ask the store owner if he will ship it home. He says he will for 50 euros, which is right at $75 American dollars. Okay, the bowl is beautiful; it is one of a kind; it is expensive; but I can't see spending $75 to ship it home. I will sit with it in my lap on the plane if I have to. So, he wraps it up in layers and layers of bubble wrap, and I go on my way happy that I have made "the purchase" of the trip.

The narrow streets of Amalfi

Laundry hanging above a fish market

Cathy, Shirley, Mary Kat and I reconvene to find a small, quick place to have lunch, you know one of those 5 euro delights with prosciutto. We find one and then eat some gelato for dessert. Our entire group gathers at the old town wall at the appointed time and strolls down to the waterline to take some pictures before we head back to Sorrento.

View of Amalfi from the shoreline

The shoreline of Amalfi

We return by the same gorgeous route, and on the way the driver points out that a particular villa on a cliff is the home of Sophia Loren. All the adults say "Oooh" and "Ahhh," and the kids say, "Who?" Can you say generation gap?!

This is a rock formation called The Virgin. The tree makes her look as if she is holding a bouquet of flowers.

We arrive in Sorrento around 3:00 p.m. We take a while to rest up a bit, and I walk around our hotel to take a few pictures. Several of us gather again to take in Sorrento and to spend more euros. At one point Shirley figures we need more luggage to get our purchases back to the States, so she buys the cutest lime green suitcase. I vow not to spend anymore money. Yea, right! Our hotel perched on the waters' edge. The dining room is the level that is white just beneath the terra cotta color part of the building. Our room is on the second level of the terra cotta part of the building, first window on the far left.

Part of the grounds around the hotel

Some of the many orange trees around the hotel

We gather at 8:00 p.m. in the hotel dining room for our evening meal. Now, I know this sounds crazy, but for the life of me I can not remember what we had to eat that night. I didn't write it down so it must not have been that memorable. However, I just can't imagine that! I'll have to think about this some more. As always, the kids head out for the nightlife, and the adults head to their rooms to crash. However, before we get to go to sleep, we have to get our bags ready for the ride to Rome tomorrow, with a stop at Pompeii. We stuff the lime green suitcase with our purchases minus my pasta bowl and then get our own in order and fall into the bed, 3 tried little puppies. Oh, did I mention I set the cell phone?!