Amalfi Coast, Italy

Amalfi Album Here


The road from Sicily to Amalfi proved to be significantly easier than that from Bari to Sicily. One train with no connections from Palermo to Salerno. When booking the rail, I was concerned about getting to the port to get the ferry back to mainland and then getting on the train, how far is this from that, where do I have to walk because surely the trains don't go on the ferry. Then my friends paused, laughed and told me that they do indeed go on the ferry. Skip past all the boringness, packed full train, awkward seating arrangements, my stumbling and fumbling with bags and guitar, the fact that Salerno train station area was comparable to a psychiatric ward and I am now on the winding road to Minori, a town I always thought I'd be seeing with my long time friend, Ashley.

Instead I get to meet her family here and experience everything she always talked about. I thought Greek roads were bad, Amalfi coast is serious and basically no chance of survival should you get a bad bus driver. Tho it never happens I'm told. The roads are cut into cliffs that rise hundreds of meters from the sea and they're so narrow the bus driver must constantly beep ( an idiotic cartoon horn ) the entire way basically. As much I wanted to have head phones on, I was afraid I could miss the stop being called out. But. Who was I kidding? Call the stop out? You must be joking. You're in Italy, they don't cater to the traveller. You're just supposed to magically know where you are! And in the usual southern European style, let's put 2 towns that sound ridiculously similar, right next to eachother. Miori, Minori. Come on. So after realising that I was not in the right town to meet Ashley's dad to take me to the apartment, I asked some kids who ended up walking me to the next town. There I found Mr. D'Amato waiting and we began the hike up the obscene amount of steps from town. Finally reaching the cute cottage they've let me use for the week. I find myself in a hotel, king size bed and nothing but time on my hands : )
Singing wish u were here - pink floyd -dedicated to my trash trash - missin u - love Cais cais

It's raining, as per usual on my first day anywhere. Seriously, the only places it didn't rain on my arrival, Egypt, Athens and Trapani. 3 out of like 10 places. Arggh. 

Spoke to my friends in Sicily, they found my phone in the car. Fail. I have been so careful, always looking back when I get up from somewhere. Determined not to loose anything significant and that's why I was so utterly confused when I lost my phone. Oh well, I'll have them send it or donate it to the next couchsurfer they host.

Went to Positano today with Ashley's dad and sister. Total tourist trap this place is, but it's absolutely breath taking. Sometimes it's breath taking cuz u think u may go off the edge of a 200 meter cliff but hey. Every one says it's safe. Ha. Ashley was right, I want at least a week here but I certainly will be cooking in to afford it. It's more expensive than Bermuda! When I left Greece I said, I really hope that I'm not jaded for the rest of this trip, that food in other countries will hopefully compare to Greece. Italian food thus far, does not remotely compare in general. : ( and it's all starch, where are the vegetables and fruit?! Finding a good salad on a menu has proved difficult. It's not that the food isn't good. It's just not as good as Greece.

I feel like my writing is becoming boring and unpoetic. So!
Today was gloomy on the coast, shaded by overcast out into the distance of swirling windswept ocean. I had lunch with Ashley's grandmother and tho I was warned of the many courses to come, still asked for more. I sauntered back down the 200 steps or so, so full I could barely breathe, to my apartment and climbed into bed for siesta. I dreamed little in comparison to my past nights' sleep, a pleasant absence from a mind I often find myself desperate to escape from. My waking was slow and unwanted but I dragged myself out of bed and down into the next town in attempt to find Internet, a rare commodity in these parts it seems. Sweet talking a hotel receptionist usually leads to success and sure enough, it did. After acquiring all I set out to, I lounged around the house and still find myself doing the same in search for elusive sleep. I sat outside by candle light and I swear I saw a fire fly but after staring un-patiently into nothingness for 10 minutes I came to the conclusion that I had imagined the flicker of light go past. It brought back memories of my childhood in Ohio, chasing them for hours in the yard on warm summer nights. I have never seen them since then and have always wanted to chase them carelessly like a child, still fascinated by their light. I look forward to a day of sun and forced solitude tomorrow. I've considered taking a vow of silence recently, but I don't really see how that would work right now. 

Ok. I wasn't having a momentary lapse of sanity, the fire flies do exist here! Tho not in the numbers that I experienced as a child. I spent an hour in the garden watching them flash across my view, like dancing fairies on the breeze. I really can't think of anything more magical than them. How beautiful a thing it is to create light. I could sit and watch them for hours. Indeed, I am amused by the strangest things.

Tho I had intended to embrace the forced solitude, I am finding the transition from the open arms of Sicily to the solitary confinement of the Amalfi coast, mildly difficult. I tried to busk in Positano to no avail. Tried to meet people to no avail. I did meet some people before I quickly decided I didn't really want to know them anyway. The Amalfi coast is for the rich and elite of which I personally don't aspire to mingle with. I like my rough around the edges and found on the streets mix. Let's stay here on earth cuz, it's kinda nice down here. I did meet a great couple from Canada that drove down from London but that's it. Still, I am content just wandering around, thru the millions of trails that climb and crisscross over a jagged landscape and down winding roads that cling to the coast.

To get from the town to the apartment is about 400 steps and when I first got here I couldn't do it without taking a break but now I have little difficulty. I find it amazing there are so many overweight people here considering they must trek up these steps daily. Mr. D'Amato told me of how when he was a boy they had no water to the house, so to take a bath they had to go down and retrieve it, only to carry it back up about 700 steps. The milk as well, every morning, had to be collected from the 1 lady who had a cow and supplied that part of the town with milk. Amazing the little things we take fore granted. He finished high school at like 15 to go onto chef school an hour or more away. Another man from Minori went on to open La Trottoria in Bermuda and returned looking for staff. Not speaking any English but having a little piece of Italy there with all the other staff, What an experience it must have been to go from this small town (which was likely even smaller then) to what was surely Bermuda's prime era. Jaw dropping.

It has been mostly peaceful here, except the neighbours idiotic dogs that bark basically from 5:30am - 1:30am. It is absolutely ridiculous. I have never wanted to harm and animal or it's owner so much in my life. I've come to realise that I actually like dogs, it's just the select few and their inconsiderate, unalpha owners that ruin it for the rest. Alas! The little brats will likely be my alarm clock in the morning for my train to Florence, where I'll get to stay with yet another friend from Canada.

I just can't keep my days straight. Woke up late thinking I missed my train but turns out that it's Sunday, not Monday. My alarm clock does nothing for me anymore. I never even hear it despite the amount of sleep I get. It figures the one morning since I've been in Amalfi that I didn't wake up at 6am. In desperation for social contact, I still headed out in attempt to catch a train. It took about 2 hours, in traffic and a long walk to reach the train station, only to find out that there is a train strike. Luckily tho, I managed to score a seat and in a matter of hours, I'll be in Florence!