It's my Birthday.
Barb greets me at my door this morning with a birthday bade (which I must wear all day - and balloons that I must carry all day!!!)
We start the day with breakfast in the piazza that was featured in The Grissowlds European Vacation movie! As we sit and sip our cappuccino, and eat our cornetto (the Italian staple for breakfast - similar to a croissant, but not so buttery, but with a sweet glaze!), a group comes and sits next to us. After they have themselves sorted, their cappuccinos ordered, they get out some sheet music and they start singing. It is like we have sat next to a table of angels! The music that comes from this table is saintly! They are obviously practicing their hymns, they sit there and sing unselfconsciously, it is only when we applaud them as they leave, that they become embarrassed!
Breakfast over, and we head to the train station. Barb tried her hardest to embarrass me on my birthday. Not only did I have to wear a badge saying birthday girl, but I had four balloons tied to my suitcase for the day!
We got lots of sideways glances and chuckles as we wove our way through the streets of Rome to the station, and many more aboard the train! After an hour's long train trip from Rome, we arrive in Naples.
They say Napoli (Naples) is the birthplace of pizza. When they make a claim like that you are expecting something pretty special. Once we arrive at Napoli station we decide to stow our bags, and investigate what we can in the couple of hours until we are picked up.
We head straight up the street that we can see from the station.
Along the way we encounter the local markets.
Here we find a mix of everything, there's the flea market type stuff, the fresh fruit and vegetables, the fish mongers, even the local Ripperia - here they specialize in tripe, and all other kinds of offal!
Onto the pizzeria! In Napoli you can have a pizza, and four beers for 16 euro! I must say though, that the pizza was not as good as I had anticipated! I actually think I can make better! One thing I have learned though is to go easy on the cheese!
Back to the station to pick up our transfer to Positano. We look and, and look, no suspects! Barb did sus out a couple she thought would be on our tour, and as it turns out they were.! They innfact have turned into our surrogate mum and dad - Marti and Scott, Marti is 73, and Scott is 72 (we joke later on during the trip that she has a toy boy!!). Both their partners had died, and they found love again, and married 4 years ago!! They are from Philadelphia, and really, good fun! We will spend much time with them over the week!
We travel along what we later learn is called the "snake road" - twisty, turny, and oh so close to the edge!!!
.....Her mind is Tiffany twisted, she's got the Mercedes Benz, she's got a lot of pretty, pretty boys, she calls friends.......Welcome to the Hotel California.... You can check, out any time you like, but you (I) can never leave! Here we are, our home for the week!
OMG! I have died and gone to heaven! This place is so beautiful!
We learn later on that this hotel is the hotel that was featured in the movie Under the Tuscan Sun.
My room is the one where Francesca calls out to Marcello on the balcony.
Barb's room is the one where they first made love!
We have a shower, gussy ourselves up (I wear my white and floral dress, a la Francesca)
and we head off for dinner at at a local restaurant Le tres sorelle. The three sisters!
We are treated to a chef's tasting dinner, seafood, seafood, seafood! Oh, so good! We sit with all our new friends, two ladies from South Africa (on a trip to celebrate 50 years of friendship) Marti and Scott (on a trip Marti's son gave them to celebrate Marti's retirement from nursing), and Mary from Washington D.C (who has her own catering company), and of course our hosts Lauren and her husband (our driver) Rino! We had a truly wonderful evening, I even had a serenade for my birthday, complete with a cake and a candle! My birthday could not have been better!
I look like a big bumble bee!!
Barb greets me at my door this morning with a birthday bade (which I must wear all day - and balloons that I must carry all day!!!)
We start the day with breakfast in the piazza that was featured in The Grissowlds European Vacation movie! As we sit and sip our cappuccino, and eat our cornetto (the Italian staple for breakfast - similar to a croissant, but not so buttery, but with a sweet glaze!), a group comes and sits next to us. After they have themselves sorted, their cappuccinos ordered, they get out some sheet music and they start singing. It is like we have sat next to a table of angels! The music that comes from this table is saintly! They are obviously practicing their hymns, they sit there and sing unselfconsciously, it is only when we applaud them as they leave, that they become embarrassed!
Breakfast over, and we head to the train station. Barb tried her hardest to embarrass me on my birthday. Not only did I have to wear a badge saying birthday girl, but I had four balloons tied to my suitcase for the day!
We got lots of sideways glances and chuckles as we wove our way through the streets of Rome to the station, and many more aboard the train! After an hour's long train trip from Rome, we arrive in Naples.
They say Napoli (Naples) is the birthplace of pizza. When they make a claim like that you are expecting something pretty special. Once we arrive at Napoli station we decide to stow our bags, and investigate what we can in the couple of hours until we are picked up.
We head straight up the street that we can see from the station.
Along the way we encounter the local markets.
Here we find a mix of everything, there's the flea market type stuff, the fresh fruit and vegetables, the fish mongers, even the local Ripperia - here they specialize in tripe, and all other kinds of offal!
Onto the pizzeria! In Napoli you can have a pizza, and four beers for 16 euro! I must say though, that the pizza was not as good as I had anticipated! I actually think I can make better! One thing I have learned though is to go easy on the cheese!
Back to the station to pick up our transfer to Positano. We look and, and look, no suspects! Barb did sus out a couple she thought would be on our tour, and as it turns out they were.! They innfact have turned into our surrogate mum and dad - Marti and Scott, Marti is 73, and Scott is 72 (we joke later on during the trip that she has a toy boy!!). Both their partners had died, and they found love again, and married 4 years ago!! They are from Philadelphia, and really, good fun! We will spend much time with them over the week!
We travel along what we later learn is called the "snake road" - twisty, turny, and oh so close to the edge!!!
.....Her mind is Tiffany twisted, she's got the Mercedes Benz, she's got a lot of pretty, pretty boys, she calls friends.......Welcome to the Hotel California.... You can check, out any time you like, but you (I) can never leave! Here we are, our home for the week!
OMG! I have died and gone to heaven! This place is so beautiful!
We learn later on that this hotel is the hotel that was featured in the movie Under the Tuscan Sun.
My room is the one where Francesca calls out to Marcello on the balcony.
Marcello, where are you?
Barb's room is the one where they first made love!
We have a shower, gussy ourselves up (I wear my white and floral dress, a la Francesca)
and we head off for dinner at at a local restaurant Le tres sorelle. The three sisters!
We are treated to a chef's tasting dinner, seafood, seafood, seafood! Oh, so good! We sit with all our new friends, two ladies from South Africa (on a trip to celebrate 50 years of friendship) Marti and Scott (on a trip Marti's son gave them to celebrate Marti's retirement from nursing), and Mary from Washington D.C (who has her own catering company), and of course our hosts Lauren and her husband (our driver) Rino! We had a truly wonderful evening, I even had a serenade for my birthday, complete with a cake and a candle! My birthday could not have been better!
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