Cooking class number 2

Last night we had a bit of a big night!  We were sitting on the balcony, minding our own business, typing up our blogs, but as everyone returned home for the evening a bit of a congregation started happening.  Some new "friends" arrived from Canada, and by the end of the night, oh somewhere in the vicinity of 1 a.m. in the morning, new friendships were truly cemented! A little bit of jealousy reared it's head this morning at breakfast, it seems our new Canadian friends came in a group of 8, and the ones that were not invited to socialize with us on the balcony last night didn't appreciate the noise their friends were making with "those girls".  We just hid behind our sunglasses, and pretended not to know what they were talking about!

After breakfast we head up to Montepertuso again.  Today for a cooking class with Salvatore and Marilu.  What fun we had in the kitchen today! The menu today consisted of: Home made mozzarella cheese,

which we later turned into an appetizer of fried mozzarella on a lemon leaf.

Next was Lemon Risotto,

Followed by veal scaloppine with roasted Parmesan potatoes.

Dessert was a Torta Caprese a la Limone.

Scott loves to get involved in the desert making - you should see the look on his face as he cleans up - ie licks the spoons!

Once again after our class, we all got to sit down and eat what we had made over a glass or two of wine!  I tell you this life is hard to take!

After Lunch it was time to return home.

There are cats everywhere in Italy!!!!

                                                        Scott, Marti, Lauren, and Barb

Don't ask me how, but our transport was not big enough to bring our group back home.  Barb was trying to talk me into walking again, but I didn't have the right shoes, and it was hot, so I opted for the car - she however, decided to hoof it again!


We meet up again a little later and start sorting through my spoils.  How am I going to get it all home?  We pack a box, but then look up the costs of shipping it home - boy oh boy - way too expensive!  We devise a way to pack it so that we can bring it home on the plane with us.  That sorted out, we decide to go and prop up the local Italian economy once again! Yep, you got it - more shopping!!  Only little stuff though (well kinda, all except for that jacket I got!) We return home with all our bags in our hands, only to be greeted by our new Canadian friends.  They introduce us to their other friends (the ones who complained) and it appears that all is forgiven!  The conversation turns again to the Marcello balcony.  They ask me if  I would go up to my balcony, and wave down to them - just like in the movie - oh - and can I wear a towel wrapped around me to make it look more authentic?)  Oh, ok, if you want!  I open the balcony door - look down,  and get ready to wave.  All the hotel staff are out watching too!  It appears I am quite the celebrity!  Perhaps I should have charged for this photo shoot!!!

 Barb and I make the promise to each other, that tonight we are going to get to bed before midnight!  Let's see if that happens!

PS. You will be happy to know we had an early night! Well, was safely tucked up in bed anyway, me I was trying to stay up to skype home, but..... The Skype gods were not cooperative!  See what you get for being good!

Another perfect Positano sunset!  Only a few more to go!

Nocelle and Montepertuso

Today we have nothing planned!  A surprise Skype call from home roused me from slumber,  and the day swings into action!  

The view as we head down the stairs to breakfast!

Over breakfast we discuss our options, but it is the expert advice from our hostess Maria, that sets us off for the day!  She suggests a walk called "A Walk With The Gods".  Sounds good, a little exercise up on the mountainside!

First stop for the journey is the bus stop, 

as our starting point is Nocelle, about a 30 minute trip up the hill.

Probably only around 5-6 kilometers, but on a narrow, winding road, it is not an easy trip! It is only a small bus by our standards, and it is filled mainly with locals, on boards there are only a couple of "touristas"!  In fact all day, we only see one other American couple, and they are right at the start of our trip!  We travel up into the mountains with the locals - babies in prams, kids who have the day off school because of the public holiday, mums, and our new friend from the other night at Scirocco, Tancredi, on his way his way to work!

The path is not readily identifiable, which adds credence to the fact that this is the local goat track, and not a tourist walk! We head off, but we are unable to find the actual Walk of the Gods track!  Not to worry, we will just wind our way down the hill, and eventually end up in town! We start off on our way down slowly, there are again, lots of large, uneven stairs!

That's Positano, way down there in the distance!           can you see the house up there in the hills!



The need to pee is starting to formulate in my brain!  There doesn't appear to be to much between here and town,

but luckily, around the next bend, we arrive in Montepertuso,

and we see our new "favorite" restaurant Scirocco!

As it is now 12 o'clock, and the lunch menu is posted out front, we decide a legitimate pee stop is in order. For lunch we have a bruschetta (again) that is out of this world, I could eat, and eat this stuff!  The tomatoes here are so flavorful!  Barb orders a chicken salad, and I order a Caprese salad - more tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella and basil!

Truly, you have never tasted tomatoes, until you have tasted ones like these!  As we are the only ones in the restaurant we start talking again to Tancredi.  The beginnings of a plan are formulating........ I may just be able to return to this paradise in the very near future.  We spend quite some time here talking to Veronica (whose grandfather started this restaurant), and we see what her father, chef Pasquale, is preparing for this evening's service, new friendships are formed.  We promise to return on Thursday evening with our surrogate "mum and dad" and the other ladies from our cooking class.  Our plans will be further cemented then!

Lunch over, Tancredi and Veronica point us in the right direction, and off we head down the hill, and back to town.

Down this incredibly beautiful journey, we walk through a cemetery that is perched on the side of a cliff, further along we encounter some goats grazing on the hill above us.  They seem to smile at us as we take their picture.  We are also lucky enough to have a chance encounter with a local couple returning from their lunch out, they have with them their dog, and they try tell us something about their dog, but the language barrier is too much.  The encounter though, earns us two kisses on the cheek each, and the exclamation in broken Italian of "have a nice vacation!". The people here at just so incredibly welcoming!

Nestled in amongst the hills are some beautiful private villas, their vegetable gardens perched precariously up the cliff side.  

Everywhere you look are lemon trees, and the scent of their blossoms  hang hauntingly in the air everywhere you go in Positano!  As I have told you before, lemons are a sign of affluence - so this area must be truly blessed with wealth! If not in the monetary sense,  then the people of this area are blessed with the wealth of happiness, and a truly beautiful lifestyle.  Everywhere we have been, we have met people who have gone out of their way to help us in what ever way they can, and they genuinely want to ensure that we enjoy our visit to their part of the world! As we near the end of our walk, a little April shower cools us down, it is not much, almost like a shower you would experience in the tropics!  

Our hike down the mountain is over, and so we reward ourselves with an ice cold Peroni! Ah, life is sweet!  As we sit sipping our beer, another shower burst erupts, this one a little heavier, but it is welcome, as it cuts the heat. We were informed this afternoon (by the girl who runs a ceramic shop near us, and who just happens to be Veronica's cousin) that the reason for all the tourists is, that this week, from the 25th April - 1st May it is a holiday week, and the crowds are not normal, apparently tomorrow is will be a little quieter.  That will be nice! The church bells are chiming, and  as we sit here on my Juliet balcony, watching the jet boats leave the Harbour for the day........I make an unexpected turn to the right, and what to my wandering eyes should appear, but an episode of James Bond, Austin Powers, and Benny Hill, all rolled into one!  Pussy Galore and Allotta  Vagina - all on view to the world!  Perhaps they thought they were in Marcello's room! OMG! Only in Europe! As I gesticulate wildly to Barb, "PG" rolls over, and a parking place for bicycles appears!....... All thoughts of dinner disappear!

But only for so long....

Off we head into town (Positano) for dinner

Bruschetta (yes again) Seafood Antipasti, and Seafood Risotto!!!