On a Boat

Today was our first booked tour, which took us up the Almafi coast. After breakfast, overlooking the bay per usual, we caught a shuttle that would take us to our boat for the trip. The shuttle meandered up through the hills, occasionally picking people up from various hotels to join us. After 30 minutes of driving across the Sorrento peninsula, we arrived at the fishing village we would depart from. It was at this point that I realized that the rest of the tour was youth deficient relative to us by a minimum of 30 years. We decided the young folks just didn't have our tour connections.

Once on the boat we traveled about 2 hours North to Amalfi, stopping every so often to check out ruins, villas in private islands, or other sites. Jessica and I marveled at the clear, brilliant blue water. Near the dock, we coould see 15 feet straight to the bottom and watch fish swimming by. It was simply incredible.

Eventually, we reached Amalfi and stepped off the boat. We wandered through the streets, stopping every so often into shops or exploring narrow alleys off the main drag. Being good tourists, we bought some limoncello, which is a lemon liquor that the region around Sorrento is known for. We also bought some strawberry creme liquer and other touristy items. All in all, we helped the global economy. Before heading back to the boat, we stopped for a panini and pizza break with some white wine for lunch and managed to strike up a conversation with the folks one table over.

Back on the boat, we returned towards our starting point, but stayed closer to shore so that we could see all the villages that clung to the rugged terrain at the edge of the Mediterranean. We snapped a ton of photos, and envied ourselves the decision to take the boat as opposed to trying the winding road several hundred feet above. Our last stop was at Positano, a beautiful town on the Amalfi Coast that has played vacation home to politicians, artists, and writers for generations. Like at Amalfi, we spent our 2.5 hours visiting shops, exploring the town, and eventually stopping for a drink at the edge of the beach. It was beautiful, hot, and extremely relaxing. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end and we made our way back to the boat for the trip home.

After our 8am to 6pm adventure that included 5 hours of city wandering, we were a bit exhausted. We closed up the evening with much needed showers followed by sitting on our balcony and snacking on garlic crostinis, smoked mozzarella, salami, and green olives. Oh, and of course, wine with our incredible view. Tomorrow, the Isle of Capri!