Craig's blog

This morning we got up at 6:00, after far too little sleep and boarded a private Mercedes van for an all day trip to Pompeii and Positano.  It was about a 2 ½ hour drive to Pompeii.  The van was a pretty snug ride.  Patty sat up front to avoid getting car sick.  Jim, Diane and I sat in the second, rear-facing row, facing Kelli, Katie & Jessie.  There wasn’t a lot of room for our legs and backpacks and other paraphernalia.  We didn’t know we were at Pompeii until we arrived and then we had to hop out quickly and leave the van.  I managed to leave my camera behind, which I noticed about 2 minutes later, but the van was gone.  Much to the dismay of our tour guide, Gaitano, I ran to the parking lot where the van was to retrieve it.  I don’t think he ever forgave me for the duration of the tour.

Gaitano was an excellent, loud (Italian) guide.  Gaitano is a third generation Pompeii tour guide, and it really showed.  He made it fun to learn all about how Pompeii was 2,000 years ago, how advanced it was and how much influence Roman architecture has had on us since.  For just about all of us it was most amazing to see how advanced Rome was and how well the Romans lived.  It was overall a great experience – thanks to Jim setting it up.

When we finished the tour we were very hot.  At the exit they have orange and lemonade stands setup selling slushy, pure orange juice.  It is a brilliant setup as it really hits the spot.

Next, we drove about 90 minutes along the Amalfi coast, stopping occasionally to take pictures.  We stopped in Positano which is a classic Mediterranean seaside town built into a steep hillside.  Our driver, Juan, that Patty talked to for 7 ½ hours, did a great job maneuvering the narrow, winding roads and explaining much about the area.  It is particularly renown for its lemons, which are used for all sorts of things from candles to perfumes to cooking.  Juan set up a reservation for us at his favorite restaurant in Positano – right on the beach, and we loved it – especially Jessica. According to Juan, Positano is also known for its incredibly fresh Mozzarella cheese.  He says they make it in the morning and have it to the shops by 9:00.  We had to try it, of course, and it was really amazing.  Most of us had some sort of seafood along with our salads.  After lunch, the Carlsons put on our swimsuits and went down to the beach.  I took a short nap on the rocky beach barely fitting in the shade of a rowboat sitting there.  The girls went in the water.  A few minutes later I went in the water and did some swimming.  It’s an incredibly crowded, rocky beach, but it was nice to cool off in the water (which was probably at least 80 degrees).  We then walked (uphill) to the parking lot to re-board the van.  Of course we got some gelato on the way out. 

The drive home was long – 3 ½ hours, but Patty talked with the driver, Juan and Jim and I talked about work.  The girls alternated between napping (with their heads at weird angles) and reading.  We got back to our apartment around 8:45, put our stuff down and then went out to eat at Piazza Campo de Fiori where we had one of the least inspiring meals we’ve had.

We went home and went to bed (with several tiffs popping up given how exhausted everyone was) around 11:30.