Monday, our last full day, was a daytrip to Paestum. Once again, we just barely missed a train, and had to wait an hour for the next. I was surprised that it was an hour and forty-five minute ride, but we didn't have to change trains in Salerno. The train we took seemed to stop at every little station along the way. So we arrived shortly after noon, and headed straight for lunch first. We found a fairly nice resaturant, though not too expensive. Paestum is supposed to have the best mozzerella-- there were several buffalo farms and processing plants nearby-- so we ordered an appetizer of mozzerella and prochiuto instead of the usual caprese. The mozzerella was so freesh that it was still making juices. It was a bit too watery for our tastes, but ... read more

Curses! Foiled again by public transportation! This morning, we set no alarm, but were still up at 7:30. We had to pack our suitcases with some more souvineers, so it took a bit longer than usual. Still, we were ready by 9:30. After dragging our bags to the top of the stairs, we learned that we had just missed a bus and it would be 45 minutes until the next one. But we used the time to enjoy the view and read more in our guidebooks. After we finally got down the hill, we had to wait another 30 minutes for the Circumvesuviana, which itself took over an hour to reach Naples. Finally, we checked into our hotel at 1:30. It was difficult to find, as their directions given online were extremely vague. They also gave ... read more

Today, we drove up the Amalfi coast! We checked out of Hotel K (and their hard-as-a-rock matress) at 9:00 when Giovanni arrived. He was a nice, older man whose English was good, if thickly accented. He loaded our suitcases into his BMW, and we were off. It took longer to drive out of Salerno than I had expected, but we also arrived in Ravello quickly. Well, I say quickly only in comparision to the hour plus I thought the drive would take. Being up on top of a mountain, there were many twists and turns to get up to Ravello itself, and I was feeling quite nauseated by the time we arrived. Giovanni himself was a very smooth driver, but the roads were just too winding. Being in Ravello about 10:00, there were very few other ... read more

So far, we're already off to an eventful start! Our flights from DFW to Toronto and Toronto to London were each on time, long, and rather dull. The cross-atlantic leg was only 6 hours in duration, so it didn't leave us the opportunity to sleep much. Still sleepy, we rushed through customs and claimed our bags quickly before dashing a mile (well, it seemed that far) to check in for our Alitalia flight. We were so happy to be on time. Then everything fell apart. Italy's air traffic controllers were on strike today, we learned. What a mess! Instead of the short line in the baggage check, we turned to see a very long line at the ticketing office. We had no choice but to join the queue. It took over an HOUR for the thirty ... read more