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Published: June 18th 2017
This is my last blog of the trip, and though I started it on the plane ride home (so hard to find time to blog on such a busy trip!), I'm finishing it sitting in my house in Washington, very much missing the sunny 70s-80s weather, and all the Italians! They really are my people. Pushy and all 😊
Our final adventure started in Sorrento. It's connected to Naples by land, but it's on a bit of a peninsula that's about equidistant over water to Naples. But Naples was north, and we were basing in Sorrento to go south. Unless you are honeymooning I would definitely base in Sorrento and just do a day tour down the coast. While Sorrento is not huge, Positano and Amalfi are tiny, and just about the only thing to do there is drink, eat, and maybe do a boat tour (which means you're not really there anyway).The day that had
Sorrento at night
On our walk the first night down to the town. Similar view to what we see from our room!started overcast and rainy and drove us out of Capri a few hours early, became more tolerable later, and the sun actually came out. It was early afternoon when the ferry arrived in Sorrento, and we took a taxi to the hotel. Only about 1.5 miles, but that wasn't happening with a bag! Much like the mountainous/volcanic islands of Capri and Ischia, the entire coast is a huge mountain. Hills everywhere and everything is built into the side of the cliffs. The roads are slightly wider than Capri, but just as windy to get down to the port (Marina Piccola is the main port - it's backwards here. The Marina Grande isn't really used anymore). After we checked in and dropped our bags at our very fancy hotel, Hotel Belair, we set out for town. Our hotel was on the edge of the town proper, up on the cliff, but there was actually a sidewalk! First one we'd
Sorrento
In the distance you can see Naples on the other side of the bay. seen. The road and bridges on our walk were lined with jasmine. The floral accent was so strong and so delicious. Sorrento has the main road running though town, then right behind it going down toward the cliff edge are a bunch of smaller pedestrian streets, all lined with shops and restaurants. It's like a secret world back there. We walked through the streets, through the park, and Shweta got her dog fix with the sweetest bulldog in the park. From there we wandered to a fabulous little restaurant called Sacro & Profano (basically Good and Evil). We struck up conversation with a very nice slightly older English couple at the table next to us. They live in Manchester, a couple miles from the Ariana Grande concert that was bombed last month. The benefit concert just happened and really sounded special. Ariana Grande came back, with some other very big names. All the kids who were at the
Sorrento
Very steep walls! first concert got free tickets to the benefit. She said it was sad and sweet - all these young kids there with their parents, along with a huge outpouring of support from the community. It was a really tragic event that got somewhat lost in all of the terrorist events recently, but particularly disgusting because it was mostly kids/teens who were the victims. But the city really came together and bounced back - much like post-9/11 NYC.
Our dinner was fabulous, and made even more so by the superb manager/sommolier, who actually used to be in the Italian Navy back in the day! I can't speak for him then, but he really is doing an amazing job managing the restaurant. My best wine experience the whole trip! Did I mention how volcanic wines are gross? haha Natural wines. Bleh -rubbing alcohol. Volcanic wines (ie from Ischia or Capri) also bleh- very harsh and acidic. He picked out some real winners though that didn't break the bank. And perfect with the well-prepared and expertly plated foods! One of my favorite meals of the trip.
After dinner, we continued to walk through the quarter. By this time it was dark
(probably around 10pm) but everything was bustling! Love that about Europe - they're on my schedule 😊 We happened to walk by a tour office, and the girls inside enticed us in with descriptions of their boat tour. We had booked something through the hotel, but weren't really committed to it. So we let them talk us into their boat tour. A little prosecco never hurts either. So we called the hotel and canceled our plans for the next day, and sealed the deal with them for the Amalfi/Positano boat tour the very next day. And off we went for home, munching on this huge meringue that I had bought earlier in the day. Love meringues! Didn't realize they were such a thing in Europe, but there were a few places that featured these giant flavored meringues. I predict the next big food fad... Who doesn't love a good meringue?! (well, it turns out no one else traveling with me likes meringues, but who else?!)
The next morning we started with another free breakfast at the hotel (love how they all include breakfast!). What a GREAT breakfast! Nice buffet spread with lots of options, AND you can order eggs
Sorrento
Cool building we pass on our way walking to town. however you want from the waiter and they'll bring you anything! It's when I started thinking that there must be like 100 different ways to cook eggs. Shweta ordered poached and I ordered soft boiled, which they brought in this cute little egg cup. Then I decided I want it just a little less running on the inside (I love a runny yoke, want to barf at runny whites), so ordered medium boiled next. Well, that means it's solid inside just that the yolk is very soft and yellow. I'm like Goldilocks - the third would've been the charm (halfway between soft and medium) but 2 eggs on top of everything else for breakfast was good for one day. They also had bottomless mimosas, but just before an 8 hour boat tour did not seem a wise move, so I skipped.
The tour included a van that came to pick us up from the hotel (and dropped us off later) which was a nice touch. I think all of these tours are probably pretty standard and about the same. I'd be hard pressed to tell the difference, but it probably has to do with the narration and knowledge from
Sorrento
Another cool old building, right across from the first one! the captain. This one was pretty lacking (very little discussion/description) but the boat ride was very fun with great views! Not a bad way to spend a day. Our first stop was at a random tiny island off the coast of Sorrento where we could jump in the water and snorkel. Very nice to see the beautiful and plentiful blue fish! Very clear water, if a little chilly. Not too bad, though, and the weather was warm and sunny. Also I think it helped Shweta with sea-sickness (no chumming the water). It's been a while since I've swam in the ocean, but the water seemed a lot more salty than I remember, and I found myself wondering if the salinity varies from place to place (not wondering enough to try to find out though haha). We stayed wayyy too short (like 15 minutes) then back on the boat and continued along. If I had another day, I'd have spent a whole day in the water somewhere, either scuba or snorkeling.
The next stop was Amalfi - the furthest we would go down the coast. It was about 1.5-2 hours to get there by speed boat, and the water was
Out for the night!
Shweta and I had fun walking around Sorrento at night. so choppy that we were getting bounced pretty hard at even that speed. There aren't many towns on the coast that we passed. Really just Positano and Amalfi. Anything else is so tiny it doesn't really count. But Positano and Amalfi look very similar - more beautiful Mediterranean old buildings cascading down the side of a mountain into the water's edge. We docked at Amalfi and had about 1 hour to walk around and see the city, which was plenty. It was fun to see a different little Italian seaside village, but really not much different than Sorrento. Lots of little shops and restaurants. Also a couple of cruise ships, so TONS of what sounded like Americans walking around (the Seabourne was there, which is on my list of cruises that might be fun to take when I'm old and rich). We had gelato (of course) and walked around. The biggest problem with these stops is that these cities are built into mountains, which means a ton of stairs. Ever since Shweta's adventure running down a mountain, she couldn't do stairs. I explored a little then met her back down at the bottom. Really not that much else going on
Aubergine
yumyumyum. Eggplant in the town. If we had stayed there, we'd be taking road trips somewhere else, or tours. But, like I said, much like Sorrento.
We hopped back in the little speed boat, and headed to Positano next, about an hour back along the coast. We had about 2 hours for that stop, but you could have told me it was Amalfi and I would've believed you. Really no difference. Little beach (with rocks, not sand), lots of shops and restaurants, and tons of stairs. Again I explored a little. The only thing of note was a little chapel halfway up with a gorgeous view, and someone getting married on a Wed. Fun to watch the guests who apparently didn't get the memo that Positano is built into the side of a cliff, trying to navigate in stiletto heels the "European stairs" (meaning very old, mostly from rocks with lots of pocks, somewhat uneven, and all at an angle). We did buy some lemon flavored souvenirs though (lemon flavored pasta, lemon flavored biscotti, etc). Having eaten the lemon flavored biscotti, it was terrible. I have a feeling the pasta will be the same. Kitchy and touristy, made for cruise ship
Homemade ravioli
From the awesome restaurant we stumbled on in Sorrento! Such a great meal. tourists (which is part of the reason I had using a cruise as a tour - all you see is the touristy little spots in port, missing the true flavor of the area). I'd recommend skipping the edible souvenirs at those little tourist shops in Amalfi and Positano unless you can taste them first.
Back on the boat they gave us little sandwiches with tomato and mozzarella for lunch. I think it was the thought that counted with that, not the actual food. We had real food (pizza of course, followed by more gelato) at our port stop though so it didn't matter. Good thing we spent this trip walking our feet off based on how much pizza and gelato we ate. The rest of the boat ride back was nice and relaxing for me (Shweta did ok battling the motion sickness until almost the end. Never go below deck if you're seasick - no matter how bad you have to pee). For most of the trip I sat in the front of the boat, just relaxing on the cushions (by relaxing I mean hanging on for dear life, white knuckled, every time he hit a wave, which was
Park selfie
Nice little park we found wandering around Sorrento. There's a church on one side, and it overlooks the water. about every 5 seconds). For the end of the trip, I hung in the aft with a group of Americans, who brought a party! Prosecco, rum, and these awesome little baked cheeto-like snacks called Fonzies. So good! I'll now be on the lookout for anywhere in the states that has them or can get them. Definitely worth trying if you come across them (sadly Amazon currently doesn't have them available). One of the girls' husband is from Salerno - right up the road, so we also had a personal translator, which came in handy since the boat captain was just so-so with English.
We got back an hour early after a very choppy ride, and having skipped the green grotto (though they might have meant the green grotto in Capri, which we had already done. Did I mention how close Capri was? Very.) I would say the tour was fun, and definitely the way to see the area, but could have been better (more comfortable ride, more discussion, longer in the water (for me), better food - though they did have plenty of free alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks). I imagine the tour through the hotel would have been just
Puppies!
Shweta got her dog fix in the park with this super sweet bulldog! the same, though they probably would've been bending over backwards to make sure we were happy so they would keep the hotel's referral business (much like the awesome dinner in Ischia that Sofia sent us to!) We were dropped off back at the hotel (nice touch!) and took our time relaxing and freshening up. Then we set out on the town for dinner and wandering, as usual!
It was my last dinner in Italy, and I wanted the best homemade pasta the city could offer. We followed our concierge's recommendation to one of the many streetside restaurants in the old quarter (that part of the city behind the main street). The food was ok, wine was so-so, but it was a nice relaxing last night to hang together! After dinner we slowly wandered back towards the hotel - we were beat after a long day in the sun! Fortunately with plenty of sunscreen, neither of us burned. As a dermatologist, I feel like I'm held to a high standard to avoid the sun. And please don't take this as any kind of official recommendation, but coming from a family who tans very easily and has no skin cancer (none
mmmm gelato!
Out of all of the gelato we ate, I think this might be the only photo we have... that I know of in many many cousins and great aunts/uncles), we don't seem to have the kind of skin that comes with high risks with sun exposure (unlike the Northern European/Irish skin that freckles right up, burns, and eventually looks like you've been dried out in the sun by age 50 if you've lived a life without sunscreen - we call that job security). However, it still feels like there would be a lot of judging going on if I as the dermatologist were crazy tan. So I made a very strict effort on the trip to try not to get too much color, though still ended up with some. Hopefully just enough that it could maybe pass as my regular skin type to people who don't know me. Win! Question - how would you feel seeing a dermatologist who clearly had a tan? I equate it with your cardiologist having a smoke right before your appt.
Something about a hotel room after a very long vacation day is such a nice relaxing treat, no matter how stiff and uncomfortable the beds/pillows. The shutters in the room, like the ones in Capri, blocked out every trace of light.
Mad quad skills
This guy just posed like that. All night. When you give money he stands up and moves, which is kind of the opposite reason why I'd give this guy money. That is nuts to basically do a wall sit all night! OMG I want them at home! (though the ones in Capri were electronic and went up/down with the push of a button, which was way cooler). The balcony of our hotel had a beautiful view of the coast of Sorrento, and in the distance you could see Naples. Another one built into the side of a mountain! Breakfast the next morning (my last in Italy 😞 ) was just as luxurious as the day before. Though this time we had it on the terrace in the little eating area of the hotel. So gorgeous - perfect weather, yummy food, and great company! We set off for our kayak trip - squeezing in one last adventure before I needed to head to Naples for my flight Thurs afternoon. We went the long way down because Shweta couldn't do the stairs (which turned out to be a problem at the end...) We made to the marina on perfect time, to meet our Kayak tour guide, Umberto. He was as prototypical of a middle-aged Italian man if there ever was one! Tanned, fit, but a lifetime of smoking in the sun had it's toll. Though very friendly, borderline flirty, and very outgoing/helpful -
Breakie!
Breakfast was my favorite meal on this trip. Everything was so good! The tomatoes were sweet and so red. Medium boiled egg with a zeppole and nutella :) Perfect! and very nice to have him help you down on the steep rocks we ended up climbing 😊
It was actually my first time kayaking (I couldn't believe it, but thinking back, I don't think I've ever kayaked...). Very fun, and challenging. We took single kayaks, which ended up being a great idea because the girls on the tour who took the double had a ton of trouble coordinating when to row on which side. There were 5 of us on the tour, but the double girls (sisters from Sydney) had their mom along and she rode in a double with Umberto (nice way to do it- she basically got a free ride!). We set off down the coast and had a very nice description from Umberto of the history of the area, some of the many ancient Roman ruins. (Before the Romans it was the Greeks). It's amazing to think what the buildings used to be like so far back in the day! Supposedly very colorful tiles, which are either faded now, or have been taken one-by-one as souvenirs by unethical tourists. Having never kayaked I really didn't know what to expect, but was under the impression we
Our boat
For the 6 hour tour down the coast. would be in the boats and not really getting wet. Well, that was a poor choice - good thing I was in workout clothes, but having to get on a plane later that day with sopping wet work out clothes in tow sucked. Next time, bathing suit! We stopped along the coast in a little grotto. How very very cool! Nice place to get out, relax, enjoy the water and weather. We hiked up the little hill for more good views and to see some more ancient Roman ruins. There was a rock that was perfect for cliff diving, but it felt really weird doing that in regular clothes, so I passed. I was also getting nervous that I was cutting it somewhat close on time. It was supposed to be a 2 hour tour, but in true European fashion, we were just lounging around and could've made it a 4-5 hour tour if we wanted! (or so it seemed). Alas, I had to cut it short (keep us to the 2-2.5 hour limit) to get back in time to leave for my flight. It was a really wonderful tour, and I HIGHLY recommend Umberto's kayak tour if you are
Amalfi
All these little beach towns look the same! Amalfi and Positano are almost indistinguishable. While the beach might look nice, it's all little rocks. Not sand. in the Sorrento area! (I'm sure he's well-known there, at least by the hotels)
We got back, soaking wet - there's no good way to get out of a kayak in the choppy Mediterranean water without getting soaked - and I had to hightail it back to the hotel. I was set to take the stairs that went straight up to the hotel (300 steps straight to the hotel seemed faster than a much longer, more roundabout walk along the winding road), but since we hadn't taken the stairs down, we had no idea where they were to go back up. Not enough locals spoke English to really ask, and now I was getting nervous that we'd take a wrong staircase and I'd have to backtrack costing even more time. As it was I was cutting it a little close to catch the 2pm bus, which would get me there with no time to spare. I unfortunately had to leave Shweta (who was still having trouble walking up inclines/hills/stairs) and walk/run (the best I could do in flip flops - why didn't I wear sneakers!) up the hills, and eventually through A staircase, to finally make it up to
Amalfi Church
This was really the only thing to do there, but who wants to pay money to see yet another church?? the hotel. Not very direct, but back with just enough time to shower and finish packing. One of the really painful things about the local airlines is that they charge A LOT for checked bags based on very small weight increments, starting at 20kg, which is NOT 50 lbs. I had to do some very creative packing right down at the end to make sure my bag was 20kg, which meant I had to do the finishing touches somewhat last minute. Because I had a regular sized suitcase (it seemed reasonable for a 2wk trip to multiple destinations in Europe), the bag itself probably weighs around 10lbs (about 1/4 my weight allowance). Note to self - if traveling again, bring way less stuff and try to pack it into a carry-on sized bag. They have this policy of not allowing liquids greater than 50ml (which is again, way less than 3oz), so I was checking a bag anyway (just about nothing is less than 50ml - I don't know how they do that). In the end the big bag was fine, but that 20kg weight limit sucked. But I made it! Also essential - cute little travel bag scale.
With some efficient prep in the hotel and no wasted time (which also meant no lunch or leisurely goodbyes), I was off in a taxi to the bus stop in the middle of town (not that far) for the 2pm bus, with 10min to spare. Perfect timing! I debated for a while what the best way to get to the airport from the hotel was. Ferry (about 30 Euros, plus 2 taxis one of which in Naples (kill me) and about the same time as ground but lots more transferring) vs private car from hotel (easier, 1.5hrs, but 90 Euros) vs bus (1.5hrs, 10 Euros, plus 20 Euro taxi from hotel). I took the bus, and what an awesome choice!! If you ever are in Sorrento needing to go to/from Naples airport, take that bus. So easy, beautiful drive along the coast, clean, air conditioned, right on time, and CHEAP! Can't believe how cheap that was! I just showed up at the bus station, just before 2pm the driver came out to the bus, I put my luggage below, paid him 10 Euros, and enjoyed a comfy gorgeous window seat with so much air conditioning that for the first time
on the trip I actually had to turn it down! The company is called Curreri. Highly recommend.
I made it to the Naples airport right on time, and stood in the very long check-in line. Fortunately I had plenty of time. And actually saw Paula in line behind me! We had no way to communicate so I figured she had been by the gate a long time ago, but it's such a small airport they don't let you check in until an hour or so before your flight. Which is a problem when you have a long slow line and the bag drop closes 40min before your flight. But I asked nicely when I was up at the counter and the check in lady brought Paula up too to check in at the same time. Score one for Naples airport/Easyjet customer service! After watching other poor people have to rearrange their bags at checkin, I zoomed right through like a pro thanks to my luggage scale. I had previously been horrendously scarred by a terrible experience in Australia on a freakin awful local airline called Jetstar. Same concept as Easyjet, but since the first leg was from the states,
we had no idea what they would make us do on our connecting flight in Sydney, and omg was it horrible. Because of that, I knew to ask the pay in advance for weight and check for any hidden charges on carryons - there weren't on Easyjet, but there were on crappy Jetstar).
My last meal in Italy was a phenomenal pizza with fresh "buffalo" mozzarella in the airport again (different place) and a sfogliatella that was seriously the best one I've ever had in my whole life. Win again for Naples airport. The flight back to Paris was uneventful (despite my middle seat - my cheap ass didn't pay the 5 Euros to pick my seat), and we landed in Paris around 7pm. Since Paris is roughly the same latitude as Washington state, it's light until about 9:30pm, just like home! We snagged an uber (which was very challenging at the horribly congested Orly airport) and a very nice ride with a very nice guy to some random restaurant in Paris, bag in tow. The restaurant was Bistrot Paul Bert (the one on Rue Paul Bert) and was seriously phenomenal. It was the best service in all of
our time in Paris! And the food was amazing. It was the first time I've had octopus like that, and it was quite tasty - same taste as calamari, but instead of tiny little fried bites, with food to fried ratio of 2:1, the ratio of yum to fried was closer to 10:1. Ridiculously tasty. Everything was very gourmet and presented well. Also with great wine and great company 😊 What a wonderful last night in Paris! From there we grabbed another uber (soooo much easier with uber!) and headed to the Hyatt at the airport (we had flown into Orly a few hours earlier, but were flying out of Charles de Gaulle the next morning, which is on the completely opposite side of Paris).
The hotel was nice, and by the time we got there we just relaxed and headed to bed. The next morning was an early trip to the airport for my 10:10am flight (Paula was going to try to catch an earlier flight). We took the 8am shuttle to arrive at 8:20am. Should be plenty of time, right? No. Holy hell flying out of CDG was a NIGHTMARE. In the future, I'd recommend at least
3-4 hours buffer time before a flight out of there. Being a very frequent traveler, even internationally, I usually don't listen to the very early arrival times recommended by airports. 2 hours is usually plenty for international (1 hour is fine for local in the states). Though I forget that part of that is because I have TSA precheck and zip through security. The debacle started with the stupid hotel shuttle that drops you off in another terminal, having to find your way to the actual check in place. Once there it's a mad house. Delta/Air France has a ton of areas to check in. After standing in a line that DIDN'T MOVE for 20+ minutes (what the heck is so hard about print boarding pass, drop bag????) I risked losing my place and ending up in a longer line to search out a better check in area. Thank god I did because a few minute walk away was another check in area with no line. WHAT THE HECK?! I wrote them some very real feedback after that garbage.
So phew I was good - checked in and bag dropped. Or so I thought. Then I had to make
my way to another freakin horrendous line. The passport check line (not even security yet!) was at least an hour long. At this point it was 9:10 and my flight was boarding in 7 minutes (doors closing in 30). Oh and my gate/terminal was no where near there, and I still had to go through security after that! Paula actually got on a 1pm flight, so she was in the line with me, but she had the wonderful luxury of not sweating bullets worrying about missing an intercontinental flight. I pleaded with one of the many (and ornery) security ladies/check in people patrolling the ridiculous lines. She let me get into the shorter line when I showed her my flight time (after she berated me and made me explain why I was cutting it so close - stupid airport). That line was still about 20min, but at that point it felt like an hour. Very very very slowly moving toward the passport window. I get that security is heightened, but at the busiest airport, maybe having more than 6 passport counters open, when you have about 15 windows closed, is a good idea, especially after all that's happened. I finally
got to the window for my 10 seconds of looking at passport, stamp. Holy hell that was a long wait for that. I booked through to security, which had NO LINE (saving grace), boarded a train for my terminal (still sweating!), then had to walk to the entire end of the terminal, because of course my gate was the very farthest one. Fortunately I could see the line was still long to board so I grabbed a very very quick quiche for breakfast before heading to the gate. And holy cow that was a stressful airport experience - one of my worst (up there with that freakin Sydney debacle). But I made it onto my plane! (after ANOTHER passport check - that's a total of 4 times someone looked at my passport in that airport) I'm pissed that I didn't have time to get my VAT tax back though for my fairly expensive purchases. I almost did have time, but in my terminal when I briefly stopped on my run to my gate, they told me "oh, you have to get that stamped at the customs office first. It's in the terminal back by security". Thanks for freakin nothing.
Kayaking!
It was really fun the morning I left. Tight timing but glad we did it! I will say that after that awful airport experience, missing out on my VAT refund, and a very rapid goodbye cuz in the middle of a horrible security line, the flight itself was comfortable, relaxing, with tons of pretty decent food and wine. Despite that terrible check-in experience, I do love flying Delta! Not bad that one way non-stop from Seattle to Paris was only 30,000 miles (return was 50,000 because I was less flexible with dates, but still not bad for nonstop from Seattle!)
And that was my trip! Thanks as usual for coming along. It was a lot packed into 12 days, but still remained fun, relaxing, and very enjoyable. It was a cool way to do it - like 3 completely separate vacations. Paula raved about staying on Ischia for a solid 7 days, which I think would also have been super relaxing, but I really liked getting to see so much of the area. And since I flew back on a Friday (left at 10am and arrived at 11am local time!) I still had a couple days to re-acclimate. I'm not sure where the next adventure might be (though given the upcoming Navy deployment cycle,
Our little kayak cove
Fun little grottos like this all up and down the coast (not sure it would technically be a grotto, which translates more closely as cave). Only accessible by swimming through the little opening, or kayaking through. You have to time it right and really paddle fast and straight to make it through, because the waves are constantly coming. possibly somewhere not of my choosing), but until then will be enjoying the gorgeous (but very different) life in Washington State! Visitors always welcome 😊 (I recommend the summer)
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Aunt Mad
non-member comment
Glad you're safely home from your AMAZING trip with lots of GREAT memories! And so glad you shared it all so well in your blogs! Too bad about the CDG airport nightmare but, thankfully, ALL's WELL THAT ENDS WELL!! CIAO!!