Off to the Amalfi Coast

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September 14th 2008

Published: September 14th 2008

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Kurtis

La Bocca...

we were 5 minutes late....they closed

Thursday 28thAugust
Rome - Napoli - Amalfi Coast

Early Thursday morning we were all up and ready to go at 7.00am - one problem we couldn’t pick up the car till 8.00am. So we all rechecked under our beds, in the bathroom, in our bags to make sure the checking we done 15 minutes earlier hadn’t miraculously changed!!

Finally Kurt, my Dad and Joshua left to collect our car. My Mum, Katelyn and I were responsible for taking the suitcases and everything else!!!downstairs via a tiny elevator that we were soooooo grateful to have. Our luggage had amazingly expanded to a total of 15 pieces of luggage (including pack bags and plastic bags with stuff we couldn’t get back into the suitcases) and NOT including 4 boxes of food stuff!!!! We were laughing hysterically as we made trip after trip down the elevator and the pile kept growing. Poor Katelyn was stuck in the elevator with all the luggage!

Obviously Kurt had the foresight to realise we would have lots of luggage because he collected us in a 9 seater car. It was great and spacey and the luggage JUST fit. The kids had luggage at our feet

La Bocca...

The site where la bocca is.

and the extra 3 seats were completely filled!!!!

We had to make a quick stop to buy water, sauce bottles and alcohol and UHT milk. Kurt suspected that prices would be more expensive on the Coast and he was right. Bus tickets in Rome cost E 1 but on the coast cost E 3. In Rome we were 100 metres from the supermarket, on the coast we would have to walk 2 kilometres to the closest supermarket so we stocked up and filled up the car even MORE!

While my Dad and I were buying all the stuff, Kurt had to drive around the block because there were no car parks. When he picked us up he looked strange, he’s experience with Italian drivers, had obviously begun.

We started our trip and Kurt was trying to get used to the gear stick on the wrong side, driving on the wrong side of the road, the lack of road rules in Rome and reading the GPS at the same time. It was a big manual car to be driving in Italy!

We had a hard time getting out of Rome because so many street are one way

Rome

Last dinner in Rome

and the GPS didn’t seem to recognise all of them, which made our departure of Rome longer and much harder than it should have been. The seating arrangements were Kurt and I in the front seats, Joshua with all the groceries around him- in the middle section and mu parents with Katelyn in the back. As Kurt tried frantically to get out of Rome, I tried to help by reading the GPS, maps and street signs.(I don’t think I was that much help because I directed us to the wrong freeway…but they all look so similar!!!) My parents who could see that Kurt, normally a mild mannered and calm person was starting to look anxious having to follow the GPS back into Rome instead of away from it, were quiet and perfect backstreet drivers. We hardly heard them even though it was hot in the back of the car.

The kids were another story altogether!!! They wouldn’t shut up!! They were obviously excited, talking a mile a minutes and asking poor Kurt every conceivable question that went through their head. He was amazingly patient; I would have pulled the car over and said to all of us “We need

P1020403

Katelyn at the market

to rethink this whole bloody holiday!”

Once we got out of Rome and onto the freeways, the drive felt much better. The volume of the music was raised and the air conditioner which up to that point wasn’t working( but who was going to complain?), was put on.

Kurt had programmed the GPS, to follow the scenic path, thinking that instead of straight freeway driving, we could take the scenic route and see something along the way. And that’s where it all turned to S**T!!! Holy S**T!!!

Firstly Katelyn said she felt sick and we were only driving on the freeway - we hadn’t started any curvy road!! So as she got prepared with her vomit bag, my Dad swapped the kids so Katelyn was in the middle area and hopefully get some fresh air from my window. (Only the front passenger and the driver had any windows that could be lowered!!) Then Joshua said that he felt sick and Kurt thought it was because he had been playing his D.S. So he stopped but started to look even paler. I told Katelyn who by this stage was feeling so sick she’s started quietly crying, to give

Rome

Icecream on the balcony

Joshua a vomit bag. Within 30 seconds of getting the bag, Joshua was sick. Then my Dad moved Joshua next to Katelyn in the middle section. Although there was nowhere on this freeway that Kurt could stop, it still made him feel terrible seeing Katelyn quietly crying. She vomited a few more times before we made it to our villa and really had a terrible time on this trip. My mum who is also prone to car sickness did a great job and slept when she felt sick. Thank god, otherwise my Dad would have been looking after everyone. Unfortunately I was in the front seats and the seats were too high for me to climb over but thank god Katelyn is great in situations like that.

We were driving through gorgeous little coastal towns but one in particular Formia, was lovely and drowning with tourist and all their cars!! And the roads were tiny, I mean tiny. If we’d been driving a standard car, we’d have a hard time with the road. But we had a huge van in a popular coastal town, in a tiny street with pedestrian and vespas and cars that DON’T FOLLOW RULES!!!!Kurt was

Rome

stressed and later said, that it had been the longest kilometre of his life!!

Later the GPS took us to streets which we assumed were one way, based on the sheer size of them. But HOLY S**T, we nearly had a heart attack when we saw cars coming, and coming fast down the other size. But there wasn’t enough space for two cars…but we were the only ones who seemed to recognise this very important fact. And no one slowed down to gauge the space they had.

Kurt was absolutely amazing. Although he was stressed, he could still crack a joke and get into the spirit of things by swearing at other drivers who tooted at him!!

Later that night we laughed about it but at that stage it was really stressful….

We went past lots of town but one in particular Mondragone, will stay in our minds for a long time. This place was on the beach and we parked in a side street to make some sandwiches and have lunch. Oh my god!! We thought we’d accidently parked in the rubbish tip area. It was so polluted with general rubbish that we were amazed.

Rome

As we drove out of this town, we were all stunned at the level of rubbish we saw. It was everywhere and overflowed out of the dumpsters. It was on the side of the road and just casually piled up anywhere and everywhere. It was truly disgusting!!

At a petrol station we filled up diesel and watched as a guy unwrapped his cigarette pack and throw his plastic wrapper away. The mentality of this town and surrounding areas was disgusting. People have said to us, that the closer you get to Naples, the more apparent the rubbish situation becomes.

Slowly we made our way to a beautiful place called Ravello. We had to drive high into the mountains and the roads were full of hair pin turns. Once again in a normal car, they’re tolerable, but in a big van, with vespas trying to overtake you, big buses quickly approaching you and not slowing down and locals who speed around the corners and drive over the line, and all this happening in a huge car, with a sick child and very little idea of the accuracy of the GPS, Kurt had a mammoth job on his hand.

Rome

at the market

He was disappointed that the roads were so bad, because the scenery was spectacular and given a different circumstance, he’d have loved to return and better see the landscape. But he was NEVER going to drive THAT car back up THOSE roads unless lives depended on it!!

Finally after a mobile call and a stressful u-turn, we found the person giving us the key and he directed us to follow….BACK UP THOSE STREET!!!! You should have seen Kurt’s face, he was in shock that he’d have to drive around those roads again. He couldn’t believe it! TO quote Kurt’s word “JESUS CHRIST!!!!”

Luckily he didn’t have to drive that far, perhaps 1 kilometre.

So we followed this guy up to this villa and things were looking good. We finally found this town and this guy and very soon we’d be sitting on our very own terrace watching the water. When Kurt booked this villa he was told it had off street parking and it did…….it had a tiny off street car park. Kurt tried a few times and then the 2 other men tried to help (why do men think the more people shouting instruction will make

Rome

Katelyn

a square peg fit into a round hole?)IT WAS NEVER GOING TO FIT!! NEVER!! So we’d driven almost 7 hours, had a drive who desperately need a stiff drink and COULDN’T PARK OUR BLOODY CAR!! The guys suggested we leave the car parked on the road and they’d try and organise another car park close by but much larger. They ended up giving us a larger car park about 10 metres down the road, thank god!!!

Without seeing the place and against Kurt’s suggestion, I firmly suggested we unload ALL our stuff!! I just wanted everything with me, rather than in a car on the side of the street and we had no idea how far this second car park was going to be.

Oh my god!! I wish Kurt had been his normal bossy self and insisted because this place was lower than street level and had lots of narrow steps to climb. We on the other hand, had LOTS of luggage!!!

Eventually we got the entire stuff downstairs, said goodbye to the guys and looked around. Kurt was still pacing like a caged animal and obviously still very highly strung after his day from hell!!

Rome

last night walk in Rome...

Finally we took our drinks outside on the terrace and sat……. The view was breath taking.

!!

Saturday 30th August
Amalfi Coast - town of Amalfi

This morning after a lovely breakfast of grilled cheese and tomatoes sandwiches (because we haven’t a toaster) we headed off to the township of Amalfi. We were told it was 1 km away so it wasn’t worth catching a bus especially at a cost of over $5.00 a ticket each!!!

We walked and passed the town of Atrani and it was pretty but small. The beach was private with a small scattering of public areas.

We walked on and with the morning breeze, it was lovely. We were hoping to organise some tours with the Amalfi tourist office.

When we arrived at the Amalfi tourist office, the girl was on the phone, but told her caller to wait because she’d only be a second!!! I told her to finish her call and I’d wait because I had a lot of questions. She told her caller to again wait, she wouldn’t be long! So I took my time and asked lots of questions and she was surprisingly

Rome

Over looking the Roman Forum

helpful.

We walked further into the town and it was very beautiful with lots of swimmers on the beach and restaurants on the street. Buses were coming into the town constantly and the traffic didn’t slow down for a minute.

We spoke to the tourist bus operator and she was really helpful and then directed us to the normal bus operators. It was then that we had to speak to the driver. Oh my god! He was like a version of John Travolta from Saturday Night Fever, as are a lot of driver and policemen. Tight pants, rolled up sleeves over his bulging biceps, George Michael 3 day growth and necessary chain. He managed to hold a conversation with us, with his friend and take a mobile call. We walked away a little confused……

We walked further into the town and down a street via Pietro Capuano. It was a great street with vendors and restaurants everywhere; vespers, cars and pedestrian all competing for space.

My Mum did a little shopping; buying some overpriced souvenirs and Kurt bought some alcohol. Can you see a reoccurring theme with Kurt’s priorities!!!

We found a cute little pizza

Rome

Dirty feet....on the bus home

shop where two Napolitano brothers cooked fresh pizza and calzones. They were so well priced with pizzas costing E 4 - 4.50. We brought some pizzas and sat on some steps in Piazza Duomo. We enjoyed our first Italian pizza, and passing view all within the Amalfi coast.

After lunch we wondered and walked along a lot of backstreets up and down many, many steps. As I turned one corner I came across the funniest site. There were two little girls with arms outstretched, who were blocking the path for Katelyn and Joshua. With their smart aleck Italian, they said my Mum and I could pass, but i bimbi
(the children) couldn’t pass, they had to stay there. My kids were a bit freaked out especially with these 4 years bossing us around. When Kurt and my Dad came up the steps they said the men could pass and my kids used this time to quickly get away. These gorgeous girls were so disappointed and so held my Dad captive and wouldn’t let him pass. We were captivated by their boldness and confidence that we spoke about them for ages.

It was hot in the sun and there

Rome

At Termini Station...Katelyn and Maria Bought some hand bags

was a lot of walking involved, so my children became tired. Actually we saw a few kids throw tantrums but it was so much funnier watching Italian children cracking up!! Watching them throw their hands in the air and put their hands on their hips and yell at their parents was fantastic entertainment….

We had a few near death experiences….. Joshua was on the other the side of this narrow road when a vespa came roaring around the corner. Instead of standing back against his side of the road, he instinctually raced across the road to me and the vespa narrowly missed him. I heard my Dad gasp and thought he was going to have a heart attack.

Later I was standing outside a pizza shop having ordered calzones to take home for dinner. A vespa came down the street and accidently hooked a pedestrian’s backpack with his handles which sent him veering in the opposite direction. He tried to counter act the action by swinging into my direction. My Dad who was in front of me, but unaware of me, jumped out of the way and the vespa came to a sudden holt, inches away from me.

Rome

on the steps of the memorial building...Where the Wolf, Romelus and remus is housed.... Late again!

I heard the commotion and saw the vespa parked behind me, but had no idea what had happened!

My Mum spent the whole day getting into trouble all over Amalfi!!! When she was looking at some souvenirs, she touched them to distinguish if they were plastic or ceramic. A man asked her what she wanted and she replied she was looking at these souvenirs, to which he responded, well if you’re just looking, why do have to touch them? That pissed her off, so she briefly touched the man on the arm and said thank you but I don’t want anything! Later we were in the fruit shop and my Mum picked up a lettuce telling me she’d prefer this one. The old lady, quick as ever, told my Mum not to touch the fruit as she would help her with whatever she wanted. We were surprised but we needed the fruit, so we apologised and grinning at each other, shrugged. At the same time as servicing, she started playing with her grandson, so my Mum picked up two cucumbers. Same thing happened don’t touch the vegetables, I’ll get them for you! It was hysterical watching my Mum trying

Rome

On the bus home saying goodbye to Rome for the last time.

to keep her cool with all these rude Italians.

My Dad also had an interesting encounter. We were walking around the back streets; we found this very quiet restaurant so far from the main street it was amazing they were able to make any money. A waiter approached my Dad with a menu and briefly outlined the food choices and my Dad said we’ll come back later maybe for dinner. My Dad had only spoken in English and as he walked around the waiter said in Italian, “Get F******!! To which my Dad turned and replied also in italian,
“ No, YOU GET F*****!” That pissed my Dad off.

Oh my god the Amalfi brings out the beasts in my parents!!!

We left Amalfi with three backpacks filled with fruit, vegi and alcohol and had a walk back. On the way up we were fresh and had nothing to carry, but on the way back we had a lot to carry and uphill. But it was ridiculous for 6 of us to pay a total of E 18, $30 for a 1 km ride.

Later my Mum found out that the locals pay E1.60 for a

On the way to Amalfi Coast

our Ford Transit....It was BIG for the roads.....

bus ride, but the tourists are charged E3. She met the people who’d given Kurt the fruit and the farmer’s wife said, tell the ticket people that you’re living with a local family and don’t mention any other price. Fantastic!!!

At the moment, standing on our terrace is the owner of the villa. My Dad invited him in for Italian coffee. He built this villa for himself and his wife, but after 30 years of waiting for a building permit, has relocated to another home and is renting this villa out to suckers like us!!! I’m a bit concerned because the owner has just suggested we leave Katelyn here in Amalfi and pick her up in a year!! What the hell does that mean????

Tomorrow we’re catching some buses to Napoli and hoping that we don’t get robbed or according to Colin (a friend at school), groped or pinched!!

Additional photos below

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