Wednesday 24 August 2005 and we're back to the Sorrento-based holiday. You may remember that we have brought Mum along to Italy and we are currently in Amalfi where the rest of the excursionists are gathering in little groups, waiting to get on a boat for a trip up the Amalfi coast.
Whilst we waited I started to sketch the hillside with a small monastery at the top of the hill and a cluster of churches and hotels at the bottom. The boat arrived and I had to finish it later.
No genial Gino as a guide on this one, our guide was so memorable I've totally forgotten whether it was a he or a she! But whichever - they were rubbish!
Not so the scenery though, which was absolutely stunning. Taking Amalfi as it's central point the boat took us up the coast in one way and returned to go past Amalfi and down the coast for a while before returning again. We did see quite a lot of Amalfi, but from the sea it looked as stunning as it did from its streets, so no one minded really,
I seem to remember various houses being pointed out - I can't remember the roll call of famous names that we were told had villas or mansions along the coast. Gina Lollobrigida, Roger Moore, and Microsoft's Bill Gates all had houses along here. In fact, I'm sure I remember that Bill Gates had actually bought a nunnery or monastery as a house. I'm not sure I'd want a holiday home full of nuns, but there you go... I'm sure there were others. These houses were empty for most of the year. I don't particularly agree with having loads of houses around the world. Apart from the waste of space, it does nothing for local shopkeepers either.
Ah yes... the hat... It was becoming more and more floppy. The initial chic broad flop of the front of the brim was now a bit of a side droop!
As we came back past Amalfi and started sailing onwards we started to see caves, both down on the waterline and high on the hillside.
This one's a bit of a sockeroonie! Space for a whole family of troglodytes and a side room for the pet cave troll!
The coast road - the Amalfi Drive - is world renowned for its beauty. As demonstrated by this natural arch of rock, on which is sitting a group of teenagers whilst below you can just make out the head of the one they pushed off... It's hard, when looking at such a perfect landscape, to imagine these beaches with the charming and picturesque villages clustered around them as being the site of the Allied landings during the Second World War. Yet here is where our grandfathers and great-grandfathers risked or gave their lives for our freedom.
We finished the boat ride paying more attention to sunbathing than scenery, but there were some bits where I stirred up enough energy to lift the camera and click the shutter. The boat returned us to Amalfi and we headed back to the coach for the rest of the excursion before heading back to Sorrento. We were to have lunch up in the hills and then go on to Ravello to the famous gardens and open air stage that houses both opera and rock concerts. Next time, same blog...
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