Positano and Amalfi

We said our goodbyes to John and Traudi last night since they left the apartment this morning at 5am to make their way to Vienna. And we will meet up with them again in another month in Vienna. Thankfully, we found our energy again and made our way to Positano to spend the night. The owner of the home was kind enough to let us leave our car in his drive so we could take the bus and not have to worry about the crazy driving and lack of parking. But the buses here leave something to be desired. We met many people who were waiting over an hour to catch a bus that never arrived. And once we got to Sorrento, there was a huge line and wait to make it to the towns of the Amalfi Coast. Again, avoid this place in July and August no matter what you do! We were just happy to make it to the front of the line and have a Positano bus come by. A couple of hours later and we completed the 9 mile trip! Then it was off to find a hotel and a restaurant for lunch. We walked by a place that smelled delicious and were pleasantly surprised to be referred to the hotel above. After a lunch of pizza and tiramisu we were off to explore. Sadly, there was no sun for us today so instead of the crystal clear blue water reflected in the sun, we had the clouds hanging lower over the mountain peaks, which was just as beautiful. After walking through the streets and making our way down to the harbor, we decided to take a boat to Amalfi. We had heard that bad weather was coming in tomorrow and the boats may not be able to dock so this may be our only chance. And we can see why they cancel boat trips in bad weather. There was only a little chop and the boat was rocking back and forth pretty hard while people were trying to walk the passerrelle to get onto the deck. We found a spot on top and it was a windy, bumpy ride with spectacular scenery. We found Amalfi to be a smaller, more rustic version of Positano, but still jammed with tourists and their shops. So we caught the bus back to Positano for an entertaining ride back. We discovered that there are spots where 2 buses just won’t fit side by side without some fancy maneuvering. The bus drivers are pretty talented at knowing the space they take up and after a lot of backing up and jockeying we were finally able to squeeeeeze by each other. All under the sound of car horns from impatient local Italians who were backed up in both directions. God, they must hate tourists. For the evening, we made our way down to the restaurant below us and decided to sit outside despite the smell of rain in the air and no umbrella for our table. The evening was just too lovely to sit inside. And our timing couldn’t have been any better. As we were getting close to being done, the rain started off softly but we were staying dry and stayed put. Then it started to rain a bit harder so I moved over to sit next to Mike who was protected by our neighbor’s umbrella. And then the skies opened! It started pouring as we were asking for our bill. So we ran inside to enjoy the complimentary Limoncello as we watched it rain. But were outlasted by 3 American women who were having a fantastic time and stayed outside until they just couldn’t take it anymore!