The Amalfi Coast: What Dreams are Made of (Adventures with MooReece)

Another very early start to catch the train to Naples...and YES got on the right train :) not 2 days in a row!)

Today we were going on a private tour of the Amalfi Coast.  We were greeted at the train station by a man with a sign with my name on it (great because I was wondering where we would have to go to find him).  He took our bags and led us to his Mercedes! WINNING!  (Ok, it was a Mercedes Minivan...but still, leather and very comfy!)  At first we were quiet not knowing what to say to each other but we warmed up to Antonio very quickly once he started asking us more questions.  The nice thing about this tour is that we can make it our own, he becomes our personal chauffeur.  We really didn't know what to see other than what had been suggested to us by a friend so we brought up Sorrento and Positano as places we were told to go see and he modified the tour around us.  It was spectacular.  He stopped where he thought we would get great pictures and views, told us all about the area, the history and the agriculture (they have TOO many lemons in these parts apparently...as Robyn and I discovered, they have lemon EVERYTHING! From beverages to soaps, to perfume, to candles to aprons and dishes and nik-naks with lemons on them.  CRAZINESS!)







Positano was first where he gave us an hour to go through the pedestrian streets and shop and see the beach, then he brought us through the mountains and we admired the coast the whole way.  He asked where we would like to go for lunch and we said "anywhere with a view" and he brought us to a local place (not touristy) with one of the best views from a restaurant ever!  We enjoyed a delicious lunch and of course I had wine before jumping back in the Mercedes and having Antonio bring us to Sorrento (where he is from). He tries several times to convince us to change our plans and stay in Sorrento instead of Naples and now I know why.  SO MUCH BETTER and CLEANER and MORE BEAUTIFUL!  Naples is dirty and kind of scary... alot of crime and mafia.  It was just too far for us to stay with our other plans, but now we know if we ever come back...forget Naples - this is where dreams come true!  We had just over an hour in Sorrento to do our thing and I bought myself a very nice local gift (not wine) and he drove us back along the coast right to our new Bed and Breakfast.  He was a great tour guide and although it was a pricey tour - it was worth it because he tailored it specifically for us and we had a great time just learning about the area and talking with him without the annoyance of being with a large group!  Great day!

I mentioned I've been sick... well by the time we checked in, it hit me with full force.  I actually lost my voice completely to some sort of laryngitis at the end of the tour while talking with Antonio and then a fever hit.  Sweating and chills and the whole kit and kabuttle!  I went out in search of gelatto to ease my throat and a pharmacy for some meds. They don't have Tylenol here apparently but I said "fever" and touched my forehead and he spoke English so he gave me what they use and is like "This is for fever, we don't call it Tylenol" and I smiled because I really couldn't talk anyways.

Got back to the bed and breakfast (which is so charming by the way) and plunked myself in the dining room to relax.  I had managed to get a short nap in after the tour but wanted to exhaust myself before trying again.  Not to mention, when I'm sick while away from home, I get really HOMESICK and just want to talk to my peeps to feel somewhat in touch with my real life.  I spent an hour chatting it up and felt (emotionally) much better.  Overtired and sick like a dog does not make for a happy traveller LOL.  Content, I popped one of the fever pills and hopped into bed.  Took almost an hour to fall asleep but slept right in until 9!  HALLELUJAH!!!!!

Still sick but at least the fever is gone and the homesickness too... and if you're wondering how you can get homesick in a place like this... I often wondered too until I've lived it several times.  There really is no place like HOME because HOME is where your HEART is.  If you're in any one place long enough (like when I was in France) that can change you and it becomes your home, but when travelling for shorter periods of time and not talking to the people you're used to talking to almost everyday...when you finally shut it down and relax for a minute, you remember the people you miss back home and it makes you appreciate them that much more.




Miss you guys :)