Touching Trucks

(and cars)

Apparently this wasn't strictly "allowed"...

All the Italy photos fit to print

I took over a thousand and whittled them down by more than half... Here's a musical slideshow that only the most determined will get through (remember to go full screen!).



Or flip through at your own pace in this gallery.  Of course photos cannot quite capture how beautiful the place was, but some of these shots come close. And yes, the sea really was that blue!

Now she's using symbolism

I asked Sylvie why there is a broken heart in this picture. "It isn't broken," she explained. "You know how sometimes the people you love aren't near by, but when you are together your hearts fit together? That's this."

Lazy Memorial Day

We generally took it easy this weekend, but we did make it to Goodwill Park for some playground time. 

Great to be home

Here is Sylvie modeling her new Positano outfit...

Welcome home Mom and Dad

Thank you for my new doll, Dollie

Kitchen help Day 2

Today Sylvie rinsed, loaded and started the dishwasher.

Eating dinner

Uncle Patrick and Alex had dinner with us- yummy BBQ . Tomorrow night Mom and Dad will be home . Hurray !

Last day!

Day 7 was a bit of a mess. We started by planning to hit a cooking class the day AFTER we'd made reservations. Whoops. We then headed into Positano with the notion of doing some shopping (mission accomplished) and then hiking back up the hill to a restaurant we'd read about. Turns out the restaurant is closed. Whoops again. Luckily pretty much anywhere one stops around here will provide an awesome meal. Caffe Positano on the street overlooking the beach fit the bill. Then it was back to the hotel beach (from where I am typing this). I tried out a paddle board that must be defective (because why else would I keep falling off?). Luckily I did not learn first hand that the little jellyfish swimming around the board do in fact sting... 

Heading home in the morning, and while this has been the vacation of a lifetime neither of us can wait to see Syl. 

Kitchen help

Sylvie helps so much by putting dirty dishes in the dishwasher 

Supper at C&L Frosty

We're having a great time!

Day 6

Just one more full day to go! We are going to miss this amazing place, but not as much as we miss our little girl. 

Today was an "on our own" day. After a workout and late breakfast we hit Positano for some gift shopping, then hiked up to Montepertuso for lunch, across the ridge to Nocelle where we grabbed some fresh-squeezed juice at a stand, and then back down to the hotel where we cooled our jets for a couple of hours on the beach! 

Another post about a restaurant

Our driver yesterday, Francisco, remarked that "there are two words you will never see put together in Italy: 'grab' and 'lunch.' We do not 'grab lunch,'" he said, "we have lunch." 

Today Melissa and I had another fantastic lunch, again in a restaurant way off the beaten path that came highly recommended - in this case by my best man, Matt Hamilton, who visited Positano with his wife about two decades ago!  The place he had in mind, Il Ritrovo, was another long hike up another endless staircase from Positano center, but again it was more than worth it. And again we got another demonstration of the kindness and hospitality of so many Italians. Most restaurants here close between 2 and 7. When I called Il Ritrovo at about 1 to ask what time they stop serving lunch, the owner, Paullo, said, "just come - we'll be here for you." An hour and 45 minutes later, Paulo cooked us a delicious lunch in an otherwise deserted restaurant, and then sat down and did his books while we ate.  Amazing.  

This is me huffing up those stairs...

This is us settling in for lunch...

and this is just the first course of the incredible meal Paulo made for us.

Happy birthday Grammy!

Sylvie's Grammy Haley takes one step closer to her prime today. We aren't there to celebrate, obviously, but we did mark the occasion by buying her birthday present in Positano this morning. 

Happy birthday Grammy!

What it's all about

We had another incredible meal last night, combining the things we love best about Italy - the food and the people. Mediterraneo is a restaurant that requires another hike up from Positano center, either via stairs or a long, winding road. But again it is entirely worth it and then some.  Owned by three brothers, the oldest of whom cannot be 40, the place really has the feel of a family home. Laurenzo, the eldest brother, bounces from table to table making wildly happy and enthusiastic small talk that doesn't feel in the least bit forced. As we were finishing our meal he bounded into a squat in front of us and yelled, "Guys! Tell me something fun!!" We talked for a good 15 minutes about his family, his restaurant, his trips to the states, what brought us there, etc. Then he brought us a second round of limoncello and moved on. When we were leaving, Laurenzo gave Melissa a kiss and me a bear hug - and again, neither felt anything but authentic. Fantastic guy.  And I haven't even mentioned the food, which was perfect.

We started the evening on the terrace of the Sirenuse, a hotel nearer to Positano center than is ours. The Mediterraneo is somewhere up int he right upper quadrant of this photo, actually.

Dinner was outside next to the busy street, affording lots of opportunity for people-watching.

After bruschetta, I had rigatoni bolognese, Melissa had jumbo shrimp with spicy tomato sauce, and we shared a huge plate of grilled vegetables. For dessert we shared the delizia al limone (nicknamed, on the menu, "the boob").

Another day in Italy, another incredible meal. This morning we woke up and exercised for only the second time here - feel like we need to earn these eats!

Getting ready for bed

Grandma and Sylvie read books every night before bed

Pompei and Sorrento

Today's activity was a "private Amalfi Coast drive" with a great driver named Francisco. As it turned out, that meant a fantastically interesting tour of Pompei, followed by lunch and some shopping in Sorrento. 

On the way to Pompei Francisco asked if we wanted him to arrange a guide. Boy was that a good call. We would not have gotten a fraction of the benefit of the visit that we actually got without the learned guidance of Enzo, who was also a great guy.  What a fascinating and awe-inspiring place. 

Sorrento combines the best of what we have come to think of as the two Italys: the hectic bustle of the cities and the soothing and kind hospitality of the country. We had a great lunch, some fruit Slushies, and a nice walk with some shopping (Melissa got a bag, I got a belt, and Sylvie got a t-shirt - we really miss her). 

Now it is off to yet another highly-recommended restaurant in Positano for dinner!

A quirk

So this is the view from the toilet in our hotel room. Kinda nice right?

Unfortunately, this is the view of the toilet from our terrace... Which has made for some funny moments. Ah marriage.

Queen of Kindness

Sylvie helped a friend at school without being asked-so Miss Lori made her a crown

Day Four - Amalfi (kinda) and Ravello

The "partly-cloudy" day that was predicted never really materialized today. We got a lot of clouds and a lot of drizzle. But that didn't keep us in. We set out on the ferry from Positano with a plan to foot-tour Amalfi and Ravello. After getting thouroughly lost in our attempt to walk from the former to the latter, we finally ended up in Ravello and spent most of the day there. No loss - what a beautiful place.

Redefining dinner

I honestly don't know if I have ever had a better meal than the dinner we had last night. Peter, our boat captain, recommended La Terra, a restaurant in the small village on the mountain above Positano. We owe him! From the complimentary proseco when we walked in the door to the limoncello that closed the meal 2.5 hours later, every bite was incredible. They grow all of their own vegetables, Melissa picked her fish from the array of fresh-caught sitting in a display case, and I did three courses for maybe the first time in my life. Add the waiter who occasionally broke out a saxophone to accompany a waitress on vocals and the amazing view, and we really couldn't have asked for a better evening.

We started with a Bellini on the terrace of our hotel

Hee=re's that Proseco. That's Positano down below.

My spaghetti putanesca

Melissa's sardine gratin (yes, sardine gratin)

This confection is called a baba (basically sponge cake soaked in almond liquor). Between those first courses and this, I had veal with lemon sauce, and Melissa had lemon fish, also with lemon sauce). 

To cap it all off, the driver of the car that ferried us back to our hotel was the owner of the restaurant - a delightful ex-lawyer who told us all about his journey from the law to restauranteur. All around an awesome experience. Tonight we try the second restaurant Peter recommended...

What a fun birthday party!

The horses and baby bunnies were the favorites.

Isle of Capri

I wasn't sure anything could top yesterday's inadvertent uber hike, but today - on the opposite end of the exertion spectrum - came close. 

The boat and her captain Peter, a delightfully friendly Brit - picked us up at the hotel jetty at 9:30 am. 8.5 hours later we are sunburnt and pooped, but had another great day. What a remarkable place this is. 

Buddabings

We belong to the clean plate club! Alex and Sylvie polished off 2 big chocolate chip pancakes (Sylvie ) and sausage , eggs with cheese and English muffin- all with ketchup (Alex ). Thank you Grandpa Steve- great idea!

Pre- Buddabing's breakfast

Yogurt and Cheerios to tide us over

Guess who drove the Duck Boat???

Captain Foghorn and Co-Captain Sylvie 

On our Duck Tour

We're having a lot of fun!

Day 2 in Positano

This morning after an awesome breakfast we headed out for "a short hike."  We walked up 2000 stairs to the village of Nocelle, and then headed out on what we thought was the renowned "Path of the Gods." One mountain climb later we realized we'd made a wrong turn. After a fabulous lunch in Nocelle we stumbled on the real Path of the Gods and decided to give it a go. The upshot is that we literally hiked for 8 hours today, climbing and descending two mountains in the process. These photos do not begin to capture it. 

You can just make out our hotel in the lower left of this one, taken from far above...

The view from breakfast