A day on the beach in Sorrento
Trip Start
May 18, 2007
1
39
62
Trip End
Jul 18, 2007
Sorrento,
Italy
Sunday, June 24, 2007
We are not sure if you are aware of the intense heat wave that has hit southern Europe but the last few days in Sorrento and surrounding areas have been at least 100 degrees every day, with very high humidity!
We saw on the news today that the rest of northern Europe is experiencing heavy rain storms so we are fortunate that we missed the flooding in the north (which is on its way to Poland and Germany now) and we are just blessed with each other's sweat, and LOTS of that!
Laurie knows that Ryan is now thankful that Laurie brought along Kleenex wipes to mop our brows, and bodies, from the constant dripping that occurs each day
3 chubby Italian kids
. We don't let this stop us though and continue to walk about 5 miles a day. We figured that if we keep up our pace we'll top out over 309 miles in 60 days - cool!! We are on track for it but need a little relief on the heat!It was so warm today that we decided to visit out favorite internet café in the old part of Sorrento, "Blue Café" and enjoy a nice cappuccino and a strong blast of air conditioning - a rare commodity in Sorrento! It felt good to sit comfortably and answer emails and get caught up on our blog. We have found it difficult to not have wireless connectivity in our B&B but luckily found a great spot close in to chill out and escape from the blistering heat!
After soaking up the air conditioned surroundings for a while we had no choice but to head to Tony's Beach to relax on a lounge chair and take in the sea breeze and sunshine. Our Ipod's were charged and ready for use, sunscreen and towels and we were off!
Tony's beach is family run by who else, Tony, and his father, Tony, roam around late in the day to say "Ciao" to everyone and make sure a good time was had at his "beach". They charge 12 Euro for a day on the lounge chair (which includes use of a toilet, shower and chair)
Laurie and Ryan enjoy their last dinner in Italy
. We selected Tony's beach because we had lunch there the other day and Tony's wife did not charge us to sunbathe, only for the lunch - good deal and it might have been the only deals we have found in Italy! While we have not spent a lot here, we are CONSTANTLY watching our things and to make sure we are not being taken advantage of, anyone from the toilet attendants who are sitting watching TV but wanting 2 Euros to pee, to the taxi drivers (enough on those con artists), and the ferry "crew" who ask for extra money for bags! It is a quiet little mafia down here and you know it almost immediately - which is why we have been on guard at all times!!The extra rest was needed because of the 24x7 duty we have been enduring just to get us home safely every night! This trip truly does feel like the "Amazing Race" but would not trade it for anything!
The sun dropped behind the huge Sorrento cliffs around 6pm which meant it was time for us to get cleaned up for dinner. While we had not done a lot today, sweating takes a lot of work!
We headed for the Ristorante Emilia, recommended by Luca from the B&B for fresh fish. We were not impressed with the food but it was reasonable and good atmosphere right on our little fishing marina that we have grown fond of
Little Italian Bambino
. The people watching is amazing! Emilia's is run by Emilia's family (everything here is family run!) with Emilia's children and grandchildren and whey were not exactly pleasant but that seems to be the Italian way here. One thing we have noticed here is that if you don't understand what they say the first time, forget it! Too bad so sad - you get what you get and they will stomp off in a huff and start waving their hands wildly.Today was blistering and the beach was what was in order. Tomorrow we will battle the heat on an exciting journey along the Amalfi coastline, through Positano and end in the city of Amalfi.
Today's walk: 4.5 miles
Total for the journey (204 miles, 38 days)
Love,
Laurie and Ryan
Comments
heat wave
Wow...better you guys than me in that heat!!! Phew! Cute picture of you two!! You look pretty chipper for having almost logged 300 or so miles on foot around Europe!!
We just turned in a grant! yippy skippy!! I am off to Caldera Art Center for a small retreat with some other investigators and donors...should be a lot cooler there than where you are now...yay!!!
See you in Amalfi!!!
xo,
Gail and Pete