2
Below are the notes I took while I was in Italy and Amsterdam. The notes were written on boarding passes, flight itineraries, and a copy of my driver's license. Enjoy.
-Note. No watch, cell phone doesn't work. What day is it?
July 30
Flight to NY was uneventful. Met Dot at flight gate and the rest of them showed up before I finished my Sbarro's. The kids were excited to be in the airport and were going ape-shit over blue neck pillows. Boarded, sat near strangers on the aisle (AWESOME!) and watched 2.5 movies: Clash Of The Titans (shit), Sherlock Holmes (entertaining) and half of Avatar. Stayed awake the whole flight and much longer...
July 31
Landed, found our luggage with only slight delay. I guess the kids were the only ones to sleep on the flight. After a few scares in the parking garage and one hidden car, we located our rentals, figured out the general direction to Naples, and headed out. The highway here is unreal! The road lines are more of a suggestion than a traffic lane boundary. Just north of Naples we stopped to get some food at a rest stop where I received my first eye-roll!! Apparently, the cashier thought I was lying when I said "no comprendo" to her sales pitch of some weird beverage container. Oh well, I made it thought unscathed. THEN WE DROVE THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS... With only a handful of "shits," stalls, and being generally unaware of everything, we located a nice man who drove us a few miles around the neighborhood only to arrive at the exact spot we found him, and our villa. Food at a restaurant down the block (risotto with wild mushrooms), check-in, showers. Then we took a minute to enjoy the view. Kevin Kathy and I went to the grocery store to get alcohol. We also managed to sneak in some food. Came back and started drinking (I had a local beer that tasted like Stella!). We visited the caves which smelled like pee. Caves lead to a restaurant on the water's edge. The water is blue blue blue. Saw a few crabs, came back for gelato but settled for pizza (mozzarella and prosciutto), came back and passed out. The adults had been up well over 24 hours.
August 1
The dead woke one by one. Kathy and I were ready to go, so we decided to take a stroll through Sorrento while everyone else finished getting ready. We walked along the coastal road and saw several lemon/lime groves and several villas. When we came back the kids were ready to swim (the swimming area is 1 block away and 1 block down). We all went and enjoyed the salty sea. The kids stayed in the shallow end while Sue Kathy and I braved the deep. The kids made sure to gank some rocks, we had lunch at the restaurant at the bottom of the cliffs (lasagna and a latte) then went home. After showers and drinks we went out again, this time we went further to the heart of Sorrento. Lemons, and by extension lemoncello, are Sorrento's thing. Lemons and lemon print everywhere, including the churches. We took a 30 minute tour through the area then had dinner in the piazza (spinach and ricotta ravioli and mint gelato). After not getting an Armani shirt and those awesome grey shoes, we went back to the villa for more drinks on the terrace where we had a wonderful night view of Vesuvius, then went to bed.
August 2
What a day! After waking up and getting ready, we headed toward Vesuvius and Pompeii. We got mildly lost, but were corrected by a kid on a Vespa. The drama hit when we had to wait at the base of the volcano for a few hours. There was some yelling coming from our group and some indifference on the Italian side. I don't want to go on about those guys, but fuck them. Anyway, Vesuvius was incredible. The cone was so big we only went around half before turning back (the walking path didn't go the whole way around). Snapped some pictures, bought a few postcards, and Will took his first of many tumbles. When we got down the volcano, we had lunch at a restaurant (prosciutto and mushroom pizza). Then Pompeii. I still can't believe how awesome Pompeii is. I have enough pictures to convey, but what they don't show is how large and dense the city really is. Just awesome. I wouldn't mind going back there in the future. Just not Vesuvius. Fuck that. After Will tumbled thrice more, drawing blood and tears in the process, we headed back and managed to not loose our way! With Kathy leading! Dinner on the middle balcony consisted of fresh olives, prosciutto and melon, a provolone gourd, a ham and cheese roll, grapes, sweet bread, and alcohol.
August 3
Kathy and I woke up and went to Sorrento again, this time to take a closer look at the places mentioned on our bus tour. Snapped some photos, found a gorge, got a shirt, had a prosciutto and mozzarella sandwich (awesome), then went down to the port. Kathy wanted lunch so we chose the restaurant with a view, which pissed off the host of the other restaurant. There I had a latte and chocolate and stracciatella gelato. After figuring out shuttle rates to Capri, we made our way back. I cut off the beard and laid in the sun while listening to Days of Future Passed. Showered, came down to have some tomato and mozzarella, then wandered around the immediate area before deciding on the Moonlight restaurant 2 blocks away in the alleyway-of-death. The boys were told by Dot to behave and they did! I had a seafood (mussels and clams) and linguine dish with white wine and lemon ice for dessert. After the now usual drink on the upper terrace, we all went to bed.
-Will says I look absolutely ridiculous without a beard and glasses
-Played "I spy" at the Moonlight
-Stumped Kevin and Andy in 20 questions with lemon.
August 4
We woke up and were in a rush to get to the port for the ferry to Capri. Our taxi driver confirmed our suspicion that our villa is located on an Italian Lover's Lane. He claims a lot of babies were made here. Ferry: uneventful. Capri was paradise. We immediately got on a boat that took us around the island. The water was electric blue in parts and royal blue in others. Although we were able to take a dip in the sea, the Blue Grotto was closed due to the choppy waves. We then took the funicular up to the city of Capri. I was certainly out of place. It is the shopping center of the rich and famous with shops like Prada, Valentino, and other ridiculously expensive shit. The island tour was a much better experience than the city. Came back, had pizza from the restaurant around the corner, prosciutto and melon, prosciutto and mozzarella, and Andy made fruit salad with freshly squeezed lemon juice.
August 5
We drove around the peninsula today. We had to stop at a small square because the rear windows of Kevin's car were stuck shut and the kids were getting sick. While Kevin tried to fix the window the ladies toured a small lemoncello distillery and I got a pastry at a small shop. I thought it was a cinnamon muffin, but it was filled with custard and cherries. Molto bene! We headed through Positano where we didn't stop because the road was 3 feet wide. Kathy and Kevin are pretty good at navigating these hairpin turns and passing buses, but other tourists get in our way! We then stopped at Amalfi where the kids swam while the adults walked around. Had fish for lunch. Thankfully the waiter deboned the fish for me! Dot visited the paper factory after we toured the church with the crypt where St. Andrew's skull rests. Kathy and I did some shopping. When it started getting dark we got together and decided to check out the restaurant at the hotel in Ravello, the one where Dot's friend told her to have dinner. Little did we know it was a 5-star hotel. We were all sweaty from a long day, we were wearing comfortable cloths, and the kids were salty from the sea, but Dot talked us into staying. So there we were, at the top of a mountain at a table surrounded by a paradise of vegetation and people wearing custom-made clothing. We were all a bit uncomfortable. The kids behaved and the dinner went on without incident until Will burped. I think our hearts stopped. Anyway, the evening, outside of our appearance, was perfect. Kathy and I both had the half-moon pasta with ricotta and tomato stuffing with asparagus. It was perfect.
August 6
Last full day in Sorrento. Kathy and I walked to town (again) for gifts. Wandered down to the port, then back to the villa only to find a note saying the rest of the group went swimming at the beach down by the port. We said goodbye to Emma, our awesome housekeeper, then headed back to town and down to the port. Swam/laid out/didn't get food, came back to shower, drank a bit, then went to dinner at the restaurant overlooking the beach, the one a block from our villa. Had penne and tuna. TOMORROW ROME!
August 7
Packed the night before so we could wake up and head out. Andy puked halfway to Rome so we stopped to get some air. We managed to find the hotel without problems, checked in and got 2 taxis to the Vatican. Snagged a snack at Cafe Vaticano then started our tour of the Vatican Museum. Mike, our longish haired Californian guide was witty and told us very interesting things about the art, religion, and times. The Vatican Museum was incredible. The Sistine Chapel was unreal and St. Peter's was unearthly. After the tour, we caught a bus to the Trevi Fountain then walked to Piazza Navona where we had dinner. Linguine and pesto, nuff said. By then everything was closed so we reluctantly decided to get taxis, but we drove by the Colosseum so Kathy could say she saw it. We then went back to the hotel. Kathy and I stayed up drinking wine (we eventually opened without the aid of a corkscrew) until 1. Everyone is jealous that I get a whole extra day to myself in Rome. I now have 12 hours before my flight to Amsterdam. The bus to Rome from the hotel leaves at 9:30, so I need to pack up and get ready for my adventure. Ciao!
I only have 1 more page to type up, but I took an antihistamine, so I'll type it up later.
-Note. No watch, cell phone doesn't work. What day is it?
July 30
Flight to NY was uneventful. Met Dot at flight gate and the rest of them showed up before I finished my Sbarro's. The kids were excited to be in the airport and were going ape-shit over blue neck pillows. Boarded, sat near strangers on the aisle (AWESOME!) and watched 2.5 movies: Clash Of The Titans (shit), Sherlock Holmes (entertaining) and half of Avatar. Stayed awake the whole flight and much longer...
July 31
Landed, found our luggage with only slight delay. I guess the kids were the only ones to sleep on the flight. After a few scares in the parking garage and one hidden car, we located our rentals, figured out the general direction to Naples, and headed out. The highway here is unreal! The road lines are more of a suggestion than a traffic lane boundary. Just north of Naples we stopped to get some food at a rest stop where I received my first eye-roll!! Apparently, the cashier thought I was lying when I said "no comprendo" to her sales pitch of some weird beverage container. Oh well, I made it thought unscathed. THEN WE DROVE THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS... With only a handful of "shits," stalls, and being generally unaware of everything, we located a nice man who drove us a few miles around the neighborhood only to arrive at the exact spot we found him, and our villa. Food at a restaurant down the block (risotto with wild mushrooms), check-in, showers. Then we took a minute to enjoy the view. Kevin Kathy and I went to the grocery store to get alcohol. We also managed to sneak in some food. Came back and started drinking (I had a local beer that tasted like Stella!). We visited the caves which smelled like pee. Caves lead to a restaurant on the water's edge. The water is blue blue blue. Saw a few crabs, came back for gelato but settled for pizza (mozzarella and prosciutto), came back and passed out. The adults had been up well over 24 hours.
August 1
The dead woke one by one. Kathy and I were ready to go, so we decided to take a stroll through Sorrento while everyone else finished getting ready. We walked along the coastal road and saw several lemon/lime groves and several villas. When we came back the kids were ready to swim (the swimming area is 1 block away and 1 block down). We all went and enjoyed the salty sea. The kids stayed in the shallow end while Sue Kathy and I braved the deep. The kids made sure to gank some rocks, we had lunch at the restaurant at the bottom of the cliffs (lasagna and a latte) then went home. After showers and drinks we went out again, this time we went further to the heart of Sorrento. Lemons, and by extension lemoncello, are Sorrento's thing. Lemons and lemon print everywhere, including the churches. We took a 30 minute tour through the area then had dinner in the piazza (spinach and ricotta ravioli and mint gelato). After not getting an Armani shirt and those awesome grey shoes, we went back to the villa for more drinks on the terrace where we had a wonderful night view of Vesuvius, then went to bed.
August 2
What a day! After waking up and getting ready, we headed toward Vesuvius and Pompeii. We got mildly lost, but were corrected by a kid on a Vespa. The drama hit when we had to wait at the base of the volcano for a few hours. There was some yelling coming from our group and some indifference on the Italian side. I don't want to go on about those guys, but fuck them. Anyway, Vesuvius was incredible. The cone was so big we only went around half before turning back (the walking path didn't go the whole way around). Snapped some pictures, bought a few postcards, and Will took his first of many tumbles. When we got down the volcano, we had lunch at a restaurant (prosciutto and mushroom pizza). Then Pompeii. I still can't believe how awesome Pompeii is. I have enough pictures to convey, but what they don't show is how large and dense the city really is. Just awesome. I wouldn't mind going back there in the future. Just not Vesuvius. Fuck that. After Will tumbled thrice more, drawing blood and tears in the process, we headed back and managed to not loose our way! With Kathy leading! Dinner on the middle balcony consisted of fresh olives, prosciutto and melon, a provolone gourd, a ham and cheese roll, grapes, sweet bread, and alcohol.
August 3
Kathy and I woke up and went to Sorrento again, this time to take a closer look at the places mentioned on our bus tour. Snapped some photos, found a gorge, got a shirt, had a prosciutto and mozzarella sandwich (awesome), then went down to the port. Kathy wanted lunch so we chose the restaurant with a view, which pissed off the host of the other restaurant. There I had a latte and chocolate and stracciatella gelato. After figuring out shuttle rates to Capri, we made our way back. I cut off the beard and laid in the sun while listening to Days of Future Passed. Showered, came down to have some tomato and mozzarella, then wandered around the immediate area before deciding on the Moonlight restaurant 2 blocks away in the alleyway-of-death. The boys were told by Dot to behave and they did! I had a seafood (mussels and clams) and linguine dish with white wine and lemon ice for dessert. After the now usual drink on the upper terrace, we all went to bed.
-Will says I look absolutely ridiculous without a beard and glasses
-Played "I spy" at the Moonlight
-Stumped Kevin and Andy in 20 questions with lemon.
August 4
We woke up and were in a rush to get to the port for the ferry to Capri. Our taxi driver confirmed our suspicion that our villa is located on an Italian Lover's Lane. He claims a lot of babies were made here. Ferry: uneventful. Capri was paradise. We immediately got on a boat that took us around the island. The water was electric blue in parts and royal blue in others. Although we were able to take a dip in the sea, the Blue Grotto was closed due to the choppy waves. We then took the funicular up to the city of Capri. I was certainly out of place. It is the shopping center of the rich and famous with shops like Prada, Valentino, and other ridiculously expensive shit. The island tour was a much better experience than the city. Came back, had pizza from the restaurant around the corner, prosciutto and melon, prosciutto and mozzarella, and Andy made fruit salad with freshly squeezed lemon juice.
August 5
We drove around the peninsula today. We had to stop at a small square because the rear windows of Kevin's car were stuck shut and the kids were getting sick. While Kevin tried to fix the window the ladies toured a small lemoncello distillery and I got a pastry at a small shop. I thought it was a cinnamon muffin, but it was filled with custard and cherries. Molto bene! We headed through Positano where we didn't stop because the road was 3 feet wide. Kathy and Kevin are pretty good at navigating these hairpin turns and passing buses, but other tourists get in our way! We then stopped at Amalfi where the kids swam while the adults walked around. Had fish for lunch. Thankfully the waiter deboned the fish for me! Dot visited the paper factory after we toured the church with the crypt where St. Andrew's skull rests. Kathy and I did some shopping. When it started getting dark we got together and decided to check out the restaurant at the hotel in Ravello, the one where Dot's friend told her to have dinner. Little did we know it was a 5-star hotel. We were all sweaty from a long day, we were wearing comfortable cloths, and the kids were salty from the sea, but Dot talked us into staying. So there we were, at the top of a mountain at a table surrounded by a paradise of vegetation and people wearing custom-made clothing. We were all a bit uncomfortable. The kids behaved and the dinner went on without incident until Will burped. I think our hearts stopped. Anyway, the evening, outside of our appearance, was perfect. Kathy and I both had the half-moon pasta with ricotta and tomato stuffing with asparagus. It was perfect.
August 6
Last full day in Sorrento. Kathy and I walked to town (again) for gifts. Wandered down to the port, then back to the villa only to find a note saying the rest of the group went swimming at the beach down by the port. We said goodbye to Emma, our awesome housekeeper, then headed back to town and down to the port. Swam/laid out/didn't get food, came back to shower, drank a bit, then went to dinner at the restaurant overlooking the beach, the one a block from our villa. Had penne and tuna. TOMORROW ROME!
August 7
Packed the night before so we could wake up and head out. Andy puked halfway to Rome so we stopped to get some air. We managed to find the hotel without problems, checked in and got 2 taxis to the Vatican. Snagged a snack at Cafe Vaticano then started our tour of the Vatican Museum. Mike, our longish haired Californian guide was witty and told us very interesting things about the art, religion, and times. The Vatican Museum was incredible. The Sistine Chapel was unreal and St. Peter's was unearthly. After the tour, we caught a bus to the Trevi Fountain then walked to Piazza Navona where we had dinner. Linguine and pesto, nuff said. By then everything was closed so we reluctantly decided to get taxis, but we drove by the Colosseum so Kathy could say she saw it. We then went back to the hotel. Kathy and I stayed up drinking wine (we eventually opened without the aid of a corkscrew) until 1. Everyone is jealous that I get a whole extra day to myself in Rome. I now have 12 hours before my flight to Amsterdam. The bus to Rome from the hotel leaves at 9:30, so I need to pack up and get ready for my adventure. Ciao!
I only have 1 more page to type up, but I took an antihistamine, so I'll type it up later.