Positano

Our time in Rome was fun, but it was time to move on.  With the time we had, we had arranged to go South to visit the Amalfi coast.  Neither of us had been down to that region, but we had only seen and heard amazing things about the place.  It looked fancy, extremely touristy and very expensive, so it was a bit of a different type of location to some other places I had been, but it was still somewhere we wanted to go visit.

We departed by train from Termini station in Rome mid morning.  It was more stressful departure than we had hoped for.  We arrived at the station early, but looking up at the departures board, our train was nowhere to be seen.  After a bit of scrambling, we were finally able to work out that our train had been cancelled and we had all be shifted onto a train one hour later.  It was all a bit of unnecessary stress.  Other than that, the train ride was uneventful.  We arrived in Napoli station to our driver waiting for us with a sign.

The next part of the journey was amazing for me and less so for Veronica. 

The car ride out of Napoli was along standard roads and highways, but as we got out of the town and past Pompei, there was a bit of a change.  The snaking and winding roads started and this was something that Veronica did not like one bit.  Her motion sickness started in earnest and it wasn't long before she needed to close her eyes.  Sadly she made it worse by laying her head down on the seat instead of trying to stay more upright.  For me, it was the complete opposite as I looked out the windows at the incredible sights and views as we sped along the roads.  We went up into the mountains and past Sorrento (which looked incredible) and then went even higher into the side of the hills overlooking the ocean.  We started our descent and I knew that we were now on the cliff side road leading into what was considered to be the Amalfi coast.  I was excited as I knew there wasn't much further to go.  I woke Veronica as we arrived in Positano.

It is hard to describe in words or in pictures the beauty of Positano.  The natural beauty of the surroundings is almost harsh, and it sits in a sharp contrast to the refined elegance of the town itself.  The constant interplay between the light and shadow also kept changing the colours we seeing and I felt like I was looking at an ever evolving painting.  We checked into our hotel overlooking the main "pyramid" and went to explore the town.  As advertised, there were steps everywhere, but I didn't mind it at all.  The walking was a welcome escape from my normal life bound to a desk and it seemed to add to the adventure we were having.  In the middle of the town, there were tiny laneways, shops, little restaurants and cafes.  There was also people everywhere.  This also didn't seem to bother me much.  Everyone seemed to be in a joyous mood, with looks of happiness and wonder of all of their faces.  It made the whole atmosphere feel ever more upbeat and positive.

I had made sure that Veronica was in her bathing suit before we left as I had arranged for us to go on a private boat trip to watch the sunset.  After walking through the town (which is ultimately very small), we walked down to the beach and along a small jetty that jutted out the middle.  I had booked the boat online through the hotel and looking at the pictures, it had seemed like a small little boat.  Something cute and quaint that would be nice to look at the coast from.  Standing on the jetty, we saw all manner of boat buzzing about, some were just small wooden rowboats, some where mega yachts.  I saw a beautiful Italian motorboat approaching us. It had the lovely polished wood that made it seem like a "James Bond" boat.  As it got closer, the captain yelled out my name.... this was our boat!  It was not what I had been expecting at all.  We jumped onto the boat, and started to move out away from the beach.  Just this part of the trip was one of the most unforgettable experiences I have had.  This boat was eye catching and it drew people's attention.  Speeding out of the harbour, we could see dozens of people turning their heads to watch us leave.  We passed a ferry, and every face on board looked at us as we flew by.  Sitting on this private boat, I knew I was one of the very fortunate few who was experiencing something special.  As we got further out, the views became even more incredible.  From the distance out in the harbour, the town of Positano becomes framed even more dramatically by the high cliffs that surround it.  The town seems to be carved into the side of the mountain.

We spent the next few hours cruising up and down the coast.  Our captain was incredible and gave us a detailed explanation of all the things to see along the shore.  He pointed out the hotels, the bars, the restaurants that were famous.  He also made sure we could see all of the more natural sites.  What was best was his relaxed approach to it all.  The trip was only meant to be two hours, but he didn't care so much.  We were the last trip of the day and he said he liked us and wanted to show us more of his home town.  Instead of one stop, he took us to three different locations where he encouraged us to jump into the water to swim.  On two of the stops, he took us to small caves in the side of the cliffs.  I swam towards the first one, but just as I was about to swim in the wake of a passing boat started to throw me around and I thought better of going into a cave who's entrance was disappearing into the water.  The next cave was bigger and both Veronica and I swam in.  Inside, it was perfectly quiet.  We looked up to the roof as we floated and could see the stalactites.  We could here loud commotion outside of the cave as we floated and soon we saw a large motorboat coming into the cave.  Normally it turns out these boats would never come in, but since it was a bit later in the day this captain thought it would be fine to go in.  Our captain was screaming to warn him we were inside and thankfully he was well aware.  The other boat slowed completely and we waved at each other as he inched in slowly.  His boat was full with about a dozen passengers, all of whom were delighted to see the two of us floating in this ocean cave.  We waved back at them as they all waved and took photos before their boat left us again in the quiet.

As we continued along the coast, the captain pointed out the famous Fiordo di Furore to us.  Once again, the pictures do not do this place any justice.  The bridge spanning the gap sits high above the water and sitting behind it is a protected little beach.  Our captain, being happy to show us more of the region, pulled the boat up closer and encouraged us to go for a swim.  It wasn't on the itinerary, but he thought that this was a must.  We happily obliged and jumped into the water for the third time, swimming directly under the bridge.  Looking up at the span,  I once again felt a sense of privilege that I could be here, that I could experience not just the beauty of this place, but the sensation of the cool salty water as a floated.

Back on the boat, the sun was starting to set.

Our captain told us that he didn't feel that this part of the world was really the "best" for sunsets.  The sun set behind the mountains and so you couldn't actually see the sun fall beneath the horizon.  For us, this wasn't a problem and I was more than happy to sit at the front of the boat and enjoy the moment.  Our captain brought out a bottle of prosecco for us and we toasted to a lovely day and the beautiful surrounds.

We arrived back on the beach at dusk.  The sun was gone, but the sky was still bright.  The evenings of a European summer is a thing of glory that you don't get in the parts of Australia and Asia that I lived.  The light lingers for so long and seems to draw out the day far longer.  We went back to our hotel, relaxed for a brief moment before we changed for dinner.  Our concierge, the incredible Mauro, had booked for us dinner at a restaurant with one of the most famous views in Positano.  It was a strange restaurant, split down the middle by a street.  The main restaurant itself was in a building on the side of the street closest to the hillside, but most of the tables were on the other side of the street.  This was understandable given the views that those tables had towards the rest of Positano.

We sat at our table and looked out towards the famous pyramid of Positano.  We drank cold rose and ate our seafood.  It was very busy.  The restaurant was full and people were walking up and down the street to admire the views.  The waiters were seasoned professionals and managed to skip back and forth between the restaurant and the tables, carrying trays of food and drink, all the while avoiding the cars and scooters that drove on the street up the hill.

I cannot think of a more perfect that I have had.  It had been a busy day, full of travel and activities.  I had seen and experienced some things that I truly never thought I would.  This was a place that few people get to see in their lifetimes and I hadn't just glimpsed it, Veronica and I had been able to embrace it.