SORRENTO, ITALY (4/13/2007)

From: Sherman Rootberg (BiggiRoot)
Date: Apr 13, 2007 4:28 PM
Subject: Friday, April 13, 2007

Friday, April 13, 2007

SORRENTO, ITALY

This is one very pretty little town. It is all real but it is so cutsy it looks like a Disney creation. When we were here last year, the ocean was far too rough to anchor here. Instead we went about 40 miles down the coast and docked in Naples. From there we rented a van and came back down the coast to Sorrento. Our good friends, the Kapels, were with us at that time. The ride along the coast was spectacular as was the drive down some of local streets, but we did not get a chance to see any of Sorrento on foot.

There is no dock here and we anchored again. Incidentally, I don’t think I ever mentioned that when we anchor we often loose the satellite that gives us internet, phone, and TV. The ship swings around more quickly then the equipment can keep up with. Some people were worried when they did not hear from us yesterday. Today was the same and the satellite reception was spotty at best.

The anchor area is not really in a harbor. It is just minor curve into the land. This morning there was no wind at all. It was also very smoggy and difficult to get pictures. Everything was looking washed out and black and white. That is too bad, because this place is gorgeous. What we didn’t really see last year, was that there was two levels to this area. There was a lower drive at the ocean level, but the actual town was some two to four hundred feet straight up the cliffs. And I do mean straight up.

Like many places in Europe, the towns are so old that every inch of land has been built on. From the water, you could see buildings that were built up to the edge of the cliffs, with only the original land beneath them. Others had various man made foundations going down those two to four hundred feet. This view from the water was very striking and looked unreal. It made you think of drawings and cartoons.

Once we tendered ashore there was area of beach and resort type stores and casual restaurants. There was also a hotel with a large beach area. We were told that the hotels anywhere in this area are very expensive. This too was very picturesque. Nothing comes anywhere near the beauty of many of these European water towns.

To get up to the level of the town, the ship provided a shuttle. This bus had to go up these tiny narrow streets where you wouldn’t want to drive a large car. When something came along from the opposite way, you would think they would have to get out and grease the sides. As many of these narrow streets, from medieval times, had to be one way, we had to go several miles to get just a couple of blocks straight up from the dock area. It was very steep and I am glad we didn’t try to walk.

We were finally dropped in a square where there was a waiting area with benches beside some stores. There was a town representative aboard this morning. She had given us a map and directions. Thus armed, we bravely ventured forth. The stores were all nice. Very nice. No junk here. Just mostly expensive stuff. With the exchange rate for the euro, way too expensive. There was almost nothing to buy. We walked by a men’s shoe store that had some great looking shoe styles. They didn’t have these there when we left home. The Italians do come out with some great styles. I tried a pair on and the first pair I tried looked and fit just fine. I would have loved to have them but they were just too uncomfortable. I was waiting for them to throw a fit or try to shove something down my throat as they do in some of the lands we have been to. Nope. It was just like being in a fine store back home. The sales man apologized for not having anything I could use and thanked me for stopping. All the people in Greece and Italy had been very friendly and much like the people at home if not nicer. What a pleasure to leave behind those unpleasant people in many of the other lands we have been to.

We walked a few miles and decided we had seen all we cared to. Last year there had been people on the streets but this year it was ridicules. It was just wall to wall. It was often hard to walk down the sidewalks. So we headed for a restaurant we had loved last year. When we got there they said they would not open for another hour. They directed us to some others already open. They were mobbed and we didn’t want to wait so we headed back to the shuttle pick up area.

My luck, the shuttle was just leaving as we got there. Of course, by now, you know what that means. Bobbi says she will just look in a few stores until a shuttle comes. I just gave up, sat down on a bench, and thought about what it would look like to see a grown man cry.

Just as I gave up all hope, another shuttle arrived. I ran into the store yelling, quick, the shuttle is here, run. All that did was cut down my losses to five bottles of Limoncello. That’s a popular liquor from the area.

We got on the shuttle and went all the way to the last place we walked to before the bus could turn around and go down one way streets that took us back down the cliffs. On the way down the steepest and narrowest part, while rounding a corner, we encountered another bus going the opposite way. Oh fun. Both busses went back and forward until finally they made it by each other with a maybe an inch to spare.

Once down we decided we still needed our pizza and had one in a restaurant on the lower level. There was no one else in the place. I must assume they just do not use onion on pizza. We could not get it last year and even though the waiter shook his head yes, there was no onion on the pizza. I guess they are just to polite to come out and say no. They were very friendly in the restaurant. The pizza was very good too.

After lunch we walked across the road and looked in more junk stores. We now have adult bibs for slobs who always spill something on their shirts. We picked the bibs off a rack and went into a store. While trying to check out of the little store we encountered two ladies. They wouldn’t even look in our direction. They just kept yelling at each other. One woman took our money while they continued to yell and call each other bota. (whore)

We did get on the tender to the ship. This afternoon Bobbi had to have her hair done. While she did that I walked up on the top deck. The captain had announced he was going to go to Capri. An island just across the bay.

Capri is very famous. There are some highly rated hotels on the island. We went so close you could touch some of the rocks from the ship. I’ll include some extra pictures from there too.