Day 42 Naples

Vesuvius

Positano

Katie in Positano

More Positano

Lunch venue at Sorrento

Katie with the cake!

Street in Pompeii

Us with the Mt looming

Our table at dinner

Here I am sitting on my balcony watching the lights of my new home
twinkle magically as we sail away............!
Today was Katie's birthday and we had a wonderful day here in Naples our
first port of call in Italy. Yesterday was a sea day and must have been
much of a muchness as I can't recall anything of note.
We started the day hopping on a mini-bus with 12 others on this Princess
Tour, our guide was a lovely lady called Claudia and our driver was
Liberato. We drove from the port area past Mt Vesuvius along the
beautiful Amalfi coast to a town called Positano. See the photos to get
a glimpse of its charm. We had a hour here to wander around the laneways
and shops, and of course Katie and I managed to find a gelato shop where
I had coconut and lemon and Katie had coconut and peach. We then
returned along the winding cliff road to Sorrento a bigger place but
still small and charming. Here we also had about an hour to wander and
explore the shops before we were taken to a beautiful hotel for lunch.
After filling us with food the waiters brought out dessert which was a
big cake and they had a put a candle in it and we all sang happy
birthday to Katie.
We spent probably 90 mins here, the view was amazing and the gardens
were lush, in fact they had sprinklers going, the sort we all used to
run through as kids and it was funny seeing them again after the drought
and water restrictions we have had the last few years. We regrettably
left there but as our next stop was Pompeii we didn't actually mind as
we were going to visit one of the highlights of the trip!
Pompeii did not disappoint, it covers 66 acres and we didn't get time to
see all that but we saw some amazing things, the market square, the
brothel with its pictorial menu, the baths and more. Just walking the
streets of this ancient city was something that will stay in my memory
forever. There is so much more to see of it and also the ruins of
Herculaneum which are apparently better preserved as they were engulfed in
mud rather then ash, so they still have buildings 2 stories high with
their roofs intact, whereas Pompeii's collapsed due to the weight of the
ash.
After spending a fabulous day we arrived back at the ship in time for a
quick shower and then down to the MDR for dinner. When it is port day
it is open seating, meaning you don't have to sit at your designated
tables. Because it was Katie's birthday we still wanted to sit with our
4 other regular table mates, plus Katie wanted her friends to join us as
well. We also wanted our 2 regular waiters Ley and Vincent. Luckily we
found 2 tables right in our normal area, one for 9 and the other for 7.
Sue from our table had bought little gold stars and put them all over
the table, Vincent and Ley had made Katie 2 flower arrangements and a
card, and she also got presents from friends and a card from the
Captain. A cake and a candle was presented to her and about 6 waiters
and the 15 of us all sang her happy birthday, I'm sure she will remember
this day for a while (at least until next year!)
We both decided that Naples is a place we both would return to, there is
so much more we wanted to see. A full day in Positano, same for
Sorrento, and cruise to Capri, a day at Pompeii and one at Herculaneum, we
didn't even get to see any of Naples, we didn't get to swim in the sea.
And if I was fitter there is Vesuvius to climb, which a few from the
ship did today. I have eaten so much today that I probably should have
done laps of the mountain to compensate :)
Another early morning tomorrow as 6 of us are doing a private tour in
Rome, so be prepared for more gushing from me...............
May have mentioned this before but the words in the blog seem to be
diminishing and the photos increasing, which could be a good thing for
most of you!
Just remembered, the weather was again spot on and because we did
Pompeii in the afternoon there were not many people about and there was
a lovely breeze. Luckily for us we were here today because 7 cruise
ships arrive tomorrow....