Sunset Salads

That evening, we walked down the "road" - a very narrow road -  in front the hotel, heading toward the water and found several restaurants overlooking the ocean and cliffs.  We loved the “Sunset Bar’  – at the end of our street and we watched the sunset over the sea while having a small supper. 

This picture does not show how cozy the "bar" was built out over the cliffside (but not too far out!)

Tuna and tomato salad - Joan's

Endive and goat cheese - Ron's

Pretty lamp overlooking the ocean

We walked back down the narrow street

The Town of Sorrento

We were hoping to go to the Isle of Capri today, but first, we had a little business to complete:  Ron had forgotten to return the key to the hotel in Rome so we had to figure out how to mail it back.  We walked to downtown San Agnello and looked in almost every store to buy an envelope to mail it in.  (The key was actually quite big and heavy.)  Finally an “Ink” shop took us to a “Paper” shop (he even walked us down to it since we were unable to understand his directions in Italian) and she had a small padded envelope for just 25 cents.  Then we went to the Post Office and got a number to get in line.  When we got to the counter, although the lady did not speak much English, she understood what we wanted to do and had a cardboard mailing envelope, just like the priority mail envelopes in the USA.  So for 7€ we mailed it back.

San Agnello town square

  This turned out to be a good activity since it allowed us to get acquainted with the small town of San Agnello which we liked very much.



A Sorrento busy street

    By then, we were quite tired and as it was too late to consider going to Capri, which is really a day trip, and we really needed a “free day” (like Rick Steves talks about) so we walked to downtown Sorrento (about 20 minutes) to acquaint ourselves with it; the weather was beautiful. 

 

 

 

 

 

Sorrento's harbor

Sorrento hotel views

 It is a seaside city and after we walked down to the harbor on the steep cliffside path, we looked around to figure out how to get to Capri on another day; then we had a delicious lunch at a restaurant on the water: la Scogliera.

Along the cliffside

Scooters everywhere

   










We were able to eat outside in so many restaurants and this was especially enjoyable by the water.



Appetizer .. we got full even after that

The waiter debones and scales Ron's roasted bass

 

Delicious fish lunch

Grilled vegetables are delicious

Fortunately, the bus to San Agnello goes down the curving path down the cliffside to the harbor, so we were able to just easily take the bus back up the cliff and to our hotel.

San Agnello Hotel

We checked in and the hotel was nice, staff very friendly, family owned, and it had several patios and seating areas outside plus a pool (it was cold, though) .  Our room was simple but fine; we did not have a balcony as some did, but we didn’t need one, as there were the outdoor sitting areas  As we were exploring, we met a man sitting by the pool who was quite friendly, from England.  They had come on a week’s vacation, including breakfasts and dinners at the hotel and including air fare to Naples from Britain, for 500£ for both, a great bargain. 

Dining room

Bar area to meet later

The hotel had supper every night for 15€ each so we decided to eat there our first night and sat with our new friends, who turned out to be GREAT friends! (Derrick and Ruth)  We ate breakfast with them every morning at the hotel (breakfast was included with our room) but we didn’t eat supper there again; we were out every day and ate lunch out, and had fruit and cheese in the room at night. 

 

South to Sorrento

We took a taxi to the Termini train station (didn’t want to take so long dragging suitcases again with walking, bus and subway) since we had to take two trains to get to our next destination:  Sorrento, Italy (actually San Agnello, a small village adjacent to the town of Sorrento.)  This was another place Joan wanted to go to, again from reading the Complete Book of Marvels, and also playing “Come Back to Sorrento” on her violin when a child.  (Her grandmother had visited Sorrento also and brought her back a wooden inlaid jewelry box that played “Come Back to Sorrento”)  and also the Isle of Capri and Pompeii are close to there.    

     But  …we had to figure out how to buy a train ticket.   At the termini station, we got a number to get in line to see an agent but thought we’d try the kiosk…and it wasn’t that hard after all!  Everyone had said to take the Express train to Naples, only about an hour.  But the price was between $50 and $100 each a ticket…the “Milk Run” took 2 ½ hours for $15 each.  We had time, what’s the rush…for that much $$? 

    But…once in the Naples train station, we knew we had to get on another train, a private line.  That meant another track area and to find where to buy another ticket. 

     Buying the ticket was easy – just a counter.  And it was very cheap.  But…where was the train?  There was turnstile for your ticket, but was it the right one?   Sorrento was not on the running signage any more.  But we went through and saw platforms, but which one?  And when?   We did find a Sorrento sign .. but it didn’t tell when it left, or from which platform?  There we were again --- didn’t know where or when to go….

     We saw a young lady and asked her for help.  She spoke very little English but we pointed to the sign and she indicated she was going there too and she even knew WHEN.  We waited at the top of the stairway to the platform because there were people everywhere and trains coming and going.  Still, our new friend indicated, No, not yet.

   Suddenly our train was there, and we rushed down the stairs .. we should say, “pushed” down the stairs because they were full of people coming up too.  We ran from car to car…every one was already filled.  She motioned us to go on, we continued to run down the platform (dragging our suitcases) checking every car but they were all stuffed to the brim, included the space between cars.  She showed us the final car and we pushed our way in, absolutely crushed, but at least “IN.”

The street in San Agnello we walked down
looking for the street the hotel was on

    The good thing was, at every stop, people got off. It was about an hour ride and for 30 minutes, we were so crushed, but then it lightened up and we actually found a seat.  Sorrento was the last stop and San Agnello was the one before.  We learned how the next stops were announced by running signage and we saw someone had a printed schedule and we peeked to see where our stop was.

     Otherwise……we were lost again!

     But…yes, we arrived!  And said we didn’t want to take that ride more than once.

Here's the street and here's the hotel

    The great thing about the train system though, is that each little town is served by trains and it is inexpensive…so most of the riders were commuters.

   Joan had downloaded the directions to the hotel.  It was “100 yards from the train station.”  We started along, dragging our suitcases, and yes, we found it. 

We're here!

First Impressions of Rome

After our initial two days in Rome, we left with the following impressions:

Train station

Flowers:  many flower markets and window boxes are everywhere on the apartments and condo buildings

Many languages spoken (but not always English)

Lots and lots of people in train stations



Graffiti is everywhere



Scooters (motorcycles) are very popular.  See them parked here on the narrow street...On larger streets, cars park in the meridians too






Vehicles are parked everywhere

Street scene

 



Dumpsters and litter, unsightly along streets, especially in the suburbs (see “Our First Night in Rome”)



The ultimate "bag lady"

Lots of pretty cobblestone sidewalk designs

So many ancient ruins, beautiful churches and historic sites in the midst of the modern buildings.  Always a surprise.  Here we have the train track wall (complete with graffiti), a streetcar, and an ancient ruin.

It “seems” a) Everyone has a cell phone b) Everyone smokes.

Skyline is filled with beautiful buildings and often church domes!

 

Rome Day 2: Michelangelo’s Moses

The tour guide at our table said that there was a church very nearby that had a Michelangelo piece, “Moses”.   

 

So, we walked over to San Pietro in Vincoli,

walked through the arch to the adjacent park and went inside. 

MOSES!

We looked for a painting, but it was a sculpture!

Rome Day 2: Where to Eat

We had asked the citylightsman where there was a good place to eat and he said that on the other side of the Colosseum, after the tour ended there, that there were lots of restaurants, but on a little street one block from the Colosseum, Lucy’s had the best lasagna in town and was a good price.
      When we were done with the tour then, we walked across the street and started looking for the restaurant and decided that we would never be able to find it. There were lots of “little streets with lots of restaurants.
  We walked around for a couple of blocks and then saw it!  Suddenly!  Success!  (But we would never have figured on that spelling, silly us.)
    Everything is a la carte (which we found is usual, unless you will order their 4 course meals!)
   We sat next to a young man from Israel who had lived in Rome for 9 years, and although he was working on his medical degree, he chose to be a tour guide.  He said, Yes, you need to see the Vatican, but he considers it an institution of “Greed.”  Everything has to be the very best, he said, from all over the world.
   BTW, he spoke great English! It seems the young people in Italy (and France, we found out later) are not taking English in school any more….as so few spoke it.