Italian Adventure...Part 452

Crossing the ocean blue on our way back to the mainland. I love ferries and oceans and wind blowing your hair dramatically. I especially love all those things "Italian" style.

My new shoes that I thought I had broken in were not so broken in. And when I went to bandage things up, I discovered I had bought a box of fabulous neon Band-Aids. I looked like a walking Vegas billboard.

Really...you are still reading. Bravo for enduring to the end. I've decided the rest of our trip might need to be summarized in this last blog because I have so many other things to talk about! So here you are...5 days of Italy in one blog.

I can't remember what day we are on...

We arrived in a little town called Cosenza that had been one of the areas C. served in when he was a missionary. He had some amazing experiences in this city that included the conversion of a wonderful man named Maurizio. C. has been back to Italy several times and has kept in contact through the years with this friend. He was anxious to see him and introduce me to this person who has had such an impact on his life.

Maurizio picked us up at the train station and drove us to our hotel. It felt strange to ride in a car after so many days of trains. And I have to say that this hotel took the prize. We ended up in a suite that really was pretty dreamy. I was terrified they had given us the wrong room or that we would discover it was the wrong room when we had to empty our children' college savings the next day to pay for it. It was really nice. We "freshened" up and then went back down to meet Maurizio again. He drove us to his little cafe/restaurant that he owns and fed us heaping mounds of delicious food. C. and he talked and I listened and nodded and just kept eating. It was yummy!

This picture is Maurizio is his "bar" (restaurant). Two days in a row he heaped mounds of food on our plates and kept us eating. I am eternally bonded to him.

Just a side note...I loved watching my husband speak Italian. Not only is he really good at it, but he talks like a real Italian. Animation, hands swinging, head nodding...it was really fun to watch. And occasionally I thought I understood a word or two.

This is me lounging in our "suite". It was a heavenly little place!

After a delightful rest in our "suite", Maurizio picked us up the following day and took us to church. It was "district" conference so it was a perfect day to visit. I think there were probably about 50 people there altogether including members, missionaries, mission presidency, and district leaders. It was probably my most favorite day of the entire vacation. I couldn't understand a word of the meeting, but the Spirit was so strong. Afterwards, because so many of them had travelled such long distances, they had a huge meal and we were immediately invited. I kissed more cheeks and shook more hands and felt more welcome than I have in many other meetinghouses. I admire these members so much. They are a small minority in Italy and many are first generation members. They stand steadfast and immovable in their families, neighborhoods and communities without alot of support. The missionaries we met were so impressive. I was truly impressed by their personalities and testimonies. It is obvious to see that the bar has been raised and the effect these amazing young men are having around the world. It was an amazing afternoon and I truly did not want it to end. I can't wait to serve another mission someday with C. and to have the opportunity to work with so many of the faithful Latter-Day Saints around the world. I love the church!

C. and I with the mission president's wife and an Italian missionary!

C. with his dear friend Maurizio.

I love Italy and I love Italian members and I love missionaries.

But all good things have to end and eventually they pushed me out of the church and back into the car. We spent a little more time with Maurizio at his bar and then he drove us to the train station. It was hard to say good-bye. Even though I couldn't speak the language, I felt a real friendship and connection with Maurizio and it was easy to see how deep and strong he and C.'s friendship is. It was a wonderful and amazing 24 hours!

C. and Maurizio in front of his cafe.

That night we took the train to Salerno. We weren't sure where we were going when we arrived so we dragged our suitcases down the main walking street, through the fog, and hoped for the best. Apparently Sunday evening is the time to dress up and promenade along the walking street. The primary objective is to be seen...it was a great night for serious "people watching". We finally arrived at our hostel and checked in. Now keep in mind...we had just spent time in 3 amazing bed and breakfasts/hotels where each night it just seemed to get better and better. It was bound to bottom out...and I think it happened in Salerno. Since I had been appallingly spoiled, the bare essentials hostel room was a little spooky. Cheap, but spooky. The walls had a little bit of mold here and there, the light in the room cast a strange greenish light on things and the toliet had a couple of assorted black hairs on the seat. The beds were metal cots with blankets we made sure not to touch with bare skin. We played some Uno, ate some beef jerky, and got ready for bed. Once the lights were out, I laid in bed and wondered how long it would be before that infernal dripping sound would put me over the edge. We both finally fell asleep in our individual twin metal cots and dreamed of ocean-side bed and breakfasts and hotel suites.

Me in our hostel accomodations that really weren't that bad except I'd been spoiled rotten in the previous quaint bed and breakfasts.

The next morning, after a yummy breakfast, we checked out and headed for the bus stop. We took a bus on an amazing, harrowing, breathtaking ride up the Amalfi Coast. I don't even know how to describe this experience. It was a 2-lane road that wound up and up and over and down the coast...literally. Most of the time the road was cut right in to the mountain and out the bus window was not only a fantastic, unreal view of the most beautiful scenery and water you have ever seen, but also a literal drop off the cliff. It wound through tiny village towns where sometimes 2 buses would meet and we would creep along and pray we weren't going to hit each other while trying to pass. I really don't know how this bus made it. It was heart pumping the whole way and truly unbelievable. We got off the bus in a town called Positano that is apparently the new "hip" spot for Hollywood these days. The town sits right on the Mediterranean Sea and is built into the mountain. We walked around town and ate at a charming little restaurant surrounded by lemon trees. It was a beautiful, charming town with the green, lush, fog-tipped mountains looming on one side and the crystal blue sea on the other. I've never seen anything like it but I would definitely sell a leg to go back.

Me on the hill overlooking Positano.


More amazing pictures from picturesque Positano.

After a couple of hours in Positano, we boarded the "Bus of Death" again and continued up the coast to the city of Sorrento where we caught a train to Pompeii. I loved Pompeii! It was so, so, so very, very, very cool! (for lack of more intelligent vocabulary) What was truly stunning was turning around seeing Mount Vesuvius looming right there in the background. I rented myself a little self-guided tour and armed with our Rick Stevens print-out, we set out. I loved walking through the ruins and up and down the streets with the imprint of chariot wheels in the stone. I loved hearing the history of these places and walking where these people actually walked. And truth be told, the brothel was utterly fascinating to me...right down to the fresco "menu of potential services" painted on the wall. Those ancient Romans were really creative! Pompeii was beautiful and truly fascinating. We didn't even begin to see all of it but we wanted to be sure we had something to do next time!

Me in front of the entrance to Old Pompeii (top) in the city of Pompeii pointing to Mount Vesuvius.

From top to bottom: A petrified Pompeiian resident, me ordering fast food from an ancient Pompeii fast food restaurant, me sitting on a stone bed in the brothel looking as sexy and seductive as a person with a backpack and no hair dryer on vacation can look, C. in front of more Pompeiian stone, and C. in front of the entrance to Pompeii.

We jumped on the train again and headed for Naples where we grabbed some yummy pizza and then caught our train to Rome. We arrived in Rome late at night and wandered through a choice area of town looking for our bed and breakfast. When we finally found it, the owner led us up and down some more choice parts of town to the room we would be staying in. It was a little scary but when we finally got to the room it was charming and perfect. We had a fantastic thunder and rainstorm the last night we were there which was a perfect end. I threw open the shutters and leaned outside the window and tried to take in this amazing moment! I felt overwhelmed with sadness that it was our last night and yet filled with joy at being reunited with our kids

The next morning rode the train back to the airport and got ready to leave. It was so bittersweet. This trip was amazing and wonderful! Not only was it a chance to see Italy, but it was an opportunity to reconnect with my husband and our relationship. We are a great team! I love being married to him. We are good complements to each other with our strengths and weaknesses and living life with him is sweet. He is an incredible man and our time together is sweet and fun and filled with great adventures and experiences!

So to C., thank you for sharing this beautiful country with me! It was a grand adventure and I love you for all the hard work and effort you put into this trip to make it perfect. I can't wait to see where we end up next!


Ciao!