Sorrento, Italy

Another beautiful train ride thru Italy. Lush rolling hills with olive and grape trees set off by huge ancient Roman aqueducts. Arrived in Napoli and walked around for a bit, but it seemed every bit the dump that people told me it was. So back on the train and an hour later I'm in Sorrento on the bay of Napoli. So I'm waiting on the bus to camp and start talking to three older couples from North Jersey. The bus doesn't seem to be coming so we all decide to take the alternate bus from Tasso Square a couple of blocks away. Checked into the Campground and got a 1970's caravan all to myself since it's still preseason here. Free breakfast of 2 rolls, jam/butter and coffee is included with the caravan so I woke up at 9am, ate and went back to bed before eventually making it down to the private beach. Actually it's not a beach, but cliff and rock. I laid out in the sun for a few hours and after seeing some people go for a swim I decided I would like to also. Only problem was that I wore my walking shorts instead of my baggies for some reason. Well, I was too lazy to walk all the way up the hill to change so I figured I go in the skinny. I wasn't concerned about the couples or the young ladies on the beach, but a boat with kids just anchored 20 meters away. So I waited it out till they drifted down a bit because I didn't want to bare mi kibels and bits in front of the kids! It was worth the wait. The water was perfect! Although very salty. After a refreshing dip I went for a stroll down into town. Great views here. Really spectacular!! On the way back I ran into the folks from N.Jersey again. The next morning I decided I'd check out Mt. Vesuvius and maybe Pompei. Caught the 10:30 train, but it was slow and I missed the 11:30 bus to the volcanoe. Elaine (England) and I decide to check for a local bus instead, but we are told there are no busses due to a strike. So I didn't miss the bus afterall! So a bunch of us packed into a mini-taxi (actually a mini-van) and twenty minutes later we are paying our entrance fee. All in all, I wouldn't recommend the excursion. It was rather boring, dusty and way too many insects buzzing around. The hike to the top takes about 20 minutes and when you get there, all is still. The only action is the tiniest bit of steam in one little area which you can barely make out in the pictures. Decided I was too tired to do Pompei and blew it off. Went back to camp and cooked up a huge plate of pasta in the communal kitchen and met Mark (Alabama) who was kind enough to lend me his Lonely Planet so I could research my near future (Sicily, Malta, Greece). In the end I'm very keen on Greece, less keen on Sicily: and Malta, although I'm sure is beautiful, seems too conservative and not at all cheap. So I decide I'm going straight to Greece, but since I freed up some time I think I'll stay an extra day here.Today I wake up to what will be a glorious day because I get to go to the Postale Ufficio and mail 7 lbs. of cold weather clothing back home. Ahhh! the pack feels so much better now. After some more beach time I went into town to get some travel information. Ouch!! The train leaves at 9am from Napoli which means I have to be up and out by 6am for the 7am to Napoli. Then a 6 hour train ride to Bari, Italy. Then a 12.5 hour ferry ride to Iqoumenitsa, Greece. Then another 8 hour bus ride to Athens. Oh well, gotta do what ya gotta do!Later that night after cooking up a huge plate of pasta in the communal kitchen I was sitting around digesting when it hit me that I have to pay up tonight because the office won't be open so early in the morning. Only I don't have enough cash on me so it's time for more exercise. A 3 mile roundtrip back into town. On the way down I ran AGAIN into the folks from N. Jersey! They were returning from Capri where they took an open air/single seated sky tram ride to the top and ate at a mountain top restaurant. They said they absolutely loved it. On the way back up, outside a bar watching a football game I just happened to bump into Mark (Alabama) who is my camp caravan neighbor. Sat around for a while waiting for my camera batteries to get a fresh charge and hit the hay around 2 am. Just four hours of sleep is gonna make for a hellaluva long day!