On to Praiano.

A short hop along the coast

This morning, after a delicious breakfast on the sunny terrace we packed up once again... saying nothing here!!!!......we were leaving reluctantly, not just because of the steps!!!! but because we loved the hotel and it’s little beach. Dear Richard had checked the weather forecast and as it promised to be fine and hot for the next few days we had shelved our original plan of returning north, in favour of a few more days by the sea.

Sadly, our little hotel was closing for the winter, so we had spent the previous evening looking online for another place to stay.

The Praiano hotel was already booked and following that we had one to go to in Ravello, so we had found another, just down the coast, which looked nice and had access to its own beach. With this booked and our plan in place we set off on the monumental ascent to the car park.

Oh my dear lord ...... I truly thought I was going to breathe my last on that climb..... when I could breathe that is...... once again it was hot, no I know I shouldn’t complain but there are times when just a tiny bit of cloud would improve matters no end!!! .... when I finally made it to the lift level my face was so red, and my hair was in such a state, one could be forgiven for thinking I had been working out with a personal trainer for the last three hours.... Dear Richard was the perfect gentleman...... (although not overly encouraging..... more in the vein of “stop moaning and get on with it.....” as he skipped skywards like a gazelle!!! )but he did carry my rucksack for a bit.

Anyway, without banging on too much about how worn out I was.... which of course I never do!!!!.....we finally reached the car park where the Corsa was waiting for us right at the front and ready to go. Our luggage was also waiting, (big thanks to the porter who lugged our bags up those steps) we loaded up and got going. Getting out of Positano proved easier said than done..... two minutes along the road we stopped .... something was holding up the traffic ..... we sat.... and we sat... people in front got out of their cars for a chat.... a policeman came by, beeping his horn ... we had every confidence that he would sort things out....but even he couldn’t get things moving!!

Finally whatever was holding us up got out of the way and we were off again..... more windy road, more loony drivers and more amazing views.

The next hotel really wasn’t far away so we got there quite quickly .... no idiots stopping for photo opportunities or maniac moped drivers to hold us up.... Sally Sat Nav was having an off day and directed us to the wrong place, but eventually we found the hotel.... right on the main road, but quite sweet. I immediately fell in love with the two

dinky little cars parked outside. Both immaculate and in amazing condition.

We parked the Corsa and once again unloaded the cases...the hotel had no lift and our room was on the top floor!!!! I’m sure someone has it in for me.... what is it with bloody steps all the time!!!! It had a balcony... not huge, but there were two.... yes two sunloungers .... and Dear Richard was much happier than he had been with the last one.....

( bonus!!!),unfortunately when our neighbours came out to explore their own bit of outside space they looked straight down on us.... a fact I discovered when I opened my eyes to see a large grey beard attached to a grey haired man, looking down at me!!!

Luckily .... and it was lucky as I had figured that no-one could see me on our balcony, so topless sunbathing had almost been an option .....at the last minute I decided to keep my top on.... good job I did, he looked a bit frail..... the sight of me with nothing on would probably have finished him off!!!!

The hotel info had said that there was a beach nearby so armed with directions from the hotel owner we set off..... we had to walk along the road of death for a bit then go down to the beach through another hotel. Well, we walked down the road and very nearly met our end on more than one occasion as the cars didn’t seem to see the need to give us a wide berth, preferring instead to get as close to us as possible without losing a wing mirror. We found the hotel and followed the path down, it led to a locked door ..... we had passed a gate on the way to the door but it had also been locked, as we got to the gate on the way up there was a man there... he unlocked the gate and with a warning about ants ..... there were flipping hundreds all over the stair rail which Dear Richard was holding on to ..... directed us down.....bloody down again....(I say this because as always, where there is a down there has to be an up on the way back to look forward to.)....another path. We followed it and I’m not going to lie , I was having a bit of a moan about everything being at the bottom of a fu**ing hill...... we got half way down and could see the beach....it was very small and almost completely devoid of sun!!! Also it was pebbly and there was nothing in the way of a sunbed to rest our by now, very weary bones on!! At this point I began to question the whole beach thing.....probably a little more than was necessary but I felt it necessary at the time ..OK....anyway we had passed a little restaurant on the way down the hill, so, as we had to pass it again on the way up ,I suggested that we pause there awhile for some restorative alcohol.....we also enjoyed some delicious bruschetta, a dish which I have developed quite a passion for, sitting in the sun, heaven!!

Having given up on the beach we made our way back up the bloody hill, along the road ( which we only survived by jumping into doorways each time a car went by) and up to our room where we sat on the balcony until

the sun disappeared and it was time to think of dinner.The hotel was pretty much in the middle of nowhere.... we could have driven to find dinner, or possibly walked , but I for one was not prepared to risk walking along the road in the dark, and so we repaired to the restaurant downstairs. There was nothing fancy about it but the service was good, the current owner being the Granddaughter of the original proprietor, who also happened to own one of the fab little cars out front. There were some

other guests, and then there were the Americans....the guy with the beard was holding court, and the subject of discussion was Her Gracious Majesty the Queen of England!!! Grey beard appeared to be either her private secretary or a close relation, such was his knowledge of the goings on in Buck Palace.....sadly he was very badly informed and on several occasions Dear Richard had to give me “the look” , which meant don’t get involved, as I was ready to go

over and put him right on several of the grossly inaccurate points he was making!!!!

The food was good and so was the wine.... I don’t think we have had a crap bottle of rose yet!!! and so once again I was a tiny bit tipsy.... we climbed the three floors of stairs to our room and I think I was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow ..... well I had climbed the equivalent of fu**ing Everest in steps since this morning.....so I feel I was entitled to a rest..... and no the wine was nothing to do with it..... ok!!!