Sorrento

Where we find a place to sunbathe and relax in the sun.

Once again the day dawned bright and sunny.... after a night of getting used to constant traffic noise, I wasn’t as rested as usual, but Dear Richard came up trumps and presented me with.. ..... be still my beating heart..... poached eggs on toast. They were flipping delicious and were washed down with a cup of proper tea to boot.... that man is amazing....... after such a feast we attempted tea on the patio but gave up as although the biting bastards were having a rest , their close cousins “annoying flies” had taken on the day shift and were going about their task of driving us mad with great enthusiasm .... we repaired inside and decided that after a busy few days it would be nice to have a lie on the beach. We turned to our old friend the internet...... shame it can’t get rid of mosquitoes or flies, but I suppose ecologically that wouldn’t be a good idea anyway!!! Any way, it turned out that due to the geological structure of the coastline, beaches were a pretty rare commodity. Sorrento and most of the other Amalfi Coastal towns tend to be built into the steep cliffs which line this particular stretch of the Italian Riviera. Where there is a tiny bit of beach it tends to be stony and more often than not, private, with the only access being from a hotel or restaurant. In order to overcome this problem ..... and make a few bob at the same time.... the clever people of Sorrento have constructed a series of pontoons which afford space for sunloungers and access to the sea. Now when I say pontoons, I am not referring to those things which look like a raft and are anchored out at sea, which people swim to when they want a bit of peace from the wife and kids, nor am I talking about the ones that the army used to build in place of a bridge.... no my friends ..... both of these have a tendency to “bob” up and down with the motion of the water beneath them and I would rather stick needles in my eyes than try and sunbathe on them for five seconds,let alone an afternoon!!!!

No, what the Sorrentians( made that up ... obviously!! but it could be the correct term for a collective of people from Sorrento!!!! ) any way .... what they have done is put piles of boulders in a line just off the shore and on top of them construct platforms on which they have located the sunloungers required for catching the rays. They are joined to the land by a walkway and also have ladders for access to the Med when the heat gets a bit much. The one we were on even had a hot tub but I gave that a miss ..... well you never know who has been in it and what they have left behind......

The cost of a bed for the day was 10 euros, and there seemed to be plenty of people ready to splash out on the opportunity to catch some sun.There was also a waiter who ( for a price!!) would bring food and drink to your lounger. We watched the guy serving our area. He didn’t stop the whole time we were there..... bless him he must have walked about fifty miles over the course of the afternoon.

Our fellow sun worshipers were a mixed bag of ages, nationalities, and sizes..... no speedos, which was disappointing... a couple of topless ladies ( unusual, these were the first we had seen in Italy) and a few in costumes that they should have known better than to wear, and the whole afternoon was generally chilled.

We both had a swim in the warm sea, warmed our bones in the sun and then decided to go back to our hotel for a shower.

Now I have to share something with you all ..... because we were staying for three nights ....... I HAD UNPACKED MY CASE !!!!!!

it was so wonderful to get everything out and hang things up and sort things out, I was so much happier. Also I did a bit of washing, and we still had the ironing equipment so I pressed it all too. I would never have thought that I could derive so much pleasure from something which drives me nuts at home!!!! Well really , it’s like all blooming housework ..... you do it, everything is tidy for about three minutes and then you have to start all over again.....

I had to put this picture up.... it gives me so much pleasure!!!! (What do you mean how sad am I !!! )

So , showered and changed we set off for dinner.....on the way we had to pass the lovely hotel where we had to take out a mortgage for the coffee..... yes you’ve guessed it, we went in for a little pre-pranidal vodka.... oh I know we never learn, but it was such a nice place to sit and look at the lights ......

As you can see the drinks came

with substantial nibbles which were almost enough to count as dinner..... and when we got the bill we thought they might have to, in order to appear as though we pay such prices all the time, we held our breath until

the waitress had retreated and then once again picked ourselves up off the floor......and of course we had known all along that the drinks would cost a lot of money..... but that did nothing to alleviate our shock at the actual total...... we could literally have fed a family of four for a week !!!!!

Luckily the effects of the vodka on my empty stomach took the edge off the the shock of the cost of the drinks, and after a wander through the very narrow little lanes of the town we found a lovely little restaurant for dinner.

As my meal arrived ( delicious fish) we were joined by this cat, who sat, looking lovingly up at me the whole time....eventually sensing...... and possibly due to the threatening motion of my foot....that pickings from our table were likely to be poor, he moved on to stare at someone else.....judging by the size of him his success rate was pretty good....

And so , a slightly tipsy wander back to the hotel, well, we had had wine with dinner...... after the vodka it seemed like a bargain!!!...... can anyone tell me why the home journey seems three times as long as the outward one when one has partaken in strong drink???

This time the traffic noise had competition as the bar over the road was hosting a very raucous crowd who clearly believed that their voices were of a standard high enough to be shared with most of Sorrento...... I had to be prevented by Dear Richard from going over and telling them firmly that they weren’t.....I fell asleep to the sound of their shouting and dreamt of singing cats stealing my dinner!