After two boats, two trains and a metro we arrived in Sorrento Saturday afternoon. And what a place to start our travels through Italy! Molto bello!! The people here are super nice and laid back. Things may not happen on time, but they happen. It is a wonderful pace of life, if you can just let go of time tables and expectations.

We checked in to a reasonable hostel (6 girls to a room), dropped our bags and headed into town. The best way to see Sorrento is by foot. We came across a lemon grove (lemon trees are everywhere here). As we strolled through the air was filled with a citrus scent - oranges and lemons. At the end of the park a woman and her daughter were selling lemon products, in particular, limoncello, a local lemon liquor specialty. We got a free taste (divine) while we sat under towering lemon trees. We decided to buy one fresh lemon to mix with water or other libations :-) but the woman insisted we take it as a gift. She gave of three free lemons, Welcome to Sorrento! she said.

This precious spot of the world is on a cliffside near the Amalfi coast. Europeans seems to love building towns on cliffsides. Like the Greek islands, roads twist along sharp cliff drops. The drive is frightening but breathtaking. We took a bus (how these bus drivers manage it is beyond me) to Positano (where the Talented Mr. Ripley was filmed, FYI) and just a bit beyond to Amalfi town. The beaches were unimpressive following Mykonos, but the towns are adorable. A bit too crowded with tourists buying lots of local stuff (lemon adorned plates, ashtrays, linens, shirts, keychains, etc. etc.), but we managed to find lovely spots to stare at the sea and get away from the DAAs. By the way, we have amended DAAs to include Aussies. They are everywhere and are equally loud and obnoxious!

So far we have had pizza and gelato. The pizza really is amazing. I'll never eat Domino's again (yuck!). I liked the gelato, but I must say, after all the build up, I expected orgasms. Sadly, I just enjoyed it quietly. On to Pompeii tomorrow morning and then Rome.