Entry 5: Amalfi Coast Cruise (Saturday, 31 July)

(Note: As I begin writing this it is 8:00AM on Wednesday 4 August, so I am several days behind. A lesson to any would-be travelers: if you wish to make a daily log for others to read, and you wish to keep it current, either don't try to do too much each day, or bring a Palm Pilot or PDA with you to type on the train, bus, plane, etc.

I have photos of all my tour excursions. However, because of the additional work necessary to resize and add them to these pages, they are omitted for the time being and will be posted at a later time. Keep checking.)

Saturday begins what will eventually become four days of solid tourism, most courtesy of the local USO but at least one day without any adult supervision whatsoever.

Our bus leaving for the day cruise is to pick us up at 7:15 just outside the base main gate. I am there a little early and meet the rest of the gang. I have a small surprise for Marci (which I have recently learned is the correct way to spell her name). At dinner on Thursday, she had mentioned that she was selected for promotion to Lieutenant Commander, and that either on August 1 or September 1 she would be officially promoted. On Friday, I took a little time out of my lunch hour to visit the Personnel Office down the hall, reviewed the August promotion message, and found her name on it. Now, I am able to hand her a copy of the promotion message, along with new Lieutenant Commander insignia attached on either side of her name.

The bus arrives and we all find seats together in the back. Now it is Marci's turn to surprise me, this time with a peach she bought at a local fruit stand yesterday. To be fair, "peach" does not begin to do this fruit justice; it is nearly the size of a small grapefruit. As I have not yet eaten breakfast, I eagerly accept and begin eating as fast as I can allowing for the fact that the peach is ready to drip juice all over me if I am not exceptionally careful.

Arriving at the pier, we have some time to kill before we begin boarding, so we head across the street to an open bar. A "bar" in Italy serves alcoholic drinks, to be sure, but also has an espresso/cappuccino machine, which is the drink of choice this morning. Marci buys one for each of us and we enjoy them at the bar. A short while later, realizing that bottles of water would be welcome on our excursion, I return the favor. (The reciprocal purchase of food and drinks between Marci and me will become a recurring theme over the next few days; I think we ended up more or less even with each other.) After cappuccino, we watch the nearby fishmarket as the fresh fish and shellfish are brought out to the raodside stand, cleaned and iced.

The cruise ship arrives. There are two tour groups on the ship today, and ours is there first, so we get the choicest seats. Our little gang of five heads up to the top deck, and we try to determine which side of the ship will give us better sun exposure. The side we ultimately choose (starboard) gives us a view of the ocean rather than the coast, but as the morning haze has not yet burned away this makes little difference, and it means we will get the better views of the coast upon our return. We strip down to our swimsuits and begin applying our sunscreen. Remembering a painful lesson from my last beach foray, I make sure Marci applies a liberal coat to the center of my back where my arms can't reach.

The ship proceeds a short way down the coast where we pull into a small inlet. Ordinarily this inlet would be considered too small for a ship our size, but our ship has propellers placed so that it can rotate more or less in place; we are able to head in, pick up our passengers, and head out.

Our first stop is the island of Capri. We pass by the entrance to the famed "Blue Grotto." This is a natural cave on Capri, where the sunlight enters through holes in the ground and refracts into the cave, much like a natural fiber optic network. The light streaming in, together with the minerals in the cave, apparently give the water in the Grotto an electric blue glow. I say "apparently" because the Blue Grotto is not part of our tour and I will not see it first-hand. Our destination on Capri is a little different.

We steam along for a few minutes until we reach a bay. There, the ship anchors and we are invited to swim in the bay. The water is a rich blue, and crystal clear all the way down. Of the three Hawaiians in our group -- Ben, Liz and Jaime -- only Jaime ultimately swims. I of course have no compunction; Marci wants a beer first, then she joins us. The water is cool, and the tide fights to pull us away from the ship, so we have to monitor our position constantly. A minor disruption occurs when the sole jellyfish in a few hundred square miles of ocean, naturally chooses to brush against the only four-year-old in the group of swimmers.

Back out of the water, back up to the top deck, and a fresh coat of sunscreen. Lunch is served below, and Liz, Ben and Jaime head off. Marci and I have decided to forego lunch on the ship, preferring to save our appetites for the restaurants on shore. We now have a choice to make. Soon we will reach the town of Positano, and we can take a small launch there for shopping and time on the beach. Alternatively, we can remain on the ship which will take us to Amalfi, and explore there. We consult Marci's Rick Steves guide to Italy. It confirms that the only sight worth seeing in Amalfi, the only thing to recommend it, really, is the Byzantine cathedral. This is not enough to entice us, and when the Positano launch leaves the ship, we are on it.

Positano, as the tour guide explained earlier, is the Italian Malibu, where the population is significantly better off than the norm. More appropriately, he continued, Malibu is the American Positano.

First stop -- food. Naturally, we wish to try the local version of caprese salad and it is simply incredible. The tomatoes, finally, are perfectly ripe, almost to the point of being over-sweet. But it is the mozzarella that really makes the salad. Instead of slices as we have previously had, this restaurant serves small balls of cheese, about two inches across. In addition, because of the cheese-making process used in this area, the center of the cheese balls is not as set as the outside, and is almost liquid, so the cheese melts in our mouths. Marci and I hit on the obvious idea of each ordering something different, then sharing between ourselves. Coupled with the house wine and mineral water (Marci and I both prefer it "con gas," meaning with natural carbonation), we have a most enjoyable meal in the restaurant garden, and are sorely tempted to remain there the rest of the afternoon. Still, the markets of Positano await.

I won't bore you with the details of shopping, with the exception that I purchase a large straw hat to shield the top of my head from the sun, and a beautiful ceramic bas-relief. Other items too, to be given away as gifts. I am tempted to buy some artwork from the local painters who display their pieces on the walls of the narrow streets, but decide it will be more fun to create similar pieces myself.

Once shopping is finished, we enjoy ice cream on the steps leading to the beach, then decide to take one final swim before the launch arrives for the return to the ship. This proves to be a trying experience, as the beach at Positano does not have sand so much as round pebbles about an inch and a half across. These are hot and hurt to walk on (for those not used to it -- children run across it like it was a meadow of soft grass). Once we reach the water, we duck under and use our hands to propel ourselves -- much easier.

Our return is uneventful. More sunscreen, more sunning. I have brought along my CD player; Marci forgot hers but has books to occupy her. The rest of the gang passes the return trip belowdecks. Now we are finally able to take pictures of the stunning coast, with its towns built into the sides of the hills.

Ship to bus, then bus to home. We arrive both refreshed and exhausted. Marci and Jaime make their goodbyes to head back to their hotel. Marci confirms she will be back at 3:30 for our train ride to Florence. Ben, Liz, and I walk back to the Charming. I have a date with my shower.