Another Scooter fix
In hindsight, getting the car may not have been the smartest or most economical decision. As Amalfi has no parking, we have to pay 16 euros a day to store the car in a parking station. As to reduce traffic through the old town, they have imposed a 3 euros tax every time you go in or out. Consequently we have not driven the car for the past three days even though we have been paying for the hire and the parking. It has still worked out cheaper than 4 return train fares Rome to Naples plus 4 ferry tickets to Amalfi and has certainly been very convenient.
The Boys took the car today to head off to Pompeii but 3 hours of Stuart's driving (or backseat driving) was more than I could take so the BOSS and I hired a scooter and headed off around the point to Sorrento. It was the most spectacular ride I have ever done (excluding the hairy downhill run in Santorini). The scenery was spectacular and every corner revealed a new, more spectacular sight. After we cleared the 'touristy' parts, the road opened out to wind through the mountain villages around the peninsula. At one point we had views of all three sides: Sorrento, Amalfi and Capri. We stopped at one tiny village cafe and had the worst coffee ever then went down into Sorrento and had the worst lunch ever. Luckily the day was redeemed by having the best gelato ever in a fabulous Icecream Internet cafe which boasted a 100 page photo album of available icecream delights.
Instead of returning around the coast, we chose to go up and over the mountain - no mean feat for a 125cc scooter carrying two people. This ride was even better than the coast ride. The mountain villages were stunning and the road wound its way through the forest until a long tunnel lead into the mountain and we burst out the other side. I tried to talk the BOSS into letting me turn around and doing it again, this time with video rolling, but she vetoed the idea complaining of a sore rear end (hereafter known as the BOSS' numb bum - or BNB for short). The final 14 kilometres back to Amalfi were adorned with odd paintings and sculptures all along the road. Many people had decorated their houses but there didn't seem to be any consistent style and most of the time the artworks only served to distract the drivers, who were bad enough already.
Previous Entry
Next Entry