Amalfi to Praiano June 10

                                                            June 9                                          Trip to Date

Miles Walked                                        10.4                                                    340.9

Feet Climbed                                         910                                                   37,360

Song of the Day: Another one Rides the Bus (by Weird Al Yankovic!)

Riding in the bus down the boulevard 

And the place was pretty packed (Yeah!)

Couldn't find a seat so I had to stand

With the perverts in the back

It was smelling like a locker room

There was junk all over the floor

We're already packed in like sardines

But we're stopping to pick up more, look out

Another very pleasant day on the Amalfi coast.  Our plan for the day was to take a bus from Amalfi to Praino where we are staying tonight, and then do small hikes from Praino.  Sort of worked that way.  This morning, we patiently waited in line at the bus stop for the bus to Praiano.  After about an hour, we figured out we were waiting at the wrong bus stop...we are slow learners...after getting in the correct line, we were able to get on a bus to Sorrento that stopped in various towns along the way, including Praiano.  We were fortunate enough to get a seat, although the bus was incredibly crowded with probably 40-50 standing.  Off we go down the narrow, winding coastal road.  Similar to the bus trip to Ravello yesterday, the bus would have to stop from time to time for busses or cars from the other direction to stop or back up.  When we would pass another bus, there would be only a few inches between the vehicles.  And keep in mind, one side of the road is the mountain (usually vertical) and the other side is a barrier to protect from going over a cliff to the sea!  

The bus would stop in places along the way, although were never sure where, as nothing was announced and we couldn't  see the signs because of all the people on the bus.  All of a sudden, a bunch of people get off the bus, and somebody says that we are in Positano.  Whoops!  Positano is about 5 miles past Praiano where we are going.  So, we get off the bus and start walking backward on the coastal highway to Praiano.  It was actually a pleasant and incredibly scenic walk, although we had to be careful with all the cars on the very narrow highway.  Along the way, we stopped at the booth of a guy selling fresh squeezed juice along the highway:

Later, when we talked to the owner of our hotel today, we learned the life history of the juice man.  Among other things, he had been in prison for beating up his girlfriend, had been a drug addict, and killed another young woman in a car accident!  Man, this guy has had problems in his life!

We finally arrived back at Praiano and checked into our hotel.  Our best hotel yet.  The owner was just an outstanding guy.  In addition to his entertaining stories about juice man, he was a very interesting guy to talk to.  He welcomed us with a little free snack and wine.  The snack ended up being enough for a full lunch.  He also offered to get our clothes washed, which we truly appreciated.  After our snack/lunch, we decided to explore Praiano.  This little town of say 2000 people has 5 churches, including a cathedral.   The Catholics have more coverage (people/church) than Starbucks does in the USA!  Speaking of churches, here is a shot of the cathedral in Amalfi:

On our walks yesterday, we saw several instances of these sorts of models of villages along the road.  For our followers in Utah (that would be you Colleen!), these must be the gnomes of southern Italy:

This evening, we had an outstanding meal at the restaurant of our hotel.  We both had fresh fish, both caught that day.  Just outstanding.  And the restaurant is outside on a slope overlooking the sea.  No question, the best meal we have had yet.  

Tomorrow, we are walking back to Positano, where we are staying Thursday night.  But this time, we are taking the Pathway of the Gods (in Italian Sentiero degli Dei) , a very famous walking trail.  I am really looking forward to the walk.  Instead of walking along the coast, the trail goes over the mountains and has  significant climbs involved.  The owner of the hotel told us that some Dutch guy came to Italy about 20 years ago and convinced locals that they should fix up the hiking trails as it would help tourism.  Now, there are significant number of tourists who come to Italy to hike (U.S. included). 

I want to close by recognizing Chris Heston of the San Francisco Giants for his no hitter last night against the Mets.  This is the 4th year in a row that the Giants have thrown a no hitter.  Funny enough, Chris Heston is a 27 year old rookie, who is only in the major leagues because Matt Cain (who threw a perfect game 2 years ago) is hurt.  Will be interesting to see what the Giants do with Heston when Matt Cain returns (hopefully) this summer.