With an early start, the alarm was set for 6:15am and we were just entering the busy Naples harbour as we rolled out of bed. Just behind us were two more cruise ships including the relatively new, very large, Norwegian Epic.
As usual when we are on the road for a while, just a granola and yoghurt parfait and a Robert Timms coffee from the coffee bag supply that is holding up well.
Atrium meet was 7:30am and once clearance was given, we were straight off the ship. Our ship berth this time was the closest to the castle - almost on the street and with a great display of common-sense and efficiency, instead of having to negotiate the large, modern terminal building, we were let out through a small gate in the fence and straight into the car park, where we soon tracked down our private tour guide for table seven's group of eight. (If that makes any sense.) Paulo had a 9 seater Mercedes van with three rows of three seats so although there were no spare seats, it wasn't cramped. Ergonomically, it had a couple of hiccups for me at the back. One was that the rear hinged window button was activated every time I used the arm rest! The other was the location of the cup holder which was also in an odd place.
We headed out of the port area and the first proper stop (there was a short photo stop first) was at Ravello. I was intrigued to see a large wall plaque for Nottinghamshire writer, D H (David Herbert) Lawrence, (in)famous for "Lady Chatterley's Lover", a ground-breaking novel in 1961 or 62, when the obscenity laws were challenged in the high court. Penguin books were successful and the book became an instant best seller, though like the current "50 Shades of Grey" no doubt, not exactly for its literary merit. It was a good stop with many steps and very narrow streets. You certainly wouldn't want to own a Cadillac here.
We managed a coffee and a pastry before heading for Amalfi itself, but the local festival had some impressive acts lined up. One of them caught my eye as from the composition of the band, my sort of music. Unlike down town Naples, thankfully, Ravello was graffiti free.
We enjoyed our wander around Amalfi, with a bit of whale watching on the crowded beach, and then headed along the very narrow mountain roads to our lunch stop, perched right on the edge of the cliff overlooking Positano. Bearing in mind its location, this multi-level restaurant is hugely popular and we were just one of several groups enjoying the unique delights of "Fattoria La Tagliata". Most would expect it to be Trattoria, but they know very well what they are doing.
Unique in as much as the location is not for those suffering from vertigo but that you are seated and are immediately loaded with food according to the proprietor's whim. On being seated, the food and house wine flowed (red and white). No choices of anything other than "take it or leave it", as plates and plates were deposited on the table then passed around. Now anti-pasto as we know it is a mix of cold meats, tomatoes, mozzarella, maybe aubergine etc., but does not include hot veges such as broccoli, beans with meat, spinach etc. and even a warm egg plus pasta dish, which we enjoyed, as our plates were piled ever higher. Anyway, we all tucked in and also enjoyed the bread rolls, though on the adjacent table, (also from the ship) they warned us off them. We couldn't work out why. Then, just as we'd filled ourselves, the anti-pasto dishes were whisked away, to be replaced by about five or six pasta dishes! From gnocchi to ravioli, cannelloni and items I couldn't even name, but they included a delicious hot cheese filled pasta, it was all wonderful – and even more filling.
Now we understood why we were warned off the rolls. Then out came a plate of grapes and a plate of rich, but deliciously light desserts. The tiny piece of coffee/chocolate mousse cake I tried, was fantastic and much as we have a load of dessert lovers in our group, the eight of us couldn't shift it all – so Dennis was only posing. To top it off, we were all brought a small glass of the local speciality, limoncello liqueur. Paula passed hers on to Dennis, but Anthea intercepted mine en route to the same destination! This all in meal, including wine was €25 a head.
A visit to the toilette was mandatory, though according to someone, the next cubicle had more than one occupant…
We staggered back up to road level and Paulo then dropped us off in Sorrento. Again, some narrow streets, dozens of shops selling local specialities and loads of people – many of whom were cruisers, easily identified either by tour stickers, lanyards or girth…
A steady run back to port and we went straight through to the ship, where Paula had a bit of a nana nap whilst I manfully struggled to keep up to date with the blog. Final boarding was 6:30pm – plenty of time for most to do what they wanted, though we are back here again soon.
Sailaway was a somewhat sad affair, farewelling those getting off tomorrow.
We decided we'd probably eat a bit later (lunch was still less than a distant memory) and as it was open dining, we opted to pop into the vista lounge for the show by Alex Crow, billed as a mentalist (mind reader). We popped out again before he had finished… The patter was far too slow so even if his tricks were good, we didn't find it very entertaining, so we headed for the buffet.
A very light feast was in order, but the freshly cooked scallops were tempting - and delicious. A bit of additional pate and a couple of soft rolls were sufficient and we joined others outside the ice cream parlour to eat it and enjoy the late evening, though it did get a bit cooler.
Early bed, even though a lazy day tomorrow in Civitavecchia, the port for Rome and the end of sector one, so no doubt, room service will be along to replace our empty minibar. (Remember, we traded the contents for two coffee concession cards, 32 days ago.)
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