The Train from Naples to Milan

This post starts off kind of dry, but stick around because there are some nice pics of the Italian countryside later on.

We checked out of our Sorrento hotel about sunrise so we could make sure we reached the train station in Naples in plenty of time. And we did - we actually had between 2 and 3 hours to kill once we arrived, but that's okay. Better early than late. Before the trip, I had read many warnings about how dangerous the area around the Naples train station is, so we were on high alert while we were there. Wallet securely hidden, very attentive to our luggage, eyes constantly scanning.

But to tell you the truth, it didn't feel any more dangerous than any other train station to me. There was even a helpful fellow wearing a conductor's outfit who came up to us and offered advice...where to go to kill time (he was right!), where our train would be arriving, when to get ready for the train. I thought it was nice for the train company to help us confused tourists out. Once it was about time for the train to arrive, we sat right at the edge of the tracks, as the conductor had instructed.

And then the train arrived! It was an extremely long train, very beautiful, very quiet, it looked like it would be a very pleasant ride. And whoosh! Out of nowhere the conductor appeared and grabbed the handle of our luggage to help us load it on the train. But we were at the wrong end of the train...this man hustled our luggage to the other end walking so fast that I had to run to keep up! It was amazing! He found our seats for us, stowed our luggage. And then...the outstretched palm. It was then in one dazed moment that I realized he did not work for the train company. I don't recall exactly how much he was demanding but I think it was around ten euros. He repeated his demand two or three times a second...my mind was reeling. While I didn't appreciate being shook down like that, he had provided a service and I really didn't want a scene on the train, so I paid him. It took me several hours to get over my anger and the fact that I didn't negotiate that down, but the truth is I paid it. The reason I'm saying this is so that YOU can be on the lookout for a man in a conductor's outfit at the Naples train station. Keep your hand on your luggage and be on guard! Of course if your luggage is heavy, it may be worth ten euros for him to help you...your call.

But we were loaded and seated and the train started rolling out of the Naples train station...

...and we started to catch glimpses of the southern Italian countryside. Please forgive the blurriness in a few of the posts as the train was moving at a very high rate of speed. I am actually impressed that they came out as good as they did.

And once things started settling down, so did my wife. Zzzzzzz.

The only stop on the way was in Rome. We didn't have to switch trains or anything, but we did have to pause to let people get on and off.

I hadn't expected to see Roman ruins on the edge of the tracks, but there they were!

..and some more ruins...this appears to be an aqueduct. Note the very high white section to the left.

This building states it is the Rome Terminal, though this is probably an older part of the terminal and I doubt it is still in use.

As we waited for folks to board and unboard, vending machines sat just outside the window, calling our name.

And we were off again! Let's see some of the countryside north of Rome.

The train is now on the outskirts of Firenze, Italy (known in English as Florence, Italy...why did we choose to change the name? What's wrong with Firenze?)

...and just was quickly as we arrived, we breezed on through Florence...

The farther north we went, the greener and wetter it became.

Now passing through...Bologna!








Here is one of the best reasons to visit Italy in May: the Italian red poppies are everywhere and as vibrant a red as you're ever going to find!

The official name(s) for these are the "Tuscan poppy" or "Corn poppy".

...and finally...about 30 minutes outside of Milan, we come across this stunning field of poppies. We disembarked the train at the fabulous Milano Centrale, aka Milan Central Train Station. This is known as the most opulent and beautiful train station in Europe and I certainly would not disagree with that. Unfortunately, I did not get any photos as it was packed with people, we were struggling to find the subway, and it had such stunning heights in the building that my European dizziness was returning. In the end, we gave up and found a taxi to take us to our hotel. I think that was a smart move.

Amalfi Coast: Traveling from Sorrento to Positano

We decided to take a SITA bus to see the Amalfi coast. In Sorrento, the bus station is co-located with the Circumvesuviana train station. We had a little bit of trouble communicating in order to purchase a bus ticket, and a bit of trouble understanding the bus schedule but eventually it worked out and we made our way to a long line, waiting for the next bus. I was standing in that line when I took this photo.

There are many other buses coming and going, so it is best to ask around to ensure you are standing in the right line. Several times, we saw people who had been waiting 10 to 15 minutes finally figure out they were in the wrong line.

But eventually we did get on the bus and Laura found a seat next to a senior woman from the states. She and her female relatives regularly go to Amalfi. Laura told her about our trouble finding pizza that was different than what we would eat in the US, and the woman gave us some very good advice: Buy from the street vendors - that's where the best pizza is in southern Italy!

Now, a few photos of the scenery along the drive to our first stop on the Amalfi coast, Positano.

Stone Temple Pilots

Well this 4th of July was another one of those amazing things that happens in our life. I'm not sure why all the best stuff falls into our lap, but I can't help but think my wife has something to do with it.

We had heard that Stone Temple Pilots would be playing at the Harrahs Rincon Indian Casino about 20 miles from our house on the 4th of July. We decided to go hang out at the casino that night because the last time we went to a casino during a concert (Kid Rock) there were lots of wild people hanging around the card tables, sort of overflow from the concert venue. We were hoping lightning would strike twice.

Well, it did strike twice but not exactly as we had imagined. We have taken to having dinner at the bars of restaurants (avoids the wait for a table) and a side benefit is that we get to talk to folks at the bar, and the bartenders. Well, it just so happened that someone at the bar had extra tickets to STP and they just gave them to us! That's a hundred dollar value! Man do we have some new friends!

Maybe it was because it was the holiday or maybe it was the economic conditions, but I would say the concert was less than half full. We were able to get front and center very close to the stage with no problem. The light show was tremendous and the sound simply astounding. It was very loud but not distorted, not muddy, and perfectly balanced. We danced for an hour straight!

I like virtually everything STP has ever done, and they played both my favorite STP songs: Vasoline and Creep...

And another thing that has been happening this year...people of all types and ages come up and start talking to us like we're old friends. I have no idea why...we must look approachable...they just grab our arm and talk. We're having so much fun...and last night is a night we'll remember for a long, long time.

100 Carolwood Drive

Let's take a look at 100 Carolwood Drive. There are apparently a lot of Michael Jackson fans out there...when I got up this morning my blog counter was through the roof - and I don't even mention MJ on my blog! Doing a little research, I found out people were coming here today because I'm very familiar with Carolwood Drive and have posts about Walt Disneys house and Fleur de Lys.

So as not to disappoint, let's take a look at the house Michael Jackson was renting on Carolwood Drive in Holmby Hills! The first photo above shows the 16,119 square foot home smack in the middle of the photo. The photo to the right shows the underground parking garage entrance.

Unfortunately for MJ, this house sits right on busy Sunset Blvd and he no doubt had to endure the constant drone of passing traffic. Why anyone would build such a huge mansion right on a major thoroughfare, I have no idea. From what I have been reading, Sean Connery lived in this home at one time though I have not verified that.

But MJ rented it for $100K a month since his house up north is in foreclosure - he had to make due with a mere 8 bedrooms and 11 bathrooms. Notice this view from the back of the house shows three balconies, one on each of the three floors of the house.

I had decided to stop posting celebrity houses (notice this is the first such post this year), but since I got a kazillion hits today looking for MJ's rental, I decided to oblige and look into it for you. Since interest peaks when someone dies, I end up feeling kind of ghoulish visiting dead celebrity's homes...

Let's take a street level look. This is heading southbound on North Carolwood Drive. Carolwood drive branches to the right in this photo, and actually the video I've seen of MJ's ambulance leaving was taken about where the car is on the right branch. That car is sitting just outside the guest entrance to 100 Carolwood.

But let's head down Monovale Drive instead (this street level view doesn't go down the right branch, and I'm not driving over to Holmby Hills to take my own photos, sorry!).

As we head down Monovale, that's MJ's house on the right...we're coming upon the underground garage...

There is a peak inside the garage as we zoom on by. This home was built in 2002 and sold for $18M in 2004. It is valued at about $12M right now. Photos of the home's interior can be found here.

And now that we have passed, a look at it from the rear. Due to the events of this week, this home will no doubt be very famous for a long time to come, and Carolwood Drive became yet a bit more famous (infamous?)...as if it needed the help.

Amalfi Coast: The City of Positano

After leaving Sorrento, the first stop the bus made was at Positano. This tiny city hugs the main road and has just a couple of streets on each side. Excited to see the cities on the Amalfi coast, we exited the bus. This statue sits on the wall near the bus stop.

We decided to walk down the only Positano street visible from the bus stop, Via Cristoforo Colombo, which begins as a slow descent but gets steeper as the walk progresses.

The Positano beach is visible during the walk down into the city.

More of the view along the walk...

Looking back up the hillside, we see the buildings that the SITA bus had passed between before we got off. Extremely picturesque. From what we saw, I would speculate most of the buildings are restaurants, hotels, and a few shops.

The soft Mediterranean colors are the perfect choice for this setting.

Finally, most of the way down to the beach, we enter a fairly busy area with a few vendors and shops.

Somewhere along the same stretch as the last photo, probably within a city block of each other. We toured an art shop, poked our head into a couple of clothing stores, and quickly decided there really wasn't much to see in Positano. So we decided to turn around and head back to the bus stop...there are several other cities along the Amalfi Coast to see and we wanted to pack as much into the day as we could.

As we walked back up to the bus stop, I took this photo. To get to the bus stop, we are going to have to turn right, just past the store on the right but before the vehicle.

Turning the camera almost 90 degrees right from the same location, we can see the parking lot for a hotel. Since flat space is at a premium, the parking lot was about 10 cars wide and 3 or 4 cars deep. No doubt a valet has to retrieve guests' cars.

Here is a closeup of the shop two photos back, with an interesting display.











Flowers along the walk...











And we're back to our flute playing statue...let's look for the bus, shall we?

Now the bus comes by at regular intervals with no more than 30 minutes between buses. I think we had like a 10 minute wait when we arrived at the bus stop. This is looking down the road where we will be heading once we get on the bus.





I am standing at the bus stop now, looking directly across the street at the road signs.

This looks up the main Amalfi Coast road (Via Guglielmo Marconi) which is the branch to the right...the bus should be coming at us from there. The branch to the left is Via Cristoforo Colombo - the street we had walked down into the city. It is very warm and every inch of shade provided by the small bus bench cover is taken - that's Nikki in the blue.

Yay, a SITA bus! Boo, it is heading in the wrong direction (it is heading back to Sorrento).

..and back to Sorrento it goes. Notice the width of Via Guglielmo Marconi - barely wide enough for a bus and a motorcycle. If you drive this road on your own, well you are a braver soul than I.

One of the dozens of motorcycles that passes by. And it continues to get warmer. Minutes pass. We've waited about half an hour now. Obviously the bus is late, and it may not come at all. We may have to wait until the next scheduled stop.

Looking up from the bus stop. These homes must have phenomenal views. But they also have a lot of traffic noise.

An Italian youth chatting with his buddy in an old Fiat 500 on Via Guglielmo Marconi. These old Fiats are everywhere in Italy! They've recently been "rediscovered" in the United States, thanks in large part to the character "Luigi" in the movie "Cars".








And finally, hot and cranky after about an HOUR wait, a bus heading in the right direction finally arrives! YESSS! We were a little fearful that there would be no seats since the crowd at the bus stop had grown quite large, but we were all able to squeeze on.

And off we go! We had originally planned on getting off again at the next stop, Praiano, but as we passed through we noted that it was a town just as tiny as Positano and we didn't want to wait longer at the bus stop than it would take to tour the town. So we did not get off the bus at Praiano. We continue on to the city of Amalfi, to be discussed in another post. Let's just enjoy the coolness of the bus and the soft seats for now, shall we? Note to self: Italian transit schedules appear to be mere suggestions.

Amalfi Coast: The City of Amalfi Waterfront

The main road along the Amalfi Coast, SS163, changes names as it winds it's way along the coast. By the time the road reaches the city of Amalfi, it is called Via Matteo Camera and passes by the small Amalfi bay.

There are many buses lined up in the parking lot by the bay, and as we stepped off and away from the bus, this is the first thing we saw. Fairly picturesque, in an industrial sort of way.

I took the chance to take this photo of Nikki with the city of Amalfi in the background. The rows of buses is directly behind me at this point.

I snapped a few more photos of Amalfi from this location.

It is just as lovely as it looks.

A fishing boat passes by on the waterfront.

This building is intriguing as it appears to be undergoing some sort of remodeling, with a massive amount of scaffolding around it.

Let's walk along the bayfront and take a few photos.

















A restaurant right on the water. We usually skip lunch while on vacation, but standing an hour in the sun had made us hungry, so we started looking for a place to get a snack. We did not stop at this restaurant as it smelled seafoody and nothing from the ocean touches Nikki's lips. It is a long-standing rule she has.

A few of the bus parking with Amalfi in the background.

Now, all the photos I've ever seen of Amalfi show immaculate buildings, and there are definitely plenty of those, to be sure. But there are also places that look like they could use a little sprucing up, as the peeling paint on these buildings demonstrate.

I'm not sure what the interior of these buildings look like, but judging from their exterior a remodel may be due. And note the obligatory Italian laundry hung on the balconies.

Lots of sea out there.

A curious little rock formation. Do you suppose they removed the rest of the rock for the buildings and walkways but left this sliver?







A quick peek at the scaffolding framed in an appealing way.








Nikki politely carrying my red camera bag. What a woman!

So I take a photo of her...

Finally we get to the Amalfi "beach". Not much of a beach, but visitors are making due with what is there.

It is curious to see the boat dragged aground without a trailer.

Amalfi Coast: The City of Amalfi

From the waterfront, we cross the street and find a cafe that bordered SS163. Since it was as close to a street vendor as we could find, we ordered pizza to test the old bus lady's theory and was she ever right! Delicious! As we basked in the sun, relaxing now that our hunger was satisfied, we began to watch the people. There was an Italian teen enjoying the afternoon with his girlfriend and their chihuahua puppy.

There was the gentleman driving the electric cart, getting a very fine glimpse of the woman in the pink dress as tourists waited in line in behind him.

There was this colorful fellow chatting with a cabbie and apparently catching me taking is photograph.

We then start walking further into the city and immediately this beautiful building comes into view. This is the only building in Amalfi that I had read about before we started the trip. It is the Amalfi Duomo, or Duomo d'Amalfi.

The current structure was built in 1203, though there was a previous structure on the site as far back as the 9th century. During this era, Amalfi was a powerful sea-republic.

Many mosaics line the front of the building and the bronze doors were cast in Constantinople in 1066. The building contains a crypt built in 1253 which is reportedly well worth seeing, but we did not go in...you'll have to find out why in another post.

Out front is the Piazza del Amalfi with this fountain as the centerpiece. Visitors can't help but gather here in the refreshing atmosphere.

As with most areas, it would be almost deserted then out of nowhere would come a crowd of people.

On one side of the piazza stands this building.

Note the amusing water spouts used for the fountain.

Well what do you know, another Fiat 500! Luigi would be proud. I don't remember seeing it at the time, but the photo also shows a stoplight. Why it is there, I do not know as I don't recall a cross street there.

The main street that runs perpendicular to SS163 and goes up into the hills is Via del Duomo. This narrow street was built centuries ago before anyone had even considered the possibility of motorcars. Therefore, pedestrians mingle with autos and motorcycles which, for Americans unused to such situations, can lead to dicey moments.

I believe this is a sidestreet off of Via del Duomo.

If one follows Via del Duomo long enough it takes you into the hills and farmland. But this is about as far as we went, nowhere near the farms. Someone has created a nice little complex for their residence.

I found this vehicle interesting so I took a photo. Little did I know why it was there...you'll have to read about it in the Duomo post.

One of the many mopeds that zigged it's way through the crowds.











Fresh baked Italian goods! Delicious! Unfortunately we had just had our pizza, otherwise I would have bought a slice of this as it looks marvelous.

A fruit and vegetable stand. Notice the lemons as we are very near limoncello country.










Yet another motorcycle.











...and another...it is somewhere around here where we found a gelato shop (they are numerous) and purchased two gelatos. This will become important in the next post...

Get a load of the Italian English on this canopy! "Local Typical Food"! What a hoot!