Amalfi Coast and Paestum

Hi all,

below are a couple of pictures from Sorrento with us watching the sunset over the Sorrento Peninsula. It's hard to picture but on the other side of the peninsula sits the Amalfi coast which, outside of Big Sur, is the most dramatic coastline I've ever seen.

After seeing Pompeii and relaxing in Sorrento for a couple of days, we took a bus over to the Amalfi coast which took about 3 hours total, to go about 50 miles. It was like a roller coaster, except the road often held two buses going in opposite directions around hairpin turns, usually with a motorcycle trying to pass in between them. The towns along the way cling to the cliff and have quite a few more stairs than streets.

We ended up in Salerno and from there caught a train down to Paestum, the site of an ancient Greek colony from about 600 B.C. The temples are vcry well preserved and quite impressive.

(Below:Roman Bridge seen from Circuvesuviana train) (Right: Temple of Hera at Paestum)

After leaving Paestum, we got back on the train but since the station was closed we couldn't buy a ticket. When the conductor came around he checked tickets,although he spoke no English, he told us we had to get off the train. So we got off in Batapaglia, had a snack and waited for the next train.

By the time we got to Salerno, it was late, we were hungry and had no hotel lined up (welcome to Krehbiel-North adventure tour line). Luckilly, we went and had a nice dinner and eventually located a very nice hotel for 105 Euro\night, a little overbudget, but it was a welcome sight after a long day.

It rained during the night and was sprinkling off and on in the morning as we went to catch the train to Rome.

Ciao for now,

R