January 29, 2003 - Midway through a 3-week backpacking trip through Europe
Well, my days have been spent in harmony with nature - God's wonderful creation.
After dabbling through the junk pile in Rome (where to begin? The Colosseum, Roman Forum, Pantheon, Palatine Hill, Arch of Constantine, Fountain of Treve, Spanish steps, National Museum of Rome, Capitol Hill, etc...), Bryce and I went south. Upon arrival at the bus station in Sorrento, we found out that a landslide had buried the ever euphoric switchbackin' highway from Sorrento to Amalfi through the coastal mountains of the Riviera. So, we took a detour through the mainland, which was still impressive, as we got occasional glimpses of the sparkling green Mediterranean hundreds of feet below.
After an afternoon in Amalfi, a town that lies in hibernation during
the cooler winter months, Bryce and I went to the bus station to buy
tickets back to our southern base Sorrento. We were told the next bus
to Sorrento was set to leave around 6pm, so we found an internet cafe,
and sipped some caffé latté. After over a week of clear blue skies in
France, Switzerland and Italy, the droopy black clouds looming above
began to leak drops the size of crocodile tears. We sat in the pouring
rain waiting for a bus that never came, and finally after several
hours, we seeked shelter in a local bar/cafe. We were talking to an
elderly Italian man about the weather and New York when Willie came
billowing in. He chanted "It's raining" and the dozen or so men
gathered at the card table next to us all repeated in unison
(apparently Willie was no stranger). Our elderly friend muttered
"English" under his breath with a grin.
Willie (from Manchester) asked Bryce and I where we're from, and were we're
going. After some small talk, we told him we were hoping to catch the
next bus to Sorrento. He casually mentioned that the last bus of the
day left 10 minutes ago, and sat down to play cards. Bryce and I just
stared at each other for a moment, then burst out in laughter. We sat
down and contemplated our next move, when Willie scooted his chair
towards us and handed us his business card. It read: BUDGET
ACCOMMODATION FOR BUDGET TRAVELERS. We asked what he charges, and he
said 15€ per person. So, we borrowed the Brits cell and called our
hostel in Sorrento to say that we'd come to pick up our luggage
tomorrow. At this point the entire town was closed (8pm), except for
one grocery store. The rain continued to come down hard as if to
punish us for missing our bus. Willie said to follow him, so he took
us to the grocery store where he bought carrots, potatoes, and celery.
He then took us to the bus stop where we waited with him for our ride
to the hostel. Before long an economy size Fiat zoomed by and the two
Italian girls inside waved and smiled. Willie held up his hand and
they stopped. He turned toward us with a smirk and said "get in". We
went straight up the mountain that looks down on the village, and
eventually in an attempt to get comfortable in the back seat, Bryce
stretched out in the back seat. The car responded with a thud.
Something had broken, but no one knew what, so all five of us laughed
for about 30 seconds. After several miles of windy narrow switchbacks,
the girls spit us out on the side of the road. Willie gave us a tour
of the neighborhood--the fam--and showed us where we'll catch the bus to
Sorrento in the morning.
Willie's great grandparents were Italian and when they died he
inherited their home in the hills of Amalfi. The home lies on a 20º
pitch, and a long windy stairway is the only way to get there. He
maintains the vineyard, and rents out several rooms in the home, plus
accepts campers during the summer. As soon as we walked in the door,
Willie had me peeling carrots and potatoes. He made an incredible
stew, and after we were full, we watched a movie, and went to sleep.
We arose from bed at 5:30, packed our belongings, set 40€ on the table,
and took a final peak from the balcony at the humble fishing
boats setting out to sea on the beautiful riviera.
