Rome to Amalfi
November 15, 2006
We are just about to head out to pick up the rental car and head to the Amalfi Coast, but wanted to soak up a couple more minutes of free internet before we head off.
Packing was a riot last night…okay, who am I fooling, it was a nightmare. I can barely close my suitcase, but thank goodness the factory outlets we are stopping at have a Samonsite store! May need to pick up yet another suitcase! Oh dear. I’m shopping, don’t get me wrong, but I’m also doing a lot of Christmas shopping. I thought about shipping things back, but after sending off 5 small packages this morning and having it amount to 50 euros it’s cheaper to buy a suitcase! The packages are supposed to arrive in 5 to 7 days or 5 to 7 weeks. I’m not sure. The clerk at the post office and I couldn’t seem to get that part down although we both know it’s 5 to 7 something…
We are now all settled in our hotel in Positano on the Amalfi Coast. It was been another adventurous day.
We picked up the car at the train station and, with most things in Europe, picking up a rental car is not as easy as walking outside into a lot to find it or having a bus pick you up and take you to a lot. We got the keys and off we went on a 2 block hike with our luggage to a parking structure to go to the 7th floor to find the car – a nice, huge, upgraded station wagon (hot, I know) that will be SO easy to navigate out of Rome, as well as on the winding streets on the Amalfi Coast, but I was not about to hike back to the rental car place again. So, off we went.
We headed right out of Rome. Actually, we had no choice but to head right out of Rome. There is some imaginary circle that surrounds Rome and unless you have some special kind of permit you cannot drive within that circle during the days during the week. Traffic is a huge problem in Rome given the very poor transportation system. So, we drove out of the circle to the “ring” road that took us down to the factory outlets.
Yes, more shopping. There were a bunch of Italian designers there and it was on the way…well, kind of…so off we went. Shopping was a bust unfortunately, but we had fun regardless.
We then headed out to the Amalfi Coast and unfortunately our directions took us back to the Rome ring road right in the middle of rush hour traffic. Well, we’ve done rush hour traffic in Paris, Brussels and now Rome so we’re getting pretty good at getting around at the worst possible time.
Italians are crazy drivers – so much more worse than the French. Remember the Italians invented the chariot races. Fiats and Alfa Romeos are just modern day chariots, but with airbags! I honestly don’t think the freeways here have speed limits. I was averaging 120 km to 140 km on the freeway and I was being passed like I was standing still. The Italians also have a completely different language when it comes to communicating to other drivers.
1. No one, except the crazy motorcycle drivers, ever pass on the right…this is nice.
2. Cars in the fast lane flash their high beams to not only pass, but to warn you that they are coming even if you aren’t in that lane.
3. If possible, cars are expected to move to the right flanking both the middle and fare right lanes if you are passing on the left giving you lots of room.
4. When coming to a stop in traffic quite quickly all drivers put on their hazard lights.
5. Big trucks cannot drive fast. The limit they can drive is actually posted on the back of each truck and I haven’t seen one higher than 90 km. This is also nice.
By the time we got to the Amalfi Coast it was dark. We had expected this as it is getting dark here around 4:30 now. What was the most entertaining as we looked out into the vast sea of darkness was Karen’s frequent comment (all in a very English accent I might add) – “It’s beautiful (pause), really, really beautiful.”
We had pretty good directions to the hotel, but the roads are very narrow and are like Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. We finally made it to the hotel…a little bit car sick and checked in. It’s off season on the coast even though the weather is supposed to be in the mid-70s, so the hotel is relatively quiet. I booked through Platinum Amex, which I recommend to everyone, and they upgraded us to an amazing room with a full ocean view. I can’t wait to see what it looks like in the morning as we enjoy our breakfast on the terrace overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. After 7 whirlwind days in Rome, I am really looking forward to reading my book, looking out over the ocean, getting a massage and just re-charging my batteries before 4 whirlwind days in Athens.
We are just about to head out to pick up the rental car and head to the Amalfi Coast, but wanted to soak up a couple more minutes of free internet before we head off.
Packing was a riot last night…okay, who am I fooling, it was a nightmare. I can barely close my suitcase, but thank goodness the factory outlets we are stopping at have a Samonsite store! May need to pick up yet another suitcase! Oh dear. I’m shopping, don’t get me wrong, but I’m also doing a lot of Christmas shopping. I thought about shipping things back, but after sending off 5 small packages this morning and having it amount to 50 euros it’s cheaper to buy a suitcase! The packages are supposed to arrive in 5 to 7 days or 5 to 7 weeks. I’m not sure. The clerk at the post office and I couldn’t seem to get that part down although we both know it’s 5 to 7 something…
We are now all settled in our hotel in Positano on the Amalfi Coast. It was been another adventurous day.
We picked up the car at the train station and, with most things in Europe, picking up a rental car is not as easy as walking outside into a lot to find it or having a bus pick you up and take you to a lot. We got the keys and off we went on a 2 block hike with our luggage to a parking structure to go to the 7th floor to find the car – a nice, huge, upgraded station wagon (hot, I know) that will be SO easy to navigate out of Rome, as well as on the winding streets on the Amalfi Coast, but I was not about to hike back to the rental car place again. So, off we went.
We headed right out of Rome. Actually, we had no choice but to head right out of Rome. There is some imaginary circle that surrounds Rome and unless you have some special kind of permit you cannot drive within that circle during the days during the week. Traffic is a huge problem in Rome given the very poor transportation system. So, we drove out of the circle to the “ring” road that took us down to the factory outlets.
Yes, more shopping. There were a bunch of Italian designers there and it was on the way…well, kind of…so off we went. Shopping was a bust unfortunately, but we had fun regardless.
We then headed out to the Amalfi Coast and unfortunately our directions took us back to the Rome ring road right in the middle of rush hour traffic. Well, we’ve done rush hour traffic in Paris, Brussels and now Rome so we’re getting pretty good at getting around at the worst possible time.
Italians are crazy drivers – so much more worse than the French. Remember the Italians invented the chariot races. Fiats and Alfa Romeos are just modern day chariots, but with airbags! I honestly don’t think the freeways here have speed limits. I was averaging 120 km to 140 km on the freeway and I was being passed like I was standing still. The Italians also have a completely different language when it comes to communicating to other drivers.
1. No one, except the crazy motorcycle drivers, ever pass on the right…this is nice.
2. Cars in the fast lane flash their high beams to not only pass, but to warn you that they are coming even if you aren’t in that lane.
3. If possible, cars are expected to move to the right flanking both the middle and fare right lanes if you are passing on the left giving you lots of room.
4. When coming to a stop in traffic quite quickly all drivers put on their hazard lights.
5. Big trucks cannot drive fast. The limit they can drive is actually posted on the back of each truck and I haven’t seen one higher than 90 km. This is also nice.
By the time we got to the Amalfi Coast it was dark. We had expected this as it is getting dark here around 4:30 now. What was the most entertaining as we looked out into the vast sea of darkness was Karen’s frequent comment (all in a very English accent I might add) – “It’s beautiful (pause), really, really beautiful.”
We had pretty good directions to the hotel, but the roads are very narrow and are like Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. We finally made it to the hotel…a little bit car sick and checked in. It’s off season on the coast even though the weather is supposed to be in the mid-70s, so the hotel is relatively quiet. I booked through Platinum Amex, which I recommend to everyone, and they upgraded us to an amazing room with a full ocean view. I can’t wait to see what it looks like in the morning as we enjoy our breakfast on the terrace overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. After 7 whirlwind days in Rome, I am really looking forward to reading my book, looking out over the ocean, getting a massage and just re-charging my batteries before 4 whirlwind days in Athens.
posted by jscdn - europe at 3:48 AM
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