Graeme & Vicky go travelling

We are in the beautiful coastal town of Amalfi, south of Rome.

We returned from Tunisia on Saturday evening after a long days travelling. We had a maniac driver break his personal best from the airport into Rome where we met up with Rod and Loi - brother and sister in law - at the same hotel we had stayed at previously.

The next morning we stuffed about for nearly two hours getting our hire car and then got lost leaving Rome! A generous Roman recognised our plight and we followed him for about ten minutes to the road which led to the Autostrada, which led to where we are now - beautiful Amalfi. Rod drove heroically in Rome and Graeme did the Amalfi coast road! Remember this is a manual left hand drive car!

Our hotel - the Antica Repubblica - is just off the main street up a little laneway. We have a room at the top of a few more stairs. The hotel is a delightful six room boutique number run by the lovely Francesca during the day and Renato at night. Salvatore took our car and vanished with it to a parking spot up in the Amalfi Hills!

We have walked all over the place along the pathways and lanes right up into the hills above. We have dined at beautiful little restaurants where the pasta and sauces were made fresh that day. We have driven to the slightly disappointing Positano which apparently livens up with the hotter weather and clearer skies. We have hired a lovely old wooden power boat and sailed long the coast looking at all the sights and we have driven up to Ravello to see the most astounding view down the coat towards Salerno.

There has been some shopping here too with Amalfi being the centre of the limoncello industry and every second shop a ceramic factory. We have made a number of friends especially the staff at a little outside bar where we drink the house wine before dinner each night and the old gent in suit and hat who showed us the way to the hotel and who we keep bumpig into in the street. It could be because of our winning personalities but it is most likely because Rod and Graeme are about 30 centimetres taller than anyone else in town, or because Vicky is a blonde with a wallet!

Tomorrow it is off to Tuscany after dropping Rod and Loi at Naples. Hopefully there will be some more photos soon - this computer was invented in 1972 before the USB was thought of. Arrividerci.