We got up before 6 to try to beat the tourists and get a good seat on the bus along the Amalfi Coast (suggested by Rick Steves as an interesting and exciting ride.)
We didn't realize that the bus wouldn't come until 8:30, but the wait was worth it in order to get front row seats on the right side of the bus as recommended by Steves. What a lovely road and ride, and what great drivers those Italian bus drivers are! The road was usually narrow and winding with quite a lot of traffic, but the bus was driven with ease and we were able to enjoy the breathtaking views of the ocean directly below our high road. The bus driver used his horn to warn other drivers whenever he was approaching a blind curve.
The mountains above our route were lovely,
and the towns were clinging to the hillsides with streets and rows of houses like rows of terraces.
Our bus connecting to Salerno was waiting for us at Amalfi and we got reservations for our train to Rome and LaSpezia and were able to board almost right away when we reached Salerno. As usual, the Class 1 train was unusually comfortable and enjoyable. We had 1 ½ hours at the Rome station and ate a sandwich and our first gelata of the trip. Yum. Unfortunately, when we got to our train for La Spezia, my big backpack was unzipped and my day bag had fallen out or been taken. I retraced our steps but didn't see the bag anywhere. I had been taking pride in always being able to find everything and keep track of everything, and this was a big disappointment to me. I didn't have anything of value in the daybag -- my journal book, lipstick, kleenex, Dramamine -- but the journal had all our vital information and notes for our day at Cinque Terra and other notes for the rest of our trip. It won't help anyone else, but we'll miss it. Verle noticed that my backpack came partly unzipped the next time I carried it, so the daybag may just have fallen out.
Our train for the 4 hours to La Spezia from Rome was terribly hot, so I finally went back to the cooler car behind our car. (We had reserved seats, but the train wasn't nearly full.
The drive up the west coast of Italy was beautiful, with lots of farming and beautiful mountains. We passed Pisa, and I think I caught a quick view or two of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Everywhere we go, Italian couples are hugging and kissing -- at great length. I'd think it would get tiresome for them!
We got to La Spezia after 8 p.m. without a place to stay. We walked with our backpacks to a few hotels, but they were all full -- just our luck -- holiday weekend again. We seem prone to hit holidays in every country we go to! We finally had to take a hotel for twice our usual maximum rate, but our only other choice was the street or train station. It really was unfortunate that we couldn't find anywhere to sleep tonight on the Internet last night, even after looking for a long time.
We checked in to our room and went out to eat a bite -- we found wonderful sandwiches like the schawarmas in Israel for 3 ½ Euros each!
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