An Irish Coincidence
So, as Matt has said, we made it to Amalfi. I must admit, the trek here was a little hair raising at times, but definitely worth it. We started taking a train from Naples to Sorrento, where Matt befriended four kids from Australia, but now living in Wales I think, who were planning on camping in Sorrento. They had even more luggage then we did, if you can believe it. Then we hopped on a bus that took us through Positano and a few other towns before stopping in Amalfi. The bus ride gave us great views of the coast the whole ride, but was a little frightening. The road was hardly even wide enough for the bus, so it was quite a fiasco when a car came from the other direction. And the roads were incredibly windy and right next to the cliffs the whole way. To my mom and dad, it definitely beats the drives we had on the Blue Ridge Parkway and on Mount Olympia by about 100 times. As you can imagine, the constant turning didn’t make Matt’s stomach feel great, but we made it after all.
Anyway, on the bus we began the ride standing, because a lack of seats, right next to an older couple who noticed rather quickly that we, like them, were speaking English. After talking, they told us they were from Ireland, and we could certainly tell by their accents. They were extremely nice and friendly and told us all about their journey and asked us about ours. They raved about Ireland, saying how much we would love it. The man asked Matt if he had any Irish in his family, and when Matt said yes he said “aha I had a feeling about you.” Later when we sat down Matt said, “I think it’s funny that he thought he could tell I was Irish.” We realized it was no mystery; Matt was wearing a green shirt and a green hat with a clover on it.
Anyways, Amalfi is gorgeous. I love it despite its touristy-ness which doesn’t bother me at all. We’re going to go swimming now, which I’ve been dying to do the whole time in Italy!
Much love
Debbie
It all sounds delicious. What color is the water, Debbie?
Comment by Mother K — June 20, 2006 @ 11:03 am
Debbie, Diane is doing something unheard of, and that’s check the blog from work. Normally, she doesn’t have time to eat or take bathroom breaks.
I loved this, especially your outside perspective on how easily the Irish couple tied Matthew to his roots.
P.S. Is it time to start pressuring your parents again or are they writing to you privately?
Comment by michael — June 20, 2006 @ 11:18 am
Diane’s attentiveness is symptomatic of the overall blog readership’s excitement and enthusiasm for the trip and its travelers, and we’re all glad it’s going so well and offering so many memories. Your openness seems to beget openness! Bravo!
Comment by el Kib — June 20, 2006 @ 11:32 am
El Kib, it occurs to me that we could both be laboring under the same delusion. Who says she is grinding away at the salt mines? It might be, to paraphrase Jeffro from last night, “With you and Matthew out of the house, Diane may have picked up a boyfriend.”
Comment by michael — June 20, 2006 @ 12:04 pm
Hey there – We loved the description of the Amalfi trip! We are sitting in the Asheville airport just about to board… but I wanted you all to know that we are still reading the blog (and we emailed Deb)!
Comment by Barry — June 20, 2006 @ 1:46 pm
YAY! You got to go swimming! That’s great! We’ve been to Boone Lake twice since Friday, playing on the rope swing and going tubing (Maddie, Genna Vullo and I made friends with some boys who had a boat and a tube. I couldn’t stop thinking of you and that summer we went up to NH! I miss those summers. PS Hi Sharon and Barry! I miss our summers together!). Well, I love you both a lot, and be careful. I’m glad you’re meeting other people who speak English. That’s always fun.
Love Love, Hilary
Comment by LaChica — June 20, 2006 @ 6:02 pm
As to my picking up a boyfriend, it hadn’t occurred to me. So thank you, Jeff and Michael, for the idea.
We just received an invitation to Daryl’s graduation party this Saturday. It says, “I love Matt.” So in response to that, “I love Matt and Debbie.”
We will never get sick of the blog entries; keep them coming.
Comment by Mother K — June 20, 2006 @ 6:05 pm
My best guess says it was not Matt’s attire that made the Irishman think Matt had a drop of green blood, but rather his charm and loquaciousness and superior taste in traveling companions.
Comment by FierceBaby — June 20, 2006 @ 6:29 pm