We're Back Home

And, it's good to be here in Nashua, NH.

Yes, we've been away, but definitely not on the road this time as ← this was our primary mode of transport.

Future posts will contain more details. This one has some trip highlights.

The Aer Lingus flights were wonderful with no delays or weather issues. This is a Dublin-based airline, but Ireland was not our destination. Instead, we went to the Amalfi Coast of Italy by way of Dublin and Naples.

 

The Amalfi Coast is a stretch of coastline in southern Italy overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Gulf of Salerno. It's located south of the Sorrentine Peninsula and north of the Cilentan Coast and consists of 13 villages often called the 13 Pearls of the Amalfi and most centered on tourism. The most popular are Amalfi, Positano and Ravello, all of which we visited on this trip. 

Our trip was a belated anniversary gift to us, replacing one scheduled 3 years ago, not by plane, but a train ride across the Canadian Rockies. When the pandemic caused cancellation, the Rocky Mountaineer rail company balked at returning the deposit and offered a 10% premium for a future trip. We declined, filed a complaint with the credit card company used for the booking, and received the refund. We will never re-book that trip. There's plenty more world to explore.

Svetlana Yanushkevich

Our group included 20 fellow travelers mostly from around NH as well as several from other states, FL, NJ and VT as the group included family members.  Called the Amalfi Coast Wine and Gastronomy Tour, the trip was organized by Svetlana Yanushkevich, owner of WineNot in downtown Nashua. She's a wine expert with an MS degree in viticulture and a PhD in agriculture. Over the past 12 years, Svetlana has planned similar tours to Portugal, Spain and France focusing on wine and foods of the countries. We may take one in September 2024 to Tuscany, Italy, to celebrate our 25th anniversary🥂.

This was our first trip abroad — together in over 50 years. My earlier one was a group trip; Grenville traveled courtesy of his Uncle Sam.

Grenville &myself on board Aer Lingus awaiting takeoff from Logan Airport, Boston

Our journey started at Logan Airport in Boston with a 6+hour plane flight that ended in Dublin.

From there, we boarded an airbus. This smaller aircraft is used to transport passengers shorter distances and usually holds about 180 people. We were shuttled out to the airport tarmac and walked up stairs to board the aircraft, not enjoyable when transporting a carry-on bag. The 3-hour flight ended in Naples from here we had a 90-minute ride to our Amalfi hotel. 

Exterior and interior (lobby) views of Hotel Bellevue, Amalfi, Italy

Amalfi is a town in a dramatic natural setting below steep cliffs on Italy’s southwest coast. It was the center of a powerful maritime republic between the 9th and 11th centuries. Our family-operated accommodation, Hotel Bellevue, was located 0.62 mi (1km) from the center of historic Amalfi town. It's a 3-minute walk to a beach area. However, to get there, you had to descend some 400 steps and then back up again. (We did not go, but group members shared these figures.) We quickly learned that getting anywhere in Amalfi always involved walking uphill, downhill and by way of many steps. 

Sunrise view from our hotel balcony

Our room had a balcony from which we could see panoramic sea views of the Amalfi Coast. The morning sunrise very quickly became my favorite view. We had a week of rain-free days and mid-80 temperatures, thus escaping the 90-degree heat wave in Nashua🥵.

Views of Amalfi Town from our hotel balcony; lemons along the coast

The Amalfi Coast is renowned for its production of limoncello liqueur, made from Amalfi lemons (sfusato amalfitano in Italian). The lemons are known for their elongated, tapered shape, much larger than those in our local supermarkets. They are grown in terraced gardens all along the coastline as the coast has a Mediterranean climate with warm summers and mild winters. The only land route to the Amalfi Coast is the 25-mile (40 km) long Amalfi Drive (Strada Statale 163) which runs along the coast from Vietri sul Mare in the east to Positano in the west.

The Piazza del Duomo is the main square in Amalfi Town, many gelaterias here

It's an understatement to say that the town of Amalfi is a very popular destination. It started attracting upper-class Europeans in the 18th century, when it was a frequent stopover on Grand Tours. Since then, the Amalfi Coast's natural beauty, picturesque landscapes, colorful villages and cuisine have made it  a popular destination with the nickname the Divina Costiera (Divine Coast). Amalfi's streets ooze lemon: scented soaps, embroidered aprons, bottles of limoncello are in everywhere. Gelaterias are all around and Nutella is a featured flavor. This brand of sweetened hazelnut cocoa spread, manufactured by the Italian company Ferrero, was first introduced in 1964. 

Amalfi Cathedral, interior and exterior views  

It was well worth the effort to contend with the ever-present crowds for a close-up look at the Amalfi Cathedral (Duomo di Amalfi; Cattedrale di Sant'Andrea). It's in the main square, the Piazza del Duomo, and 62 steps, wide and steep, lead to the main doors. This medieval Roman Catholic cathedral is dedicated to the Apostle St Andrew whose relics are kept in the cathedral's crypt. (A future post will include more photos and details on this magnificent structure which dominates the town center.)

In no particular order, here's a few collages of the activities and events we participated in during the week-long trip. These included several winery visits, outdoor dining on restaurant terraces, a walk through the ruins of Pompeii, a boat ride to Marina di Praia, and a group meal prepared by everyone and then shared. 

Future posts will include more about the trip which was a wonderful experience, aside from all the uphills and downhills. Within the course of 1 week, we had so many fun times with people met for the first time; perhaps we will reunite on a future trip. This was certainly one of the best anniversary gifts we've ever given ourselves! For those who may wonder about souvenir buying, I bought nothing; Grenville purchased two t-shirts. The trip and photo memories are souvenirs.

We returned home last weekend and have spent time this week recovering from colds and catching up on household chores, not to mention downloading images from both my cell phone and camera. Rather than order (many) prints to insert in a photo album, I plan to upload images to an online photo site and order a photo book. If anyone has any recommendations or suggestions on a preferred site, please share in a comment.

Blog reading has fallen behind as no tablet or computer came on the trip. I'm hoping to catch up on your recent blog posts within the next few days as we wait out any effects from Hurricane Lee. A mostly rain event is anticipated here in the city of Nashua, NH.

Our thoughts and prayers for safety go to those in the projected path of this latest hurricane.