Dinner on Thursday at the Grand Hotel Cesare Augusto in Sorrento

All this walking leaves me hungry!   I was definitely ready for dinner.

I chose the linguini della donna.

The sauce is tomatoes lightly cooked in oil with capers and olives.  Delicious.

For "secundo" I decided to try the grilled mozzarella.

Look at the size of the portion!  It came with spinach and mashed potatoes.  I could not possibly eat that much, but it was delicious.  

Dessert was creme caramel, but I chose fresh fruit instead.

Our group leader said that we would not be getting fresh fish.  It is too expensive.

I guess I'll have to enjoy them in the market and imagine,

Actually we have two dinners and two lunches "on your own", but my thinking is that a gelato would make a wonderful meal.  Or two. . .

Thursday Morning in Sorrento

After breakfast we had an orienting lecture about things like banks, telephone.  We also got more information about the schedule.

At 10:15 we left for a two hour orientation walk.  Whew!

We saw the Cloisters.  The willowy tree is a pepper tree.

This is the Antica Mura. . . part of the ancient wall protecting the city.

Tonight is the first of two processions.  The first one begins at 3AM, The White Procession, representing The Madonna's search for her son.  There will be hundreds of men processing, wearing hooded robes, carrying the Madonna statue.  They will wear white robes and carry various symbols, as they parade through the streets chanting.

On Good Friday, in the evening, is the Black procession.  Black because they are in mourning.  This one is at 9:00 pm, so that may be doable.

The fresh fish was on display/sale in the market.

 The produce is beautiful.

The large lemonlike fruit is citron.  The regular lemons are huge.  They are used to make limoncello.

We got down to the sea.

Notice the zig-zag steps down the cliff.  (But for one Euro you can take an elevator.)

Of course, when you walk down to see the views, you also have to walk back!

I went to an ATM and got 100 Euros.  In Italy, it is pronounced Ay- OO - rho 

Lunch was excellent.

Now I am enjoying the sun on the balcony as I write this.

This is the view from my balcony.

The mesh tarps cover the lemon trees to protect them from the wind.

I have an hour until the next sets of lectures on Greek and Roman art and archaeology.  This will be followed by dinner.  There will be a special Maundy Thursday experience tonight, visiting three to five sepulchers.  This is an experience I'll skip . . .  It's a hike from 8:30 to 10 or 11!

We will leave at 8:00 AM tomorrow for Pompeii.

buffet breakfast at the Hotel Cesare Augusto

Even after a large dinner

which began with a beef, arugula and parmesan salad

breakfast was welcome.

The coffee pot of insanely strong coffee was brought to the table with a pitcher of hot, frothy milk.  The rest of the meal is self serve.

There are fruit and cereals, meats and cheeses.

Eggs and breads and sweets.

After breakfast is a lecture on Sorrento.  This will be followed by a walk and return to the hotel for lunch.

Grand Hotel Cesare Augusto, Sorrento, Italy

We arrived in Sorrento on Wednesday.  We will be staying here until Thursday morning.

They gave us our key.  It is solid brass, and it's very heavy.  You leave it at the desk when you go out.

I immediately checked out my room.

The floors in the room and on the balcony are tiles.  They keep the rooms very clean.

The bathroom is large.  Notice the flush buttons on the wall behind the toilet.

The bathtub is large, with a decent shower.

It is wonderful to have a balcony.

Each morning, I can check out the world, and I can sit out during free time to enjoy the view of the lemon trees and the hillside.

The lemon trees are protected from the wind with mesh tarps.  Did you know that the lemon tree can have buds, flowers, ripening fruit, and fully ripe fruit at the same time? 

We Re here from Wednesday to Thursday, when we leave for the Amalfi Drive.

 

First Crocus

Finally - our first crocus on April 12, 2014.

Spring has taken quite a while to get here this year.  We're delighted to see the first signs of spring.

Find Your Luggage

Did you ever try to find your car in the mall parking lot?  It seems that almost every car is the same color as yours.  It works the same way luggage on the baggage carousel.  Combine that with fatigue and jet lag, and it's no fun at all.

There are lots of tips out there to mark your luggage with something that will distinguish it from all the others spinning around.   Many suggest tying yarn or ribbon on the suitcase.  I have visions of the ribbon snagging and holding my bag to be bumped and thumped by all the bags behind it on the conveyor.  

On our first flying adventure, I got an artistic kid to decorate my bag.  Turns out, the fabric bags take acrylic paint very well.

Cat thinks so, too.  Flight attendants commented that it was a great idea.  Thanks GLMH-L.

But I decided it was too subtle for these eyes, so convinced D to jazz it up for me.  Got a picture designed to be a tattoo.  Punched holes.  Patted chalk through holes.  Two coats later, we're ready to roll!

Thanks, D!  I think I'll be able to find it easily.

No need to jazz up the carry-on...It's bright pink.

The carry-on is an L L Bean Deluxe Rolling Backpack.  I got it after watching a student use hers for two years, cramming it with all the essentials for high school.  At the end of two years it still looked brand new.  Zippers still worked perfectly.  Handle and wheels were fine.  I found this bag in an LLBean outlet.  I just have people thinking my name is Shelbie.

How to relax

Tommy is enjoying some couch time before dinner.

It's a dog's life!

Tommy does not get to romp as much as he might like! We got a foot of snow this week.  This means less outdoors time with the big guy.  More time to be a couch potato!