Transit

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Time in transit can feel like such a waste, but since we have a high-transition lifestyle I’m trying to change my view on it. Otherwise a huge chunk of life ends up as wasted time—time about to move, time while moving, time waiting for orders, time during COVID, etc etc. I don’t want all that time to feel wasted. So with this day of transit from Rome to Positano I tried to plan it with an eye to add value. By deciding to spend a little more money on the transit in and save money by not eating out much in Positano and on the transit back, we had a really fun day on the road! What could have been one of our most stressful days of lugging bags around ended up one of our surprise favorites.

After walking from the train station to our hotel our first night in Rome, I insisted we take a taxi when it was time to check out(€7) after breakfast (included with our hotel!). The Free Now app worked really well for us for calling taxis in Rome, and we could pay and tip within the app. The train was easy—our platform came up on the departure board, we loaded our crap onboard, took our seats, and played video games/read the news/listened to music/glued stuff into our travel journals for an hour as the dusty green hills silently slid by, fields of red poppies danced (I didn’t know they’d still be in season this far south!) and orangey golden hills perched high in the distance while cows grazed nearby.

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Our driver, Nico, was waiting for us at the station and took us to Cantina del Vesuvio, where we enjoyed a glass of sparkling wine while we waited for my friend Lindsey and her kids. She recommended both Nico and the winery and both were fantastic, but most importantly how fun is it to meet up with friends in other countries?! SO fun!

They say you’re really friends once you’ve shared a meal together and traveled together, but most of all it’s just good to see friends again! Living it up on the Continent, comparing notes on COVID, rehashing old times and making plans for the future—it’s good to see you again, friend!

I hadn’t told the kids so Eloise was very surprised when they pulled up. “I didn’t know we were going to see them! How are they here?!” Isaac was a typical boy about it: “She used to have a crush on me. I hope she doesn’t follow me around.” Then they all delightedly followed each other around the vineyards and had a kid table for lunch.

When I was a kid we had a book about Pompeii that scared me so much I couldn’t sleep. I remember lying awake worrying that Vesuvius would explode and kill me until my mom reassured me it was on the other side of the ocean. Even still, sometimes the drawings of the plaster casts of the people who died in the eruption would haunt the moments before sleep. The book ended with a peaceful drawing of a vineyard on the volcano’s slopes and said something like, “Today, many people live, work and grow vineyards on the slopes of Vesuvius. Although it’s sleeping peacefully, no one knows when it may explode again.”

PEOPLE ARE ABOUT TO DIE AND THEY DON’T EVEN KNOW!!! Thought a panicked seven year old me. WHAT ARE THEY THINKING—THEY ARE DOOOOOMED!!!

For a few hours, I was one of those people…and we didn’t die. I did still feel a touch of that little kid panic. Anyone who’s keeping track, here are the things I’m afraid of: heights (especially gondolas), sharks, Mount Vesuvius.

Anyway, after a wonderful lunch of homemade pasta we said see you later to our friends and headed to the scene of disaster: Pompeii. Planning fail—after three-courses and a wine tasting, we walked right by the espresso stand at the entrance of Pompeii. I regretted that for the next two hours. Chris was as happy as he’d been at the Roman Forum, phone up, camera clicking, audio guide engaged. Eloise ans i wandered around the bright and breezy streets wondering if romans felt grumpy without caffeine.

I loved that the city gave a great sense of life back in the day, but a lot of the stuff was still closed. The trade off is it wasn’t very crowded, so that was nice. I thought it was cool that they’d run water through the streets every day to wash away the muck, filth and garbage. It reminded me how in Revelations it says a river runs through Heaven. I like that picture—all the city gunk washed away. I also thought it was interesting that the city was right on the water before the eruption changed the geography and topography of the coastline.

My first stop outside the ruins was that espresso stand. I ordered a cappuccino and the lady raised her eyebrows and shrugged. When I got a big cup of milk and a tiny bit of espresso I realized I’d done something wrong. It was way too much milk for the afternoon. No wonder she gave me a weird look. The kids and I finally found Chris and Nico the driver and we all embarked on the final part of our day—the drive along the Amalfi Coast.

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Wow, this is so nice. I miss living near the ocean. Look how—THERE IS A POLICE CAR DRIVING AT US HEAD ON TO GET AROUND TRAFFIC OH GOOD HEAVENS!!

“It’s Italy,” shrugged Nico. “Everything is possible!”

We passed some little restaurants perched high on the cliffs. Nico was unimpressed.

“This restaurant is very expensive,” he said. “You pay for the view. The food is irrelevant. I feel sorry for the owner but it’s true.” That cracked me up—the food is irrelevant. He feels sorry for the owner of this amazing view. Ha ha! I could produce some mediocre food up here and be pretty happy probably.

Soon we arrived in Positano, wound our way down through the shops and back up the hillside again, got our keys and some groceries, and made some pretty tasty Italian pasta with a great view. A smooth transition, safe transit, and not a bad first meal here, even if the food is irrelevant with a view like this!

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