Sorrrento and Positano! Two of the most beautiful seaside resorts we have ever seen!

What an utterly inadequate statement! Describing these two areas is going to be really, really hard, in such a tiny bit of space, and I fear our photos won't do the wonderful spots proper justice either.

We took the train to Sorrento. When we stepped off the train, what a suprise awaited me! Built along the rocky bluffs overlooking the Gulfo de Napoli, this wonderful little resort city features magnificent hotels, parks, restaurants, fancy shops, yacht clubs and beaches all catering to discriminating travelers on holiday. Sorrento is famous for the over-sized lemons grown here because of the perfect soil and climatic conditions. There was not a cloud in the sky but there was plentiful shade from trees, builldings and awnings for walking and investigating. The color of the sea was a collection of deep blues I've never encountered before and the water was so clear that from high above, rocks lying on the waters' floor could be clearly seen. From my brief experience there, I'd designate Sorrento a perfect spot for a romantic get-away or honeymoon.

Next, we visited Positano. Accessible only by car, bus or boat, Positano is farther around the Amalfi Coast toward Salerno, and is situated over the mountain from Sorrento. Our bus ride on the narrow, curve-filled road was exciting yet beautiful. The view out one side of the bus was the sea many, many feet below the road along the rocky and tall cliffs of the mountain, and from the other, we saw tiny towns and hotels built virtually on the road and up the hillside as though they were merely flung there. After about an hour, we arrived in Positano at a spot in town, high above the beaches and major parts of the resort area. The view of the Gulfo di Salermo was spectacular. But the town itself was incredibly beautiful as well. Looking upward from the beach, the mountainside was covered with stone villlas with verandas and patios covered with bouganvia. Looking downward toward the sea, the view was filled with tilled rooftops and shade arbors providing protection from the hot, dry sun, bordered the deep blue waer of the sea. Beachside, hotel umbrellas, travelers from all over the world, and boats nearly covered the black-sandy and pebbled beach.

After our morning in Sorrento, the bus-ride to Positano and the walk down the hill, we were starving. We found just what we were looking for, a classy restaurant just over-looking the beach. We shared roasted artichokes, melanzane which is a specialty of the region that we might call eggplant parmesan, good breads, and a fabulous vino blanco.

Enough of the rich and famous lifestyle . . . we had to face the standing-room only bus ride and train trip back to Napoli. Hot and gritty! Stan said he got the best workout he's had since beginning the vacation simply trying to hold-on during the ride on the bus!

Last day in Napoli is tomorrow. We plan to pack, visit the National Museum Archealogy of Naples and then fly to Venice in the evening. We begin our cruise of the Greek Isles the next day.