I was within an hour and a half flight from home and they cancelled my flight! I’m stuck in Ottawa for the night. UGH

The good news is that I got to see the Parliament. A very impressive building.

Once again I woke up at 2:00 a.m. To get to the airport just in case they had overbooked my flight.
I just wanted to be home!!!

I’ve tried to capture some of my favorite moments of my trip. I know the pictures aren’t the best – but no picture can beat seeing it in person. Every picture on this page was taken with my iPhone. I haven’t even looked at the hundreds of pictures I took with my actual camera. There will be plenty of time for that. Right now I just want to wallow in my memories and not think of Monday…..

Ciao Bella. Until the next time – and there will be a next time!

Today’s journey took us to Positano back down the Amalfi Coast in a mini bus this time. The trip itself was exciting. Our driver was passing slower moving trucks on a narrow street with no guardrail and no way to know if someone was coming around the next bend.

I don’t think I will ever get tired of looking at pictures of Positano!

The bougainvillea flowers were so pretty.

Positano was the favorite stop for many of us. It was picture perfect. We had time to shop and stop for a cool drink and a cannoli before heading back to the cool air conditioned bus.

Kathy and I worked up an appetite packing and decided to head to the Piazza Tasso for our final lunch in Italy. I couldn’t resist the half pizza/half pasta lunch! Beth was wandering by (amazing how many friends you see passing by while people watching). We relaxed and definitely enjoyed living in the moment.

It was time to gather for one last time. Monica gathered me, Beth, Patty and Ellen to take one last picture before heading off to our last dinner together.

For our farewell dinner we went to Caruso’s restaurant. Actually a museum honoring Caruso. Christina (a school teacher from Delaware) sat at one head of our table.

And Sandra (a professor from Abu Dhabi) sat at the other end.

Hard to believe our trip has come to an end. But it was such a great experience! I would never have believed you could find 14 women who didn’t know each other but could live together for a week and be friends at the end of it all. There were women of all ages and shapes and sizes. Young and old. It didn’t matter, we laughed and ate and shopped and repeated over and over.

I would highly recommend Gutsy Women Travel tours to any woman who wants to travel with or without friends. The type of women who are willing to venture out on their own will quickly make friends.

I always said when old people travel they enjoy the experience but when young people travel it changes their life. Well, I’m here to tell you I may be old but this trip has definitely changed my life. I’m more excited than ever about living my life in the moment!

Thanks to Kathy for getting me to leave my comfort zone and to Monica, Geancarlo and all those gutsy women I’ve shared Italy with.

Thursday was our trip down the Almafi coast. This picture was taken in Ravello, a tiny town 1,000 feet above the sea and noted for being the home of Gore Vidal.

We were at the beautiful gardens where they were preparing for a concert. This concert is held once a year and begins at 4:00 a.m. They do this so that the audience is listening to the beautiful music and experiences the sunrise in one of the most beautiful places on the planet. People come from all over the world to be part of the event.

They actually build the seating arrangement over the gardens…..

Everywhere you looked the views were spectacular.

I have to laugh to myself when I think about Beth, Patty, her sister Beth, Kathy and I sitting down with ice cold lemonade in absolute awe looking at the scenery. We all agreed that it looked like a painting or a back drop from a movie. Something they would roll up at night and take away.

While in Amalfi we visited La Basilica del Crocifisso ( Basilica of the crucifix). A beautiful cathedral built in the Byzantine style. At the top of the imposing stairway we saw a bronze door that is a thousand years old. it was made in Constantinople and donated by a wealthy merchant.

We found a waterfront restaurant in Amalfi to enjoy a leisurely lunch. They had fried eggs with mozzarella. Who could pass those up? They were almost as good as the views.

Today I ventured out on my own. Some of the group were lounging at the pool, others went to the beach and some went into town. I was busy shopping for souvenirs and of course had to make time for lunch! I had a Salad “Americana”. It was cold cooked potatoes, onions, tomatoes and Italian Tuna. (Even better than the Cento tuna we love so much at home) all with lovely olive oil lightly drizzled on top. I’m guessing this was named after my husband because I know of no other American who eats like this. It was delizioso!

But the dessert was the best….Nutella crepe. I was in heaven. The Nutella was warm and the whipped cream was cold. A perfect combination.

Just relaxing and perfecting the fine art of people watching was fun.

This post is out of sequence. Friday was our free day in Sorrento. But it was hard to keep up. (sorry). As you can see the streets are full of little shops selling everything you can imagine. From fresh produce to high end jewelry. And as the gutsy women we are we were prepared to shop! A few of us found Maria (from the lemon grove) at one of her shops in town. She was selling gorgeous purses. And who can ignore a beautiful Italian leather bag? Not me!

Here’s Diana, Beth and Holly on the hunt for linen…..

Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, most of the items I found that I wanted weren’t easy to get home…

It was fun to watch the cats and dogs wander in and out of the shops as if they were just greeting the owners.

Dinner today was at The Foreigner’s Club. A name left over from WW2 when the GI’s would come to eat. Suzanne, Dotty and Joanne had eaten here earlier in the week and recommended it. Once again the views were magnificent. This time we were high above the beach. We were looking at Mt Vesuvius over the bay of Naples. The food was good and Beth, Kathy and I enjoyed a nice relaxing dinner with live music and a beautiful sunset.

Sorrento is known for their lemons. But I’ve never seen lemons this size before! I really wanted to bring some home but its not allowed. They were so tasty. So many things we ate had that lemon flavor. The fish we ate at the welcome dinner had that light lemon taste. The desserts were heavy with lemons. And of course the Limoncello was served at every restaurant.

Lemon trees were growing everywhere!

Here is a picture of our hotel. It’s small but very pleasant. The management has been very accommodating. There is a little area out front where you can sit and drink wine and plan your day. We took advantage every chance we had…..

The Gutsy Women travel group paid a lot of attention to detail. The hotel was located within a block of the city square. We felt safe walking alone at night. There were lots of people on the streets even late at night. I had heard we wouldn’t get much for breakfast because the Italians don’t eat a big breakfast. But this hotel understood their clientele. We had all kinds of choices for breakfast. Eggs (hard boiled or scrambled) bacon or sausage (the best bacon I’ve ever eaten). Yogurt, cold cereal, mini croissants, rolls, toast, several types of juices, all kinds of fresh fruits. You name it and it was offered. A great way to start the day. We would sit in groups with whomever was there when we came down. A good way to get to know each other better. Fourteen women who all got along. Hard to believe but true.

Okay, to be honest there is one thing I won’t miss…

Hope this isn’t sharing too much – but really???? Square toilets? Why????

This is the view from the rooftop bar at our hotel. There was a small pool and lounge area. Very nice!

Tonights dinner was very special! Kathy had read about a restaurant on the beach that was known for the freshest fish in town. It was located right on the water. Everyone wanted to go! The hotel called for reservations and arraigned for transportation to and from the restaurant. It was a wild, and fun filled evening. The wine flowed and so did the laughter.

Here is Ellen, me, Diana and Suzanne. Suzanne is a divorce lawyer and kept us entertained with her many stories and her way of stirring the pot with all the men – LOL.

Diana found a new friend…..

Junior (yes, that was what they called him. I would have preferred Vito.) was one of our waiters. Every time he returned to our table another button on his shirt was unbuttoned! LOL He kept the wine coming, recommended desserts and just generally brightened the evening.

He was adorable but this was the view we couldn’t take our eyes off of….

Here’s Kathy and her creation. It tasted every bit as good as it looked. Simple food. Just tomatoes, red onions, EXTRA virgin olive oil (we learned that using regular virgin olive oil is grounds for divorce in Italy) and some fresh basil. Tony, I bow to you! Everything you’ve said about making sauce was exactly as she said. Your methods are the same as Maria’s. I guess you really are a native Italian. (Oh, and I promise to always buy the best EXTRA virgin olive oil!)

Check out this sauce…..yum! We learned to cut the cherry tomatoes differently depending on if we were making bruschetta or sauce. How to cut the zucchini in tiny matchsticks for the cold zucchini salad and how to use lemon leaves to wrap chunks of mozzarella before baking to give the cheese that lemony flavor. Maria was a great cook and kept our lessons light and fun. The time we spent with her and her husband and son was like visiting your favorite aunt.

But this dessert was the best EVER!!!!

Mike you would love driving here! Kimberly – not so much! Here is the ride to the lemon grove (going about 40) and yes, it’s a two way street. When someone is coming the other way you know one of the drivers will be backing up looking for a place to tuck in. Oh, and did I say it had many, many tight turns?

Wednesday we got to sleep in. After all the wine, food and laughter the night before I think we needed some sleep! Once we ate breakfast our next journey was to a lemon grove. The Esposito family welcomed us and taught us how to prepare a traditional Neapolitan dinner. Under the watchful eye of Maria and her family we each got to cut and mix and fry. But the best part was eating! The lemon grove overlooked the bay of Naples witch was the most beautiful setting. Getting there was quite a trip. We had to go in tiny buses that would fit down the winding bumpy NARROW street. Maria and her family made us feel so welcomed. We sat outside at beautifully decorated tables to eat the foods we made (along with others that Maria had prepared in advance). Everyone agreed that this was truly a highlight of our trip.

Here Monica was watching while Maria instructed us in how to make Limoncello.

I just can’t wait for tomorrow because every day is better than the previous. It’s been a wonderful vacation. I can’t think of a better place to spend a day.