Day 3--Emerald Grotto and Ravello

Ravello

Ravello

I think I've figured it out. Italian drivers are not insane--they're just such good drivers that they can do insane shit and get away with it.

My impression of a drive on the Amalfi coast is that it's like a rickety carnival ride that hasn't passed inspection.

Ferdinanda says that there's really no reason for the buses to toot their horns outside the hotel. She says the road is wide enough. The bus drivers toot their horns because they have, in her words, "small minds." Ferdinanda and Danillo have been indispensable in helping me figure out the Amalfi Coast transit system. Everytime I think I've got a handle on it, another curve ball is thrown my way. I did buy two tickets for Pompeii tomorrow. I also bought two 3-day transit passes for 15 euro each. They are fantastic, because they allow for unlimited bus use on SITA buses up and down the Amalfi Coast for three days. Alas, Pompeii is in a different part of Campania from Amalfi, so I had to buy separate tickets for that sojourn. No matter. I leave tomorrow at 5:30 am. I must get a good night's sleep.

But first, allow me to tell you how today went. I managed to get to the Emerald Grotto, but had to go by bus because the water was too choppy. I arrived, took the elevator down, and got a private tour from the very charming and hilarious tour guide (forgot his name) because I was the only tourist there at that moment. The grotto is fairly small, as you can tell from the picture above (sorry it's so dark but I didn't want to use the flash). I have some video of him splashing the oars in the water (tinted emerald green by the sun's rays bleeding through from underneath) and singing, while the other guide stood over on the water's edge shouting "America! America!", but only got it at the end:

There was a stalagmite jutting up that looked like a human head in profile. The guide says (read this in your head with an Italian accent): "For Italiano, stone look like . . . Garibaldi. But for Americano, it look like . . . Ronald Reagan! . . . Eh, George Washington! . . . not George Bush . . . ."
After leaving the grotto, I went to a nearby ristorante (I included a picture of the view from the deck) and ordered scampi. I don't know if you can make it out from the picture above, but those are shrimps, heads and all. They reminded me of that line from Apocalypse Now: "Captain Willard, I don't know how you feel about these shrimp, but if you eat them, you'll never have to prove your courage in any other way." However, there wasn't much meat inside, certainly not compared to the jumbo shrimps at home. I didn't think I'd see myself writing this, but I think I like the shrimp scampi at the Olive Tree in Aberdeen better!
Ravello is an old medieval trading town that goes back to the early 9th century (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravello). In fact, I believe much of the infrastructure dates back to that period. I included a few pictures above. I wandered the streets, alleyways, and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of stairs. Very little of the town is flat. My legs are screaming! I must sleep before Pompeii!
Ciao,
John
P.S. Here's what the commute is like (this video is on the way back from Ravello):



P.P.S. Watched Altered States last night dubbed in Italian. Everything sounds better dubbed in Italian.