Posted: Sat Oct 10, 2009 8:48 am
More days are up. I'm excited because it was (still is this a.m.) the "Featured Blog" on the Travellerspoint.com home page. Yee-haw! It might purely be random selection, but it makes me feel good anyway. 
Page 2 of 3
Posted: Sat Oct 10, 2009 8:59 am
Yeah! Ive been checking obsesively for the next installment
Posted: Sat Oct 10, 2009 9:36 am
Vicki,
All I can say is wow! You take me right back. My grandmother was from Amalfi. A little town called Conca Di Marina, right on the Amalfi Coast Drive. I swear that I lost several years off my life during a drive down the coast with my cousin Enrico at the wheel of the smallest Fiat I had ever seen and me screaming " piano...piano... per favore piano!!!"
You picked exactly the right place to go for a true experience. So many people miss this by gravitating towards the Big Three, Rome, Florence, Venice, which most certainly have their own charms. I'm sure there will be many more Italian adventures for you in the future. Thanks for taking us along!
Hubby and I just decided to do England next summer in honor of our joint "50", now you have me thinking about Italy again.
All I can say is wow! You take me right back. My grandmother was from Amalfi. A little town called Conca Di Marina, right on the Amalfi Coast Drive. I swear that I lost several years off my life during a drive down the coast with my cousin Enrico at the wheel of the smallest Fiat I had ever seen and me screaming " piano...piano... per favore piano!!!"
You picked exactly the right place to go for a true experience. So many people miss this by gravitating towards the Big Three, Rome, Florence, Venice, which most certainly have their own charms. I'm sure there will be many more Italian adventures for you in the future. Thanks for taking us along!
Hubby and I just decided to do England next summer in honor of our joint "50", now you have me thinking about Italy again.
Posted: Mon Oct 12, 2009 8:34 am
I have had this EXACT convo with my hubby in another land. Oh girls and boys are so different!
Matt: “Just throw it away. What can they do?” he says as he crumples it up and shoves it in the glove box.
Vicki: “We can’t do that. You have to pay it. It’s the rule,” I say as I get it back out and smooth it out to put it in my purse.
We agreed to ask the hotel what to do the next morning. I kept it in my purse because I knew Matt would try to throw it away when I wasn’t looking. I was convinced trying to leave Italy without paying our parking ticket would set off an alarm at the airport and an army of military guys with machine guns would come take us out of the boarding line, revoke our passports, and throw us in an Italian jail. Okay, maybe that’s extreme, but I like to follow the rules.
Matt: “Just throw it away. What can they do?” he says as he crumples it up and shoves it in the glove box.
Vicki: “We can’t do that. You have to pay it. It’s the rule,” I say as I get it back out and smooth it out to put it in my purse.
We agreed to ask the hotel what to do the next morning. I kept it in my purse because I knew Matt would try to throw it away when I wasn’t looking. I was convinced trying to leave Italy without paying our parking ticket would set off an alarm at the airport and an army of military guys with machine guns would come take us out of the boarding line, revoke our passports, and throw us in an Italian jail. Okay, maybe that’s extreme, but I like to follow the rules.
Posted: Mon Oct 12, 2009 9:28 am
I was convinced trying to leave Italy without paying our parking ticket would set off an alarm at the airport and an army of military guys with machine guns would come take us out of the boarding line, revoke our passports, and throw us in an Italian jail. Okay, maybe that’s extreme, but I like to follow the rules.
Maybe not so crazy. I recall reading post 9/11 story comparing our dysfunctional customs system to Europe. The reporter had been based in some European capital as a correspondent for several years, then reassigned back to the US. He later returned to that city to do a story and the day after he checked in there was a knock at his hotel door. It was the police, asking him about some prior tickets he had received back when he was based there, whereas, per today’s NYTimes, we STILL have no reliable system in the US for even verifying that foreign visitors with expired visas have left the country (!) let alone track down somebody who had outstanding tickets.
(Please don’t hijack this thread and riff on the politics of border safety etc. Out of respect for V, please start another thread if you must comment in that fashion.)
Maybe not so crazy. I recall reading post 9/11 story comparing our dysfunctional customs system to Europe. The reporter had been based in some European capital as a correspondent for several years, then reassigned back to the US. He later returned to that city to do a story and the day after he checked in there was a knock at his hotel door. It was the police, asking him about some prior tickets he had received back when he was based there, whereas, per today’s NYTimes, we STILL have no reliable system in the US for even verifying that foreign visitors with expired visas have left the country (!) let alone track down somebody who had outstanding tickets.
(Please don’t hijack this thread and riff on the politics of border safety etc. Out of respect for V, please start another thread if you must comment in that fashion.)
Posted: Mon Oct 12, 2009 11:16 am
At the very least you woulkd run into problems with the rental car company.
Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2009 4:16 am
As usual, great pics, great writing. After this report I think Italy will get more tourists.
Linne
Linne
Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2009 10:56 am
Finito!
The "novellette" and photos are all finished for anyone who has about 14 hours to kill:
http://vicki-h.travellerspoint.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/42427255@N00/
The "novellette" and photos are all finished for anyone who has about 14 hours to kill:
http://vicki-h.travellerspoint.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/42427255@N00/
Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2009 11:56 am
DELETED
Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2009 12:45 pm
Vicki,
I haven't had time to read the whole thing, but I keep coming back to that dog in the door photo. I just love it.
I haven't had time to read the whole thing, but I keep coming back to that dog in the door photo. I just love it.
Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2009 1:41 pm
Sorry to see it end 
Your style and approach make it a delight to read, as if we are right there with you! Awesome job, when is our next trip!
Your style and approach make it a delight to read, as if we are right there with you! Awesome job, when is our next trip!
Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2009 2:31 pm
Fun! Makes me want a bait lunch. Really.
Cheers, RickG
Cheers, RickG
Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2009 4:04 pm
Vicki,
You are the most amazing trip report writer in the world and your pictures are breathtaking.
I would love to travel in your pocket for just one trip
The Shopper
You are the most amazing trip report writer in the world and your pictures are breathtaking.
I would love to travel in your pocket for just one trip
The Shopper
Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2009 7:07 pm
Stupendo!
Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2009 3:10 pm
I thoroughly enjoyed your trip report and photos!! Thanks so much for taking the time and effort to share your trip with us. I felt like I was right there with ya...and it didn't cost me a dime! (And I didn't have to climb all those damn steps.) 
I, for one, hope you are planning another fantastic trip soon so I can read about your next adventure. Keep 'em coming, girl!
I, for one, hope you are planning another fantastic trip soon so I can read about your next adventure. Keep 'em coming, girl!