Amalfi, Italy

Our hotel is half way between Amalfi and Positano, two of the famous hillside villages on the Amalfi Coast.  So we decided to leave our mountain perch and head down the mountain to see Amalfi.
 

Rick always wanted to drive the Amalfi Coast.  After a day of driving the curvy roads, I am not so sure he is so enamored with the idea now that he has made the drive. The road is one hairpin curve after another and down hill.  Oh did I mention that there are huge tourist busses, trucks and cars coming at you on each of the curves.  It's a game who is brave enough to get by, by inching along in bumper to bumper traffic.  On one curve our side view mirror was turned in by the brick guard rail holding us on the road. 

This is what google maps shows as the route to Amalfi.  It's terrifying, exhilarating, exhausting and beautiful all at the same time.

We get to Amalfi and the traffic is horrendous. It's bumper to bumper. the police are directing traffic - one lane goes and then the other. It's almost gridlock. There is no parking, tourists are everywhere, tour boats line the harbor, people are walking everywhere including on the tiny road that goes through the village.

We decide not to stop (because we can't) and head to Maiori, a couple of villages east of Amalfi.  Maiori is much calmer and quieter than Amalfi.

All of these villages are beach towns.  Everyone is in shorts and flip flops and there are beach chairs and umbrellas lining the beach.  Since we had come from the top of the hill, we were dressed in long pants and fleeces. We managed to shed some clothes and  enjoy the warm weather.

Our selfie for the day was taken on the beach in Maiori.  Notice not much crowd on the beach.  It's just our kind of place.