S2.10 - Pompeii and 2nd Time Around The Amalfi Coast
June 1-6: A Drive Down the Amalfi Coast... Not for the Faint of Heart!
So, after a few days of further exploring Salerno,
we decided to take a break from the boat and rent a car to experience the Amalfi Coast by land. Here’s a quick heads-up: the scenic coastal drive is completely different from the view you get by boat. One moment, you're leisurely cruising along the coastline; the next, you're gripping the steering wheel like it's the last baguette at a French bakery sale.
Narrow, winding roads with cliffs that laugh in the face of guardrails, buses the size of small planets navigating hairpin turns, and mopeds that seem to have a death wish... ah, the Amalfi experience. Not exactly a gentle Sunday drive.
Despite the heart palpitations, the views were absolutely worth it. The sheer cliffs plunging into the sparkling blue sea made every white-knuckled moment worth it (almost). Amalfi itself was charming, though packed with tourists,
so we kept it short and sweet, grabbed a delicious lunch, and then it was back on the road. Pretty sure my driver was channeling Mario Andretti because we made it back in record time. My nerves, however, took a bit longer to recover. Nothing a glass of wine couldn’t cure.
Pompeii: History, Tragedy, and... Pink Floyd?
Next on our itinerary was one of Ryan’s bucket list items: Pompeii!
We visited the Archaeological Historical Park, where the tragic story of Mt. Vesuvius' eruption in 79 A.D. comes to life. You can still feel the eerie sense of history in the ruins, knowing thousands of lives were lost under layers of volcanic ash.
Somber as it is, Pompeii is also oddly fascinating, especially when you stumble upon the Amphitheatre where Pink Floyd played in 1972. Yes, Pink Floyd in Pompeii! Check out their concert on YouTube: Live at Pompei.
Amphitheater of Pompeii
If that’s not a fusion of history and rock ‘n’ roll, I don’t know what is.
June 7: A Fresh Crew, A Fresh Start
Fast forward to June 7th, and we welcomed our new crew members, Laia and Xevi (pronounced "Chevy" – like the car, not the cheese). We’re prepping them to run the show while we’re off to Saskatoon for Amy and Mike’s wedding in July. Hopefully, by then, they’ll have mastered the "how-to’s" of running Lucky Enough and won’t let her sail off into the sunset without us!
Finally, with the crew in tow and our longest marina stay behind us, we set sail along the Amalfi Coast, heading towards Capri. We’d sailed here before (See S1.21), but the views never get old.
On the way, we passed some private islands you can rent out.
Which island would you rent?? I’m thinking the one on the right.
I’m considering throwing that on the "future goals" list, right between "buy a personal submarine" and "adopt a pet dolphin."
After dodging Mach 9 tourist boats, we finally anchored for the night at Grotta di Matermania, which is on the south-west side of Capri and enjoyed a peaceful evening.
June 8: Capri—Take Two (and Counting)
We set sail again in the morning with intentions of heading to the Island of Ischia. But Capri wasn’t done with us yet. After turning the corner just 1.5 miles up the way, we stumbled upon a perfect spot at Punta Cannone and, well, who could resist? Capri, round two—let’s do this!
PS - I took a picture of and described the Faraglioni rocks last year when we sailed by them. This year, we were Lucky Enough to spend time anchored beside them (See S1.20).
We did have to re-anchor (first spot was way too close to a monohull). No biggie. Once settled in, it was a lot calmer than the previous night's location, thanks to fewer tourist boats. But then... the day boat invasion began. I took a video of the chaos for posterity. It's like watching ants at a picnic, only louder and with more propellers.
We popped up the canopy for the first time this year, which made the afternoon that much better. We also took Ugh (our tender) out for a bit of exploration, revisiting last night's anchorage to check out the caves.
We stumbled upon this incredible cave! The natural rock formations look like they’re straight out of a fantasy novel, with twists and turns that invite you to imagine what’s hidden deeper inside. The shades of green and gray give it this mysterious glow, like it's guarding some ancient Capri secrets. It’s the kind of spot that makes you feel like a real adventurer...or maybe just an extra in an epic sea movie. Either way, we couldn’t resist getting a closer look!
There are even steps leading inside the cave. Pretty surreal.
By 7 pm, the chaos cleared, and we were left in peaceful solitude once again. Capri has a way of doing that—keeping you on your toes by day, but offering perfect calm by night.
As beautiful as this is, my heart is on the outskirts of Saskatoon with our Amy-Girl having a blast at her bachelorette party.
