Day 39 Sorrento in the Rain

Day 39- We spent a cool but comfortable night in our new apartment in Sorrento (actually Saint Agnello about 2 km away from Sorrento).  I have to admit that we took our time getting up in the morning.  We had been driving quite a bit, and let’s face it driving in Italy can take it out of you!  Today we decided that we would walk into Sorrento and look into the thing we were thinking about doing: Pompeii, going down the Amalfi coast, and going to Naples.  We wanted to find the Circumvesuviana train station and just get a general feel for where we were.  We had listened to a Rick Steves pod cast, and he was touting Sorrento as the place to base yourself to see all of the sites I have just mentioned.  He said that even though Sorrento did not have any major sites, that it was a great place to spend time at.

I could not agree with Rick Steves more!  Our walk into Sorrento was a bit tricky…narrow streets and sidewalks, cars, buses and scooters buzzing past, but it was actually a great little walk!  We got to know this route very well, because we walked it at least 2 times a day for our entire stay, but I am getting ahead of myself!

Today we had a few errands to run in addition to getting to know our new home base.  We needed to get a hotspot, because since we had been in Italy, we had had nothing but trouble with wifi.  For most tourists, this is not a problem, but when your husband works online, you are homeschooling your son, and this is the means by which you keep in touch with family and friends, it is everything!  We needed to find a Tim store in order to get what we needed.  Also, Reid had been begging for a haircut…now normally Russ cuts his hair…he has actually been the only one to cut Reid’s hair his entire life.  Well, that was about to change!  On our way into town, we passed by an Italian barbershop…and guess what….it was 2 doors down from the Tim shop that Russ needed to go to!  So Reid and I headed in to the barbershop…in our best sign language and super broken Italian we communicated the need for a haircut.  We had to wait until the barber was done with his current client.  As we waited, Russ appeared at the shop telling us the the Tim store was out of hotspots, but would have more after 4:30 p.m.

So we sat and waited as Reid had his hair cut, neck shaved, and just had some overall grooming!  He looked so nice when he was done!  After that we decided to walk in to the main center of Sorrento.  What a great spot too!  Cute shops and restaurants are in every alley and street.  We had fun just wandering around.  What we did notice was that a good portion of the hotels, restaurants, and shops were closed for the season.  Oh well it was the trade off for not being there when it was crowded with tourists!

We found a great cafe in the main square to grab a bite for lunch!  After lunch, we walked around a bit and then decided to head back towards the Tim store and eventually our apartment.  As we started walking, I noticed dark clouds looming in the sky.  When we got back to the Tim store, we discovered we were a bit early…so we waited!  Well as we waitind the sky grew darker and it began to rain, then it began to pour, then it was raining cats and dogs…flooding the streets kind of rain… it was insane!

As Reid and I waited for Russ to get his hotspot, we waited outside in the rain.  It was like an Italian movie watching people, cars, Vespas, and buses navigate their way in the rain.  We almost got drenched by puddles a couple of times, but we were entertained for about half an hour.  The best part was, that by the time Russ was done, the rain let up, and we walked home without a drop!

After settling in to our apartment, having a pasta dinner, and playing cards…it was time for bed!  That night…it did not just rain…it POURED!!  I was so thankful to be tucked into bed…and not out walking around!