Toll Booths, Tunnels, Hairpin-Curves and Parking Places

Every day is an adventure.  And every day the adventure has to do with driving.  People questioned whether we really wanted to rent a car in Italy.  We decided to anyway.  I won't say it was a mistake, but it has definitely taken a front seat, so to speak.  We try to plan our trips ahead of time, but there are always surprises, even with google maps, a GPS, and instructions from friendly Italians.  The GPS has become our new best friend.  We trust it, above all else, to get us to our destination eventually.

Most car trips this week have been less than one hour . . . just getting us to the landmark we want to visit and back again.  This always includes multiple stops at toll booths, fishing for coins, and hoping we are going the right way.  Nothing is easy when cars and motorcycles are whizzing by in all directions and pedestrians think nothing of walking out in the middle of traffic.

Today's adventure centered around a 9 hour car trip.  We started at our hotel in Sorrento and drove along the famous Amalfi Coast for the first two hours,  then hopped over to the main highway leading to Messina where the ferry crosses to Sicily.

The Amalfi Coast was everything we expected and more.  Breathtaking views, amazing cliffs covered in quaint villages, and narrow hairpin curves to make the heart beat faster.  We are glad we did it, but as Ron said,  "This is driving by faith."  You cannot see what is ahead, and you hope there will be a space wide enough for you to get through.  Once, there wasn't and we had to back up on the narrow road, so a bus could get by. (seen here)

Leaving the natural beauty behind, we opted for the quick route to the tip of the toe of Italy.  We made good time.  The reason there are no hairpin curves on this highway is there are numerous tunnels through the mountains.  At one point I think over 50% of our drive time was spent in tunnels.  We made good time by going the speed limit of 130 km per hour (80 mph in US terms).

Finally, we found the ferry we needed to take us to Sicily, so we were feeling pretty proud of ourselves. Well, our friend the GPS had other plans.  It seems the winding multilevel streets of Taormina were too much for this satellite.  He kept us going in circles for about 1 1/2 hours without locating the villa.  We tried to stop and ask directions, but didn't find many friends.  At last, a shop keeper had mercy on us and called the owner of the villa who came and rescued us, leading us home at last.

Our car is now parked for the weekend.  I am happy to say we plan to walk everywhere in Sicily and give that baby a rest.  By the way, parking is a whole 'nother story.  I actually had to jump out and claim this parking place until Ron could maneuver the car around to take it.  I'm giving myself credit for holding the place while stopping traffic for him to back up a one way street.

We didn't get to meet Tatyana's guests since we arrived so late tonight.  Holly made it.  She said when people asked if her parents were ok.  She said,  "Sure, my parents are very religious.  They drive like they want to meet God sooner rather than later."