I finished my last day of work on Saturday. On Sunday, I left Acerra with a group of friends and headed towards the beach. Our other friends were already there and waiting for us. Our day went like this. At 7:15am, they picked me up. Then we went to a bar for coffee/breakfast. They didn't have a chocolate cornetto (croissant) so I had a chocolate bombolone (donut). After breakfast, we started the drive. Another vehicle had already left so we were catching up with them. After about a hour or so we stopped for coffee again. We met up with the other car. We got directions and continued on our way. We finally arrived around 11am. We were in Acciaroli, a cute and quaint little village. It reminded me of a medieval village, the buildings were old and the road was narrow.
We headed immediately for the beach. It was very nice! We plopped our stuff down, covered ourselves in sunblock (at least I did) and ran into the water. It was so hot outside that the water felt very refreshing. The water wasn't too high. You could walk for quite a distance without water coming over your waist. I plunged in and swam for a bit. I did a lot of floating. I like floating. I am able to ignore everything around me and relax. I enjoy looking up in the sky and watching the birds fly, the clouds, the sky and sun. I also enjoy listening to the sea and looking at the scenery. When I float, I reflect on my life. This particular moment, like most moments in Italy, I realized all that I have been given and that I am very blessed. I have a wonderful life filled with much love and kindness from new friends. I have experienced so much with their help. My dream has come true...I am living in Italy! I have to pinch myself :)
As I floated, others swam and some even put on the snorkeling equipment and gathered their pitchforks. I was confused. I asked why the pitchforks...they said they were going to go fishing. They were going to catch dinner, I guess. :) Well one came back and had caught an octopus! He went back out fishing and caught another octopus!!!!!
For lunch, they had brought rice salad that they had made for this occasion. It is similar to pasta salad in America but made with rice, vegetables, cheese and tuna. It was good :) I forgot to take a picture of it though :(
We stayed at the beach for about 8 hours. Fortunately, there was an umbrella, which allowed me to take a nice nap after lunch and not get burnt! :)
After the beach, we headed back into town to say goodbye to the rest of the group. I was staying for another day or two :)
The bar (cafe) was getting ready for the European championship games. Some people were already waiting for the game to start!
That evening after we returned to my friend's house and had showers, we had dinner (pizza). Then we went out and met the owner of a local restaurant and my friend's employer. We had a nice conversation and enjoyed some wine as well :) Afterwards, we walked through town and saw the marina and the old medieval watch tower.
The next morning, we had breakfast at the bar (cafe). Yum! :)
We spent the day at the beach again! :) It was much more peaceful and quiet since the weekend crowd had left. We had a nice day and again I enjoyed my time in the sea and under the umbrella :) I love naps on the beach! :)
Afterwards, we returned home and got ready for dinner. My friend made us dinner with the produce we had bought at the market earlier that morning. Spaghetti with fresh tomatoes and basil :) It was delicious!!! The tomatoes were so sweet and tasty! :) Yum!
After dinner, we went out and made our way to a bar to watch the Italy vs Ireland match. Italy won with a score of 2-0. We didn't see the first goal but the second goal was amazing to watch. The player kicked the ball into the goal while facing in the opposite direction. He kicked it behind him and it went in. It was very cool! :) After the match, we stayed and had some drinks. Then we headed home to get some sleep.
The next morning, we got ready to leave. We packed everything up and then headed to the bar for breakfast. After breakfast we returned to the house and packed up the car. We headed home. I saw these sights along the way....
As we were driving home, we had passed or were in the Salerno area and I saw something out of the corner of my eye. I thought "golden arches", no....but then I turned around and sure enough there were the "golden arches". I couldn't believe it. I guess I had never paid enough attention to see if they had large signs like they do in America. And sure enough, the next day I saw they had it one at the shopping center here as well. Usually, I see McDonalds in the city centers so there aren't large signs but from the highway they do have them!
We even stopped at the best mozzarella shop. It was apparently the first one to make mozzarella.
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| Mozzarella and Panna (cream) |
We dropped off one of our friends at her house. Her mom had made lunch so we ate :) She made pasta with tomatoes and fish. I ate as much fish as I could but unfortunately I couldn't eat all of it. I wish I liked fish :( Then we had tomatoes, zucchini and mozzarella. It was all delicious and her family was very hospitable and kind!
Thank you to all my friends for making my vacation start off right! The beach was perfect and the company was even better!
