Naples, Pompeii, Amalfi, and Sorento
Meeting the Carrier for the Last time
13.08.1964 - 30.09.1964
View
1964 Ship Follower
& Twice across the U.S. in 1964 in a 1932 Plymouth and 1964 Ford
on greatgrandmaR's travel map.
Thursday, 13 August
Apparently I do not have any letters written about this section of the trip. in those days, we wrote air mail on thin paper, but the mail still took several days to get there. Since I was going to be home soon, I might not have written much after I arrived in Naples on August 13th.
I remember that on the train trip at the Italian border, the customs guy asked if I had any cigarettes and I said no that I didn't smoke, and he didn't believe me.
I did have a hotel reservation in Naples and the Hotel Londra & Ambasciatori. I can't find that this hotel exists anymore.
I checked into the hotel
And then apparently walked around Naples taking photos - or maybe I took a city tour. I don't remember.
I remember going into the Galleria Umberto which was near the hotel
And then I went to the Santa Lucia district and took some photos there
I wrote my daughter a postcard which was mailed from my husband's ship airmail in the evening of August 13th.
Dear Daughter
I'll be home real soon. My hotel is on this square and I can look out and see the harbor where Daddy's ship comes in.
Then I'll get on the train and get on a plane and come home again. Get Grandmummyy to tell you when to expect me.
Love Mummy
Friday, 14 August
Before the ships arrived, I did a day trip. Starting in Pompeii, but they took us to see making cameos first
My mother told me about "Cave Canem" (Beware of the Dog in Latin) so I looked for it.
I sent a postcard of Pompei Excavations from Naples to my daughter. It has two 50 lira stamps, and says Via Aerea in the postmark
Dear daughter
These little cherubs remind me of you when you were a baby and of your cousin now. Daddy and Mummy are on their way home now and will see you soon. I went to see Pompeii yesterday and also Almalfi and Sorrento
Love, Mummy
P.S. I got grandmummy's letter too.
After we got finished with Pompeii we went down the Amalfi Drive to Sorrento.
We stopped for lunch somewhere along the way
We had a shopping opportunity and I inadvertently learned about bargaining. I saw a beaded cashmere sweater and asked the price. I thought it was too much so I shook my head and started to leave the shop. The closer I got to the door, the lower the price became. Eventually it got cheap enough that I bought it.
Saturday August 15
Bob's ship was now in port, and I think I went out to the ship
This station at the end of the mile long Mole di San Vincenzo, the main breakwater for the harbor of Naples was established in the early 1900s, but this actual lighthouse was built after WWII. A taller tower was destroyed during the war. It was inactive for a time in the 70s because it was damaged by a storm, but has been reactivated. It does not appear that one can walk the mole. Site and tower closed
We had dinner at a restaurant overlooking Naples
In 2008, I returned to Naples with my grandson.
Sunday August 16
Bob and I took a trip to Capri because I was writing a paper on it for the Famous Writer's School Non-Fiction writing course. It was too rough to go to the Blue Grotto, and I don't apparently have any photos taken there.
Monday, 17 August
We both left Naples and I took the train to Frankfurt. Bob put me on the train to Rome, which was so crowded that I could feel the underwear lines of the people sitting next to me (we were four in a seat for 3).
The train from Rome was overnight and I had a couchette. There was a US soldier on the train who had bought a plastic jug of wine, which had split, and he was trying to get everyone to drink it up for him.
Tuesday August 18th
I flew home from Frankfurt after 5 weeks in Europe. My cousin met me at the train and drove me to the airport where I met the other people who had been on the charter again.
In October 1964, my husband Bob and I drove a 1932 Plymouth from the east coast to Monterey California.
Posted by greatgrandmaR 19:05 Archived in Italy