A Walk DOWN to the Sea

The day started early ... again ... but included some wonderful experiences for us. Our first stop after breakfast was the Benedictine Abbey of Cava ... which dates back to 1011AD. There are still six monks who live there and when we arrived, we were greeted by a Gregorian chant that they were doing to start their day. The chanting had such a mystical energy to it. We didn't hear the massive organ, but apparently it has 3000 pipes. It took up a whole wall! We also learned that the monks jobs are to work and pray. The monastery is enormous ... so ... there will be no shortage of work to keep it up.

Walking through all the rooms of the monastery was moving in some mysterious ways. You could not help but wonder about all the people whose lives have been guided by their strong Roman Catholic beliefs. Apparently the southern part of Italy holds the strongest connection to religion. And, it is also a place of great superstition!

We headed out from the Monastery into the forested area and walked amongst the lemon trees and chestnut trees. We learned how valuable the chestnut trees are to the locals. They grow tall and straight and, because of that, are very useful in constructing the pergolas that line the limestone cliffs of the Amalfi Coast. The grapes are grown on the pergolas and the land underneath is used for other crops or gardens. By suspending the grapes, they double their acreage. They actually plant willow trees at the end of the rows because the small branches are used to tie the vines to the pergola. I actually had one tied around my arm to show us how strong the knot is, but ... how easy it is to untie!

Side note ... I am ever grateful that I kept that bit of willow because the old boy ended up using it to repair my broken trekking pole. Somehow ... I had a screw loose (hey ... no pun intended!) and lost the clasp that held it in place. We had the guide tie the kind of knot they use here on the Amalfi Coast and I was back in business!

There are 570 kms of trails in the Amalfi Coast! We took just one! I would have loved to capture more pictures and keep my head up to take in all the picturesque views ... but the path is very rocky and uneven. I didn't want to risk injury. So, for now, I will take home a few pictures and most of the journey will be held in my heart!

I was a bit worried about whether or not I would enjoy lunch today. I knew it was going to be a spaghetti made with anchovy oil. I don't care for anchovies, but I swear ....... THAT spaghetti was the very best pasta I have eaten since we arrived in Italy. Maybe the best pasta I have EVER tasted anywhere! I savored EVERY SINGLE bite!!

After that, we headed to another church where we were taught how to paint our own ceramic tiles! Ceramics are a hallmark of the Amalfi coast! It was a bit daunting to start with, but they will fire them and glaze them and they will deliver them to us on our last day of the tour! I am eager to see how they turned out!

We then walked down to our hotel ............. way down!! The itinerary said we would be walking 5kms today, but my phone indicated that we actually logged 11kms. Down hill is hard on the knees, so my injury started to act up a bit. I am grateful that I brought analgesics and anti-inflammatory meds! I expect I will need them soon.

We enjoyed another lovely supper and stayed up way, way, way too late again. We have such a fantastic group that its hard to leave the fun and head to bed!!!!

Hugs to one and all,
❤️k&j❤️Okumaya devam et