UNpacking!

OKAY!

I'm back. Had a great time. But jet-lag got me. All last week I fell asleep every time I sat down. Still, because this trip was probably the most challenging and the most fun thing I've done in the past seven years or so, I'd like to tell you some things about it.

The trip surprised me. Aging may have mellowed me some: I'm getting used-to planes hung-up on the ground, when I'm on the way to places I know I'll have fun. I'm surprised: after all these years, I've become patient. Go figger!?

Another wonderful surprise was that I really liked the eight others I joined for the trip. They were old friends of the (really) old friend who invited me to go along with them. In many ways the trip took me back in time. My friend, John, goes way back. In fact, we played high-school football together during that early period of the game when the ball was fat-around and we wore no face masks. (Which may explain my face, by the way!?)

But my major point here is that while we visited a host of interesting places near and around Naples and the Amalfi Coast, the really wonderful thing about the trip was the fun I had with these new acquaintances I met through John.

I'd like to tell you about these eight very special people.

Our group was made up of two married couples, John and his daughter, Jerri, two lovely young women, and lovely me.

The married couples were connected to John from way back. At the time they met, John was the football coach and Athletic Director in Munster (Indiana) where they were attending high school. They still call him "Coach." I'm guessing these folks are in their mid-fifties. They're all warm and interesting. And very successful.

I've never before spent much time with successful men of this sort. Bob is a vigorous political fund-raiser for the present governor of Indiana. He is currently working in the governor's office in Indianapolis, and his wife Mel is not only lovely and sweet; she's a world-champion shopper. We all had fun admiring her. . .and teasing her. Glen lives an esoteric and challenging life in "investments." he's the CEO of a successful "investment firm." I think that means he brings together wealthy investors and successful investment opportunities. His wife, Donna, is petite and charming and winning. I think she would've been chosen every time -- on any university campus -- the Sweetheart of Sigma Chi. I mean this in the most flattering and positive way.

It was fun for me to listen to John, Glen, and Bob talk about university and professional sports. They appear to be informed about every well-known coach, his record of wins and losses wherever he has coached, his personal and professional reputation, and where he is likely to move in the near future. Plus they know about fine players. I'm a retired university professor, and what I MAY know is of little interest outside my profession. (I'll spare you at this point several paragraphs on the current best-selling books on school leadership . . .unless you insist, that is.)

So it was fun for me to sit quietly and pick up the sort of information this unique sort of conversation offers. I just let their "man-talk" wash over me and tried to learn what's going on in Big Ten and professional sports these days.

And as you may guess, these men are all (dastardly) Republicans. I was the alleged "liberal" in the group. They teased me some in a warm and good-natured way. But just enough to keep me in my place. In fact, I have to say that I may be more disappointed by the current administration than are they. And for some of the same reasons. In any case, I am not the sort of person who makes my political views central in any conversation. I'm aging and much more an independent in my political views. In any case, such conversations run the risk of offending people. I try not to be rude and boring. So I really enjoyed being with these so-called "conservatives." I would be remiss if I did not say truthfully that these two couples were the most generous and likable people I've met in a very long time. Really nice people!

John is the same as he always was when we were growing up together: quiet, steady, and protective. . .well organized and prepared to lead us all through exciting days in and around Naples, Pompey, and the Amalfi Coast in general. His daughter, Jerri, is exactly the sort of attractive and delightful person who may decide to take over when John decides to stop leading tours for his friends.

Joan is a Bank Examiner attached to the Federal Reserve in Chicago. She is so nice. Even though I would've been interested to know something about the processes by which her team "examined" banks during the banking difficulties of the recent past, she really couldn't share much about her work. Still, she is a bright and attractive woman, probably in her late-forties. A really nice person and a skillful travel companion.

Elaine was once a flight attendant. By now mid-fifties, she's a really striking woman. She's now a retired realtor. And she must've been successful. . .because she is still an engagingly warm and stimulating companion. She was bright, interesting and politely interested in any person with whom she fell into step as we traveled about. She's the sort of delightful companion any man would like to see more often.

In short: when people ask me what was the best thing about the trip, I have to answer honestly: the small group of people I traveled with was by far the best aspect of the trip.

And this is true despite the fact that we spent wonderful times hiking the gorgeous Amalfi coast, where we found countless fine restaurants, engaging hosts, and wonderful places to shop.

The weather was especially nice: warm and comfortable. . .perfect jeans and light-sweater weather. John kept us moving. Our driver, Stefano, was cordial and informed. Our Pompey guide was eloquent, dapper, and engaging. . .the sort of enlightened and cordial person who often introduced his presentations with Latin source words. And all of these helpful people spoke English as if they had lived among us in America for years.

Our hotel accommodations in and around Naples were fine. . .as were those on the Isle of Capri. Our buffet breakfasts were sumptuous. Restaurants were especially fine. I gained about ten unwanted pounds. . .about a pound a day. Not enough to split my levis. . .but enough for daughter-Tara to greet me at the airport and immediately poke her finger accusingly into my expanded waistline. This past two weeks she hasn't starved me. But I've lost a pound a day since I came home. . .a pound or three more than I gained while away. Tara hasn't changed my diet yet, either.

I gained this weight, even though John's daily itinerary kept us hopping all day, every day. My aging artificial knee served me well for a day or two, but I soon found it functioned much better when I wrapped it securely with the four-inch wraps I brought along -- just in case. Twice we marched down what were billed as "thousand-step" granite stairways on the Amalfi Coast. The first stairway taught me it was time to wrap my knee. The second stairway taught me to wrap my knee -- and lose about ten pounds.

Tara is paring me down. She sees ahead into this summer when I have planned a serious surgery to replace my existing artificial knee. This initial replacement has served me well for more than a decade. But I've worn it out with daily hikes and bike-rides during each of a dozen or so springs, summers, and falls since I had it done. The new one is a much-improved version of the old. Still, extra weight will not do me any good during my recovery stage, or on into the future. It's likely that this new knee will serve me well the rest of my life, IF I don't overload it.

People have asked me "what was the outstanding place you visited. Hard to determine, because everything we saw and did was so much fun. But I think it may have been the long hike down to Amalfi along granite walkways and stairs to the coast. The overlooks were striking, the weather beautiful, the walkways and stairs gradual. In this mountainous region, the overlooks into the valleys provide striking views of clustered white houses. . .reinforced concrete, squarish homes with orange tile roofs. The customary walkways and lane-and-a-half roads are laden with hair-pin switch-backs which provide very little protection from passing cars.

On this one special long hike down into Amalfi and Sorrento, the overlooks were spectacular. The deep valley full of square houses gave way to a wonderful view of the Bay of Naples. Once down, we found wonderful shopping in modern, rich-looking, glass-fronted stores sprinkled along narrow cobble-stoned walkways winding in and out. These shopping by-ways frequently opened into large piazzas -- small park-like openings like those I found a year ago in Rome. Here we found more inviting stores and shopping stalls, and nearly always a huge church above a long-wide stairway, with throngs of weary tourists seated tightly on the steps.

As the days passed, I found gifts for Tara and Jon, young Taylor and Konner. I found hooded sweatshirts and shirts (emblazoned with the word "Capri" for all four of them). And in one of the scores of ceramic shops I found a wonderful, large "strawberry" display plate for Tara. For the boys I found beautifully embossed breakfast sets -- plates, bowls, milk pitchers. Through the "miracle of UPS" these arrived yesterday completely unharmed. I found a second oil and vinegar set the boys can present to their mother, too. Our daily salads will be much healthier because of Amalfi Ceramics, Inc. And a bit more stylish.

The very best thing about the trip. Not sure. But I DO know the funniest thing. During our hike down to Amalfi we encountered a wonderful sequence of small rest-areas provided for the weary. In one there was a wonderful life-size bronze statue of a gorgeous nude, sitting boy. . .some god, but I can't remember which one. But the commentary presented noted that a touch on his hand was warranted to grant good luck. The poor guy had been vandalized. One arm was torn off above the elbow. But that somehow made him more antique, more lovely. That he had brought luck to many tourists was indicated by the fact that his hand, his nose and forehead had been touched so frequently that golden bronze shown brightly in the sunlight. However, his private parts also shown brightly.

Well. . .you sit around nude in a public place, you are likely to encounter friendly tourists.

Italy is, after all,
The Land of Lovers.