World Heritage Site...

Google defines a World Heritage Site as "a natural or man-made site, area, or structure recognized as being of outstanding international importance and therefore as deserving special protection." These places are deemed worthy of the title by UNESCO (the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization.) Truth is, that's a lot of label-y words which basically translate to: "This stuff is unbelievably gorgeous and historic and should be treated as such."

So which UNESCO World Heritage Site did Matthew and I most recently visit? THE AMALFI COAST! We agree that Switzerland is our favorite place in the world for natural beauty, but the towns of Amalfi and Positano are the most picturesque cities we have seen thus far. They are downright breathtaking.

If you'll remember, hubs and I spent a morning in Sorrento before hopping on a bus headed for Amalfi. Despite the fact that Sorrento is only 19 miles away from Almafi, it took an hour and a half to get there. Winding and twisty are not adequate adjectives to describe the road linking those two places. Thank the Lord for vehicular air conditioning and motion-sickness prevention medicine. I would not have made it otherwise.

Looking out the bus window took quite a bit of courage. If the sheer drop offs of the cliffs didn't scare me, the sudden appearance of oncoming traffic on the tiny road was enough to make me a bit tense.

How does one finagle a gargantuan charter bus through a traffic jam?

By brushing dangerously close to the surrounding walls. Who needs side-view mirrors?

Sorry for the glare on this one. I took it as we were riding past. I have no idea why there was a British phone booth on this random Italian inlet.

The back and forth sway induced by the tight turns really wasn't all that horrible. But I was relieved when we made a quick stop overlooking Positano.

The colors of this town and its setting make my heart glad. Sooo pretty!!!

Eventually, we arrived in Amalfi. In order to plan our return trip to Naples with enough time for a stop in Positano before catching our train in Sorrento (confusing, I know), we were able to squeeze in dinner. But not a whole lot else. And we still ran, barely squeaking on as the last passengers to board.

This was our restaurant of choice. We splurged a bit on a multi-course tourist menu, but it was worth it. Plus, we were very centrally located among the main attractions, including...

... this cathedral, the Duomo di Amalfi. A Christian structure has been standing in this spot since the 9th Century, although it has been remodeled on several occasions.

The cathedral's bronze doors are original, cast in Constantinople back in 1066. Ten freaking sixty-six. They are the oldest doors of post-Roman manufacture in all of Italy. Unfortunately, we didn't get a chance to see what was behind those impressive doors because we were wearing shorts. Not proper church attire in Amalfi.

Just around the corner, we stumbled upon this charming alleyway.

And this super patriotic one.

Sadly, that was all the time we had for Amalfi. A fast walk to the end of the dock in the port allowed a few last minute Kodak moments.

The sun was beginning to set, and half of our view was already in shadows.

However, the other half was still all sunshine.

Dazzling.

Like I said before, we hauled it back to the bus destined for Positano. Once we disembarked there, we had roughly 45 minutes to snap some pictures, drink a lemon granita, and find our way back to the stop. (At this point, our travel trick of photographing the most accurate transportation schedule came to the rescue. The sign above our stop was incorrect, but the schedule saved on my camera was right on. Whew!)

What a great place this would be for a beautiful brunch or a romantic sunset dinner! Maybe next time.

On second thought, we should just rent out this entire villa.

Yep, UNESCO nailed this one. The Amalfi Coast is outstanding and deserves special protection. I'd like to take my children or grandchildren there someday.

As the light of day left Sorrento, so did we. Unfortunately, we missed the train we had intended to take by mere seconds. It pulled away as Matthew and I approached the platform. Grateful that there was a later one coming, and exhausted from a long day, we waited.

When we finally exited the metro in Pozzuoli, hubs stopped for one of those awesomely cheap yet delicious pizzas near the palace of Mr. and Mrs. T. We felt bad for returning so late and hoped that our hosts weren't too worried. We entered the house expecting to find our surrogate parents in bed. Much to our surprise, Mrs. T was in the kitchen fixing herself a late dinner. I thought my nose deceived me. Could the sound of sizzling beef be true? Was the scent of taco seasoning really bombarding my olfactory bulbs? Indeed. My senses did not fail me. Mrs. T was cooking taco salad. I repeat, TACO SALAD. Mexican was the single category of food that I missed most from America. Sorry, even London's version of Chipotle couldn't quite imitate the real thing. I was giddy with excitement as Mrs. T offered to share her concoction with me. Chips and salsa included. Oh happy day! Because the T's work on the naval base, they have access to all of the finest American groceries. Their cabinets were stuffed with the things that I didn't realize I could covet until I saw them. I'm not sure I can convey how scrumptious that taco salad tasted. So simple, yet such a vivid reminder of home.

The gently breaking waves of the Mediterranean sparkled in the moonlight outside my window, a hearty helping of one of my favorite meals sat satisfyingly inside my tummy, and a glorious day of fun in the luxurious sun of Capri lay only a few hours ahead of me. Needless to say, on the night of June 29th, I went to sleep a happy girl.