Thurs 12Feb. Sheila and I got up for the breakfast included in the price of the hostel. It was definitely forgettable not because of the food because of the coffee. We have been spoiled by the coffee availabe in the hotels and coffee shops. It's always freshly made, but this was from a machine. Well, not a problem. We'll just find another local coffee shop and indulge ourselves. After breakfast, we walked down to the local fishing village for alook at the local color and our first view of the Mediterranian. This is the site of Odysses' encounter with the sirens. It is reflected in the local artwork: the wooden inlays and the ceramics. Next day we walked the streets of Sorrento. It's a charming place hugging the Amalfi coast: It is said that Enrico Carruso spent his last weeks here because he considered it so beautiful. To save money and experience more of the local fare, we go into food shops,alimentaria, to get food for dinner. It's great stuff, but we always have to eat it cold. No micowaves. Oh the hardships. Next day, we had an amazing experience. The trip so far has been about the rock stars of history: the kings, the popes, the great artists, but today was different. We went to Pompeii, and today was about the people. Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD burying the city of 20,000 and preserving a Roman city at the height of the Pax Romana. The narrow cobbled streets are rutted from the passage of centuries of wagon commerce. The shops lined the streets. We wen tinto homes where the frescoes were still visible. We went to theatres where people entertained themselves with drama, comedy or gladitorial contests. We walked in the footsteps of the people. We even went into a brothel with frescoes depicting the menu of services. The entire experience was very enilghtening. The city is set overlooking the Bay of Naples and rests in the shadow of Vesuvius. Beautiful. We were freezing when we got back. Stopping into our local wine shop, Carlo, the proprietor, said, "Cold?" and without hesitation poured us each a glass of limoncella, a local lemon liquor. We had a friend. Bye for now. Love to you all.