2018-07-18

【Aiden in English】

        Welcome to the first of two stops I've already been to. Today's hot spot was Naples, a beautiful city with a lot of history, but one I happened to be to. So, we decided to go to Sorrento... another place we've also stopped by. That's alright since the main attraction would be the Amalfi coastal drive in the afternoon. 

        Sorrento and Naples, two iconic Italian places I've been three years ago. However, they also two iconic sites I'll gladly return to. In addition, my memory only gives a blurry recollection of Sorrento, so why not go back? While strolling through the town center, I ran over some areas that triggered brief flashbacks to when I didn't worry about grades. A cute balcony here, a giant lemon there, and each one were taking me back three years.

        But that's not why we chose this trip. The afternoon drive across the famous Amalfi Coast over the Tyrrhenian Sea was the real pot of gold on this trip. I saw multiple photos on a preview earlier and was excited to get on the road. Just one problem... I was sleepy after a retreat at sea yesterday. Really sleepy. I think it was a food coma, but I crashed right before getting to the coastal area. So essentially, I watched the greatest coastline I've ever seen fly by through eye slits. Luckily, the bus was forced to take a ten minute stop in order to let traffic pass on a one-way road and we caught a glimpse of such dazzling panorama. Yes, the road was so narrow that only one car could pass at a time like the Road to Hena in Maui of Hawaii. Adding to that, the singular road twisted and winded around cliffs hanging over emerald waters. It's a thing of fairy tales. It also appears in almost every racing movie due to the breath-taking drop-dead scenery. 

        To the right, the Caribbean waters of the Bahamas. To the left, the Andes of Chile.  A singular strip of concrete separating two worlds. Small, terra-cotta roofed buildings, colorful, pulled straight from a children's book. I don't think there's a more beautiful coastline I've ever seen. Yeah, although Easter Island was nice, it was pure nature and cliffs plunging into the cold Pacific. Be honest, they have nothing on the magical waters. 

        We did eventually stop at Amalfi, one of the capital Maritime republics of Duchy of Amalfi on the coastal drive. It consisted of touristic shops, gelato parlors, Cathedral of Sant'Andrea, and a few residential buildings with their erstwhile splendor. Most of the area is designated purely for tourists, as demonstrated by the local food, souvenirs, and most of all, prices. Walking down the single main street of Via Pietro Capuano, we discovered that we can never have too many gelato stands. Also, I satisfied my Hazelnut gelato cravings. Afterward, it was back on the bus, and finishing up the Amalfi Coast.

        Tomorrow, it will be stop number two of the places I've been to. While Rome is a city I would love to return to, the world is large, and there is much to see. So I guess I'll have to 'rome' along.

【红霞译文】

        欢迎重返两处景点中我曾经参观的第一个，今天热点城市为那不勒斯，历史悠久风景如画，但恰巧早已来过，所以只好改往苏莲托……另一所故地，没啥关系，反正重头戏放在下午乘车游览阿马尔菲海岸线上。

        苏莲托和那不勒斯是我三年前出游意大利时两大地标，即使再度造访仍是一件极其愉快的事情，何况本人对苏莲托印象模糊，故地重游又何乐而不为呢？漫步于城中闹市区，我触景生情，思绪一下子飞回到无需惦记学业的年代，这边可爱的阳台，那里高大的柠檬树，每样东西都让我重拾三年前美好记忆。

        不过所有这些并非成为我们远道而来的理由，下午前往第勒尼安海上阿玛菲海岸线兜风欣赏景致才是此行真正原因。事先我浏览过很多照片，上路的时候满心欢喜，问题在于……昨个儿航海日休闲过后我困得要死，抵达景区之前坐在车上一直昏昏欲睡，海岸线绝美瞬间犹如浮光掠影般从眼皮底下一闪而过。“有福之人不用愁”，因单行道交通拥堵，我们被卡在要道上长达十分钟之久，结果将千娇百媚尽收眼底。说得没错，阿玛菲海岸线路面狭窄，宛若夏威夷茂宜岛的哈纳公路，更有甚者，山路背部悬崖高耸壁立千仞，山路正面九曲十八弯径直垂挂在翡翠蓝绿色海湾之上，犹如童话故事描绘的人间仙境，美景美奂几乎全部摄入电影赛车惊险镜头里去。

        钢筋混凝土铺就的单道公路右侧是巴哈马加勒比海，左侧为智利安第斯山脉，浑然将阿玛菲海岸线分成两个世界，依山面海小巧玲珑的红瓦房，把少儿图书色彩斑斓的画面原封不动地搬了出来，我从未见到如此壮观的海岸线，复活节岛倒是山清水秀，但鬼斧神工的峭壁海岸却一头栽进寒气逼人的太平洋，坦率地说一点不比这里奇妙。

        我们最终来到阿玛菲海岸线被视为旧时海上共和国──“阿玛菲公国”首府阿玛菲，古镇旅游商店、手工冰淇淋店、圣安德烈大教堂和昔日辉煌的老居民楼一目了然，多数区域游人如织，本土小吃纪念物品充斥着大街小巷，价格自然不菲。走在城里仅有的一条主道──彼得·卡普阿诺街，我们发现手工冰激凌摊位有多少都不嫌多，而榛子风味的仍是我的最爱，吃饱喝足之后，我们才乘车离开阿玛菲海岸线。

        明天目的地也是我先前来过的地方，尽管很想再去一趟罗马，但世界之大，要玩的地方实在应接不暇，因此只好暂且放它一码。

Today in History(历史上的今天):

2016: Seine Estuary, France(法国塞纳河口)

2016: Le Havre the Rebuilt City, France(法国勒阿弗尔—重建之城)

2016: The Seine in Paris, France(法国巴黎塞纳河畔)

2016: Public Arts in Paris, France(法国巴黎公共艺术)

2016: Paris the City of Lights, France(法国巴黎—光明之城)

2016: Capital Paris, France(法国首都巴黎)

2014: GHCS Camp—Chinese Chess(光华营中国像棋)

Crosslinks(相关博文):

2015: Lemons in Capri, Italy(意大利卡普里岛的柠檬)

Italy(出游意大利)

Europe(欧洲掠影)