Positano Coast and Pompeii

Yesterday was a BIG DAY, as we waited outside our building at 6:45 for the driver to pick us up. The third tour we had chosen with VIATOURS was a thirteen hour trip down the Amalfi Coast which included a two hour tour of Pompeii with five other travelers in an air-conditioned Mercedes van.
Ben had told us it was a 2.5+ hour trip down there, and he was right. We stopped for a quick coffee and “breakfast” en route, but the whole trip was very quiet as everyone slept. It was an interesting site with countryside and the mountains and finally passing Mt. Vesuvius. This is still an active volcano, which they monitor very carefully. It last erupted in 1944, but they did do one evacuation after that, but an eruption didn’t come, so they are more careful now. They do encourage people to move away from the area with some financial reward. In 1995 they made Vesuvius a national park; people can drive to within 660 feet and then climb the trails that are there.
We drove along the-as expected-lovely Amalfi Coast, a series of little coves whose beaches were packed “chair to chair” with sun-worshippers. The road itself was very narrow, so a most challenging drive for the driver. Several times they held up the traffic to let vehicles coming from the other direction pass. I, for one, held my breath on more than one passing car, but our trip was without incidence. We got out in Amalfi(pic.!) for a half-hour walk around. It is lovely, but one church and mostly shops. We continued north along the coast and stopped in Positano (pic. 2) for a good salad lunch on the water.
An hour later-and another short nap-we were at Pompeii(pic. 3) for our two hour tour with Gaitano, who proudly told us of this CNN appearance and his thirty-three years of experience as a guide. It was an excellent tour, and since I never had taken world history, MOST informative. I think that seeing Pompeii would be really a great learning experience for a younger person to help put all the history into perspective. (That is, of course, from the non-history student!)
We got back home by 8:45, and by 9 we were devouring a quick Sunday night supper of scrambled eggs and improvised salad.
Today we met Ben to go to the beach at Ostia, but first we had to run to the bakery for bread and the corner market to find some things for sandwiches. Luckily there is a good little fruit and vegetable store across the way.
Our weather has been PERFECT so far. Unfortunately our one beach day promised to be cloudy with chance of PM showers...The forecast was accurate! While we had some good hour + without rain, it did come, but it was a fun day in spite of it! 5 euro to rent a chair, and we were good!