05/04/2025 – Sunday tidbits?
Sunday was just that Sunday, nothing too exciting unless of course you were one of the babies being baptized today at church. Dave and Kathy had an early check out time of 10 am, yet church did not start until 10:30, now what to do? Having a tad bit of time they decided they would just head to the church and people watch as the masses filed into the small church right next to our lodging for their Sunday morning rituals. The church began filling up with more and more people. Every square inch both standing and seating was occupied by someone. Little did we know, but today we got to be part of the baptism of two little boys from different families being baptized into the Catholic religion. Wow was it an event! At home, usually the ceremony of the baptism of babies takes place after mass, but not here. We were all present from the start, which began at the beginning of mass, until the very end which was not until mass was over and we were heading out the door. The priest intermittently during points of the mass did something else as part of the baptism. There were so many steps that we are not sure of all that was involved, especially since it was happening in Italian. At one point the priest held each baby high over his head to present the new member to the congregation. Quite a celebration of baptism! The priest was a little over the top after communion, the children who could not take communion lined up to get blessed, then just for good measure the priest walked through the church blessing every child who might have been missed on the first go around. A tad bit too much!
Now realizing we needed to head off to get to Salerno, we started off. We knew the journey would seem more tedious than normal as Kathy, acting as a germ bug with her cold, might have infected Dave, but with a more lethal variant one that went from a simple head cold/cold to a stomach bug that kept him up all night dry heaving. The drive, though, was worth it, winding our way along the Amalfi coast. We put “down” our top and donned our hats and enjoyed the beautiful breeze that blew into the car. The sounds of the ocean and the views of ancient buildings teetering along the edges of the cliffs were a magnificent way to spend a leisurely jaunt to our next hotel. We thought driving the Amalfi Coast in a Fiat convertible would be truly one of those great lifetime memories. Driving the 6-speed manual transmission through the snaky roads was a lot of fun for Dave – until the traffic jams hit. Zipping along the coast sounds so much better than driving bumper-to-bumper with hundreds of others. The roads, while narrow, still were not too difficult to maneuver through, until face-to-face with a tourist bus on a blind curve. Along the way Dave, feeling a tad bit better, decided we should opt for some lunch. Not quite cured, he opted to play it safe and have some cheese and vegies, while Kathy opted for one of her fav’s – a small bit of Caprese salad. The restaurant sat on the edge of the ocean overlooking the crashing waves against the rock cliffs and the multitudes of boats that leisurely sailed below us. Being sick in Italy is just a tad bit easier than at home.
Finally, we were in Salerno and had found a spot to park and just a few steps away our home away from home for the next day. The goal of coming to the city was to learn about “Operation Avalanche”, the WWII Allied invasion of the European continent to drive the Nazi-Fascists out. Unfortunately, it was Sunday night so instead we opted to stroll along the beach and look for something to eat. Really, not even a teeny tiny little restaurant was open – not even a gelataria! Nothing but McDonald’s, wow. Oh well, McDonald’s it was. Kathy enjoyed her Big Mac while Dave munched on a chicken sandwich. Oh well, he has his beloved Egg McMuffins to look forward to….. oh yeah – the McDonald’s doesn’t open until 10:30 am, so much for that. Last on the agenda was a stroll on the beach where Kathy dipped her toes into the cold Mediterranean Sea. Tonight a calm and early night was on the agenda, hopeful to see if Kathy can finish shaking off her head cold and Dave can catch up on some sleep from the previous night and hopefully have his tummy issues resolve.
