Places to Go (Vacation) - Hiking Italy's Amalfi Coast, Part 1 - Amalfi

Dan and I never had a "real" honeymoon, which at the time was the least of our worries. When we married we had both JUST finished taking the bar exam and starting new jobs, I was 4 months pregnant with F, we used all the money we had to buy a house (luckily, in 2004 down payments weren't necessary). We had bar loans and new responsibilities, a two week honeymoon wasn't part of the equation. Still, every wedding anniversary I kept reminding Dan that one of these years, I WANT a honeymoon.

Then in March I read this Washington Post article on hiking the Amalfi Coast (love the travel section). Dan and I both agreed it sounded like a fantastic vacation and maybe some day we could make it work. Then, miraculously, all of the stars seemed to align - the doctors proclaimed Dan cancer free, grandparents on both sides offered to take over childcare (thank you, thank you, thank you), a hole in Dan's work schedule opened up in June. So I contacted On Foot Holidays (the travel agency referenced in the article). Planes were booked, hotels arranged. And before we knew it, after 8 years of marriage, Dan and I were flying to Naples, Italy for our much-awaited honeymoon, which really blew all former expectations out of the water. I couldn't have hoped for more.

All of these pictures are from our first night, in Amalfi. Even though I'd seen SO MANY photographs of the picturesque villages tucked into mountainside cliffs, Amalfi still managed to take my breath away, especially its beautiful piazza and duomo. The first night Dan and I drank wine on our hotel room balcony, checking out the sea views and watching local kids play soccer for HOURS (literally hours), while the church bells continually reminded us of the passing time. Total relaxation. After two nights in Amalfi, we spent the next 4 days hiking to a different town each night. I (of course) took hundreds of pictures, but I'm still working my way through it all, so I'll post them gradually over the next few weeks.

Happy Monday everyone!!