Weddings, Parties, Everything

Dan

Walking, talking…wandering and wondering….what a wonderful day we’ve had.  Although I was armed with maps and brochures on all things Sorrento, today we ended up getting lost in the crowd (figuratively speaking) and treading our own path . We paid some attention to the historical centre in between souvenir shopping; visiting the port and the old city walls, viewing a number of bone containers (Saint remains) at the Church of Carmine and unofficially attending a wedding at the Church and Cloister of Saint Francis.

The wedding was a bonus, as we were really only there to look at the gift shop and the Sophia Loren exhibition, but as luck would come our way, Daisy and Stella ended up in a prime viewing spot for the bridal party’s entrance, complete with flower girls and page boy. It brought a tear to my eyes (and surfaced some long-lost memories) to see the late arrival of the bride and her bridesmaids following some very anxious moments up front for the groom and his best man (who spent at least 10 minutes on the phone trying to work out where the hell they all were!)

We also had a lovely connection with home today, when we ran into a couple from Orange in NSW who have just arrived in Italy to begin a 4-week adventure through Europe. We were in a gelati shop, which Stella was attracted to because there was a statue of Olaf out front!  The other Australians were already enjoying their ice-creams when the girls sat down and started asking them about the flavours they had chosen.  Within minutes we were all sharing travel and food stories and giving tips on where to go and what to do!

Tonight we had a lovely stroll along the beach after dinner. We actually had promised the girls to go swimming this afternoon but it was really cold for the majority of the day so we decided that wasn’t the best idea.  However, at 7pm the sun was shining and the temperature was begging the girls to get their gear off and take a dip.  Of course we didn’t have bathers with us, but after Stella’s shorts were drenched when paddling, we did the usual Orford thing and let them get down to undies (leaving t-shirts on)…. Oh to be 8 & 10 years old again – joy!

Stella

Day 26 – Today we went to the place that every one goes to shop. We looked into each and every souvenir shop that we could find and I ended up getting a little Pinocchio 🤥 with its very long nose 🤥 hehe. When you pull the string he moves his legs.

Then we went back to the place we were staying in to have a little play. We counted all the souvenirs, or should I say things that we had bought from the souvenir shops. We ended up with 58 different things all up! Then we did a puppet show for mum and mummy then we went out for tea. 

After that I did just enough convincing to go and have a little paddle again (hehe  ) on the little beach  and guess what? My shorts fell down into the sea  so I had to walk home with no shoes on, wet underwear and soaking shorts.

Jac

Our morning was greeted by a buffet breakfast prepared by our very generous and hospitable Airbnb host. The picture tells a 1000 calories: homemade biscuits, cake and cannoli with fresh ricotta, croissants and on the healthy side a fruit medley of oranges from the garden, strawberries and apples. A slide of ham, Jarlsberg cheese and scrambled eggs became an Italian breakfast sandwich for Dan.

On our way to the centre of town, we passed the old Greek wall and the remains of the mill and wash house, in a gully about 50 metres down. Its a good example of how Roman domination played itself out, because the Roman town was built over the top of the Greek one, similar to how pizza gained cultural popularity over the embattled souvlaki!

We walked down the steps to the Marina Grande which gave us access to the beaches and bathing sheds that can be rented in summer. We also saw the Ruccio hotel which was part of the movie set for “Pane, Amore” starring Sophia Loren. Coincidentally, there was photo exhibition of Sophia Loren held in a local monastery, somewhat ironic, given Sophia in her heyday was deemed to be the most beautiful and wanted woman in the world. Stella was keen to come along to look. I explained to Stella that Sophia Loren was a famous actress and because she grew up near Naples, she was Neopolitan. “Oh”, said Stell, “so she was an actress and an ice cream maker?”

Talking ice cream, a local gelataria celebrated the birth of the new royal baby with a party tonight, including balloons and free gelato; vanilla with a stripe of blue flavouring. I was pretty sure that I had the royal baby’s moniker covered with Spencer Charles John, but I think I went too far down the aristocratic line. I did go searching for a Sir Archie or a Prince Archie but there was no posh or royal genealogical connections to be found. Either Harry and Meghan just happened to like the name Archie, or Meghan was an avid reader of comics. Also, the fuller name Archibald would have been too early a reminder of the genetic predisposition to royal hair loss. As for the second name, Harrison, this either hailed from Meghan’s side and her celebrity connections (thinking Harrison Ford) or the name was a way of avoiding future royal rumours, by confirming that he was definitely Harry’s son!

Daisy

Today we went to wander about and soon came to a beach . Mum said we would go to the beach! Hooray, Hooray, Hooray. The beach is my favourite place to go to, any time of the year!

After we finished our walk we went home  to our new house to rest and count all our souvenirs. There were about 43, not including a little surprise for my class. Zip, I’m not saying a word!