The emotion of leaving Rome during rush hour was softened by the plethora of pastries at our disposal. When we opened our packages (neatly tied with a bow, thank you Europe for being so cool) we found an extra cream filled roll. Our eyes were bigger than our tummies but we managed to get a pretty good carb intake for the day. I know I still have a little mini-blueberry-cheesecake behind my seat and I think Stacey has even more. We will not starve.

Finally on our way we drove right past Naples (a favorite of Mark because of the incredible pizza) and Pompeii (a favorite of mine because of oh-so-many old stones). On this day our goal was the Amalfi Coast. There were several ways to drive and we wisely chose to cross right over the mountain and land in the town of Amalfi. We first thought this was wise because of the grandeur of the scenery but later learned it was wise because it shortened the drive along the coast which was somewhat terrifying and mind/body numbing from the stress. We are currently driving a Jeep Compass which seems like a Ford Expedition around here – large and cumbersome. Our favorite part of the drive was the goat herder and his charges.

Jeep Compass aside – we loved the sights. I was quite taken with the terraced hills covered with lemon trees. Fantastic. Stacey and I both have our roots in Southern California and we could compare it to highway 1. We decided that the vegetation is more beautiful here, but the Pacific Ocean certainly puts on a better show. The twisting, dangerous road taught Stacey that the students would not be subjected to driving it in a tour bus, but there are ferries available from which they could see the wonderful hillsides and colorful homes. The Emerald Cave caught our attention but it was a cloudy day and the light was not as impressive as it could have been. We gave it a thumbs down on the entertainment score – rather cheesy once you get into that boat. We did, however, find some delicious food! I had no idea fresh mozzarella could ever be so amazing.

Driving, driving, and driving on the narrow twisting road – we finally drove into Salerno with just enough time to brush our hair and freshen up enough for our evening meeting. The ten minute drive took about an hour? This town is crazy! Parking on both sides of the road with just enough room to squeeze between with the obvious one way roads. Stacey took more than one ten-point turns. At one point we were laughing so hard our stomachs were hurting and our gratitude overflowed that our bladders did not. It was becoming ludicrous but we finally found a place to park with only a seven minute walk to the church venue. Like Hansel and Gretel we noted landmarks and were able to find out way back to our car in the dark.

Once again we enjoyed meeting with Stacey’s contacts here in Salerno. There is mutual excitement for the upcoming concert which will be on MayDay, kicking off their local festival. Their church choir will open the concert before turning the stage over to BYU Singers. The church itself was rebuilt on an old Roman foundation and was beautiful in its simplicity.

Another tiring day full of memories. Once again, Mark would have loved seeing the sights. Stacey reminds me that he is most likely seeing all of it with us – but I am guessing he skipped the cheesy cave adventure. In keeping with our tradition I bought a little Christmas ornament (shaped like a lemon) to commemorate the day. When he first died I thought this would be a tradition I would have to give up (for some reason), but instead it felt joyful to carry it on. Grief is a strange thing.