Almafi Coast (Positano) + Pompeii

 Thanksgiving 2017.. Why sit at at home and celebrate without family when we could take advantage of traveling! We entertained our international friends with a traditional American Thanksgiving feast a week in advance and decided that this year we would be alone, just the three of us, on a trip to the Almafi Coast in Italy. We flew into Naples and had a private-driver pick us up and escort us to Positano with a short stop at Pompeii to see the ruins. I'm always intrigued by history; it's an odd feeling to be standing in the same place where people's lives ended in a tragic way. To see glimpses of their lives through pieces that were recovered and restored. The volcano, Mount Vesuvius, which caused the town of Pompeii to be covered beneath meters of ash and pumice, still stands as a glorious part of this Italian region. We gazed at it through the windows of our taxi van as we left Pompeii and headed towards the coastal town of Positano. This town is typically buzzing with tourist in high season soaking in the sunshine under the iconic orange umbrellas dotted along the beach and dining or gazing through the shops and restaurants that thrive off of tourism. However, November is not peak season and unbeknownst to us, this little Italian town that cascades down the side of a cliff would be quiet. Shops and restaurants boarded up for the season, the beach area under construction in some parts and obviously not dotted with those iconic orange umbrellas. Nevertheless, we made the best of it as we always do! With a town that sits on a cliff, one must note that if you weave your way down to the beach, it's a trek to get back up! Our wonderful AirBnB (Casa Malu) apartment sat at the top of the town and was right across the street from a lovely little grocery store and cafe with the best espresso and pastries. We made most meals in our apartment but did find the ultimate Italian restaurant, Chez Black, down by the beach with ravioli that was to die for. This was one of our slower trips with less hustle and bustle and more quiet time. Our evenings were spent in the apartment making arrangements for our next military assignment back to America. We were rank ordering locations where we would like to move to next and speaking of the pros and cons of each place. There's always change that comes with life but for sure comes a little more often with a military lifestyle. If it weren't for Alex's job, we wouldn't have the opportunity to live abroad and see more of the world. These travels have been a huge highlight in our lives!