Insalata Caprese

Our journey to Naples Airport, and thence by taxi to our hotel in Sorrento, was straightforward. We had to wear our masks on the plane except when eating and drinking. The plane was only about half full, which certainly speeded up the process of going through border control and collecting our cases from the baggage carousel. When the pilot welcomed us aboard over the speaker system, he thanked us for going on holiday because the travel industry has been struggling so much! We arrived at the hotel at about 10 p.m. and were served supper in our room. It’s on the first floor overlooking the sea, and may be the exact same room that we had on our first visit here, 5 years ago * We could hardly believe that we had finally arrived.

This morning we woke refreshed and after breakfast we went for a stroll around Sorrento; it was all very familiar because we can remember it from our first visit five years ago. It’s such a lovely wee town with lots of little shops selling lemon-scented soaps and tea towels and bags and dresses and tablecloths and sandals. Then we came down to the pool, where we have been ever since, with Caprese salad for lunch on the nearby terrace overlooking the Bay of Naples; Vesuvius hazy in the distance. The pool is surrounded by palm trees, lemon trees, tall umbrella-shaped pine is trees, and an olive tree shading the front of the little pool bar. I carefully measured the pool using an app on my phone - it’s 16 metres long at its longest point - so that I could set the lengths for my Apple Watch workout, and I duly swam my kilometre. I really felt that I should, after the unnecessary but delicious chocolate mousse with which I finished my lunch! 

* Update - by looking a photo of James standing on the balcony (on my phone from five years ago), and then me going into the hotel garden while James stood (and danced!) on the balcony of our current room, we excitedly established that it IS the same room - room 128.