Amore on the Amalfi Coast

By Kate MacNamara, B&R Traveller

Flying Solo – At First

This was my first trip with B&R, as I’d heard about the company from friends and family, and I was looking to embark on an active trip in Italy. I’d been to the Amalfi Coast years before with my mom and had always wanted to return, so when my travel agent (Mollie Fitzgerald at Frontiers International Travel) recommended the B&R Amalfi Coast Walking trip, the time seemed right.

The thing is, when I planned the trip, I was certain that I could convince some of my friends to come along, but no one was available. So I decided to take the plunge and go by myself. After all, this would be a new take on travel, I’d be travelling with companionable people, plus there’s always the fabulous hotels, food and wine to round out the itinerary. So off I went.

On my first day, I met Dan, who was part of our group. As he would later recount, he’d actually seen me dining at the hotel the night prior to our first official day, but didn’t have the nerve to introduce himself. So he was pleasantly surprised the next day when he saw that I was part of the B&R group. We spent the next six days walking, eating and exploring the region, talking all the time.

“You could see forever into the distance”

One of the most memorable hikes occurred on the third day of the trip as we walked ‘The Pathway of the Gods’ for a couple of hours in the mountains above Positano. We arrived at an amazing picnic lunch, musicians were there to perform, and that fresh-squeezed lemonade never tasted so good! But the view—I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it. It felt like you could see forever into the distance. To experience that and then return to our stunning hotel (Le Sirenuse) for a beautiful candlelit dinner was incredible.

Come the last day of the trip, Dan approached me and quietly let me know that I had made his trip, and asked if I might be interested in seeing more of him. Six months later we were engaged! Who would have thought that my friends not being able to join me would end up being the best thing that could have happened?