So she went!
The Amalfi Coast was probably the worst/best trip I've been on this entire semester. The worst because I was fighting off a cold the entire weeekend and the Bus2Alps company we booked the trip through seem to think that things like sleep were unimportant (seriously. we left at 8pm and didn't get to our hostel until 2:30am, where no one fell asleep until 3:30 and then we had to be up at 7. Insane). It didn't help that I've had a paper due in every. single. class. this week, two presentations, and no computer of my own to actually do work on.
But it was the best because there was a beach and it was warm, and,7am wake up calls excluded, it was actually relaxing.
Now, for those of you who, like me, didn't know where the Amalfi Coast is, it's near Naples and Pompeii. It's kind of that whole Bay of Naples area, though there is is also part of the coast that's actually called Amalfi. It was a little confusing. That's mostly why we booked the trip through a student travel agency because we knew there was no way in hell we would be able to plan it and get around ourselves.
In addition to Kara (the one on the left) our friend Amanda was there too.
On the first day, we took a ferry over to the Island of Capri, what has to be one of the oldest holiday destinations in the world. The Roman emperors and nobles had villas on the island, and these days people like the owner of the Florentine football team escape there. Approaching the island from the sea, I could see why.
We decided to go into the Blue Grotto while we were there, and this is how we had to climb in and out of the rowboats.
The entrance into the grotto.
The grotto itself. It was this... would underwater cave be the right word? I don't think it is, but either why there was a hollow in the rock of the island, and because the sand is so white, the sunlight reflects from the bottom of the sea up into the cave, giving everything this eternal azure glow. It was one of the most bizarrely beautiful things I have ever seen.
Why doesn't Lake Erie ever look this good?
Emperor Augustus' Gardens, where we went after we had docked at the Piccola Marina.
One thing the Amalfi Coast is known for in general is it's lemons, and lemony delights like this limoncello. They grow them everywhere. Any place where they can plant a grove of lemon trees, they do. I wish there was a picture of them so I could show you. For a girl who comes from a place where growing apples is considered a great achievement, I couldn't really get over it.
Another thing the Amalfi Coast is well known for is hand made sandels. Being the shoe-fanatic that I am, I ordered a pair from this very gentleman. They are quirte fabulous. And they have the added bonus of making me look quite so obviously Anerican in Florence. Nothing screams "I'm an American!" quite like plastic old navy flip flops which are the only sandels I had for a long time.
Kara and I in the water. I look like I'm cold because I am. I love beaches and the sun, but water is not so much my thing. I think I was a cat in a past life. Shortly after this water excursion, I passed out face first on top of some rocks for a good hour. That's what three hours of sleep and a cold will do for you.
This is the view of the sun going down over the Meditearrean Sea from the rooftop of our hostel. Other than being located in the middle of no where, our hostel was awesome. It had an open air courtyard where we would eat breakfast every morning.
This is Positano, the twon we went to on the second day. That little beach way at the bottom of the photo is where we parked ourselves for the entire day.
At first I thought that these were lemons the size of my head, but they actually chuides (or that's how it sounds like its spelled) which taste kind of like meon flavoured styrofoam. But not in a bad way, though that is a terrible description. I can't think of a better way to describe it!
The town itself.
Shennanigans on the beach.
After an exhausting day of doing nothing (no really, we went to bed at 9), we woke up, checked out of the hostel, and made out way over to Pompeii. It was a painful ride over, mostly because we all got fried at the beach the day before. It took three days for my back to feel normal again.
Anyway, let me state upfrount that Pompeii is EXTREMELY MASSIVE. They don't kid when they tell you it's a city. It really is. Five hours was not enough time to see everything by any means, so we hit up the highlights. I was a little neverous to be near a volcano with Kara (when that volcano in Iceland blew, she was stuck in Dublin for ten days) but luckily I escaped un-petrified to blog about it.
Vensuvius in the background of the forum.
A temple.
A fresco in the Villa of Mysteries, a building on the outskirts of the city that the city records had no recording of. No one knew it existed, and to this day no one knew what it was for.
After kicking around Pompeii, we hoped back on the bus for our seven hour ride back to Firenze. I spent a lot of quality time with my ipod, wishing that I had aloe vera. And from there, I plunged right back into the end of semester chaos that seems universal to all schools (but I haven't inversed my days and nights yet, which is an improvement over the end of last semester). But I get a miraculous break from it all this last weekend so I can actually enjoy it.
Hey, I'm down to something like ten days left here, but though the end may be in sight, it's not over yet!
Oh, and just if you want to feel super Italian, here is what should be the Italian theme song, which was also the song that characterized our entire beachy holiday!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-Z3YrHJ1sU
Why doesn't Lake Erie ever look this good?
Emperor Augustus' Gardens, where we went after we had docked at the Piccola Marina.
One thing the Amalfi Coast is known for in general is it's lemons, and lemony delights like this limoncello. They grow them everywhere. Any place where they can plant a grove of lemon trees, they do. I wish there was a picture of them so I could show you. For a girl who comes from a place where growing apples is considered a great achievement, I couldn't really get over it.
Another thing the Amalfi Coast is well known for is hand made sandels. Being the shoe-fanatic that I am, I ordered a pair from this very gentleman. They are quirte fabulous. And they have the added bonus of making me look quite so obviously Anerican in Florence. Nothing screams "I'm an American!" quite like plastic old navy flip flops which are the only sandels I had for a long time.
Kara and I in the water. I look like I'm cold because I am. I love beaches and the sun, but water is not so much my thing. I think I was a cat in a past life. Shortly after this water excursion, I passed out face first on top of some rocks for a good hour. That's what three hours of sleep and a cold will do for you.
This is the view of the sun going down over the Meditearrean Sea from the rooftop of our hostel. Other than being located in the middle of no where, our hostel was awesome. It had an open air courtyard where we would eat breakfast every morning.
This is Positano, the twon we went to on the second day. That little beach way at the bottom of the photo is where we parked ourselves for the entire day.
At first I thought that these were lemons the size of my head, but they actually chuides (or that's how it sounds like its spelled) which taste kind of like meon flavoured styrofoam. But not in a bad way, though that is a terrible description. I can't think of a better way to describe it!
The town itself.
Shennanigans on the beach.
After an exhausting day of doing nothing (no really, we went to bed at 9), we woke up, checked out of the hostel, and made out way over to Pompeii. It was a painful ride over, mostly because we all got fried at the beach the day before. It took three days for my back to feel normal again.
Anyway, let me state upfrount that Pompeii is EXTREMELY MASSIVE. They don't kid when they tell you it's a city. It really is. Five hours was not enough time to see everything by any means, so we hit up the highlights. I was a little neverous to be near a volcano with Kara (when that volcano in Iceland blew, she was stuck in Dublin for ten days) but luckily I escaped un-petrified to blog about it.
Vensuvius in the background of the forum.
A temple.
A fresco in the Villa of Mysteries, a building on the outskirts of the city that the city records had no recording of. No one knew it existed, and to this day no one knew what it was for.
After kicking around Pompeii, we hoped back on the bus for our seven hour ride back to Firenze. I spent a lot of quality time with my ipod, wishing that I had aloe vera. And from there, I plunged right back into the end of semester chaos that seems universal to all schools (but I haven't inversed my days and nights yet, which is an improvement over the end of last semester). But I get a miraculous break from it all this last weekend so I can actually enjoy it.
Hey, I'm down to something like ten days left here, but though the end may be in sight, it's not over yet!
Oh, and just if you want to feel super Italian, here is what should be the Italian theme song, which was also the song that characterized our entire beachy holiday!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-Z3YrHJ1sU
I can't believe you're almost ready to go home! That is insanity!!! Ahhhh!!!!!! Loves!
ReplyDeletethat place looks amazing! if i was there that'd be my favorite cause of the ocean and beach front places and all that, so pretty!
ReplyDeletei can't believe you're heading home soon! i can't wait to see you! even though i get back later than both you and megan I will still see you guys around the end of the month cause I will be home then :) Have a great last 10 days in italy ;)
ERIN! The island of capri is where caprese salad is from!!!!!
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