As for my fabulous trip, we departed Thursday night around 7:30 pm from Florence. A bit behind schedule, we stopped in Rome and picked up more kids. (Rome kids are very different from the Florence kids!) We were told we were staying in "bungalows on the beach." Sounds pretty awesome right?! Well...after a very long ride we finally arrived in Sorrento at around 3am and we were shown to our four person "beach bungalows" which were most like cabins in the woods! (Family: think Saugerties trailer meets Burns Lake.) It was this tiny tiny cabin with 2 small bunk beds and a double bed and barely any room to move around in between. By the time we were settled it was about 3:45am and we had to be up at 8am the next morning. In our exhausted stooper we didn't realize that we had to turn the heat ON so we froze to death...by froze to death I mean fully decked in most of the clothes I had and covers over my head to save the warmth!
Luckily, waking up at 8 wasn't as bad as I had thought. We had breakfast at the camp sight slash "hostel" and walked down to water. I had finally found the "beach" that our "bungalow" was supposed to be situated on. There was major cliffs and rocks with very blue water and a clear sky. The view definitely woke me up and got me going for the day. We waiting a few minutes on the rocks and then our ferry came to pick us up and take us all around the Amalfi Coast and to the Island of Capri. Our first stop was the very famous Blue Grotto. It was here that everyone got off the ferry and onto tiny boats (about 4 person per boat). This was such a feat that we had to try and not tip the boat over going from one to the other. Then we had to pay the "Blue Grotto Officers" for our ticket and then we could head on it. Keep in mine this happened while floating around the sea in tiny boats. As we are about to enter the very tiny cave-like entrance the man paddling our boat yells "DUCK!" Immediately, Jes, Jen, Morgan and I hit the deck as the boat cleared the entrance. He says, "didn't want you to hit your head" very nonchalantly and we are inside. Once inside all the boat paddlers start singing in Italian! Its so funny! The Blue Grotto is a sea cave on the island. When the sun is shining it passes through the underwater cavity and the light reflects lighting up the cave and the water a beautiful blue color. It was really beautiful and I'm glad I got to see it although it was so short! I guess it just wasn't what I was expecting. After making a circle inside the cave it was over and back to our ferry. (I later learned that we didn't see the Blue Grotto at its finest due to the fact that we went in the morning and the sun was not at the proper angel to create optional lighting of the cave. But...2 hours after we visited they closed it off due to t0o many waves...so...if we had waited for the sun we wouldn't have been able to see it. So it was a good thing that we went when we did.) From there we continued along our tour of Capri. The ferry dropped us off at Marina Piccola. We walked up a ways to Capri Town which has amazing views of the Island. We got some really good lemon slushies as we were very warm after our walk and the sun was beating down. After strolling around Capri Town we took a bus up to Anacapri which is the town at the top of the Island. They have these tiny bus's that drive on this crazy roads right on t he edge of the cliff! The views are beautiful but I'm not going to lie...I feared for my life on a few of the turns. There was an older lady sitting next to me and as she looked out down the cliff she did the sign of the cross and started saying Hail Marys!! I had to laugh! She was so cute!! Thankfully making it alive, we went to a limocello (Capri is famous for its limocello) and chocolate tasting! So yummy! There is also a place were they would custom make sandals. It was all very neat. From there...we took a single person gondola ride up to the tipity top of the island. (Picture a ski lift for one.) This was my favorite thing. It was just so peaceful and pretty! At the top was a little snack bar with 360 degree view of the island, Mt. Vesuvius and the Amalfi Coast. I think this what the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. The water is so blue and clear! I really enjoyed going up there and just looking out at the sea. After the gondola ride down we shopped around the town a little bit and then grabbed some lunch at a cute outdoor cafe. Then we had to take the bus back down to Capri Town and walk back down to Marina Piccola. We laid on the beach (which consisted of rocks, but it wasn't as uncomfortable as it sounds) and basked in the sun while taking in the sights and sounds. Not before long, the ferry was back to pick us and up and finish our tour of the island. Our first stop was the Faraglioni which are three blocks of rocks which have survived coastal landslides, erosion and atmospheric erosion. They are named Stella, Faraglioni di Mezzo, and Faraglioni di Fuori. The middle rock, Faraglioni di Mezzo, is the most famous. It was a tunnel in the middle which is called the tunnel of love. Our ferry driver told us that the tradition is that when the boat goes through the tunnel you have to kiss the person you love. It was very neat. The next stop was the Green Grotto which is similar to the Blue Grotto but the water is green. And there's even a White Grotto. The White Grotto is a little different. Its a large cave above the water with all white rocks. At one point a stalactite and a stalagmite meet they formed what looks to be a statue of the Madonna.(See pictures). It was very neat. Then the ferry headed back to port and we returned to our cabin for a little nap time as the whole only-got-3-hours-of-sleep and being out in the sun on the water all day was starting to hit us. After a much needed nap the whole group got together and went to dinner in the center of Sorrento. I got gnocchi and....it was delicious!! By far the best meal I've had in Italy so far! (The tortellini in Bologna is a close second though!) Just so good. Then it back to the cabin for bed...and we figured out how to work the heater so we weren't icicles in the morning when we woke up!
Saturday we took the bus to Positano which is the first city on the Amalfi Coast. Some scenes from the movie "Under the Tuscan Sun" were filmed there. Because the roads are so curvy, the bus has to drop us off on the outskirts of town and we had to walk on the road into town. Unfortunately, as we got closer to town we could see the clouds starting to roll in over the cute little beach town. Once we made it into town and found a spot on the beach it was really cloudy and chilly. We hung out for awhile and then walked around town. It was so cute! A very typical Italian beach town. Little shops and tiny twinkle lights were throughout the town. Just adorable. In May 1953, the famous author, John Stienbeck wrote an essay on the town saying, "Positano bites deep. It is a dream place that isn’t quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone." The town is definitely a step out of reality. I was so bummed that the weather wasn't very nice but finally in the afternoon the sun came out and we went right back to the beach. It was so nice to be able to just lay in the beach and take in the sun in Italy. We had the day to do whatever we wanted in the town we just had to take a bus back to Sorrento and we were told that the last bus returning was 9pm so we figured we'd spend the day, eat dinner and then had back. Well it started getting chilly so at around 7pm we decided to head to the bus stop (we weren't really given any directions as to how to get to the bus stop except that its near a big tree. Really great directions I know.) So luckily, Morgan had her "Rick Steves: Italy 2009" book with her so we looked it up and found out where it was. We make it to the bus stop, buy a ticket for Sorrento and check to see when the next bus is (we were told they run every 20 minutes). Well, the schedule informs us that the last bus to Sorrento was at 7pm! Its 7:10! And the leader of the trip told us that they didn't stop running until 9! So after a few moments of widespread panic (in an afterthought, Positano wouldn't have been a bad place to get stuck!) we figure out that if we take another bus we can switch and then take another one back to our camp sight but the bus we needed didn't come for another 45 minutes...and in Italian time that means god knows when. So we did what any logical people would do...bought a bottle of white wine (the area is known for its white wine) sat on the sidewalk and cracked it open! Luckily for us, the bus was on time and we actually met some other kids from the trip on the bus and apparently the bus was making a special stop at our camp sight so in the long run it all worked out. But...it was definitely stressful for a few minutes. I was upset at the leaders because I really thought they should have informed us better of how to get home but then I thought...this is just another learning experience and thats what I'm here for. So once back to our cabin we headed into the center of town again for dinner. I had to get pizza since we were near Naples (where pizza originated from). Listen to this pizza, cheese, spring tomatoes, pineapple, and kiwi! When the description didn't say sauce...they weren't kidding. It only had cheese...no red sauce! It was quite interesting...I didn't hate it...but I don't know if I would get it again!
On Sunday we packed up, loaded the bus, and were off to Pompeii. Pompeii is someplace I always thought would be awesome to go! The area outside of it isn't very nice. Its just a bunch of tents trying to rip tourist off. Everyone is very pushy and I didn't really care for the atmosphere but inside Pompeii was awesome! We had an excellent tour guide who spoke perfect English and was very knowledgeable. In the year 79 AD Mt Vesuvius, which is 8 miles from Pompeii, erupted and left the city covered in 16 feet deep worth of ash and rock. The city was accidentally rediscovered in 1748. It took archeologist years and years to dig out 2/3 of the city. They are saving the last 1/3 for the next generation to discover. 20,000 people are recorded to have lived in the city at the time but only 2,000 bodies were found so that makes the historians believe that were was some sort of warning before the eruption. The archeologists have discovered a way to make cast molds of skeletons so it preserves the skeleton but it also shows the person just as they died. They have several of them to see. It was really interesting but totally creepy and sad at the same time! Its amazing to me that so much of the city is so well preserved considering how old it is! The tour guide also told us how worried they are that Mt. Vesuvius will erupt again sometime soon. There has not been any activity in many many years and it is still considered an active volcano. The area surround Mt. Vesuvius is very densely populated with about 9,000 people every square kilometer so if it were to erupt it could be catastrophic. I learned so much! It was so interesting. After the tour it was back on the bus back to Florence. We got back around 11pm and then it was back to school on Monday.
This was a really great trip! I had the greatest time! It might have been my favorite trip I've gone on so far! and It was definitely the most beautiful!
Now I am patiently awaiting the arrival of my mom, dad, and Amanda! I'm so excited that they are coming! I can't wait show them around town! After spring break I have a very busy schedule ahead of me...the time is going to fly by :(
Pictures of the trip below!
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| Trip to the Amalfi Coast: Sorrento, Capri, Positano & Pompeii. April 3-5, 2009 |
Shout out to Francesca Catherine: Happy 21st Birthday!! xo
Interesting story. Your experiences were really amazing. Now I am also excited to visit such beautiful and extraordinary place.
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