This past weekend we took our first mini-vacation within my semester long adventure. We hopped on a bus for a 6 hour ride down the coast of Italy. The worst part of the entire trip was our hotel. It was a room designed for 2 people that they crammed for of us (with a ton of stuff) into. Fortunately we had so many activities planned for the weekend that we barely spent anytime in the room.
On Friday we spent the day in Capri. It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. We took a 2 hour boat tour around the entire island. The weather was not great but the views were still spectacular. Unfortunately, the sea was too rough for us to see the Blue Grotto. This is the most famous and beautiful site in Capri. I guess this just gives me another reason to come back to Capri. After the tour the weather began to clear up and we made an extremely long trek to the beach. We got lost for about an hour and a half, but we eventually found the beach. We had to trek down about 300 steps in order to reach the beach, but the energy and effort was worth it. We also stopped for some great lunch and wine while at the beach.
On Saturday we traveled to Posatano. I did not think I could see a city more beautiful than Capri, but I found it in Posatano. I cannot describe how beautiful this city is, you will just have to look at my pictures. All of the girls bought hand-crafted sandals on the island. Mine are so beautiful, I cannot wait to wear them. We spent a lot of the day paddle boating around the Mediterranean Sea and relaxing on the beach.
Finally, on Sunday we went to Pompeii and Mt. Vesuvius. Given my love of history, this was definitely a highlight of my life. Seeing the Roman structures exactly how they were in 79 A.D. was so thrilling. I was amazed at the technology and infrastructure that they were able to develop so many centuries ago. We also climbed all the way to the top of still active volcano Mt. Vesuvius. It was amazing to see not only the view from the top, but also down into the volcano. There were places where it was still smoking! We sure were sore after that hike, but it was so worth the pain.
Today was my first Monday back in the swing of school. In appropriate fashion it poured all day to suit my mood. I was exhausted from the trip and the school day sure was long. I did not really want to be there, but Global Justice was interesting as usual. My Italian class is still very difficult, but it is getting a bit easier.
Here is a link to all of my pictures from this weekend: pictures
My computer placed them completely out of order, but I hope you can still enjoy them.
Also, Flickr is only allowing me to put the Capri pictures up, I apparently went over my monthly upload allowance already. All of my pictures are on my facebook, hopefully you can see them there.
Jenna, you have convinced me that I am completely missing the point when I travel. All I tend to see are hotel rooms. You definitely have the right idea. I think I may need to surprise Paul with a trip to the Amolfi coast! Do you think Axell could handle it as well? He loves Roman and Greek history.
ReplyDeleteLove, Emmy
My only concern with what I saw at the Amalfi Coast with regards to Axell are the bodies on display in Pompeii. They are distorted and clearly in a significant amount of pain. He is almost 10 so he would probably handle it fine, but its just something to consider. As for the rest of the trip, the only downside was the significant amount of walking and stairs that were required to get around in Capri and Positano. You can always get a cab or something if that becomes an issue.
ReplyDeleteWhether you end up bringing Axell or not, you and Uncle Paul definitely need to see the Amalfi Coast!
Hey Emilie, I have some links to companies that rent villas all over italy, and there are some gorgeous ones on the amalfi coast. I'll send them to you if you are interested.
ReplyDeleteJenna, when you are back and missing Italy, there's a charming little movie called Only You, with Marisa Tomei and Robert Downey Jr that was mostly filmed in Positano. I think you'll find it captures all the charm that you experienced when you were there. And shoes factor into the story line as well!