Tredicesimo Settimana

Ciao everyone, 

After this past weekend I can safely say we saved the best trip for last. I remember planning our trip to the Amalfi Coast at the beginning of February thinking that weekend would never come. It came and went faster than I imagined. The weather was absolutely perfect for the days we spent in Sorrento, Capri, Positano, and Pompeii. It was also a completely different kind of traveling because there weren't historical sites to see or museums to visit, it was simply enjoying the beautiful beaches, the caves with bright blue water, the villas stacked up the island walls, and the cute beach shops with full of lemon cello, jewelry, and hand painted dishes.  

Capri

We went on this trip with a company called Bus2Alps, which made our traveling experience much easier considering they planned most activities during the day for us and arranged our transportation and hotel. We drove to Sorrento through the night on Thursday and although we were encouraged to sleep on the bus, I wasn't able to because the driver was going 20 over around corners of deadly cliffs. The night drive to the coast was very pretty but looking over the tiny guardrail next to the road was terrifying and I was forced to stay awake just to make sure we didn't drive off the edge.

From our hotel in Sorrento we took a short bus ride to Capri Friday morning. Here we went on a boat tour out of Marina Grande around the island which was significantly more enjoyable than some of the city walking tours I have been on. We were taken around the island and shown many different celebrity vacation homes. The boat also took us to the Blue Grotto, Green Grotta, and White Grotta. The Blue Grotto is one of the natural wonders of Europe and I am very happy I had the chance to see it. We were taken in small groups into the cave by rowboats and a tour guide. The cave entrance is only a few feet high depending on the water level. Most days it is impossible to even enter by rowboat, but we were lucky enough to visit on a day when it was open. Before entering the cave, the tour guide made everyone lay on their backs in the boat because sitting up you would hit your head on the walls. The guide laid all the way down too and pulled the boat through the entrance by a chain attached to the cave walls. Once inside, we were able to sit up in the huge sea cave. The sunlight entering from the entrance illuminates the entire cave a bright blue color, giving it its name. Our guide sang loudly in Italian as he paddled as through the cave because the acoustics were so good. In the Green and White Grottas we were able to stay in the larger tour boat as the driver backed us into the caves, getting close enough to the walls for us to touch them. The White Grotta is filled with limestone that appears to only reflect white light. A stone formation is in the middle of the cave that is said to be a natural statue of the Virgin Mary. The Green Grotto is named such because the reflection in this cave makes the water appear green. 

I determined that Capri had the overall feel of a classy Cabo. It had the same beach feel as Cabo but with more sophistication, wealthy travelers, and high end goods. It is somewhere I definitely need to come back to when I am older and can travel in luxury :) Most of the jewelry here was made with coral taken from the walls surrounding the island. On our boat tour we were able to see the different colored coral where the water meets the walls. The boat also took us through the Faraglioni, which are the three giant rocks sticking out of the water off the island. One of the rocks looks very similar to Lover's Cove in Cabo and our tour guide told us that the legend in Capri is if you kiss your love as you go under the arch in the rock you will be together forever. 

Green Grotto

Coral on cave walls

After our boat tour, we hiking from the middle part of the island to the top, Anacapri. There we had lunch and shopped around the city. The island of Capri is known for it's handmade sandals made custom for every customer. I didn't feel the need to spend 90 euros on sandals but the girls in our program who had them made got to pick their leather strands and the design of the sandal. On our way back down the island to Mariana Grande we took an open air taxi, something I've never done before. 

Open Air Taxi from Capri to Anacapri

Farglioni

Denzel Washington's Vacation Home in Capri

Granitas at Capri

The Amalfi Coast is also known for their granitas, which is a delicious slushy drink. I would choose a treat like this over gelato anyday. Because the Amalfi coast has fresh lemons and organes growing all over the drinks are especially fresh. They are made with lemon slushy and fresh squeezed orange juice poured over the top. This is a summer drink I can't wait to be recreate at home. 

The following day, we bused to Positano for a beach day. This day was the perfect relaxing day without any tours or sights to see. We laid out on the black sand beaches all day, only taking a break from the sun for paninis and a boat ride to go cliff jumping and cave swimming. Considering that water and heights are my two biggest fears I didn't cliff jump but I was the designated photographer for the girls who did decide to jump. After the cliffs, our boat driver took us to caves you can swim in because there are no jellyfish in the water there whereas they were everywhere in Capri. I am proud to say I actually jumped off the boat and went swimming in the caves. The swim was exhausting considering I am incredibly out of shape but it was well worth it. The cave was in the shape of a U so you were able to swim in one entrance and come out another. In the middle there was a tiny beach, just big enough for two people to stand next to each other on the little rock beach. If you looked up you could see a pile of giant rocks with tiny cracks of light coming through which was actually quite scary because it felt like the rocks could crumble down on top of you at any second. After I struggle back to the boat, we spent the rest of the day enjoying the water and sunshine before busing back to the hotel. It still amazes me that the bus drivers are able to drive stick shift buses on the narrow winding roads with terrifying drop offs. Most of the drive up and down from Positano I wasn't able to look out the window. 

Overlooking Positano 

Boat Trip through Positano

On Sunday, we stopped in Pompeii on our way back to Florence. Here we visited the ruins of Pompeii in the Naples region of Italy. The ruins there were created from an eruption of Mount Vesuvius and are very well preserved. It was very strange to walk through the ruins on streets that were once an ancient Roman city and be able to imagine what took place in the streets, buildings, homes, and amphitheaters. We went out lunch and got pizza here because pizza was created in Naples and therefore all the surrounding areas have the best pizza. Going back to dominos is going to be a  struggle for me when I get home after getting used to this.

After our weekend, we were lucky enough to have company in Florence again. My friends from Rome that we stayed with last week came to Florence with their program this week so we were able to hang out with them in the evenings that take them to a few of our favorite places in Florence. Unfortunately, I had the scary experience of being pick pocketed by a creepy Italian man in a club we went to with our friends from UW. Several people in our group got their wallets taken that night but the people taking the wallets were only stealing the cash and then ditching the wallets in the club. Luckily I was able to get my wallet back from the club two days after with my cards and ID still in it and only the cash missing. I am thankful to know my information isn't floating around Italy even though I had my cards cancelled immediately after I got home from the club that night. The situation could have been much worse considering I have everything back and my passport wasn't taken but the experience was definitely the scariest thing that has happened to me since being abroad. I'm so thankful for my parents who helped me figure everything out and my wonderful roommates who got me home safely.

I'm now down to single digit days left in Florence, 9! That means packing and finals are just around the corner... two things I am not looking forward to in my last week here haha

See you all soon!
Arrivederci!