Time is flying by so I cannot believe it’s been about 2 weeks since my last blog entry.  Everyday I’ve been super busy either with school work or exploring Florence and other Italian cities.  Theres a lot to catch up on so this blog is going to be about my June 12^th Amalfi Coast weekend and then my next blog will be about my past weekend at the French Riviera.  Phew!  

My weekend at the Amalfi Coast was the weekend I had dreamt of during finals week at college.  Relaxing on the beach, swimming in the Mediterranean, and exploring Capri, Positano, Sorrento, and Pompeii- aka a perfect weekend! My roommates and I booked this trip to the Amalfi Coast and Pompeii through a tour group.  The Amalfi Coast is supposed to be one of the highlights of Italy- with its beautiful beaches and cities bordering the deep blue Mediterranean Sea.  We left Thursday evening and reached Sorrento at about 2:30 am and headed over to our hotel for the night. 

The next morning (Friday) we had to wake up at 7 (ughh) and walked over to the port to take a ferry over to the Island of Capri.  I was immediately taken aback at the stunning view right outside the hotel.  I could see the coastline of Sorrento leading up to a mountain with it’s tip disappearing into the hazy sky.   

A giant boat came to pick all 90 of us and took us to the island of Capri.  I can’t even tell you how long the boat was because as soon as I sat down in the boat I fell asleep.  This was actually a common theme of the weekend- every time I sat down in a comfortable chair I totally passed out.  Once we reached the island, I was taken aback by the gorgeous views!  I

I feel like I am starting to get desensitized to all the beauty surrounding me because it’s starting to become the norm around Italy. 

I got off the large ferry and stepped onto a smaller boat that would take me on a tour around the entire island.  The island is basically a giant mountain that has a more town feel on one side and a ritzy celebrity feel on the other.  The water surrounding the island is a deep gorgeous blue that contrasts with the vibrant green of the island.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t fully enjoy the ride because I felt sea sick =(  The Blue Grotto was one of my favorite parts of the boat ride.  It is basically a tiny opening in the side of the island in which the water is the most brilliant shade of blue I’ve ever seen.  Pictures do not do it justice. 

After the boat tour ended, I hopped on a train that took me to the other side of the island.  This side was definitely meant for the rich and famous- stores like Valentino and 5 star resort hotels lined the hilly streets while celebrity yachts chilled out on the sea.    My friends and I were itching to jump into the water as the weather was really really hott and humid.  We stopped by a cute caf� that was literally built right over the water.  I ate my yummy eggplant sandwich and watched the beautiful teal blue waves splash under me.  

 Like I said before, Italians like to dine in restaurants for a minimum 2 hours, which I was not willing to do.  I just wanted to jump into the water so I got the waiters attention and asked him for the “conto”” or check.  After that, my roommates and I ran down to the beach and jumped into the beautiful sea.  I was ready for the cool water but was not ready for the pokey stones and pebbles in the beach and water.  The beaches in Capri and even in Positano, don’t have sand- just pebbles and bigger rocks.  This makes it pretty painful to walk without flip-flops on the beach and even in the water.  That afternoon was spent in bliss- relaxing on the beach, soaking up the sun, and swimming in the Mediterranean.  I couldn’t ask for a more perfect day =)  The beaches in Capri were actually quite tiny but very unique.  The beach I swam at had giant rocks and arches over the water.  I could go on describing the beauty of Capri all day, but you would probably get bored =P 

Anyways, after a relaxing afternoon on the beach, we headed over to a shop for some Limoncello tastings.  Limoncello is a specialty of southern Italy- especially Capri.  It is basically lemon liquor and is usually served as an after dinner liquor.  It is sweet but strong and doesn’t only come in lemon flavor.  I tried melon flavored liquor and it was even better!  After the limoncello tasting, I hopped back onto the ferry and immediately fell asleep- no surprise!  It was a really fun but exhausting day. The heat mixed in with the miles and miles of walking and lack of sleep had taken its toll on all of us.  Once we reached our hotel, my roommates and I calculated that we each had 8 minutes to shower before dinner started. This meant 8 minutes to wash the sweat and grime and sea salt off of me!  To make matters worse, the showers in our hotel room was basically a tiny stream of ice cold water.  Living in luxury!  After a yummy dinner of spaghetti, bruschetta, and free refills of wine we headed out to explore Sorrento’s nightlife. 

The next morning we set out bright and early to go to Sorrento.  Sorrento is a beautiful coastal town that is less ritzy than Capri but just as beautiful.  The houses in Sorrento are literally piled up one on top of another like a mountain of houses! 

As soon as got off the bus, we ran straight to the beach.  It was a beautiful day and the beaches in Sorrento were bigger and sandier than Capri.  The sea was a deep blue- unlike the teal waters in Capri.  I spent another afternoon lounging on the beach.  Whenever I got too cold in the water I lay down on my beach towel.  Whenever I got too hot from the sun, I went back into the water. It was an afternoon well spent =)

Later that evening we headed back to the Sorrento pub to watch the England vs. USA soccer game.  I was so excited because Italians are obsessed with soccer and each match of the World Cup is like a Super Bowl in America.   Everyone in the bar was so into the game- standing up and cheering, jumping into the air, yelling phrases in Italian at the tv…it was such an electric atmosphere. 

Some cultural differences I noticed in Sorrento were the way the men acted.  Of course, Italian men are notorious for being extremely flirtatious especially to American girls.  The men in Sorrento are much more obnoxious than the Florentine men.  They have absolutely no shame when it comes to approaching girls.  Every single motorcycle and car filled with guys that passed me had to call out.  4 motorcycles actually slowed down and started following me- even while I was stuffing my face with messy crepes filled with nutella.  Unbelievable.

On Sunday, we dressed in our comfiest work out clothes ready to climb Mount Vesuvius!  First, we headed over to Pompei and explored the amazing city that was destroyed by Vesuvius’ explosion.  Toxic gas from the eruption had suffocated and killed everyone in the city.  Then ash produced by the volcano buried the city 25 feet deep.  The excavation of Pompeii revealed an entire city that was preserved by the ash.  I had always wanted to visit this historically significant site.  I just did not expect the city to be so well preserved!  I felt as if I was walking down the street in ancient Rome.  I saw a typical restaurant, home, and even a brothel house.  In the house, a giant painting on the wall had still been preserved as well as the imprints of potted plants that lined the house’s kitchen.   What I found the most interesting about this Pompeii were the plasters of actual people that had died form the explosion.  Their decomposed bodies had left a hole in the ash that was later filled with plaster by achaeologists.  Here is a picture of what an archaeologist found after removing the plaster from the holes:

            After exploring Pompei, we headed up Mount Vesuvius on our bus.  Basically, the bus took us to the start of the hiking trail, which is about 2/3 up the mountain.  The bus ride to that point was scary!  The giant bus had to negotiate really angled turns that were bordering the edge of the cliff.  Lets just say I didn’t fall asleep for one second during the 30 minute ride.  Climbing up the mountain was a great butt, thighs, and calves workout.  The hike was incredibly steep and the slippery ashy ground made the hike even more difficult.  However, after about 25 minutes, I reached the top!  I can now say I climbed one of the worlds deadliest and still active volcanoes! 

This blog entry is long enough so I think ill call it quits for nowww.  byee