This past weekend I went on my last long trip of the semester and I can definitely say I saved the best for last. I was able to visit Sorrento, the Island of Capri, Positano, and Pompeii all within 4 days. Thankfully these past few weeks have been full of warm weather so we have taken every advantage to get to the coast. I think I may have found my favorite place this weekend.
Thursday we took an overnight boat ride to arrive in Sorrento around 3 am. We got to our rooms and went straight to bed before having to wake up very early for our departure to the Island of Capri. We stayed at a quaint hotel tucked into the hills of Sorrento. There was everything from a pool with an outside bar, a garden seating area with orange and lemon trees overhead, and even better our balcony overlooked it all. Friday morning we woke up early to walk to the port to catch our boat to the Island of Capri. As we arrived at the dock I couldn't help but stare at the crystal clear water, and the blue ripples that went into the horizon for miles. We quickly got off our boat and onto the next for our private boat tour of the island. The boat took us all the way around the island with a few stops in between at some major sites. First we slowed down to view the large rocks found in the middle of the sea. We continued to drive through for good luck of course. After that we continued onto the Blue Grotto. We waited for our turn before my friends and I switched to a much smaller boat. The rickety wooden boat fit 4 of us plus our very nice Italian "rower". The Blue Grotto is one of the 7 natural made wonders of Europe because of its glowing blue water. The cave has a tiny entrance that allows light to enter at the right angle to reflect off the white sand at the bottom. We waited for the wave to come at the right moment to push into the cave. Our rower had us lie down as he pulled us through the hole with the help of the wave. The water glistened off the side of the cave as we rowed in circles with all the Italian men singing songs and our eyes captivated by the sight of the bright blue waves. It only lasts about 5-10 minutes, but it is completely worth it.
Thursday we took an overnight boat ride to arrive in Sorrento around 3 am. We got to our rooms and went straight to bed before having to wake up very early for our departure to the Island of Capri. We stayed at a quaint hotel tucked into the hills of Sorrento. There was everything from a pool with an outside bar, a garden seating area with orange and lemon trees overhead, and even better our balcony overlooked it all. Friday morning we woke up early to walk to the port to catch our boat to the Island of Capri. As we arrived at the dock I couldn't help but stare at the crystal clear water, and the blue ripples that went into the horizon for miles. We quickly got off our boat and onto the next for our private boat tour of the island. The boat took us all the way around the island with a few stops in between at some major sites. First we slowed down to view the large rocks found in the middle of the sea. We continued to drive through for good luck of course. After that we continued onto the Blue Grotto. We waited for our turn before my friends and I switched to a much smaller boat. The rickety wooden boat fit 4 of us plus our very nice Italian "rower". The Blue Grotto is one of the 7 natural made wonders of Europe because of its glowing blue water. The cave has a tiny entrance that allows light to enter at the right angle to reflect off the white sand at the bottom. We waited for the wave to come at the right moment to push into the cave. Our rower had us lie down as he pulled us through the hole with the help of the wave. The water glistened off the side of the cave as we rowed in circles with all the Italian men singing songs and our eyes captivated by the sight of the bright blue waves. It only lasts about 5-10 minutes, but it is completely worth it.
After our boat tour we had the rest of the day to explore Capri. We started out in capri, then made our way to Capri Town, and finished in Anacapri. We spent most of our time in Anacapri where we had lunch, got handmade sandals, and did a little shopping. We ended by taking a taxi ride back down to the dock. Not your normal taxi ride, but a convertible that played music and fit all 7 of my friends and I. Our boat then took up back to Sorrento where we ate dinner and headed in at a reasonable time to rest up for our next day.
Saturday we woke up early to drive to the town of Positano. About a 45 min ride from Sorrento, we rode along the coast and saw the most breathtaking views. From lemon trees, to islands the size of a neighborhood, cliffs covered in trees with a goat here and there, and bright blue water for as far we we could see. We walked down to the beach where we laid our towels and pretty much didn't move for the remainder of the day. The weather couldn't have been better and the water could've been warmer, but we made it work. We swam in the ocean, drank lemonade, ate delicious sandwiches, and soaked up the sun. The perfectly aligned umbrellas and stacked houses along the cliffs made for the perfect scenery.
Around 4 o'clock we started our trek back up to the top of the mountain where we caught a train to Sorrento. Drained from a day in the sun we rinsed in the pool and caught a bit of sleep before dinner. Another fabulous perk of our hotel was that it threw a BBQ dinner right by the pool. Considering we were not in much of a mood to walk around town to find food, dinner by the pool was the greatest idea we had heard all day. We spent the night continuously filling our plates, picking lemons we probably weren't supposed to and filling the air with an abundant amount of laughter.
Sunday morning we loaded the bus to head to our final destination of Pompeii. Instantly the hit song was the first thing that came to my mind. We only had few hours, but thankfully it was the first Sunday of the month so we were abel to get in for free. We walked around aimlessly through the ruins, catching lizards and taking pictures here and there. The only unfortunate thing was with it being free there were a million other people there. As sad as it is, I think I have had my maximum dosage of historical sites that I have to listen to automated recordings or read pamphlets. It was amazing to see Pompeii and Mount Vesivius in the background knowing that the volcano in technically still active. We finished the ruins and ended with a personal pizza from Pompeii Pizza, yummmm.
Sunday morning we loaded the bus to head to our final destination of Pompeii. Instantly the hit song was the first thing that came to my mind. We only had few hours, but thankfully it was the first Sunday of the month so we were abel to get in for free. We walked around aimlessly through the ruins, catching lizards and taking pictures here and there. The only unfortunate thing was with it being free there were a million other people there. As sad as it is, I think I have had my maximum dosage of historical sites that I have to listen to automated recordings or read pamphlets. It was amazing to see Pompeii and Mount Vesivius in the background knowing that the volcano in technically still active. We finished the ruins and ended with a personal pizza from Pompeii Pizza, yummmm.
I can't believe that this trip was my last weekend excursion of the semester. With only 10 days left in Florence, I am excited to see my friends and family, but I wish they could come here instead. I have a few things planned with my friends as we count down the days, but I am trying to make the most of my last moments before I have to say arrivederci to Florence! Ciao for now!
Always,
Sam
Always,
Sam