The pizza in Napoli.
Friday (Napoli/ Sorrento): We awoke before the sun rose and made the twenty minute hike to the bus stop where we supposed to meet at 6:45am but as I have learned (They tell you to be there at least a half an hour before the bus actually leaves because there are always those slow pokes). Needless to say, we finally departed at 7:15am. The bus ride was not too bad and I tried to sleep because I do not know if I have mentioned or not but I do not sleep anymore. I am sleep deprived, I have even tried natural sleeping pills and those still do not work. :( I can usually fall asleep but only sleep for a four or five hours and then I am wide awake and then often toss and turn until it's time to wake up. Oh, well... I had the aisle seat on the bus and I forgot my neck pillow hence, I did not sleep at all on the bus. The weather on the ride to Naples was beautiful but as soon as we got there, it started to rain and a really nasty, cold rain too! We were suggested a restaurant on the water for lunch, 15 euro for fried food appetizer, pizza, and a drink. Sounds like a deal, right? NOT. The pizza is supposed to be the best in Naples but I really didn't think the pizza was all that special. I mean... anything that is mass produced for a crowd is really not going to be that good. The whole group didn't go to the restaurant but a majority did, those who didn't go.. walked in the rain and found delicious 8 euro pizza. I have learned my lesson. We then proceeded to get a walking tour of Naples which had the potential to be good because the rain stopped but our tour guide was horrible. She talked as soft as a mouse so you had to be practically on top of her to hear what she was saying but really she didn't say much at all and she hates kids, hence the fact she was very brief on our tour. It was a nice, short visit to Naples but now I can say that I went. We got back on the bus and drove a couple hours to Sorrento. Since there were so many people signed up for the trip, there were 2 buses and also 2 hotels so after we checked into our hotel (it used to be a hotel, now it's just an upscale hostel!) We met up with the other bus for dinner at a restaurant in town. The bread was amazing, the gnocchi was delicious, but I am not a fan of veal. Thus far, I have liked everything I have tried but I am definitely not a fan of VEAL and especially Veal with lemon sauce. Sorrento is known for their lemons so proceeding the second course, we also had a lemon dessert which was not too bad. We contemplated going out that night but decided we were wayyy too tired and wanted to be rested for Capri the next day so we decided to go straight to bed. I got the best sleep ever in Sorrento. I am starting to think it's just my bed in Florence that I can't sleep in!
Don't you love my new Sailor sweatshirt?
Saturday (Sorrento/ Capri):We awoke the next morning for a little breakfast in the lobby which consisted of bread, rolls, muffins, and more rolls, bread, and muffins. Italians really do not know the meaning of breakfast. We walked to Piazza Tasso which is the town center and gather point for tourists and visorts. On one side of the piazza, there are stairs which lead down to Marina Piccola, the port from which ferries depart to Capri and Naples. From the port, we got on a ferry (a big ferry that even holds cars) and took the 30 minute boat ride to the beautiful island of Capri. Now, in Italy it is still not tourist season (the island was pretty empty, not many shops were open, and the weather was quite chilly) but in the summer, 50,000 visitors a day flock to Capri not only to spend money in the designer shops, souvenir stores, and cafes but also to visit the island's famous Blue Grotto. The initial plan was to take a boat tour to the Blue Grotto (Grotta Azzurra) but if the sea is rough and/or there is a high tide, it is not possible to enter the grotto. Unfortunately, it was high tide when we arrived so we were not able to go. We decided to take a a bus up to the city center where we then decided to roam around and ended up take an hour hike up to the top to Villa Jovis where there are ancient villa ruins. I got some great pictures and the hike was awesome. We were starving by this time so we decided to stop at this little cafe near the top. The place was empty but the sign said there was paninos for 5 euro so we decided to give it a try and it was well worth it. The panino was amazing and we sat outside to enjoy the view even though it was freezing, but we ended the meal with a nice frothy cappuccino! We were the only ones at this little cafe (owned by a mother and son, she said they had been there for 23 years). They were so kind to as we were probably going to be there only business for the day, although I am sure they are packed in the summertime. We roamed around for the rest of the day and even took another bus to Anacapri which is the village furthest from the port (in the past, there was not even a road until 1872 that connected the two villages), it is thought of as more rugged, rural, and down to earth. But Anacapri now has as many visitors as its rival (Capri) and many shops and pricey restaurants. At the end of the day, we headed back to Sorrento with time to freshen up before dinner. The restaurant from the night before was overbooked so some of us (including myself) had to go to another restaurant where the bread was even more amazing, and the pasta with spinach was also very tasty but I did not eat the second course as you guessed it... VEAL again! :( The dessert was disgusting too as it was soaked in butterscotch or alcohol or something. Nobody ate it, it was that disgusting. After dinner, lots from the group went to this little Irish Pub owned by a Mom & Pop who were having a great time with all of us American Students. They were playing old school music and everybody was a having a great time. The picture below (the bartender) by the end of the night was very drunk, in Italy.. it's not illegal for the bartenders to drink so everybody just has a great time all the time.
The old pop bartender at the Irish Pub in Sorrento!
Brittany, Me, & Emily at the Irish Pub.
Sunday (Pompeii): We had our Italian breakfast in the hotel lobby and then quickly boarded the bus to Pompeii which is only about an hour from Sorrento. We had a fully-guided 2 hour tour of the ruins. Pompeii was really cool and we could see Mount Vesuvius which was 9 miles away from the re-covered city which is the touristy part that everyone goes to see today. After the tour, we grabbed a sandwich for lunch and boarded the bus for the 6 hour drive back to Florence, luckily this time I was able to sleep for part of it. Traveling is so much fun and I am always so much happier to return to Florence after traveling. The Amalfi Coast is beautiful and I wish that everyone could see it and I definitely hope to make it back there sometime in my life. A picture from Pompeii
Don't you love my new Sailor sweatshirt?
Saturday (Sorrento/ Capri):We awoke the next morning for a little breakfast in the lobby which consisted of bread, rolls, muffins, and more rolls, bread, and muffins. Italians really do not know the meaning of breakfast. We walked to Piazza Tasso which is the town center and gather point for tourists and visorts. On one side of the piazza, there are stairs which lead down to Marina Piccola, the port from which ferries depart to Capri and Naples. From the port, we got on a ferry (a big ferry that even holds cars) and took the 30 minute boat ride to the beautiful island of Capri. Now, in Italy it is still not tourist season (the island was pretty empty, not many shops were open, and the weather was quite chilly) but in the summer, 50,000 visitors a day flock to Capri not only to spend money in the designer shops, souvenir stores, and cafes but also to visit the island's famous Blue Grotto. The initial plan was to take a boat tour to the Blue Grotto (Grotta Azzurra) but if the sea is rough and/or there is a high tide, it is not possible to enter the grotto. Unfortunately, it was high tide when we arrived so we were not able to go. We decided to take a a bus up to the city center where we then decided to roam around and ended up take an hour hike up to the top to Villa Jovis where there are ancient villa ruins. I got some great pictures and the hike was awesome. We were starving by this time so we decided to stop at this little cafe near the top. The place was empty but the sign said there was paninos for 5 euro so we decided to give it a try and it was well worth it. The panino was amazing and we sat outside to enjoy the view even though it was freezing, but we ended the meal with a nice frothy cappuccino! We were the only ones at this little cafe (owned by a mother and son, she said they had been there for 23 years). They were so kind to as we were probably going to be there only business for the day, although I am sure they are packed in the summertime. We roamed around for the rest of the day and even took another bus to Anacapri which is the village furthest from the port (in the past, there was not even a road until 1872 that connected the two villages), it is thought of as more rugged, rural, and down to earth. But Anacapri now has as many visitors as its rival (Capri) and many shops and pricey restaurants. At the end of the day, we headed back to Sorrento with time to freshen up before dinner. The restaurant from the night before was overbooked so some of us (including myself) had to go to another restaurant where the bread was even more amazing, and the pasta with spinach was also very tasty but I did not eat the second course as you guessed it... VEAL again! :( The dessert was disgusting too as it was soaked in butterscotch or alcohol or something. Nobody ate it, it was that disgusting. After dinner, lots from the group went to this little Irish Pub owned by a Mom & Pop who were having a great time with all of us American Students. They were playing old school music and everybody was a having a great time. The picture below (the bartender) by the end of the night was very drunk, in Italy.. it's not illegal for the bartenders to drink so everybody just has a great time all the time.The old pop bartender at the Irish Pub in Sorrento!
Brittany, Me, & Emily at the Irish Pub.Sunday (Pompeii): We had our Italian breakfast in the hotel lobby and then quickly boarded the bus to Pompeii which is only about an hour from Sorrento. We had a fully-guided 2 hour tour of the ruins. Pompeii was really cool and we could see Mount Vesuvius which was 9 miles away from the re-covered city which is the touristy part that everyone goes to see today. After the tour, we grabbed a sandwich for lunch and boarded the bus for the 6 hour drive back to Florence, luckily this time I was able to sleep for part of it. Traveling is so much fun and I am always so much happier to return to Florence after traveling. The Amalfi Coast is beautiful and I wish that everyone could see it and I definitely hope to make it back there sometime in my life. A picture from Pompeii
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