Volcano's, Ruins, and Islands......

Cioa Tutti! Well, my little European experience has finally come to an end. I spent it the last few days traveling Southern Italy with my Aunt, Uncle, and their two friends, Charlie and Theresa. We had a lot of fun, did a lot of traveling, a lot of good eating and a lot of soaking up the sun.

After my trip back from Bosnia and Croatia, I headed to Hotel Selene where I would meet my Aunt and Uncle later in the day. I enjoyed having some time to myself in the room to fresh up and relax. After I walked around a bit, I went back to the room and laid down on the bed to rest for a few minutes. I guess I ended up falling asleep because the next thing I knew, there was a knock on the door. I stumbled off the bed, found my way to the door and answered it, but it was the bell hop who had accidentally knocked on the wrong door, so they were pretty much gone by the time I made it to the door. Two seconds later, the door was open again, and there stood my Aunt and Uncle. However, I was still half asleep and was completely confused when they opened the door. I kind of stuttered, “What? Who? Wait, what are you guys doing here?” After a few seconds, my brain started working again, and I realized that they had made it back and I was in their room and I had just woken up from a nap. We went out for a good dinner that night, and then packed up to leave the next day for Napoli.

We took an early train to Napoli (about 2 hours away) and then had to take another little train/metro (about an hour) to get to Sorrento, where we were going to be staying for about a week. The second train we got on was really crowded and hot. We had to stand for half the time, but we survived. We made it to our hotel and after lunch, we took some time to walk around Sorrento which was a really pretty city located right on the cliffy coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Then, we got dinner and decided what we were going to do the next day - tour the island of Capri.

We got up the next day, and took a quick ferry ride to the island of Capri. As we got off the boat, this little, short, super tan Italian man came up to us and asked us if we would be interested in going on a private boat tour. We had planned on going to the Blue Grotto, which was a cave that you had to take row boats to get to, and it is supposed to be absolutely gorgeous with extremely clear, blue water. At first, we weren’t really interested in the tour with the little guy, but after he gave us his scpeil (I don't think I spelt that right), we decided it was worth a shot because we were going to see other caves and a place with water that he thought was clearer and prettier than the Blue Grotto. It was a nice tour, because it was only 5 of us on an old, wooden and very spacious boat, instead of 35 people or so shoved like sardines onto a massive tourist boat. We had about an hour on the water where we cruised all around the island, and then we got off in the Anacapri area (a little city on the island of Capri) and toured about. We took a chair lift ride to a high cliff which was extremely peaceful and gorgeous. Then we had lunch, and fought a bunch of foot traffic to walk around Capri. Once we had our fill of Capri (and all the people there), we hopped on a ferry and headed back to Sorrento.

The next day was our trip to Pompeii and Mt. Vesuvius which I was pretty excited for. We took a train and got off in Pompeii,=. We were looking for a bus that would take us to the base of Mt. Vesuvius where we would make a “steep 30 minute hike” to the top. However, we decided to go with a taxi that cost us just as much money as the bus, and got us there on our own time schedule (instead of having to rely on the times of the bus). The only problem was, it was a small 5 seater car, which meant we fit 4 full grown adults in the back (major spoonage…….). On the way back, we were smarter though, and made it so that one person laid across the three.

The ride was about 45 minutes. We got out and hiked up the volcano. It was pretty steep, but nothing too bad. The worst part was rocks that came out of nowhere! Good news though, no one tripped completely on the way up, but we did see two British women slide on their rear ends near the end on some slippery rock. Once at the top, it was a pretty cool view which overlooked Napoli and into the heart of the smoking volcano. After the volcano and a quick bite to eat, we headed to tour Pompeii. We had the Rick Steves walking tour guide which took us around the major sites. Pompeii was a lot larger than I expected it to be and it was pretty incredible to see such a large, ancient Roman city that has been preserved for so many years. We were also able to see skeletons from people who were trapped and died when the volcano exploded. Towards the end, it was a little warm, and we were pretty tired. It didn’t help that we got lost, but we were able to find our way out and then our way back to Sorrento.
The next day, we decided to take as a relaxing day. I woke up and went on a run with Charlie, which was a little difficult due to all the traffic. Then, we went to a beauty shop that had just opened so that I could get my hair cut. I had wanted it cut since I had gotten to Italy, but I kept it long because it was easier to manage, especially with hair appliances that didn’t work (like blow dryers that catch on fire). So, I went in and got it cut short. I wanted it a little shorter, but I don’t think the lady understood when I asked for her to cut it a little shorter, but I still like it. Then, we did some shopping around and just slowly wandered. It was a nice relaxation day.

Then, the next day, we headed to check out Positano and the Almafi Coast. We had hired a taxi driver (which was the best way to get around) to take us on the crazy, windy, sheer cliff roads. We visited the beach at Positano, the shops, and we stopped at a little coffee shop to get a drink while we looked out enjoying the view of the sea. Then, we got back in our taxi, and headed to Almafi, where we looked at the Cathedral and just wandered for a few minutes. After that, we got back in our taxi and headed back to Sorrento. We were planning on going to dinner at 7:30 because our taxi driver made a reservation for us at his favorite place. Since we got back in the mid afternoon, we had a bit of time before dinner, so I went with my Uncle and Charlie to the free beach. It was a little crowded and full with mostly Italian guys sun bathing in their speedos. We didn’t really have towels or beach wear, but we improvised. We swam to some rocks and just swam out in the Mediterranean, which was pretty fun, except for when I felt stuff on my legs and I freaked out thinking it was some nasty fish. And, I guess Charlie and my Uncle saw some guy almost drown trying to swim to the rocks…….There was an interesting crowd there, but it was fun. Then, as we were heading back to the hotel to get ready for dinner, we stopped at an Irish Pub and got Strongbow Ciders with fries, mmm………

Dinner that night was pretty interesting. The service was not good, and it was pretty much a tourist trap restaurant. They didn’t charge a cover charge, so we were expected to tip. Since we weren’t really pleased with their service (they didn’t bring out 3 items we ordered, and they were clearing the table before we were gone) we left a small tip, and ran away.

The next morning, we got up, and caught our trains to get us back to Rome. We made it back and I took everyone to get a Kebab for lunch. Then, we decided to take a tourist bus to just kind of waste the afternoon away. We went into St. Peters Bascilica to just walk around again, and ended up going to Sunday mass that evening there, which was pretty cool. It was a nice relaxing last day in Rome.

Monday was a whole day of traveling to get home. We had a Taxi take us to the airport and this man was quite the joker. First, he made it seem like we were going to have to shove five of us and all our luggage into a small little car which was parked in front of the hotel. We believed him until we saw the large "TAXI" van. Then, as we were pulling inito the airport, he made it seem like we were at the wrong one (there are 2 in Rome). We knew the airport as Fumicino, but it is really called Airport Leonardo Da Vinci. They are the same, but he made it seem like they were different. We had a little moment where our hearts skipped a beat, but he was just kidding, thank goodness.

Traveling, I had about a 10 hour flight from Rome to Atlanta, and then after clearing customs, a 4 hour flight from Atlanta to LAX where my family was there ready to welcome me home! It's nice to be home, but I don't know what I am going to do with my free time. I started running today, which was nice because it's much easier to run here with open, flat, and spacious roads.

Well, I hope you’ve enjoyed all my stories from the past 3 month's or so. I've enjoyed reliving my experiences through the stories I have written! I guess that’s all for now. Until my next big adventure, arrivederci!

No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow. ~Lin Yutang

It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.
- Ursula Le Guin

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