Beautiful Coasts and Art

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Meeting all the participants in Berlin I was able to hear what everyone’s travel plans for our 2 weeks in July. Another of my good friends was planning to be in Italy during the same time and so we decided to meet up in Amalfi. Rachel and I took the water bus to Amalfi the next morning. The boat made a stop in a town called Positano before arriving in Amalfi. Positano was amazing we were tempted to stay. Once we arrived in Amalfi we met up with our friend Ryan. We walked around the town and saw a very beautiful church. Ryan recommended a restaurant he ate at the night before and it was only a short bus ride away. It was this cute little restaurant that was family owned and a little old woman kept asking if you wanted more food. After our lunch we took a bus ride to the town we saw earlier. The bus dropped us off about a 20 minute downhill walk to the town. The walk from the bus stop was a beautiful winding trail that led to the beach. The town is carved right into the coast of southern Italy and is one of the most picturesque places I have ever seen. We explored the town and then sat at the rocky beach before buying our tickets to Naples. We took our final water bus back to Naples and had one last dinner before going to bed.

The next morning we had train tickets to Florence. The ride was only about 3 hours and the city express trains are surprisingly nice and comfortable. They still were no ICE of Germany but not a bad second. The train ride brought us right through Tuscany. The Florence train station was much cleaner than Naples and we walked to our hotel about 5 minutes away. That evening we headed out towards the city center or Naples. The town is a drastic change from Naples and walking around you can see why it is the center of art. The town if filled with beautiful buildings and cobblestone streets. We did a quick walk around the main city and picked out things we wanted to see further the next day.

The next morning we headed to the amazing church of Florence. One of my favorite things to do in a city is go up a church tower and see the city from above. The Florence church tower has to be one of my favorites. Florence is well known for being the home to many famous artists and has many museums that house their famous works. One of the most famous is the statue of David by Michelangelo. The statue is housed in the Galleria del Accademia and it is not hard to find since it has a long line outside. We heard the line was about an hour wait but decided it would be worth it. The line went pretty fast and we filed into the museum. The statue is the center of the building and is huge. After getting our fill of art we decided to go for a quick trip to Pisa. The famous tower was only about an hour train ride away. The town is relatively small and really the tower is the only thing to see. The area is filled with tourist and the tower is surprisingly small. It is hilarious seeing everyone doing the touristy poise of holding up the tower. That is not saying my friend and I didn’t pose exactly the same way. After seeing the tower and surrounding grounds we headed back to Florence. The next day was then end of week one and the start of my adventure on a boat.

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Photos

Positano
The view from our boat that made us head there later in the day

Amalfi Church
This church was very different than any in Germany

Lunch in Amalifi
The Amalfi coast is an amazing back drop for a group shot

Southern Italy
During our walk down to Positano

City Streets
I loved all the amazing streets in Florence and every street had another amazing site

Famous Bridge in Florence
This bridge actually is covered in little shops

Florence Church
The city below

David
This shot was taken as security had its back turned. They really don't like you taking photos

Being Goofy in Pisa
Seeing the tower was another Europe moment

Corny Pose
"When in Rome" or Pisa