My Amalfi Coast weekend adventure!

Where to begin... How about we start with the 7 hour bus trip from

Florence to Sorrento. I don't know about you, but that was a lot of

bus time for me! We didn't get to go to bed at the Hotel Cavour

(hostel) until 2:30 AM and had to be up on a few hours later to begin

our adventure to Capri.

The fabulous Amalfi Coast 

Capri... One of those beautiful seaside towns that you've always heard about but might never actually see. It was so wonderful and I feel so lucky that I got to experience it with great friends. After a lot of walking, we finally made it down to the beach, passing white-walled almost Grecian looking shops and homes along the way. We had a great lunch overlooking the Mediterranean... A vegetable calzone & a sunny day at the beach, could life be any better? I think not. We also went on a ferry trip around the island and along the way we saw Moussolini's summer home, the homes of Sophia Loren and Julia Roberts, the "kissing arch", an incredible piece of rock in the form of the Virgin Mary, and the famous Blue Grotto. Then we went to lay out on the beach, but it wasn't like any regular California beach. This is beach didn't have sand, it has a shore full of stones to lay on. While it wasn't too comfortable, I still managed to fall asleep and woke up just in time for a free Limoncello tasting.. the Amalfi coast is famous for its lemons. After a not so sunny summer in California, it was so nice to enjoy the sun and a great time with friends.

The Kissing Arch

Beautiful Mediterranean water!

It's Mary!

The next day we went to Positano, another city I knew nothing about. After making the 20 minute trek from the bus, down countless flights of steps, we arrived at the beach and I knew it was going to be a relaxing day. I spent about 4 hours laying out, but left the beach for a while to get some gelato and explore. Cally, and I made our way through the streets full of nice jewelry shops and art galleries.

Ancient Amphitheater

And then, we went to Pompei and climbed to the top of Mt. Vesuvius!! I studied Latin all 4 years in high school and learned a lot about the history of Pompei, so this experience was very very exciting for me. We were taken on a tour and saw so many aspects of this ancient city - amphitheaters, bath houses, brothels, temples, and even snack bars (there were 85 in Pompei). We even saw the bodies of people who died in the massive eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. It was sad and unbelievable sight. 

The main "forum" of Pompei

The body of a man buried alive in the ash of Mt. Vesuvius 

One of many brothels in Pompei

Then, it was time to climb.. We were all asking ourselves and each other "What is
possessing us to climb to the top of an active volcano? What are we thinking?", but after getting over of unnecessary fears, we started to hike. It was an exhausting walk up the mountain, but it was so worth it. 

Vesuvius!

Almost to the top!

Thetas "kiting" the volcano

View from the mountain

On the way down, I slipped a few times but was very proud of myself for not falling down the side of the mountain, but.. I couldn't be proud of myself for long...... 

Thank you, bus driver, thank, thank you, bus driver (camp reference)

After making it alllll the way back to bus, I tripped on the road, scraping my knee. Thank goodness for our bus driver and his handy-dandy first-aid kit! After taking care of my wound, it was time to settle in for the long trip to Florence. I couldn't wait to be back in the city I am now calling home!