After Rome, 9 of us travelled to Pompei to visit the ruins that were found after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The city was pretty incredible. All of it was preserved by the ash of the volcano eruption and it is shocking to see how intact most of the structures are. The roads were amazing for an ancient city. It was also kind of eerie to be in a city that we was lost for so long and then found.
The houses were very close to each other and were sprinkled with shops in between. They even found one that manufactured soap. How they knew that, I have no idea.
My friend Emily and I
This was a body that they found that was preserved from the volcanic ash. The whole city was taken by surprise and even the animals we instantly suffocated and covered.
A fresco that was completely intact.
The forum. I was suddenly felt the urge to channel Jim Fisher and became the group tour guide. While I didn't know much about Pompei, I did learn from the king of "bullshit" the talent of knowing everything and proceeded to tell everyone about the meaning of the lasting structures. It was a fun joke since we were all pretty tired of walking around. If you can see from the photo, I have my arm out-streched just like my old man did when he was explaining things. I can only imagine what it would have been like to travel with him. :)
After Pompei, we took a tram to Sorrento and then a 2 hour bus to Amalfi. The bus was CRAZY. I am pretty sure I almost fell of the cliff at least 5 times. The city is built into the hill and surrounded by the most breathtaking slopes. This was the view from our window. It couldn't get much better than this!
Amalfi at sunset
Most of us sitting on the pier. About to go to dinner!
Amanda and I at dinner the first night in Amalfi. We were right on the water and got to watch the sun set. I got fresh smoked salmon; it was incredible!
One of my roommates, Christine, and I sitting in front of the steps of the church in Amalfi. This church is so beautiful. It had colors unlike any other church I have seen in Italy. These types of churches were all along the coast as we drove in and you can definitely tell that they have a tropical feel to them. The church faces a piazza that was full of local people selling coral from the Mediterranean, turquoise from the mountains, limoncello from lemons grown locally in Amalfi, and tons of fresh seafood. The smells and crowds of people was so fun! I actually saw a "night before the wedding thing" in the piazza that night where the groom had some local musicians serenade his fiance who was on the balcony and the whole family was there to sing to her. It was so cute.
The girls sitting in front of the church!
The ferry that we took on the way to Capri, with Todd and William.
This is Positano; it is the town that is further West than Amalfi. I didn't actually get to the see the inside of the city because we just stopped here on the ferry but it looked beautiful just like Amalfi. I really hope to come back here at some point!
Some islands on the way to Capri.
This is Capri, but I was most shocked by the water. You could basically see all the way through it.
The girls on the beach. We packed a picnic lunch with prosciutto and cheese and beer. It was so good and the scenery was pretty nice too!
After the beach we stopped and got the worst and probably the most expensive strawberry daiquiri I have ever had. I think it is safe to say that Italian should stick to wine. Capri had the most amazing shopping. I was pretty grateful that I didn't bring enough cash to buy anything because that could have been disastrous!
Another island on the way back from Capri.
This was our last night in Amalfi. We went to an incredible restaurant that looked out onto the water. I had pesto gnocchi with shrimp and local wine and olives. This place was even better because everything that they served was either grown or caught locally. The waiter liked us so much that he brought us local limoncello after dinner. It was probably the best meal that I have had in Italy. We watched the sun set and the city twinkle on the water.
The last sunset in Amalfi. This place was more than I could have ever dreamed of and I hope to come back. As I have been traveling through Italy, it only makes me think about how grateful and appreciative I am for all of the people that have brought me to this point in my life. I have such wonderful family and friends that I so wish could be here to travel with me and I hope that one day we will all be able to come back to this place together. And even more, I think about my dad and how I carry with him everywhere, taking with me his words of wisdom and a little bullshit. It has been here that I know that life couldn't get any better.
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