Pompei, Sorrento, Capri, and the Amalfi Coast

I just got back from our IES weekend field trip to Pompei, Sorrento, Capri, and the Amalfi Coast. It was a great trip and I was so happy to finally see some other places besides Rome! Every one on our program went and it was an amazing trip with beautiful sights: a once in a lifetime experience. First we went to Pompei and, basically, the city is all in ruins or buried due to an eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. It is hard to imagine the bustling city that it once was, but it was very cool to walk around and see what remains. Here is a picture of us at the Forum which is in front of Mt. Vesuvius! It was very cool to see it even though that's basically as close as we got to it. It was really kind of creepy to see the preserved bodies of people, and dogs, that remained after the eruption. I was NOT a fan of that aspect, but I enjoyed the city. Our tour guide was really funny at first but then he got angry at us for taking so many pictures. We are TOURISTS.. That is something to be expected, I think. Plus, we paid for the tour so I guess it's our own fault if we were sidetracked. Oh well, I got some good pictures so I'm happy! :) We had lunch in Pompei at a restaurant called MEC and it was soo good! I had some pasta, a lemon chicken, salad, and some cake! I love when IES takes us to meals. On our own, we never order the typical amount of Italian courses (we're cheap). But with IES, they provide it all!

After Pompei, we made our way to Sorrento. Sorrento is probably one of the most adorable towns I've ever been to! It just seemed so colorful, cute, and lively. It is the plateau of the area so all of the houses and buildings are amongst the mountains. I'm not sure why, but this is one of my favorite pictures that I took in Sorrento. It was just this house on top of the mountain that I thought was pretty. The beach we went to was nothing spectacular, although pictures I have seen of them are. We had dinner in our hotel the first night and I had a great green pasta with salmon, a caprese salad, and apple pie. So delicious! They had a beef steak but it was so small and I'm actually glad I didn't order it. I'm sure I will find some, soon! After dinner, we went out to a Kareoke bar and it was so fun! I didn't sing, obviously, but some other people in our group did. Definitely hilarious.

The next day, we got up early, had a hearty breakfast, and got on our ferry to go to the island of Capri. Seriously, this was the best full day experience EVER. Here is a picture of the view of Capri when we got off our ferry. Pictures never capture what I'm actually seeing, but it will have to do. I would definitely get a house on this island if I could. :) Capri had amazing views, extremely tall cliffs, beautiful natural arches, and the clearest blue ocean ever! We took a private boat out with a guide who took us around the entire island for about 2 hours. We went in the Blue Grotta and, let me tell you, what a sight! We had to all squeeze in this tiny boat in order to fit in this small hole to get into the grotta. Once inside, the reflection of the light against the water shows the most breathtaking view of the water! Is that not ridiculous or what!!

Here is a picture from inside our boat, exiting the blue grotta. How small is that! It was so scary but it was amazing to do it. We could have gone swimming in the grotta but we didn't want to pay the extra euros. ;) The boat tour was probably the best money spent on this trip: it was totally and completely worth it. We got to see the whole island, the blue grotta, the white grotta, the three archs, we got to go swimming in the water underneath this arch/cave area (so cold, but again, so worth it!), and lay out on our private boat to catch some sun! We walked around the shopping area, had lunch, and went to the beach: it was just an amazing, relaxing and fun day! Capri could quite possibly be the highlight of my time abroad. It was seriously THAT amazing!! We had dinner back in Sorrento: 2 courses of pasta, a seafood plate, and dessert. I can't handle these huge meals anymore! Plus, the seafood kind of grossed me out with actual fish heads on my plate.. :( But, I tried some (go me!) and ate all of my shrimp and calamari!

Lastly, we went to see a panoramic view of Positano while on the Amalfi Drive to the Amalfi Coast. It was very pretty, as most everything in Italy is, and then we drove and toured simultaneously until we made it to Amalfi. We went to see the Chiostro del Paradiso inside this absolutely beautiful church. I got a glimpse of the actual chapel and it was so pretty. The crypt inside the Chiostro is also amazingly beautiful and I have tons of pictures. We toured a paper making museum which actually turned out to be more interesting than I thought, but definitely not a highlight. We went to Ravello to have lunch and to tour the Gardens of Via Rufolo. The flowers were gorgeous and the view was spectacular. There is a picture of some of us inside the gardens: you can't really see the view behind us but I have other pictures that do, obviously.

We made it back to Rome on a 4 hour bus ride and I'm so tired! I'm scared for my art history midterm this week - ah - and didn't even bring any homework with me to study on the bus! So unlike me! ;) Looks like I'll be cramming for this one seeing as there is 1. not that much time because it's on Thursday and 2. no school tomorrow because it's a holiday celebrating St. Peter and St. Paul!

Sorry this is so lengthy, but, to conclude.. First weekend of traveling = a great success! I'm happy to be back in Rome for a little, I just wish we didn't have school! There is still so much I need to see in Rome and I feel like I have no time! :(

I'm sure it will all work out. It always does. :)