The Amalfi Coast!

Thursday night we left at 7:30 for our 7-hour bus ride down to Sorrento. We arrived a little before 3 and checked into our hotel. After freezing for 4 hours we rolled out of bed to make it to the ferry for Capri! Our hotel room was in the basement with no signal or access to the wifi that you had to pay for and was 50 degrees.

Ferry we toured the island in 

I was impressed with the Captain's ability when he safely guided us through the arch with feet to spare and the waves. 

The water was so blue! 

We took the ferry over to Capri then immediately got on another boat to circle the island. We stopped at the Green Grotto and then a much longer stop at the Blue Grotto where we got to swim! It was very cold and started pouring right when we got out but it was worth every penny!

The glowing blue water! 

To get into the grotto, which I would have called a cave, you have to get into these small rowboats and lay down flat on the floor. Then the guide uses a chain and times the waves just right so that you duck through this opening that is seriously only big enough for the boat. I now understand why it’s closed so often because of waves! If the waves had been any bigger we wouldn’t have made it in.

This is my very attractive "This water is freezing but I am in the blue grotto!" face. 

Once in the cave the water glows a beautiful blue. I slid in and froze for the memory; my family would have been proud lol.

The aftermath! 

After we got off the boat we took the funicular up to Capri Town where we only stayed long enough to get these delicious Granitas which are slushies made from freshly squeezed juice! We ended getting these all weekend and they were amazing every single time! Lemons and blood oranges were big there so they were all a mix of those flavors.

This guy pressed fresh blood orange juice for you! Soooo good! 

After enjoying those and the beautiful view we were bused up to Anacapri where we ate lunch! Italy continued it’s amazing streak of knowing about gf and I got some good chicken. After lunch we wandered around the shops for a bit and decided to spend our extra time walking down the Island back to the port.

The water was gorgeous! 

The stairs we took down! A little scary for those afraid of heights... 

Why am I not on this beach now? 

The stairs were a bit treacherous and the height was scary but it was better than being on the road! It’s the size of a one-way road but has two-way traffic and is on a cliff. I felt like I was back on the mountain roads of Mexico…

That night we went out to dinner and the place had GF pasta! On the way home from dinner I ran into Sarah, my best friend from home! This was just the cherry on top of a perfect day.

On Saturday we went to Positano! This was a very nice relaxing day. They let us off at the top of the city and we spent about 30 minutes hiking down to the bottom where the black “sand” beach was. It was really more a pebble beach but it was still perfect for lying out in the sun and listening to the ocean! There was a lot of sea glass on the beach so I made a pile of the pieces around me.

The beach

View overlooking the city

We spent most of the day lying on the beach and broke only for an incredible lunch overlooking the ocean. Once again they had GF pasta!

Right before we left Gianna and I hiked up the city to explore the shops. Over it all it was a wonderful day.

On Sunday we got up and checked out of our hotel, still freezing cold, and headed to Pompeii! We took a guided tour, which I found fascinating then ate a wonderful lunch where I got GF pizza with a Granita!

This mural said "Beware of Dog" 

Plaster cast of fear 

I was very impressed with how well they had planned the city. The larger roads were situated so that the roads would get the most sun, the stones raised up were used so that they didn't have to step in the street. How they dealt with the water in general was very impressive. They thought of a lot more than I ever would have! 

The brothel