Al Mare

Last weekend I spent some more time by the beautiful Mediterranean Sea.  I went to the Amalfi Coast; we stayed in Sorrento and went to Capri and Positano.

View from top of Capri

On our boat ride out to Capri, we got to visit the La Grotta Azzurra (Blue Grotto) where we got into little rowboats and had to lie down on the bottom as the rower got us into the cave.  Looking back to the hole where we came in, the light came in and gave the water a beautiful bright azure blue glow.  We had a nice boatman, so had the opportunity to swim in the water (which technically you are not allowed to do).  Of course, I quickly slid off the boat and swam in the dark of the cave looking out to the lit up blue water.

La Grotta Azzurra

Capri

Upon arrival to Capri, we tried Limoncello and some people had a shoemaker make them sandals of their choice.  I had a delicious lunch of pasta with lemon sauce (which was similar to vodka sauce) and shrimp (whose flavor was intensely concentrated).  Then I rode a chairlift up to the top of the mountain for some incredible views.  I kept thinking about how this place would easily inspire Roman mythology, it was unreal. 

Celeb style taxi

After many pictures at the top, we rode the lift down (and I was terrified of falling, having the cables break, etc.), and we took a cab to the marina.  This was a luxury cab ride, a convertible on a sunny day with six beautiful American girls singing along to an old song from Napoli, "Tu Vuò Fa' L'Americano".  Before out boat departed for Sorrento, we spent some time swimming in the very salty and warm water.  That night I almost finished my 10-inch seafood pizza.  It was the perfect meal, seafood from a coastal town and pizza, a food originating in nearby Napoli.

12 foot jump

The next day in Positano was very relaxed, most of it spent floating effortlessly in the water.  The highlight was a boat ride with 10 other girls from my program.  We went cliff jumping and I conquered my fear of heights, going off the 8 foot and 12 foot cliffs.  I was so scared each time that I would come out of the water shaking with adrenaline.  I stayed away from the 35 foot drop, especially considering how scared I was on the 12 foot.  To get to it, I had to hug the rocks and literally let my feet dangle over the rock where I was hoping to jump from. Thankfully, my feet were only about an inch or two from the ledge and the boy in front of me told me I could let go.  Trusting strangers is fun. 

Cave Swimming

Still shaking but smiling uncontrollably, I joined the rest of the boat to go cave swimming.  My inner mermaid was released and I stayed a long while in the cave, enjoying the beautiful colors from reflecting light.  The water color here is more sapphire than the water at home, so seeing it in the cave was very unique.  On our ride back, I spotted a jellyfish in the ocean.  Our driver turned the boat around to see it more closely, nope, to grab it.  He just stuck his hand in and pulled the jelly out of the water.  It was a amber orange with short purple tentacles and was not venomous, so I touched it!  That was a great end to the day.
On our way home the next morning, we stopped in Pompeii where I took advantage of a guided tour.  I was amazed at how smart people were thousands of years ago.  For example, the streets would often flood with water, so there were stepping stones in the streets, spaced so that carts could still travel down the roads.  I expected Pompeii to be a messy archaeological dig site, but it was a whole city.  Once deserted, now full of tourists.  It was massive and we did not get to see everything.  There were preserved frescos and even brick ovens.  These people were brilliant.  I had another pizza in Pompeii (Florence only has a few good pizzerias, so I had to take advantage of Campagnia's delicious pizzas), and I used all my willpower to keep from patting the stray dogs and taking them home.
I thought this trip would be my last time in the ocean this year (aside from when my family comes and we act like crazy people by jumping in the water in November), but thankfully I was wrong...

Pompeii