Soaking up some Capri Sun

On Wednesday, we got up as the sun was pushing up over our mountain hotel to venture down to Capri. We needed to take the local bus, which was an adventure as it was a packed little bus & the driving is crazy in this area.










We went down the hill to Positano, a fave resort town on the Amalfi coast.  This town was built straight up into the hill so no cars or buses or allowed.  We had to climb down the town to the ferry stop.  We caught the early ferry direct to Capri.







We landed in the port of Capri. Capri has been a resort island since the times of Roman Emperors and even the likes of Jackie O have enjoyed it.




From here, I chose the most cost effective option from the internet.  (Here I admit, my intentions were good but sometimes spending money is not bad...).  I chose to rent one scooter to go across 3/4 of the island.  It was easy to rent.







What they did not tell me was the island is mostly uphill & was pretty much as bad as driving the Amalfi on a tiny scooter.   The directions made no sense and a lot of the island does not have roads, still. This is where I will say I know visiting these churches and praying for the past week had paid off!  After many wrong turns, we made it to the Blue Grotto before the crowds.













The Blue Grotto lets you arrive by boat or climb some small stairs to leap off a platform into a small boat.  The process is very Italian and entertaining to watch.  We got our chance & actually found it magical.  It was truly so pretty! From here, we had to calm down a bit.  We visited the second biggest area on the island Ana Capri.  We saw the major piazzas, shops & churches.  The best church was the Church of San Michele which has a completely tiled floor.




We eventually had to head back to the area of Capri to visit and further explore. We walked the entire town to the edge; where we visited the Garden of Augustus for the views.







Here are the Faragloni Rocks from the boat & the Gardens.

We finally turned in the scooter.  (I survived thanks to Jordan's driving). We got to shop a bit & sit at one of the world's best marinas.  

We had to take the slow ferry back to Positano.  We got off & sat at their piazza / square - the beach.  We wandered this town and ate dinner here.  

We had to psych ourselves up for the bus ride and many many stairs back to our hotel flat!  As Capri was on my original top ten bucket list, I was so happy to be there.  The beautiful island was well worth the effort & I suppose the scooter rides.

Location:Capri, Italy

Tour of the Amalfi Coast

Up again early this morning; our first stop is the Ancient Greek ruins of Paestum and we plan to be first in line when they open.
















The tour of the Paestum ruins is amazing and we are accompanied by an adorable little dog who seems to know all the best spots. These three temples and massive Greek and Roman city are really quite impressive. The age alone is amazing, and the relative good shape of the bigger temple is really something. It turns out the Pantheon in Athens is modeled after the biggest and newest of the three temples of Paestum, so that should give an idea of the age. Leaving the town just as the late rising tour groups started to arrive is a great feeling and we are off on a rather harrowing drive through Salerno and a "street" that goes through someone's house.



The road? that runs along the Amalfi is old and the only road at all for most of the towns it runs through. It is narrow and windy, at some points less than one lane wide. It is a challenging drive but the reward is amazing sites that most people would never see.







We drive through many small towns and see some famous sites, some churches, and some amazing views. I also do some pro driving and parking during the drive; backing up 1/2 km down a winding lane, parallel parking about an inch from the wall, and generally just surviving the journey.









Unfortunately the day isn't quite done with us when we arrive in Posatino; pretty exhausted from the journey. Our b&b is among the best in town but is perched high up the hill. We have a pretty tough climb but finally make it and will be staying here two nights as we explore the nearby region. We start again in the morning with a ferry to sunny Capri!











- Jordan
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Via Poseidonia,Capaccio,Italy

Road trip: Italy

Today we were able to sleep in and enjoy breakfast at a leisurely pace because our only task was to successfully drive out of Rome, visit Mussilini's EUR, then drive on 3 hours to Paestum where we are staying at a nice hotel on the Mediterranean. Our drive out of Rome was exciting but no where near as scary as Lauren was afraid of. Driving here is simple but requires a lot of defensive driving and a lot of, well just going for it. Our little fiat is actually very nice, much better than the poor Peugeot we had on our first trip to Europe.




While leaving Rome we stopped at the EUR which is an area built up by Mussolini for his new government as well as as a symbolic show of strength. It isn't "pretty" but it is impressive and is now a popular neighborhood for middle class folks.













Our drive out of Rome and south towards Naples and the Amalfi was easy and spectacular. Lauren has most of the photos since I was driving so we'll get them posted to the photo feed later. But I did take some when we stopped for some water and a stretch during the trip.







The drive into town to our hotel was, interesting. The roads are barely eligible to be called roads and are often too narrow for passing cars but somehow have a 50kph speed. It's very odd since this is actually a busy beach town with people everywhere and the hotels along our street are high end and currently full of May weddings.






We are staying in Paestum, a town with both access to the Mediterranean beaches and Ancient Greek temples that are in at least as good condition as Athens, despite being neglected for centuries. The town is currently on Holiday so there is a street party going into the night right next to these temples; it's an interesting site. We will be up bright and early once again tomorrow to visit the site and then on to the next several towns along the beautiful cast before settling in at another stop for tomorrow night.















- Jordan
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Via Poseidonia,Capaccio,Italy

When in Rome

I am writing one more blog post because there is a Formula One (F1) race today.  Jordan follows this sport as religiously as Carolina basketball.  Today's race is in Sochi, Russia and the two Ferrari drivers placed first / second for qualifying.  This is rare & means the Italians are happy!  So while he watches the race,  I'm posting for the blog.

Today we had to round out the major sites of Rome.  We went to four churches before arriving at Piazza Novona.  This square was used for circuses and sea battle reenactments during Roman times.  Then it was used to film La Dolce Vita!  We had to sit in the square and enjoy the scene for a bit.

After this stop, we got to see the Pantheon.  This is one of the oldest buildings used basically continuously in the world. It dates back to 120 AD.  It has been used in many ways in that time.  The dome was mathematically perfect, as architects have described and stolen from for about 2000 years. I loved it!

Then we went to see the Italian parliament.  We were more impressed with the object in front.  The obelisk statue from Marcus Aurelius was in the front & clearly showed the four great eras of Rome.  

I made us stop by the Trevi fountain one more time, while the sun was shining.  However, the tourists were rowdy this time so no close-ups. 

We end the day watching the F1 race & then beginning a walk / bar hop across the city.  I'm so happy we finished the major sites of Rome!