Marinna Ventures to Italia

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Pretty in Pompei

Yet another week has gone by and its getting away almost faster than I can type! The last post about last weekend involves our tour throughout Pompei.

We weren't sure what to do when the guides offered us to get paid tours or not because I can say for myself I wasn't completely sure I knew what I was getting into. Pompei is a great place and I decided that I would get the tour so I would know a little bit more about the ruins instead of just wandering the property looking at rocks.

I'm glad I did the tour! We started out the morning a little later by the time everyone got checked out of the hostel and we were finally headed down the road. Bye bye Amalfi Coast! The bus ride wound us out of Sorrento and down the road towards Naples straight to Pompei.

We met our tour guides who happened to be two Italian gentlemen filled with a wealth of knowledge about the site. It's crazy to think that all of those ruins are over 2000 years old and that they are still standing in somewhat good condition.

Antonio was our tour guide and he filled us full of information! Walking around was pretty cool just because the way they did things was so different! The rocks were a little uneasy, and for the most part we all did ok walking on it with the occasional slip! One kid in the other tour group wasn't so lucky though! He might have broke his ankle when he rolled it! The only reason I am mentioning this is because our group at with him and his two friends at dinner Friday night, then Saturday they ended up on the boat with us and sitting at the table next to us Saturday night for dinner. So we sort of knew the kid! Hope the ambulance ride wasn't too scary for him!

Anyways after our tour was over we ate a pizzeria next to the main entrance and it was delicious! Pizza from the Naples area is much different than in other parts of Italy. But that's totally fine considering that's where the Pizza was invented or created! I had a Quattro Formaggio pizza and it was a great way to start the bus ride home! I was on a full stomach and slept the whole way home! Before I knew it we were back in Roma and walking to catch the bus!

The bus system here is crazy! They are never really on time. There really isn't even a schedule you just kind of go for it, and trying to catch a bus at termini (the train station) is a little difficult when everyone else is also arriving from their weekend adventures away! But we made it and were definitely ready for a large bowl of pasta when we got back!!

Enjoy the pictures! Ciao!

Bye Sorrento!

Vesuvius in the background there!

Apparently this beach is famous...

Antonio our tour guide!

This was the original basilica area.

Vesuvius is on the left side! This is standing in the city center!

This is at the entrance of a fancy shopping market! It was cool to see how intricate all of the work was and its still in good condition!

This is a person. It was interesting to hear about the process they had behind doing/creating these castings.

Fresco paintings were found showing depth which was very unique for this time period.

This is inside the massage therapy room! Very cool to see it all still in tact!

Massage table doesn't look to comfy after 2000 years!

These men are in very good condition and line the entire room!

Walking down a one way street!

The oven in a bakery!

The bakery area itself.

The last step of the process for sifting flour!

Standing by the columns in the city center!

Monday, June 13, 2011

Another Normal Monday

So at the moment I should most likely be doing homework or studying or laundry or something else on my list of things to do but wait...I am in Rome and its summer time!!

Just had to share some interesting things/experiences from today that don't normally take place in Roma! First off class was normal this morning. Went and climbed up the 232 stairs (yes we counted) on our way to school, then 82 more to the top floor of the building! Sat through class, and did some listening and discussing throughout both marketing and Italian class!

Afterwards I had some time to kill so I came home, got laundry done then set out on a wander. I wasn't really sure where to go or what to do! This week we have a schedule set of the places we want to revisit for our last little bit in Roma, and will be getting on those adventures! But anyways my adventures took me just down the road into Argentina, which is a local square where we often meet and head to certain places. It's good and central!

On my way back from there I saw two unique things. One of which was a monk on rollerblades! Wish that I was quick enough with my camera and could have gotten pictures! Shortly after seeing this and once the shock factor wore off I passed a man with two little dogs. He was begging for money and we saw him the other day! We didn't want to give him money but today when I passed him the one dog had four little puppies! Oh my gosh! They were so cute! I want to find a place to buy dog food for the mamma!

But anyways, enough emotional drama there! When I got back to the apartment I met up with Kate and Maura's friend Dan who is visiting Roma for a few days. The other roomies including Maura were at a cooking class so Kate and I took Dan to dinner! He at the end of his backpacking for 6 weeks through Europe adventure and definitely was ready for some pasta!

We wandered around for a bit and the shops/market down by the river is getting set up. It's so beautiful down there and so much fun! I can't wait to go back there more this weekend! Finally we decided that none of the restaurants down there were fitting our appetites so we took Dan to our favorite little pasta place in Argentina. On our way there we got stopped in traffic for some sort of procession! We didn't find out what it was until we asked our waiter after our yummy dinner! He said some sort of political thing must have been happening since we are in an election period!

Definitely had one of the best dinners yet! They seem to be getting even more delicious! It was spaghetti with garlic, oil, some spices and spicy flakes! Molto Bene!!!! Just had to share the experiences of the day! Ciao for tonight!!

Amalfi Coast, Saturday in Positano!

Early Saturday morning I was woken up by the sound of loud thunder! At first I wasn't really sure what the loud noise was but sadly it was the thunder! Kind of neat to be on the coast for a storm! We debated about whether or not swimsuits were still going to be an option for the day, but decided we would wear them!! Definitely a good choice on our part!

After a nice breakfast we walked down to meet the bus to head into Positano! What a cute and quaint little town! The winding roads can be a little scary being on a bus and not really knowing where you are going! But at any rate, these people do this for a living so it's not that bad in the end! Our bus driver dropped us off at the top of one of the hills so that we could walk down into Positano.

Our walk involved us going through narrow little streets, plenty of stairs and just a fun new town to see in general. At first it was nice walking in the cool weather but by the time we got to our meeting spot where they could give us some direction of what our day would involve we were all ready for some beach time! The rain and clouds over the mountains weren't so pretty now!! Our walk wound us through all sorts of fun small shops that I wanted to stop in all of them! What a perfect little beach town! If you haven't already gathered, Positano was my favorite stop this weekend!

The girls I was with headed down to the beach and I couldn't help myself but to go wandering through the little shops and seeing what they had to offer! I also had to pick up some postcards! What a good excuse to go shopping! And finding stamps in a little beach town isn't the easiest either! They are sold in tabacchi shops, and it's common for them to not have any. One tabacchi shop suggested I try the Poste, but where was I going to find one in a town where I didn't know where I was really even going?! At any rate I found the stamps and kept wandering!

Along my wanders one of our tour guides informed me that cliff jumping was a go! They had to cancel it earlier in the morning because of the weather and for our safety! Thankfully it cleared up! I was so excited to get some cliff jumping in! And with that news also meant some swimming time through caves as the itinerary promised!

I met up with the girls back at a small panini shop that the guides had recommended. It was packed with other Bus2Alps kids so we decided on another little place! After walking around the block for a little bit and avoiding the sit down restaurants we found a cute little spot that was cheap! They had pizza rolls, which was basically just a pizza rolled up like a taco! It was great! Not like pizza rolls out of the oven! Ha ha by this time the sun was out and the bar had a small deck to sit on outside that overlooked the ocean! It was a gorgeous view to catch some sun and enjoy lunch!

We wandered down to the beach after lunch to lay out for a bit! Soon it was time for us to get lined up to go over to the cliffs! Pretty much everyone on the trip did the cliff jumping. The first few boats were filled with people going out and we were the last boat to fill up! There only ended up being seven of us on the boat which was great! We had plenty of room to catch the rays!

It was a short ride over to the cove where the cliff jumping was taking place! The cliffs ranged from 8 feet up to 32 feet! Reminded me of home, except that the water was a lot prettier and warmer! It was a blast! We dove off the boat and swam to shore, then scaled some rocks and jumped right off! Those of you that were with me on Canyon Ferry a few years ago, would have been proud of my jumping! I was kind of a wuss and didn't jump off the high one but definitely did the little one! I loved being in the salt water! Such a refreshing feeling!

After a couple hours of jumping we all loaded up and headed around some more rocks for cave swimming! I wasn't sure what to expect here but it was a blast! We went back into this little cove and climbed up some rocks that opened out into the main cliff area! Never thought all those years of dad leaving me on the rocks while floating down the Yellowstone would pay off in Italy! Love you dad!! After the swim we rode around on the boat for a bit seeing the area and just enjoying the sun! Once we got back to the beach it was time for a nap! This whole siesta thing that Europe has going is great! I love it! We grabbed some drinks, laid out the towels, and plugged in our iPods! It was off to slumber land on the black sand beach! What a life? I think I could get used to having days like that frequently!

After our naps we walked a little ways back up the hill to meet the bus. At this point the rain came back! Thanks for the raincoat Jenn! It came in handy! Kept all of my stuff dry! I fell back asleep on the bus ride home and before we knew it we were back in Sorrento. We all showered quick and got ready for dinner at the hostel and a good night of music. Well not so sure that Mr. Dry and the Cleaners is what I would call a good night of music! But it was still fun to hear some Italian music! They didn't do too shabby!

I called it an early night because Sunday would bring a lot of adventures in Pompei! No fireworks Saturday night, but definitely a good night of eating more pasta with some seafood in it! And fried calamari! Still haven't found any as good as Ferraro's in Bozeman though! It's tough to beat!!

Enjoy these pictures from the beach life!

Only a few pictures on this post! But here is Positano

Cute little town in the mountains!

Cloudy day for the beach!

Love this sign!

Corner on the beach!

Lexi Alli Kate and I = Beach Babes!!

Spending time on the boat with Lexi!

Sunset from the roof top at 7 Hostel

Kate, Lexi Alli, and myself watching the band!

She steps off...

Look at that form!

Getting ready to hit the water!

Brr...it's a little chilly!

Thanks Jacob for the great pictures!

Our entire group on our way down into Positano!

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Amalfi Coast, Friday!

We took off for Amalfi late Thursday night on the bus. It was sort of an adventure getting to the train station because nothing runs on time here. If you're confused why we went to the train station to get a bus it was because that was the most central point to meet. Our tour guides met us there to walk to the bus.

After about a 3 hour bus ride we made it to the hostel in Sorrento. It's called 7 Hostel and caters to a younger crowd as it is very modern. But was a great place to stay for the weekend! We got up around 6:45 Friday morning to start a long day of good adventures.

Breakfast at the hostel was pretty good. Giant cornettos (croissants) and some cereal! It was good to start the day off on a full stomach! Once we got rounded up we walked a ways down tons of stairs and a winding street with lots of steps! It sure is a good workout going up and down all of these stairs.

Finally we made it to the marina where we caught our ferry over to Capri. We had to change ferry's for some reason not long into our ride. Once that got all organized we were off. At first going over the waves it was like being on a roller coaster! Everyone was laughing and having a good time. The water was a little rough! It wasn't long before some people started to lose their breakfast though. Not a very fun experience for any of us that's for sure! We arrived at Capri though, thankfully without losing my breakfast.

At first we took a boat tour around the island! This ride was much better than the other one and being out on a little boat was great! Felt like I was at home, but on the ocean! Ha ha The pictures don't even begin to show how beautiful it was over there! There will be plenty of them below!!

When we got back to the island we took a bus up to Anacapri where we spent the afternoon. It was a fun little town. Immediately when we got into Anacapri the tour guides took us to the small sandal shop where they made custom sandals! Definitely a girl's dream shop! The shop also had some good touristy things including Limoncello. Capri is the capital of Limoncello! They had all different kinds and its definitely something that is an acquired taste! But tastes like a lemon drop in my mouth!

I got myself a pair of sandals and we had some time to kill after we ordered them! We decided that we would go get some lunch. We went to a cute little spot that had a deal for our tour. It was the best pizza I have had yet, at that point anyway! It was an awesome view and definitely worth it!!

We did some souvenir shopping to kill time. Once my sandals were done from this cute little man who hand makes them, we decided it was time to head down back into Capri. Little did we know what kind of a walk we were in for! The tour guides told us it was about half an hour, but then at the same time they failed to mention the fact that it was about a thousand steps down the side of a cliff! It was awesome!!

Finally we made it down from Anacapri and wandered around for a bit! Then we couldn't resist ourselves and had to spend some time down on the beach! Caught some sun on the gravel beach! It was great! We hopped on our ferry back to the mainland! This time it definitely wasn't nearly as bad as the first ride over! When we got back we were all ready for a shower and some dinner.

The tour guides had a great little place set up for us for dinner! The menu was so big and so delicious! There were way too many choices! But I decided on the steak with green pepper sauce! It was wonderful! We also decided to order some seafood salad appetizer! It was a must to take advantage of being near the ocean even more so than we are here in Rome. The salad had calamari, shrimp, cuddlefish and seafood according to the menu! We topped it off with some lemon and devoured it!! The house wine that I had was delicious as well! Glad I finally got some good protein in me!!

After dinner we went down to a beer garden called the English Inn Garden, which was fun for a little while but we were all exhausted so we headed back to the hotel! For once Kate and I walked back and didn't get lost along the way! Finally we are getting our barrings!

When we got back to the hostel there was a birthday party going on with a DJ! It was crazy wild with people everywhere!! After our walk I wasn't quite ready for bed, and didn't want to turn on the lights because it would wake everyone in the room. By the way we stayed in a room with ten girls! What an experience that was!! Anyways, I headed up to the rooftop terrace to do some writing and get some more fresh air. While I was writing I was interrupted by a man who was feeling a little on the chatty side! Kind of interesting how people just randomly start chatting it up! Needless to say, it was off to bed shortly after that for me! Right before I headed back down to bed, a fireworks show burst out into the air! This wasn't exactly what I was expecting to see while I was in Italy! But hey, its all part of the experience!!

Enjoy the pictures!!