Amalfi Coast

Another boring weekend has gone by with nothing new to see, no adventures and no good stories to tell. Or just the opposite.. this past weekend was arguably the best weekend we have spent in Europe. While every trip seems to get better, this one may have topped them all. Stefanie, Tina, Debra, Natalie, Megan, both Christines and I had the pleasure of spending the weekend on the beach in the Amalfi Coast. On Thursday afternoon, we caught a train to Florence to catch our bus ride to Sorento. We were scheduled to have about a 6 hour bus ride and arrive at our place around 1am. Well, unfortunately, we don't have the best track record with traveling and this trip did not break that streak. At about 11pm, our bus got a flat tire and had to pull over on the side of the highway. We waited for assistance for a couple of hours but they weren't able to help. They had to call for backup and send a replacement bus to bring us the rest of the way. They tried to keep us entertained by playing The Notebook and Good Will Hunting but that didn't really help the torture of waiting on another bus on the side of the highway for 7 hours. But, the bus finally came and we got to our bungalow village hotel by about 8am on Friday. 

After breakfast, we were able to catch a bus to the towns and beaches of Positano. We got dropped off at the top of the mountain and were able to see the town as we made our way down to the beach. Positano is one of the most beautiful spots in Italy with their picturesque mountains lined with colorful houses all facing the Mediterranean. We had amazing weather that day and we were able to relax on the beach, shop around and even paddle board. The water was a little chilly but felt so good after being out in the sun all day. Paddleboarding was an amazing time. Some of the girls didn't know if it was worth it since the water was kind of cold and since we didn't have a lot of time. But, we all ended up doing it together and no one regretted it. 

(I can't take credit for all of these pics because all of us girls share the pics taken. However, everyone knows I'm definitely the one to find the cats to photograph haha.)

After running on basically no sleep and spending an amazing day climbing mountains, laying on the beach, shopping and swimming in the Mediterranean, we headed back for all-you-can-eat pasta, pizza and salad, went to bed and called it a day. 

On Saturday, we got up bright and early and took a ferry over to Capri. While we were there we got to take a two hour boat ride to see the famous rocks coming out of the sea, many different grottos (including the world famous tourist attraction, The Blue Grotto), and were able to jump in and swim a little. (Only Natalie, Christine and I were brave enough since it was cloudy, chilly and freezing waters, but how could we pass it up?)

 After the boat ride, the sun came out and we made our way back to Capri and we were able to explore around the city a little bit. The city center was actually a little hike up the mountain, so after we grabbed a quick lunch we headed to see the view from up there. The walk wasn't too bad and definitely was worth it. The scenery along the way was beautiful and even more beautiful at the top.

 The Amalfi coast is FULL of lemons. They grow them everywhere. Since lemonade is one of my favorite things in life, I had to try something with lemons while we were there. At the center of the city in Capri, they were selling frozen lemonades. Now, most of the time in Italy when you order a large drink, its about what a small would be in America, but when I saw someone with an actual LARGE lemonade, I was sold. I've had a lot of frozen lemonades in my day, but this one beat them all.

After another wonderful day out, we went out for dinner and went dancing at the English Inn that was recommended by all of the EuroAdventures guides. We had been so exhausted after doing so many things and not getting much sleep, but once we got to the dancefloor we all had the absolute best time together. All of a sudden no one was tired and we had a blast. Easily the best night we've had out and it couldn't have been spent with better people.

Our last day on our trip was spent in Pompeii. Luckily, the first Sunday of every month is free so we were able to roam around and see what we wanted to on our own without paying. It was truly a sight to see and something worth spending money on (even though we didn't have to). We grabbed a quick lunch after walking out, grabbed one more frozen lemonade and headed back to Florence. 

 We have officially entered the month of May meaning it is my last few weeks here in Milan. None of us can even bring it up because we all get too emotional, but as long as we keep having weekends like these, it'll be one heck of a month. I'm just trying to soak in every second I have left and not think about having to leave. Until then... KEEP THE ADVENTURES COMING! 

*KY Derby Hat (Italia Version)