Day Four

Day four was our day trip to the isle of Capri. We got up fairly early to catch the ferry across, which only took half an hour. The ferry ride was really pleasant, air conditioned inside and had lots of cute booths for people to sit in groups.

Once we got to the island, we were directed to our little boat which would take us all the way around the island and show us the highlights.

From our boat, we took mini boats into the blue grotto, and magical is the only word I can use to describe it. It was so beautiful. The man steering our boat sang songs to us while we were in the cave, which echoed throughout.

We also had the chance to jump into the sea and swim through the green grotto, which was so refreshing. The sea was the perfect temperature for jumping into after driving around in the hot boat, and the water was a clear turquoise green colour. There were jellyfish in the water that stung a couple of people but thankfully I swam away from where they were.

Then we boated around to the white grotto, where there was a rock formation that resembled the Virgin Mary near its roof.

After getting back onto dry land, we were given four hours to discover the island. Two of us had a long lunch facing the sea, then wandered around looking at the shops. We also got the cable car up to Capri Town which had beautiful views and luxury shops (we didn't go in). We went and saw the gardens of Augustus which also had amazing views and a nice shady place to sit down and have a drink.

The streets in Capri Town were narrow and winding with low arches. We intended to catch the cable car back down to the harbour but it was closed for some reason, so we had to make our way down the steep residential streets. They were so cute and narrow, and every front gate had a decorative tile with the owner's name on.

When we got back to Sorrento, we had another five course meal (!!!!!!!!), this time with different slices of pizza. Perfect with apple cider and ice. Afterwards we went to a British pub for one of the girls' birthdays, and ended up staying up late playing drinking games in the hotel courtyard.

Tomorrow is our travel day from Italy to Greece! We're taking the Adriatic Ferry across the sea.

Day Three

Today we got up bright and early to get on the special Contiki bus that took us to Pompei and Sorrento! As all of us had had a fairly huge night, we were all struggling. Two of the guys had a 15 minute power nap and that was their night's sleep. One girl vomited on the bus but into a plastic bag so it was all alright. Nobody was left behind, which is the most important thing.

On the way to Sorrento, the view of the hills of the outskirts of Rome was so beautiful. Lush green fields, vineyards, and the occasional dilapidated (but still standing) Roman villa.

We arrived at Pompei after about three hours of driving. We met up with our tour guide and were radio'd up for what was my favourite part of the trip so far: exploring and discovering the ruins of the ancient city of Pompei. It was so easy to imagine what life would have been like back in those times because most of the city's walls are still standing, the grafitti on the walls is still readable, and the beautiful frescoes, while somewhat faded and cracked, have retained their richness of colour and absolute beauty. The city was active for 700 years before it was ruined by Mt Vesuvius.

Pompei was another place I'd studied at school so it was magical to walk through the streets and be surrounded by history. You could see the indents on the cobblestones which had been worn down over 700 years by chariots riding down the streets.

The brothel was also pretty funny: a normal sized, double storey house with small rooms and beds, with paintings of the "menu" over the doors. Prostitutes in Pompei were called "lupas", which is Italian for "she-wolves", and they used to call to the men in the street, howling like wolves.

Obviously the tour guide for Pompei was excellent because I learned so much in a smaller amount of time, which is another thing I'm loving about being here. I feel like so much new knowledge is being packed into my brain.

After the tour, we had lunch and got back onto the bus for the rest of the drive to Sorrento.

I knew I would love Sorrento as soon as we drove over the cliffs, looking down on the bay of Naples and the colourful buildings. It was breathtaking. Getting around the city was so easy as well, and we didn't get lost once, which was a stark contrast to our adventures navigating the backstreets of Rome. The shopping was also excellent.

We ended up having another five course meal on a restaurant that overlooked the entire bay at sunset. I think the delicious food was actually upstaged by the view.

After dinner and a couple of healthy serves of limoncello, we went back home, got ready and went out to a karaoke bar! Good fun, the tour group has a really good atmosphere.

Tomorrow is our day trip to the isle of Capri!

Note: I realised I can't upload photos from the iPhone so you'll have to wait til they're on Facey B!