Monday, October 20, 2008

Italy report

Hey! My friend and I just spent 5 wonderful days in Southern Italy. I wish I was down there still... We had perfect weather, perfect food, gorgeous sceneries, ... I'm absolutely ready to go back!! Here's a short report of 5 days of Italy.

Day 1

I caught my flight to Naples at noon...probably THE noisest flight I've ever been on (with the majority being Italian passengers...what can you expect ha? ;) ). I met up with my friend Trina in Napoli at 2.30pm. First thing we did was having lunch at the train station. Our first encounter with a cute looking Italian was a fact!! After catching up (meaning endless chatter between the two of us) we took the train to Meta, a small town only 3 train stops away from touristy Sorrento. That same night we watched a beautiful sunset in Meta and had a horrible Polish or Czech granola bar.

Day 2

Agenda of the day: visiting Pompeii!! Entrance was EUR 11, but boy...you can spend a whole day walking through the 2000 year old town...and so we did...almost. We did spend 4-5 hours walking around the ruins and taking TONS of pictures. It it HUGE!! Later that day, and with sore feet, we caught the train to Sorrento where we had a lovely 3 course dinner for only EUR 18!! We loved it and Italy so far. Something which could not be said of the 2 Australian ladies sitting at the table next to us at the restaurant. It seemed like Europe just didn't do it for them...Oh well, I was LOVING my little vacation!!

Day 3

Our third day consisted of a day trip to Capri and having dinner in our quiet little town of Meta. Our trip to Capri was AWESOME. I LOVE the ocean and being on the water. So first thing we did was catch a jet ferry to the exclusive island. The weather was gorgeous. I loved being able to walk around in shorts and a T-shirt in the middle of October!! We arrived in the little pictoresque harbour, were overwhelmed with invitations to go eat, to make boat rides...a little too touristy for me. Anyway, what we did do was do a 1.5 hours boat ride around the island, with a short stop to visit the "grotto azurro". Yes, you're in a small rowing boat and you ENTER the cave! (picture 3) A short but unforgettable experience :-). Back on the island, we decided to go to the centre ("centro") of this place. Not knowing that there was a direct bus connection, we climbed endless stairs ... until FINALLY we made it to the top. Of course, you could only see 2 people puffing and huffing for air...(picture 2). At least the view was breathtaking and we definitely earned our lunch. Later that day we caught our jet ferry back to Sorrento, and went for a traditional pizza in a small snack bar in Meta...where we were...until one point...the only 2 women.



Day 4

Our last full day in Italy took us to Positano. We had planned to take another boat around the peninsula and visit Amalfi instead, but alas...for once we didn't check the departure times and bluntly missed our boat in the morning to Amalfi. As the next boat only left at 1.30pm, we took a winding bus trip to the nearer town, Positano. It is a nice place, but not too much going on there. So after lunch, my friend and I split. I wanted to at least have sunbathed once on this short trip, and my friend explored a little more of the town on her own. This day was a quiet one actually, which was nice. It was a vacation in the end right? We spent our last night in Sorrento, where the streets were car free!!! We ate at the same restaurant of day 2 and had our dessert at a beautiful tea parlour. We ended up watching part of a soccer match..Napoli vs Juventus. In EVERY store and/or bar, you could follow the match. I had my American friend all excited for soccer!! Amazing ;-).


Day 5

Day 5 and our last morning in beautiful and quiet Meta. One last time Antonio made us breakfast: toast, with tomatoes, an omelet and juice. Eating breakfast under a clear blue sky and in the shadow of a mountain...what more can I say... Next we caught our bus to the airport and we arrived back in Brussels at 4.15pm...where temperature had dropped 10°C compared to where we were coming from!!!


In all, a wonderful, but too short vacation. Having seen Pompeii and Italy in general wants me to come back and visit Rome. I so want to see the Coloseum and Forum and what not! Thanks for having me join you on this little trip Trina. Hopefully see you soon!!!