Italia 2006

Friday, September 22, 2006. Arrive at the train station at 7am. Soon find out that our train we hoped to get on was full. Next train 830. Wait at the train station for an hour. Take the train to Rome, switch trains go to Napoli, switch trains go to Amalfi. Arrive in Vetri Sul Mare (a city 30 minutes out of Amalfi). Train station is completely abandoned...no sight of life anywhere except for the lonely old man working at the train station. He didnt speak english, luckily I spoke Italian. Take a bus to Amalfi. Ride for 30 minutes in a crammed bus on the cliffs of the Amalfi coast...scariest thing ever! 2:00 pm- arrival in Amalfi.

This was just the beginning of our adventure. After arrival in Amalfi, me and my three friends (all Alpha Phis) were in awe with the beauty that surrounded us. Starving, we grabbed a panini and ate outside on a beautiful patio on the port of Amalfi. The atmosphere was amazing. After a satisfying panini and with a gelato in hand, we visited the main sites of Amalfi. Not only was this city right on the water, but its architecture was unforgettable. The Duomo in Amalfi was incredible with over 100 stairs that led up to it. We walked through the city, taking pictures of buildings and panoramas and stopping into the famous limoncello stores that lined the streets. The streets were filled with people speaking in Italian, and the smells of pasta frutti del mare escaped from the nearby restaurants. Although, we were there for only two hours it was something Ill never forget. I really thought it could not get any better, but little did I know what was to come.

5:00 pm- Leave Amalfi for Positano. Take the once again crammed bus for 1 hour. See amazing views and terrifying drops just inches away. Cars zoom around the corners. Almost crash into another bus. Good thing we were not on the side of the cliff. 6:00pm- Arrival in Positano. Bus drops us off at the closest bus stop in Positano. Walk down the hill and remain in shock with the beauty that sits before us. Take it all in. Realize we dont know where our hotel is. Call the hotel. It is a 20 minute walk. One of my friends broke her foot 2 weeks ago. She is unable to do the walk. The hotel owner comes with his car to get us. Cutest old man ever. 6:45pm-arrival at our bed and breakfast aka second host family.

After this amazing weekend I can now say that nothing compares to Positano. It was beautiful when we got there, and its beauty seemed to increase as time went on. Our Bed&Breakfast could not have been more perfect. Although it was a 20 minute walk out of the city it was breathtaking. It was a family owned B&B and the people were so nice. The old woman who owned it was named Gilda, hence the name of the hotel - Holiday House Gilda. She was your typical Italian grandma. Round, wearing a dress, an apron, and those funny mocosin shoes. The moment we arrived she greeted us with hugs and kisses, and couldn't stop telling us how beautiful we were. Right away she showed us to our room. It was an apartment style room with a kitchen, two bed rooms, and a balcony looking over the mediterranean ocean. From our hotel, we could see the whole city of Positano...it made me speechless. After bringing us to our room she made us some coffee and we drank it out on the porch. After a cup of coffee, a glass of water, and a lemonade (all of which we didnt have to pay for), we headed to our room to get ready for the night. Our biggest concern at this hotel was the distance, yet it wasn't a problem. Every time we wanted to go into the city either the father (with the funniest laugh ever) or the daughter (she might have been a lesbian) would drive us into the city. That night the daughter drove us into the city and reccomended the restaurant "Tre Sorelle." She told us that the fish was great, and when in the Amalfi coast you must eat the fish. We took her advice and went to the restaurant. There, we were greated by a very "friendly" waiter named Paolo. He was in love with one of my friends and gave us all bruschetta and limoncello for free. The dinner was amazing, and was probably the best fish I have ever had. It was also extremely entertaing because our waiter would not take his eyes off my friend and she felt completely awkward and embaressed, which made us laugh hysterically. After dinner we walked along the beach being called at by all the waiters at the restaurants...oh Italia. We then went to the coolest bar ever called Music on the Rocks. It is a club built into a rock and it was the most amazing thing I have ever seen. It is a modern club with a dance floor, but it is in a cave. When we got there, there was no1 there because it was ONLY 12am. Supposively things dont get started until 1. But after a long day we decided we were too tired to wait and went back to the hotel. After such an amazing day we didnt know how it could get any better...and it didnt.

Saturday, September 23, 2006, 11:00am. Wake up and have breakfast at the hotel. There are croissants, fresh fruit, and yogurt. Total cost per person for the room, breakfast, drinks, and rides to and from the city...40 euro.Leave Positano by boat and go to Capri. 11:30 arrival in Capri. Wait in line for the Funiculare- ride that takes you up the hill to the city of Capri. 100 people in line. Meet an older couple from Chicago. Man reccomends we share a cab up the hill. All of the cabs are CONVERTABLES!! Take a CONVERTABLE cab to Capri. Man pays for the cab (25 euro). So far we are lucking out.

Once arriving in the city of Capri we are in shock with how many tourists surround us. The streets are filled with rich older couples and name brand stores...nothing some young 20 year olds can afford. After walking through the city for an hour we stop at a restaurant and share 2 small pizzas costing about 25 euro all together. From there we continue to tour around the city. The views of the ocean were amazing, but I was not too impressed with the architecture. There also weren't many oceans for tanning and swimming, and the ones that were there were far away and filled with people. After walking around the city we decided to head to our hotel and realize that our hotel is Anacapri, not Capri. We take a terrifying bus ride up to Anacapri, which is even further up the island. The buses are the same as in Positano, shooting around the corners and cliffs as if it was nothing. I almost had a mini heart attack on the way up. Finally we arrived in Anacapri, thankful to still have our lives, and began the journey to find our hotel. Lets just say it took us 30 minutes to find the hotel and this place was in the middle of nowhere! My friend, tears in her eyes, was dying because of all the walking on her foot. We were all so pissed because online it said this hotel was near the center of CAPRI! Instead of making a fuss, we dealt with it and started getting ready for the night out. That night we went to dinner in Anacapri at a cute little restaurant in the city. I decided to not do fish again, and instead had the most amazing ravioli. Our waiter was once again a huge creeper. He would keep winking at us and flirting. He was big, bald, and weird and we all couldnt help but laugh when he would flirt with us. I think he thought he had a good singing voice because he kept coming up to us singing the most random songs! He suggested to us a Discotecha called Underground (English name means American people). We headed down to the Discotecha after grabbing the most amazing Nutella crepe at a nearby bar. Once we walked into the bar we didnt know what we got ourselves into. This place disgusting and it was full of American students studying abroad! There were two people there that weren't American and they were both on serious drugs dancing all around the room. It was also ridiculously expensive- 6euro for a coca cola! After spending 30 minutes there and meeting some Americans we headed back to our hotel. It felt soo good to lay in bed, but it would feel even better the next night after a full day of stress and traveling.