Dinner in Sorrento
We drove to Sorrento and made reservations at a seafood restaurant right on the coast. GPS in Europe is always interesting, especially once you get into smaller towns. You never know whether you are driving on an actual road or just a walkway as they both look about the same and the GPS sometimes can't tell the difference. Well getting to the restaurant was one of the times it sent us in a direction and wanted us to drive and a walking path rather than a road. We had reservations so Natali jumped out while I backtracked and tried to find a road and a place to park. I was rushed but I found a place to park.
The restaurant was very fresh seafood. Natali picked out the crab she wanted to eat and I picked a catch of the day that was delicious. We were feeling a little adventurous and decided to try the mussels as well. Natali loved eating them like a French person and picking them out with another mussel shell.
We didn't get out of the restaurant until about 10:30 and we headed back to the car. I had to park a little off up the hill, and I want to remind everyone that I was in a RUSH so I kind of parked in the first place I could find. When we got to the parking lot, all we found was a large wall and a huge metal gate that was CLOSED!!! Nobody was in sight and there was no sign or anything we could find to contact someone on how to open the gate.
We didn't know what to do, we were tired, and ALL of our luggage was still in the car so we couldn't even just leave it until the morning. We thought we caught somewhat of a break when an Australian couple walked down the hill and told us there was an entrance to the parking lot but it was up at the top of the hill at a hotel but there was a path down that led to the parking lot. We were very skeptical, but we had no other leads or ideas so we hiked up the hill to the hotel. But when we go to the hotel, they had no idea what we were talking about.
So Natali sat down in the lobby of the hotel, while I tried to find that path that the couple told us about. By this time it is close to midnight and I am starting to panic a little. I look for the path and finally find something that appeared to head in that direction. I thought I had found it! I could see the parking lot getting closer and then I exited the path... onto the road back where we started right in front of the closed metal gate.
At this point I just thought we were out of luck and were just going to have to wait until the door opened in the morning. Then I had one last idea. There was another hotel a little closer to the restaurant. So I decided to talk to them and just see if they knew anything. Well... it turned out that was their parking lot and they could open the gate! I asked how much it would cost and they asked when I had parked and then told me it would be 4 Euros. I told them after that I would have paid as many Euros as they had asked to get the car at that point because I was desperate. But they gladly opened it and I was able to go pick up Natali and head back to our place for the rest of the night.
So, moral of the story, be careful where you park in Europe. Being in a hurry could cost you later.
The Island of Capri
May 25
The next day we got onto a boat and went over to visit the island of Capri. The island is a little piece of paradise. It is very small, but it has steep cliffs and lots of greenery all over. We started our sightseeing on the island by getting on a chairlift and heading up to the top of the mountain where we would see some amazing views.
As you can tell, it was pretty scary getting on and off these things ;)
We headed back down in order to get on a boat tour that we had pre-booked. We were very excited about it, but we had no idea just how AMAZING it would truly be. We had a boat all to ourselves with a guide driving us around pointing out all of the beautiful things that we would have missed as well as telling us some history of the island. I really can't describe just how amazing it is so I will let the pictures do the speaking for me.
Of course we had to get some gelato before we got on the boat.
The rock cliffs around the island were breathtaking. Many of them went straight up hundreds of feet into the air, looming over us as we drove past.
And then in the rock faces the waves have created all of these nooks and crannies of various sizes. Being in a relatively small boat, our guide took us right up next to and often inside these places. The color of the water was amazing, and then there was often other rock colors that stood out creating a beautiful, picturesque scene.
The rock formations were just incredible. This one had a hole right in the middle of it that was large enough for boats to drive through.
Here is a great example of one of the grottos. From the outside it looks kind of neat.
But our guide was able to drive us right up and into the grotto/cave and show us a different side to it all. The lights reflecting off the water and the different shades of blue and green were so unique. Again, I'll let the pictures do more of the talking.
Here was our guide. He was great, giving us lots of information while at the same time letting us just enjoy some quiet time and soak in the majesty all around us.
We arrived at the most famous of all the grottos on the island, the Blue Grotto. Most of the time there are little boats that you pay to get into that will take you inside of the Blue Grotto. When the waves get too big they have to stop doing it because there is not a lot of room at the entrance of the cave to get through. Well the waves were too big that do so they were not running the little boats. Our guide was awesome though and offered to stop for a bit and allowed me to jump in and swim into the grotto myself. It was hard to capture just how amazing it was in there, but even though there is only a small entrance, it opens up into a large room. Being able to be in there all by myself was both amazing and eery. The way the light hits and bounces off the walls is hard to explain. Natali was going to join me, but decided the water was too cold for her to jump in.. her loss.
Natali wishes that there was a shark in this picture. I am very grateful there is no shark in the picture.
The entrance has a chain to help you get in and out with all the waves coming in. It was one of the most unique and awesome things I have ever done.
Lots of time to just sit back, relax, and just enjoy the beauty around us.
After getting back on land, we headed back to Sorrento and were able to do a little shopping at some of the little shops as we walked around the area. We wish we would have had a little more time to look around as Sorrento had a pretty amazing selection of unique little shops. One of those was this lady that made custom leather sandals. Natali got to pick out the colors and design of the sandal, and then the lady made it right then.
To Rome
May 26-27
And what would a trip to Italy be without a trip to Rome? We were able to stay right in the heart of the city which made it that much easier to sight-see, especially at night. No matter how many times we go, it seems like there is an endless amount of things to see. The basilicas never get old, and every single one is different and so impressive. And after you've had your fill of those, you can just go to any number of museums and be captivated by the art and history of this ancient city.
My favorite part of Rome just might be the always running, aqueduct-fed drinking fountains. Always cold and refreshing.
We decided to try out a food tour as we had heard great things about them. And Italian food is already amazing so we were very excited to see what they had to offer. We chose one in a less touristy part of the city, hoping to get more of a local food feel. We started out with appetizers including cheese, different cuts of meat like prosciutto, and even small pieces of pizza.
We then moved on to the main course which was pasta of course, 3 different kinds to be exact! Luckily we had walked enough between the previous stops so that we still had room at the end. Everything was delicious!
Natali's favorite part of the whole night was easily the Pomodoro pasta that the chef (and owner) brought out inside of this huge block of cheese! It was simple, yet so rich and full of flavor. Natali has been on a hunt ever since to try to duplicate this Pomodoro.
And of course the night ended with some gelato. Our guide was awesome.
And of course you have to head over to the Trevi Fountain at night. Natali has had a lot of success with throwing a coin into the fountain as they say if you do then it will one day bring you back. Well it has been true so far.
The next day we headed over to the Trastevere area. It also has more of a local feel to it that we really like. Of course, two of the best parts of being in Rome are the food and the gelato, so we took advantage of both of those.
We found a cool little hidden gem in Rome called the Quartier Coppede. It is a little, hidden away neighborhood named after the architect Gino Coppede. He meshed all different kinds of architectural styles to create some of the most unique architecture that I have ever seen. It is a very welcome change of pace from the bustle of the more touristy parts of Rome.
We also went back to the Vatican museum. This is our favorite sculpture from the Vatican. Also, if you are doing the Vatican for the first time make sure you go with a group tour or else you will miss so many of the details throughout the Vatican.
For some reason I love this picture of the staircase as we were exiting. That is Natali in the red dress.
Oh yeah, and don't forget about the Colosseum. Seeing things at night is definitely a different feel than seeing the same things during the day.
We traveled back to France and had scheduled to go out to a little area called Lille where it just so happened that Natali's little sister Tracie was currently serving as a missionary. We were lucky enough that we were able to meet up with her. It was awesome to see her after hearing all of her stories and amazing things she had been doing in France. Tracie and her companion showed us all around the town's sights and introduced us to the local delicacies.
We ran across some of the elders in the area as well so we invited them to join us for a meal. We had a great time visiting with them all, and of course had to grab some gelato as well afterwards.
Sadly, we eventually had to go. Natali and Tracie couldn't quite get on the same page about how they were feeling about the farewell. Eventually they got it together.
And that was the end of the amazing trip. It is always amazing to visit new places and see new things and see just how much beauty this world has all over.
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