Tuesday, September 25, 2012

La Città sul Mare (The City by the Sea)

Alas, we finally come to the third and final day of this vacation in the Amalfi Coast!
Upon waking up in Positano, my throat felt horrible and I had completely lost my voice. I was not in great shape, but I stuck it out. My glass of OJ certainly helped me out!

OJ overlooking the sea
Yes, that really is the patio of my hostel. I know, right?

Here, get a better view :)

Hostel Brikette
Here's a shot of the guys on the balcony.

This helps relieve a hangover
Upon getting some cheap food (this hostel really had it all in terms of pricing and fun) for breakfast, we decided to do the long hike back down instead of trying to take a bus. On our way, I managed to snag a couple great photos!

The Positanan Hillside
The houses are really just embedded into the hillside in this sea town. Seems like everyone has a great view of the sea!

Overlooking the Sea again
Just plain beautiful! As we got further down, we rounded a corner and suddenly this came into view! So picturesque!

Positano and Santa Maria Assunta
More on the church later. It truly seems impossible that such beauty could exist in urbanized parts of the world, but the Italians truly have gotten it right.

Finally we got down to the beach and relaxed on the sand, played in the water a bit, and I even walked along down the beach and found a rock to sit on and watch the waves roll in and out for a time.

The Italians definitely like to show off their butts -- this swimsuit was fairly conservative for the men on this beach!

Sexy Swimsuit
We decided to explore the town a bit, checking out the Church of Santa Maria Assunta.

Santa Maria Assunta
I really liked this church, but alas, I was not permitted to take photos inside of it, so this will have to do for you all! There was photos inside showing one of the Popes making a visit to this particular church and being kind to the children, talking to the local townspeople, etc etc... Very cool!

We continued on from the church, looking around in the shops that were hidden in alleyways about the city. I am not joking when I say hidden, they were in any little side alley that you looked down, but there was no real main shopping road except right at the front of the port.

Looking down on one of the side alleys for shopping
Unfortunately, this day was a bit too hot for the beach, so we decided to cut out a little early and get on our way back to Rome. However, on our way out I got a couple great shots!

I think everyone can appreciate "Albergo California" or perhaps more commonly known as "Hotel California"

Hotel California
And finally, perhaps the most beautiful picture that I procured on my entire trip was the last photo. Look at this gorgeous vista, taken from the bus stop in Positano.

Beauty Incarnate
We waited a longgggggggggggggggggggggggggg time for the bus. Remember that group of people that was massive and in the way of us going down the steps from Sorrento? Yeah, they were there too. And because of them, when the essentially full bus DID finally show up, our group almost didn't all make it on. The last member of our group was literally standing on the stairs to the bus when the driver closed the doors. Scary!!!

Let me tell you some more about scary. Our bus driver honked to let any other cars know that he was coming around every corner and in addition to honking, he would quickly cross his heart before every turn in case we all died. Yea, no big deal... just an ordinary bus ride right?

Despite being packed in, standing on a bus winding the small hill roads out of Positano and fearing for my life, it was a rather enjoyable bus ride as the entire time there were amazing views to look at. We eventually got to Sorrento, then took a train to Naples, where we stopped for some famous Napolean Pizza (mine was delicious and stuffed with ricotta cheese), and from Naples got a train back to Rome. By the time we got back, we were quite done with travelling for a time and ready to return to our comfortable beds and hot showers!

And there ends my story of my trip to the Amalfi Coast. Thanks for reading all about it!

3 comments:

  1. I am trying to post again. You really got some great pictures. I wish we had gotten there before Amy Chapman moved. But then we wouldn't see as much of Spain as we plan. so it was great to see if from your view point. Thanks for the fantastic blog, love you much. Mom.

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  2. Much appreciated! I love doing it :)

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