Corner La Trin: September 2011

Wednesday 28 September 2011

The coastal tour

Today mum had booked us a private boat tour along the Amalfi coastline.

Walking down the cobbled, sloping streets of Positano to the beach, I couldn't help but feel a pleasant warm glow inside me, I was happy, no doubt about it, and exuberant. I really was.

While waiting for the boat to arrive, I started practicing skipping stones with Dad. A few did skip two or three times, but not many. On the other hand, dad got 5 rocks to skip 8 times! Well, they do say practice makes perfect.....

The rubber boat bounced along the waves, wind whipping my hair around as we headed down the coastline. The sheer cliffs rose out of the sea, giant wonders teeming with wild shrubs. We passed the village of Praiano, a sea of multicoloured houses spread over two cliffs. Beaches and sunchairs were spread over the feet of the cliffs. So nice!

We pulled into the cove of the Emerald Grotto. We had been to the Blue Grotto, now it was time for the Emerald Grotto. We paid for our tickets and headed on inside. The water was so... GREEN! The light really enhanced the beautiful water. The light came from an underwater tunnel that ran under the cave wall. There were stalactites and stalagmites on the roof and sides of the cave. The rippling water gave off a mysterious green light on the roof of the cave. In one part of the cave, were five sculptures, submerged underwater, making up the Nativity Scene of Jesus! It was so cute. It was also extraordinarily charming.

We went to the Pandora Grotto, the biggest cave in the whole Amalfi Coast, where we went for a swim. I arched gracefully of the boat, eager to swim in the crystal clear water. I was swimming with lots of fish too. Diving in and out of the water, I felt like a dolphin as I playfully splashed around with my dad. I could see the deep bottom, the rocks and fish metres deep. It was so much fun in the azure water. So much fun.

We continued on to the Fiordo di Furore, a little cove where there was a forty metre high bridge that annually, people would jump off into the six metre water. It would be so scary! I'd never dream of doing that. I imagine that it would be really thrilling. I admired the people who did jump off.

We bounced along and saw the other villages of Conca di Marini and Atrani. They were both colourful, cliff side villages that seemed to radiate with life. People sunbathing on the beaches waved at us, big smiles on their faces. This tour was so much fun.

We rumbled back to Amalfi, another village on the cliffs of the coast. We had free time here for a while. We decided to have lunch at a seafood restaurant, where I ordered a fillet of red snapper. It was so smooth, and the flavour of the sauce it was in was sooooooooo good. We had also ordered a bowl of fries. Let me tell you, those fries, ahhhhhhh... They were crunchy and spot on with the flavour. The restaurant, Lido Azzura, was a really good restaurant. Highly recommended.

After lunch, we explored Amalfi. We got some home made gelato at a REALLY road side cafe, really, see the photos for yourself. The gelato was great but the roadside entertainment was even better. We took some photos at the square and looked around a bit. Then it was already time to go! We went to the jetty, where the rubber boat sped towards us and picked us up. We picked up speed and headed back to Positano.

Relaxing on the beach, soaking up sun, wading in the water and splashing round. Yup. Sounded good to me. Also add some rock skipping and this was a perfect way to cap off the day. The water was turquoise and warm. The rocks were flat and round. Yay! Good skipping. I skipped a lot of rocks that day. Practice DID make perfect. I was extremely happy.

Positano had been great. I could understand why it was one of the best places in Italy. The beaches, the rolling waves, the food, everything. The adventures I'd had here had been so exciting. I wondered just what would happen to me in Rome.

More rock skipping practice

Sediment rock and beautiful turquoise water

Long walk to the water...

Voted Best Hotel of Europe for the past 3 years...$$$

This is where the annual 40-meter jumping competition takes place...

Emerald Grotto

For once I enjoyed my messy hair moment

Swimming in Pandora Grotto

Swimming out to the open sea with dad

Can you see those little fish around me?

Enough swimming...

Good spot to dry off

The 700-year old church in Amalfi

Main piazza in Amalfi

Dad: So! This's what they call Roadside Cafe in Amalfi...

Dad: Are my toes still there?

Our boat & skipper

Happy family snap!

Time to lie down to enjoy the sea breeze

Positano

Positano was a village on the Amalfi Coast. Colourful houses dotted the rugged cliffs that plunged down into the sea, decorating the cliffs with blues, pinks, greens, yellows, reds, oranges and whites. Foamy waves crashed onto the grey rocks, and boats of all different kinds were scattered across the waters. People were sunbathing on the grey, sandy beaches, enjoying the sun. We checked into our hotel and wandered out.

The shops selling all sorts of beach clothing were filled with people leisurely strolling around, looking for swimsuits or dresses. The sloping streets were filled with tourists and locals, all looking for a relaxing time. The beach had greyish sand, and lots and lots of people were just chilling out in the water or sunbathing on sunchairs. It made me feel very relaxed.

Instead of chilling out on the beach, I decided to skip stones. I now know, sort of, how to do it. It was really fun, even though five sixths of my stones just went plop! into the water. After about 100 attempts at stone skipping I just decided to wade around in the water. The water was really clear and really turquoise. The calmness of the still water was the reason for all the people, including me, that were splashing around in the amazing water. It was also really warm. The rocks tickled my feet and little fishes darted around my legs. I waded in to neck height and could still see the bottom crystal clear. I was so glad that I was experiencing this.

Dinner that night was beautiful. Belissimo! Grilled fish with salad and fries. Mmmmmmm... Well, we were on a seaside village where fish was at the top of the market. It was so smooth, so fresh... Overlooking the beach, the waves rolling up onto the sand, birds crowing in the sky, good food,ahhhh, so nice! I really liked Positano.

Tucking into bed, I shut my eyes and drifted off. The day had been utterly great. I knew I would have 3 beautiful days here.

Driving along Amalfi coast

Panoramic view from our hotel balcony

View from the other side of our hotel balcony

Learning rock skipping from dad

Sand castle making with new found friends

That was a plop!

After '100' attempts at rock skipping, my arm needed a rest.

Restaurant seat with a view

Houses cascading down the hill side

Absentmindedly making sand bombs

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Tuesday 27 September 2011

Eat Pray Love...Naples

Eat lots of pizza and gelato
Pray Mount Vesuvius won't erupt
Love the liveliness in Naples

The view from our hotel was beautiful. The bay of Naples was home to a million people, and the buildings stretched on till they faded away. The calm water flowed on to the horizon, and in the sunset was truly beautiful. I instantly knew I was going to love our 4-day stay in Naples. Aah, Naples. Yes, it was Naples..

In Naples we had hired a private tour guide to take us around and tell us all the interesting histories or legends of Naples. Milena, our tour guide took us to a famous pizzeria in Naples for lunch. Naples pizza was fantastic. I shared a spicy salami pizza with my mum. It was soooooooooo good. Thin? Tick. Spicy salami? Tick. YUMMY? TICK! It was officially the best pizza I'd ever had.

In our Naples city tour, we drove through Margellina, a part of Naples that was famous for ice cream. Margellina was also famous for the it's cliffs. They were made of tufa, which is a yellow coloured rock. Tufa was a sandy colour, and scarce shrubs could be seen growing on the cliffs. I thought they were really cool .

We went up to the most expensive area of Naples, where the famous veteran actress Sophia Loren owned a huge villa. All the houses overlooked the beautiful bay, and most of them had pools. Multicolored villas and bungalows sat on the cliffs that teemed with trees. We went to the northern part of the district, to look at the panoramic views. They were extraordinarily panoramic. Mount Vesuvius snoozed menacingly across the bay, civilization seeping up about a fifth of the volcano. The bay of Naples stretched out before me, and the islands of Ischia and Capri were to be seen in the distance. I really liked it.

South of the area was really panoramic too. The only other thing I could see that I hadn't seen before at the north side, was the north side. It was really pretty with the different coloured houses. So pretty.

After we came back down from the expensive district we began walking around Naples. We reached the main square of Naples, Piazza del Plebiscito, and studied all of the important looking buildings. There was the Church of San Francesco, a large, round, domed building that surrounded half the square, and the Royal Palace, a huge, maroon coloured palace with hundreds of windows and a huge piece of land. But, then, of course, my mum saw the pasticceria where Eat Pray Love was filmed and asked the tour guide what pastries were the specialties of Naples. Sfogliatelle, a cheese filled triangular puff pastry, and Baba, a rum soaked cake. My mum dashed in and bought them, before we saw anything else. So my mum...

We walked into the Royal Palace and saw the grand interior. Marble columns and tiling, statues and more. The gardens were small but charming too. Full of lush plants. There was this one tree, from 1843, that, legend had it, if you touched it, positive energy would flow from the tree into you. I rubbed against the tree as hard as I could. I felt very energetic after that!

We went to the shopping district (oh yeah!) to explore. The Galleria Umberto was the main shopping centre, with streets of shops surrounding it. The Galleria Umberto was exactly like the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele 11 in Milan, just smaller. The glass domed roof, the shady coloured paint, the cross shaped building, everything. The only difference? This one, underground, used to have an illegal can-can theatre. The windows were still on the floor of the galleria though. So cool.

We explored the shopping streets for a while, where I bought an umbrella. It was very colourful and I loved it. The streets, on some corners, were piled with rubbish. They stank! Ugh. Horrible. I wonder when the garbage crisis in Naples will be resolved... Luckily, the area around our hotel was very clean, and very picturesque.

We also visited a couple of castles. The first one, Castel Nuovo, was a huge mass of six round towers, painted yellow, with brown towers. On one side, in between two of the towers, was a beautiful white arch, complete with statues and sculptures. It was in honour of one Italian king. It was really beautiful. The other castle was right opposite our hotel, which is called Castel dell'Ovo, means The Egg Castle. This is the oldest castle in Naples, built 1st century BC. The castle's name comes from a medieval legend which tells that the Roman poet Virgil, who develop a medieval reputation as a great sorcerer as well, put a magical egg in the foundations to support them.

When we walked around the city, I noticed an excavation site, which had uncovered an ancient Roman ruin. I asked the tour guide what they were doing, and she told me that it had been part of a railway project. They had been digging the start of a tunnel, and bada bing bada boom! They found an ancient ruin, buried for centuries. Made of arches and yellow brick, some walls made up the little part of the excavation. How cool.

Naples had been good. I had really enjoyed it.

Tried and Tested...My bed was as comfy as my parents

My blogging station...

View from our hotel room

Mt. Vesuvius in the background, surrounded by cloud

Beautiful bay of Naples

Sophia Loren's villa

Margellina built on tufa - yellow colored rock

Piazza del Plebiscito

Remember this setting from the movie 'Eat Pray Love'?

Julia Roberts was standing here in Eat Pray Love!

Inside Royal Palace

The legend tree giving off positive energy

Galleria Umberto

Spanish quarter

Chili Chili

Castel Nuovo

I have seen the garbage crisis, I have been to Naples.

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Mt. Vesuvius

Hiking gear. Check.
Sun screen. Check.
Cap & sunnies. Check.
Water. Check.

Today, we were hiking up THE only active volcano in continental Europe, Mt. Vesuvius.

It was the first ever volcano I'd ever seen, so this experience had great impact on me. The loose pebbles were slippery and hard to walk up, but we did make it to the top of the crater. The weather helped too, 24 degree C and overcast!

Looking at the size of the crater, I could imagine the power of the eruption when the volcano exploded in 79 AD. Half the mountain got blown off! The peak was about 2700 metres from sea level but now stood at 1250 metres high, so it used to be a huge mass of a volcano before its powerful eruption. The hot lava, ash, cinder, eruptive materials and sulfur gas from the eruption completely ended and buried three towns - Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabia.

The last eruption of Mt. Vesuvius was in 1944 but the destructive force was of a much smaller scale. Still, it killed 26 people. On the way hiking up to the crater, I saw the hardened lava from 67 years ago that flowed down to almost bottom of the mountain. It was massive.

The vast crater was filled with volcanic rocks and ancient lava that had once erupted out of chambers in the centre of the earth. Rock piles on the side of the crater gave vague shapes. I was blown away.

It was so much fun hiking round the crater. There was sulfurous steam rising from various spots of the enormous crater. I was really intrigued, though, I was a little nervous that I was standing on an active volcano. We also saw a monitoring station near the crater monitoring the volcanic activities everyday. It was altogether very enjoyable. I would never forget it. And the view was spectacular too. The side of the mountain teemed with trees, and the cloudy sky seemed to be touching me. The view of the gulf of Naples through cloud was amazing. So beautiful.

Mount Vesuvius had been a wonderful experience. Unforgettable. Really.

The dragon sleeps... (picture taken from a postcard)