Rest of Day 2 and On the Way to Capri...

I honestly had never heard of Sorrento, Italy before actually going there.  If I did, I didn't understand what it actually looked like.  We were warned before actually getting there that it might be difficult to get our luggage to the hotel, because the bus couldn't physically drive to it (this makes perfect sense when you actually see why).  We were told several different things, but finally we were able to pull to the side and get our luggage to take with us.  This involved walking straight down a hilly road, which was mostly a tunnel built into the mountain.  As we walked down the hill, our hotel was right in front of us.  We had to akwardly stand in the road for a long period of time to get the rooms situated, I am assuming.  Either way, it was quite scary having to stand in the curve of a road where you can't actually see what vehicle is coming out of the tunnel.

Once inside, we were told that both air conditioning and wi-fi cost money.  Thankfully I didn't pay for the internet before getting to my room, because hall mates warned me that it doesn't actually work in the room, but only in the lobby.  Gee, thanks.  My roommate, Nancy, so graciously paid the $5 euros it cost to get air in our room.  Now, the room itself was lovely.  It was a modern design and led out into a corner view of the cove where we were staying.  

Here is the view if you were standing on our balcony looking forward

The view out of the corner of our balcony.  Look at those caves!

The sand was black and we were sternly warned not to take the hotel towels down to the beach (rightly so)

The view of our hotel from the beach.  If you look up to the balconies on the left, we were in the one on the very top on the corner.  A sweet view indeed!

The beach.  It great finding sea glass to use for jewelry and art projects!

This was the tunnel you had to go through to go from the hotel down to the beach

More photos of our surroundings...

This was the hotel key in Sorrento.  It was made of lacquered wood.  The one thing that becomes the most expensive in Europe is finding a Coke to drink.  Granted there is not much variety, but a regular Coke is just what you need at the beginning and end of the day.  I did have a wonderful glass of local wine in their bar downstairs. 

The next morning, we gathered our things to rush over to catch the ferry to the Isle of Capri.  We were rushed so badly down these old, steep, scary stairs over to the port to end up having to sit and wait for ages on the ferry.  By this time, most of us were pretty tired of rushing and waiting.  I got some great photos from the port while we waited...

This is what the inside of the ship looked like.  It REALLY made me feel nauseous, but I learned a trick from Stack about staring at the horizon when feeling sick.  Definitely noted. 

Next entry focuses on our incredible day in Capri!

Day 2

After breakfast at our Roman hotel, we put our things on the bus and traveled to Pompeii.  Here are a few shots from the bus as we first saw the Italian countryside up close.  Their mountains seem to engulf you from all sides, no matter where you are in Italy.  It almost becomes a sense of security at times, but obviously don't get too cheeky with volcanoes in Pompeii, am I right?!

Our first stop in Pompeii was to tour a cameo shop at the gates to get into the ruins.  We were not allowed to take photos inside, but it was interesting to learn how the jewelry and cameos were all handmade by master craftsmen.  Here is a link to the Cellini Gallery, http://cellinigallery.com/#

Inside, I bought a very tiny, delicate owl bracelet while there, but I am STILL angry at myself for settling on the price I paid.  You definitely live and learn when it comes to making any purchases in Italy...

Next, it was time for lunch.  We were famished and ate at a restaurant near the gates.  By this time we were used to waiting, and waiting, and waiting, and waiting some more.  I didn't catch the name of the restaurant, but here is a pic of the Margherita pizza they offered as part of their lunch deal.  After all the Margherita pizzas I consumed over there, I hope I don't have to eat one for a very long time. 

Here are the first views of the ruins at Pompeii.  I haven't touched up any of these photos, so they may be a little out of focus and not very flashy, but you will definitely get the jest of the realness of this site.  As soon as you start walking towards the entrance, you can feel a change in the energy around you.  It truly was a fascinating place. 

This is the first main area we came to when meeting our first local tour guide.  She was FANTASTIC and I could have listened to her talk all day.  She was a wealth of information and never left us with questions about our surroundings.  She was by far the best guide we had on our trip, in my opinion.  She said that gladiators used to practice in this area. 

This ampitheater was mostly rebuilt to show the original shape and sound acoustics of the space. 

The roads in Pompeii were no joke.  You really have to pay attention to where you are walking.  The stones are huge and there were ruts everywhere sliced in the road for chariots.  

Here is a shot of our first tour guide and some of the ruins she was discussing.  She really taught us very specific information.  She kept referring to Pompeii as "my region." 

At certain crossing points on the roads, there were very large stepping stones to help you get across the road easily.  Here is a pic of how large they were.  (Can we talk about her shoes though?  This was the style of almost ALL the Italian women I talked to.  I love love love them and regret not buying a pair, but even though they were handmade, they were way out of my price range. SO CUTE though!)

Here we are inside one of the typical houses in Pompeii.  This is a pic of the reservoir where the household collected rainwater.  You will also see some of the great original frescos that still exist here.

This is a photo of the garden that most houses had in the central area of their houses. 

More walking down different streets

We entered into a Roman sauna.  Inside were some of the bodies of Pompeii.  Obviously, they were not found whole like this, because of the heat of the ash that covered them, but because the bodies left such perfect cavities in the ash, people were able to inject a syringe of plaster into the area.  These were some examples of these people.  The looks on their faces was both haunting and heartbreaking.

Inside the sauna, this is where the fire was located that heated the water.  

I won't post many photos from the brothel we visited, but my oh my was it interesting.  The ladies "specialty" was painted above the door of her room.  Here is a pic of the "room."  

Water fountains like this were available throughout the city to refresh your water bottle or just to cool off for a second.  The sculptures are original. 

Here is a pic of a good portion of our group.  We didn't really all know each other very well at this point, but we were all having a great time.  

As we entered the main square in Pompeii. 

There was a museum of artifacts found on site.  Here are some examples of what we saw. 

Just your average art teacher hamming it up in one of the oldest ruins on Earth, no big whoop.

We were fairly convinced that this is definitely the first lego block

Bryan Stack (the organizer and leader of our Pinson Valley tour group) and I.  I am very thankful to him for asking me to help out with the tour.  I feel very fortunate to have this opportunity, but not only for my own personal love of history and art, but to portray what I learn to my art students. So thanks, Stack!

These guys helped make the trip a blast!

Just a little selfie, you know...

A freaky panorama.  Check out Derek's face.  It is VERY "The Ring," isn't it???

A view of the outer walls of the city from our walk to the exit 

Upon exiting, I did buy several new treasures from a local vendor.  I don't have pics, but my favorite was the owl ring whose eyes were made from lava taken from Vesuvius.  Here is a pic of the monster Vesuvius, himself...

As we left Pompeii, we made our way to Sorrento.  We traveled amongst some of the most beautiful mountains I'd ever seen, through long tunnels, and finally came out to this view from our hotel.  Sorrento will be the focus of my next entry...

Day 1 integrale

Ok, after some rest I am ready to continue about my trip to Italy and how it truly was amazing. To finish up about our first day in Rome, I have photos of our first hotel room.  The shutters didn't open, so we couldn't actually see Rome at night (bummer) and it took an act of congress to get the air to work.  However, it was nice to lie down, even if the bed's softness was equivalent to a concrete slab.  I was grateful for rest, even if it didn't come easily that night.

Of course one of the main topics of discussion for the next few days were the bidets in our bathrooms.  Europeans love their bidets.  The kids were betting each other who would try theirs.  But I mean come on.  When in Rome, right?!?!

Another thing about some hotels in Italy, they do have a flair for fancy room keys. 

Breakfast the next morning was hard for me, because my stomach was not happy to be in a new place.  However, after eating a little something, I ventured out onto the open seating in the restaurant on the top floor of our hotel.  THIS was the first wide view I had of Rome.  What a lovely and exhilarating view it was...