The Carpenter Corner: Europe Part IV

After 4 days in Rome we took a train down to Naples, then a train to Pompeii. I was actually glad we didn't have any time in Naples because the parts we saw weren't that great. It's kind of dirty, lots of vandelism, the people weren't as friendly... maybe we just didn't find the right spots. But if you head just a little more south, it's so beautiful. We stopped in Pompeii for a few hours to check out the ruins. The city of Pompeii was an ancient Roman city destroyed and buried by the volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. The city was rediscovered around 1599. I have to be honest, I didn't really have a huge desire to see Pompeii. Partly because we were on our way to Capri and I just wanted to get on the beach, and also because we had our backpacks with us, and it was a lot of travel that day. We took 3 trains, 1 ferry, 1 taxi
and walked a ton so I didn't want to stop at Pompeii for a few hours in the heat of the day. However, I loved it and learned sooooo much!!! I am so glad Jerrod insisted and I would highly recommend stopping by if you are near Sorrento or Naples! They also have a bag check at the train station in Pompeii so we didn't have to carry our backpacks around. There is an ampitheatre, a gym/spa, a brothel, homes, restaurants, plaza's, etc. and you can still see and really experience it all. It made me get a better idea for what the Roman Forum in Rome was probably like. Also, we used the walking tour from Rick Steve's book which I highly recommend. It takes you to the highlights, otherwise you would waste time wondering around. I took tons of pics because it was so cool to see such an old city so well preserved... but here are just a few.

This is the main square/plaza with Mt. Vesuvius in the background.

This is a human body still preserved. You can see the position they were in when the volcano erupted and took out the city.

CRAZY!!!

You could still see the paint on the walls in this dining room in one of the houses.

A courtyard in a house.

After a few hours of exploring Pompeii we hopped on a train to Sorrento. We walked from the train station in Sorrento, through town, down the cliff to the ferry. It was quite a walk with the backpacks but I survived. Sorrento was a really cute little town.... almost picture perfect. This was our ferry to take us to Capri.

Mt. Vesuvius from the dock in Sorrento

More of Sorrento...

Then we arrived to Capri and took a taxi to the hotel. We stayed at Hotel Weber which was recommended by some good friends, and we loved it! We had an ocean front room with a large terrace. I used the terrace a ton, just reading or enjoying the views. We loved sitting out here and watching the yachts come in.

By this point I was SO ready to be done with my backpack for a few days :)

Our terrace

Champagne at check in :) I mean look at that view!

Views from our terrace.

Our first full day there we took a funicular up to the top of Capri. It starts in a little town call Ana Capri which was adorable! Here is Jerrod on the little chair lift :)

Views at the top were amazing! It kind of reminded me a little of Cape Town, just less busy.

I love this one with the flowers. So beautiful!

We met some nice girls who offered to take our picture.

On the way down...

This was a store in Ana Capri and I loved all the flowers. Looks like it should be in a movie.

This was our mode of transportation that day. Let's just say I couldn't WAIT to get back to the hotel. Not sure if I'll ride a moped again. However, part of the problem was the roads on Capri are really made for 1 car, not 2, so that was a little scary, and also the cliffside winding roads didn't help. I was squeezing Jerrod so hard it was making him nervous, but I didn't enjoy the ride at all. I was so ready to get off. :) But you can tell by his smile, he thought it was awesome....

More views from our room.

Leaving for dinner one night!

Hanging out on the beach... it was pretty crowded but the water was so refreshing. And it's not a sandy beach, it's pebbles. But you get used to it and we actually didn't mind it at all.

Then we hung out at the pool and had lunch. Great views from the pool too!

Our last night on Capri we went into Capri town for a nice dinner. After dinner we walked around the main square where there is a lot of designer shopping and dining. Lots of people from the yachts come to Capri town at night to shop and eat. I felt like I was in another world!