I was skeptical of how our Mediterranean weekend would be as we planned the trip with a company, “Bus2Alps.” This specific company works primarily with American study abroad students. My roommates had previously taken a trip with this company and found it quite overwhelming – from the lack of free time to some of the obnoxious American students. I kept an open mind refraining from any expectations.
A 6am wake up call after checking into the hostel at 2:30am was not the best way to kick off the vacation styled weekend; however, it was so worth it. We walked down a winding ramp on the side of a cliff to arrive at one of Sorrento’s ports to board a boat and set sail for the Island of Capri. There’s something about a boat and the sun shining down that casts away every emotion other than pure happiness – even if it is 8am in the morning after getting nearly two and a half hours of sleep. The ferry-ride over was calming and relaxing putting me in such a good mood.
Upon arriving Capri, we transferred over to a different boat to take a tour of the island. Our boat driver was superb – reversing into one of the many grottos that are on the island. Although the waves were too high to enter the famous Blue Grotto, we did back up into a little cave which was magical. One of the picturesque scenes of Capri is the Faraglioni – an arch shaped rock famous in Dolce and Gabbana advertisements. Luckily the waves weren’t too crazy so we were able to drive THROUGH the open arch. A Bus2Alps guide blasted music on the boat as we went head first for the gap with the sun high in clear blue skies. Okay, this is now my favorite place in the world… and I truly mean it this time.
On the way back to land, we spotted mountain goats! A rare sight for tourists to see, we were lucky enough to spot them from a distance. We got back to the dock on Capri and had the day a head of us to explore the island. A 15-minute uphill walk led us to the second level of Capri. A mini piazza with shops and small scooter looking trucks - it was beautiful. I sat on a bench and sipped on a granita, a famous island drink that looks like a slushy.
After spending a quick 30 minutes at the second level, we took a bus climbing the cliff to arrive at the third level: Anacapri. Met by a string of shops, winding paths, and another small piazza it was the perfect cliff-side town. We had a quick lunch at one of the little restaurants on the winding path and headed over to the chairlift to get to the fourth (and final) level of Capri. I was expecting a sort of ski-lift styled chair but was surprised to see individual seats floating in the air. It was almost like a swing seat with a backrest attached and a simple metal lap bar being the only form of safety. The views were breathtaking. I was so consumed in the moment that I completely lost track of time as we ascended the mountain.
Climbing off the chairlift, the only place to look was down. We were roughly 1,900 feet in the air with a complete 360 view of Capri below. We grabbed drinks and sat outside (the only) café on top of the mountain. To walk the perimeter of the mountain peak would take roughly five minutes… unless it’s a beautiful sunny day, I suggest taking two hours to do so. On one of the paths, there’s a small fence protecting people from getting too close to the edge. I would refrain from writing about how I jumped the fence to get a better view, but damn it was worth it. I wouldn’t say I’m necessarily afraid of heights, but I don’t enjoy looking down over an edge. This time however, I enjoyed every second. I peered over and saw nothing but bright blue water kissing the vibrant green foliage. I was on cloud nine… or should I say in cloud nine.
My roommates stayed back as I ventured by the edge, until I saw girls dangling their feet so I decided it was time to go. That was a bit too dangerous for a simple picture I would say. Too each their own, I guess!
We descended down to meet our group leader, departing for the ferry to take us back to Sorrento.
Day two we headed out to the famous cliff-side city: Positano. Instead of taking a ferry over, we took a mini cruise-boat. Again, I lost track of time so it could have taken anywhere from an hour or two to get to the city. It was another sunny and 70* day as 60 college kids bonded over the beautiful views. The anchor dropped halfway to let people jump into the Mediterranean Sea. Back flips, nose dives, second story balcony jumps… I felt like I was in a movie scene watching kids throw themselves over-board. I didn’t get in the water simply because I knew how frigid it would have been. I’m glad I didn’t as I later found out two guys got stung by jellyfish.
Rounding a bend, Positano welcomed us being tucked between mountains. I spent the next three hours digging my feet in the hot sand conversing with other students. To my surprise, I found out half the people on our trip were actually in the U.S. Army, stationed in Vicenza – near Verona in Northern Italy. I learned a lot from those boys and gained a deeper appreciation for our military stationed across the world.
Being too content sunbathing on the beach, I didn’t set out to fully explore the city. From my understanding, it’s a lot of shops and restaurants. The best views of Positano, in my opinion, were seen from the boat when we arrived and departed. After basking in the sun for a while, it was time to head back to Sorrento for a BBQ… well an Italian styled BBQ.
Sunday was our last day of spring break and we were off to Pompeii! Once covered in ash, the city is still visually in tack. It was amazing to see the remnants of an ancient Roman city.
I wish I could write more about Pompeii, however, our tour was cut short as we had quite a unique way of traveling back to Verona. The group of Army boys were taking a separate bus leaving straight from Pompeii to get back to Vicenza. The trains we could have taken were either too expensive or left too early. We pushed our luck and decided to hop on the 7-hour bus ride headed north. Once in Vicenza we had roughly 50 minutes to get from the Army base to the train station in order to make the last departing train in time. Thankfully, we made it back with plenty of time to spare… but of course there had to be another road-bump. The taxi service wasn’t available on a Sunday evening so we had no way to get to the train station in time. One of the guys sitting in front of us heard us brainstorming ideas and offered to drive us over. We got back to our apartment around 11pm when we originally anticipated getting in around 4am.
Traveling is a matter of sacrifices. In some cases, you must take a leap of faith, putting one foot forward. However, you can’t guarantee taking the next step… it either happens or it doesn’t. Amongst all things, traveling has taught a control freak such as myself to be comfortable with the unpredictable: weather, cancellations, delays, traffic, time, health, etc. This spring break served just that purpose. No matter what was thrown my way, I made the best of each situation; understanding that unpredictable circumstances are not in my control. What I could control was my outlook, reactions, and mindset.
Over a week of travel left me craving my home away from home, as well as some sleep. Each moment of running around, seeing sights, and learning new things was worth every single second. I'm so blessed to have had the opportunity to explore other parts of Italy. With only a month left, I'm beginning to realize that my adventures will soon come an end. I plan on living each moment to the fullest - with an open and appreciative heart.