For those who don't know, Greg and I have moved to California so I can go back to school.
We left Friday night, with a very bumpy beginning. We had a tire blow out at exit 101 (near Social Circle) in Georgia, so only got 1 1/2 hours away from Augusta. We then had to wait 4 hours before we could get back on the road. Since we didn't leave til Greg finished work it was now after 10 pm so we just stayed with my Dad in Atlanta for the night.
We woke up early on Saturday and left Atlanta around 5 am. We drove through the rest of Georgia, through Alabama, up I78 to Mississippi then Tennesse and on to I-40 in Arkansas at which point we drove through that state, Oklahoma, and into Texas, where we stayed in Shamrock. This was nearly 1100 miles in 1 day.
Sunday we again woke early and left around 5 am again. We managed to drive through the rest of the panhandle of Texas, through New Mexico, and through Arizona and into California all the way to Barstow.
On Monday we have only about 1 1/2 hours to our new townhome that we will be living in for the next year or two.
Just wanted everyone to know that we have made it to the Golden State.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
Island Hopping
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Today was going to prove to be a mixed bag of a day. We started out with breakfast in our hotel, since it was included in the price we figured we would just eat there instead of spending extra money. We then walked to Port Beverello, which was much further than we realized, about a mile or so and in the heat we were feeling it. When we got to Port Beverello we had to figure out the ticketing system and stand in line for almost 20 minutes to get ferry tickets to Capri. There was a boat to leave in about 5 minutes so we really wanted to catch it, since they only ran every hour. We luckily got on and even got seats upstairs in an air conditioned area.
We made it to Capri after about 45 minutes on the boat and then walked around Capri trying to figure out what to do. I was not feeling great but wanted to enjoy Capri as best as I could. We found a place for me to pick up some anti-nausea medicine, which did help a lot. We started out by taking the funicular up to Capri Town. We walked around looking at all of the amazing homes and beautiful scenery and even ducking into a few shops along the way, including a Prada or two. Capri Town is definitely all high-end shopping, the tourist shopping is located down at the port. We didn't buy anything but we did stop in at Bar Tiberio for some lunch and people watching, Greg even enjoyed an ale while we there.
Looking down at the island of Capri from Capri Town:
After lunch we took the funicular back down to the port area and took a boat to the Blue Grotto. Everyone (including guide books) had told us that the Blue Grotto was 1 huge tourist trap, just trying to make money off of nothing. They were right, but it is absolutely amazing inside and we didn't mind paying the price for it. It takes about 30 minutes to get to the Blue Grotto and then all of the boats just wait there turn for the row boats to come up and pick you up. Greg and I were fortunate enough to get in a row boat by ourselves. To get inside the Blue Grotto we had to sit down on the floor of the boat and pretty much lay down completely. Then, the driver of the row boat grabs a chain that comes from out of nowhere and pulls really hard, making the boat go underneath a rock. You are entering a cave, but there is no visible entrance to the cave, it is almost completely submerged. When you go in the water gives off the most amazing blue tint. It is due to the reflection of the incoming light on the white walls. We spent about 7 minutes inside before we do the same thing again to exit. Oh, just to let you know how much the boat goes down, the driver was pretty much laying on top of me, kind of scary but neat.
The entrance to the Blue Grotto:
Me & Greg in the row boat inside the Blue Grotto:
The amazing water inside the Blue Grotto:
We took the 30 minute boat ride back to the port at Capri and bought some souvenirs and gelato before getting on a hydrafoil to Sorrento. When we got to Sorrento we didn't really know what to expect. We weren't sure where the town was so we just started walking. We walked UP and UP and UP these steps until we finally reached the main area of Sorrento. We went into some souvenir shops and even bought some local Limoncello (yummy) from Limonora. Limoncello is one of those alcoholic drinks that you can just drink and drink, but be careful because it has a very high alcohol content and people can tend to drink a bit too much. We take our limoncello in stride with only one serving at a time.
The coast off of Capri:
The stairs we climbed up to get to Sorrento's main area:
Limoncello:
Next we walked to "The Beach". Let me explain, the beach in Italy is nothing like what we are used to. There is no white sand, almost no sand period. When they go to the beach it is little resort areas that have long decks built over top of the water. Their actual beaches are usually lots of rocks (not pebbles, but big rocks). There were even people laying out on the sidewalk so they wouldn't have to pay to get into one of the little resorts. We didn't bring any bathing suits with us so we couldn't lay out, plus it was starting to cool down a bit. So, we just went into The Beach resort and had some water and watermelon while enjoying the sound of the ocean and doing a bit more people watching. I will say that this is when I decided I do NOT like seeing men in white speedos. There is just something wrong with that.
The coast of Sorrento:
Shots of the beaches in Sorrento:
After a while we caught one of the last ferries back to Naples. We decided to do a bit of walking, since it was still full day light and only around 6 pm. We went by Castel Nuovo, Palazzo Reale, Galleria Umberto, Piazzo Plebiscito (looks likes a mini Vatican), Gambrinus (espresso and some babas for desert), down Via Chiai (shopping area but closed), and to Piazza dei Martiri (lion statues). We then walked to the main street and had dinner at Antonio & Antonio where we enjoyed the typical pizza and caprese. After dinner we went back to our room to unwind and enjoy some wine with our babas that we had purchased from Gambrinus. It was all delicious. So, even though the day started out a bit rocky with me not feeling well and the madness of getting to Capri it ended up very nicely.
Castel Nuovo:
Piazza dei Martiri:
Piazzo Plebiscito:
Park across from Castel Nuovo:
Today was going to prove to be a mixed bag of a day. We started out with breakfast in our hotel, since it was included in the price we figured we would just eat there instead of spending extra money. We then walked to Port Beverello, which was much further than we realized, about a mile or so and in the heat we were feeling it. When we got to Port Beverello we had to figure out the ticketing system and stand in line for almost 20 minutes to get ferry tickets to Capri. There was a boat to leave in about 5 minutes so we really wanted to catch it, since they only ran every hour. We luckily got on and even got seats upstairs in an air conditioned area.
We made it to Capri after about 45 minutes on the boat and then walked around Capri trying to figure out what to do. I was not feeling great but wanted to enjoy Capri as best as I could. We found a place for me to pick up some anti-nausea medicine, which did help a lot. We started out by taking the funicular up to Capri Town. We walked around looking at all of the amazing homes and beautiful scenery and even ducking into a few shops along the way, including a Prada or two. Capri Town is definitely all high-end shopping, the tourist shopping is located down at the port. We didn't buy anything but we did stop in at Bar Tiberio for some lunch and people watching, Greg even enjoyed an ale while we there.
Looking down at the island of Capri from Capri Town:
After lunch we took the funicular back down to the port area and took a boat to the Blue Grotto. Everyone (including guide books) had told us that the Blue Grotto was 1 huge tourist trap, just trying to make money off of nothing. They were right, but it is absolutely amazing inside and we didn't mind paying the price for it. It takes about 30 minutes to get to the Blue Grotto and then all of the boats just wait there turn for the row boats to come up and pick you up. Greg and I were fortunate enough to get in a row boat by ourselves. To get inside the Blue Grotto we had to sit down on the floor of the boat and pretty much lay down completely. Then, the driver of the row boat grabs a chain that comes from out of nowhere and pulls really hard, making the boat go underneath a rock. You are entering a cave, but there is no visible entrance to the cave, it is almost completely submerged. When you go in the water gives off the most amazing blue tint. It is due to the reflection of the incoming light on the white walls. We spent about 7 minutes inside before we do the same thing again to exit. Oh, just to let you know how much the boat goes down, the driver was pretty much laying on top of me, kind of scary but neat.
The entrance to the Blue Grotto:
Me & Greg in the row boat inside the Blue Grotto:
The amazing water inside the Blue Grotto:
We took the 30 minute boat ride back to the port at Capri and bought some souvenirs and gelato before getting on a hydrafoil to Sorrento. When we got to Sorrento we didn't really know what to expect. We weren't sure where the town was so we just started walking. We walked UP and UP and UP these steps until we finally reached the main area of Sorrento. We went into some souvenir shops and even bought some local Limoncello (yummy) from Limonora. Limoncello is one of those alcoholic drinks that you can just drink and drink, but be careful because it has a very high alcohol content and people can tend to drink a bit too much. We take our limoncello in stride with only one serving at a time.
The coast off of Capri:
The stairs we climbed up to get to Sorrento's main area:
Limoncello:
Next we walked to "The Beach". Let me explain, the beach in Italy is nothing like what we are used to. There is no white sand, almost no sand period. When they go to the beach it is little resort areas that have long decks built over top of the water. Their actual beaches are usually lots of rocks (not pebbles, but big rocks). There were even people laying out on the sidewalk so they wouldn't have to pay to get into one of the little resorts. We didn't bring any bathing suits with us so we couldn't lay out, plus it was starting to cool down a bit. So, we just went into The Beach resort and had some water and watermelon while enjoying the sound of the ocean and doing a bit more people watching. I will say that this is when I decided I do NOT like seeing men in white speedos. There is just something wrong with that.
The coast of Sorrento:
Shots of the beaches in Sorrento:
After a while we caught one of the last ferries back to Naples. We decided to do a bit of walking, since it was still full day light and only around 6 pm. We went by Castel Nuovo, Palazzo Reale, Galleria Umberto, Piazzo Plebiscito (looks likes a mini Vatican), Gambrinus (espresso and some babas for desert), down Via Chiai (shopping area but closed), and to Piazza dei Martiri (lion statues). We then walked to the main street and had dinner at Antonio & Antonio where we enjoyed the typical pizza and caprese. After dinner we went back to our room to unwind and enjoy some wine with our babas that we had purchased from Gambrinus. It was all delicious. So, even though the day started out a bit rocky with me not feeling well and the madness of getting to Capri it ended up very nicely.
Castel Nuovo:
Piazza dei Martiri:
Piazzo Plebiscito:
Park across from Castel Nuovo:
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