Pompeii, Sorrento, Capri, Amalfi Coast, Assisi

{Mt. Vesuvius}

So we head south to Sorrento and on our way we stop in Pompeii to see “the city frozen in time” by Mount Vesuvius. It was so neat to see all the old engineering work that had been done; speed bumps, metal plumbing, and directions to the brothels! Okay, maybe brothels aren’t an ancient form of engineering but it was so funny to see random penis’ carved into the walkways and building sides indicating “fun” was awaiting you inside. They even had pictures you could point to of what you wanted and how! Haha. They did this because Pompeii was a port and many visitors did not speak the same language as the locals so to keep money coming in the visitors could just point to a picture, pay, and everybody was happy! LOL Apparently this was the main money maker in the town. I have to say it was something else to see the molds of left over cavities some of the remains had left; a dog tied up trying to run away, people sleeping or curled up in the fetal position, pots and tools left over.  Such a site to see, we only walked something like 20% of the grounds and I thought that was a lot! Who knows what they are keeping from us in the other 80%.

{follow the "arrows"}

Next we headed to our hotel in Sorrento. It was the cutest hotel on top of a hill. There was the main hotel and then there were some “bungalows” away from the main hotel. We got a bungalow! It was so cute! The whole property was covered in lemon and lime trees. It is night time and time for some dinner, tomorrow we will venture into the city of Sorrento and visit the Isle of Capri. First thing we do in Sorrento is go to this inlaid wood-working shop where we find the most beautiful hand crafted knick-knacks.  Things like jewelry boxes, small end tables (for a not so small price), coasters (that were still 15€ each!) and other beautiful things. Then we head to Capri to see the famous sights and take in the beauty. We visit a small perfume factory where you can only buy this special perfume made from plants, flowers, and fruit from the island…of course we bought some! We have a snack at a café and then it is time to head back. This is when we decided to venture out on our own and not go on the excursion. We had dinner at nice restaurant located right next to a traffic circle and in the circle was a huge Christmas tree! And then we just kind of mosey around town and marching band went by and then we made our way back to the hotel for some shut eye.
 

{Me and Ash in Capri}

The next day we woke up early for an excursion to the Amalfi Coast! This is where many movies have been filmed, including a James Bond flick! We stopped to take in the scenery. We stop at a roadside stand and have a look at the biggest lemons you have ever seen! LOL not really, there were a hybrid between a lemon and grape fruit! Then back to the hotel to pick up our other travelers that slept in and then we are off to our next destination, Assisi. Assisi is where we spend Christmas Eve and it is very foggy when we head up to the church. It was kinda fun; there were some shops open and some modern art around the grounds. We were only here for a night, a quick stop on our way to Venice!

{Amalfi Coast}

{huge lemons!}



{Assisi}



{Our Christmas stockings! Travel size!}