When we first pulled into port, we were greated by this gigantic (and a little random) castle.
Once we got on our bus to continue on to Amalfi, we saw the infamous mountain itself. Mt. Vesuvius.
Notice the 2 peaks; it wasn't always like that. The explosion was so massive and intense that it actually changed the shape of the peak. Poor unsuspecting Pompeiians.
The next few pictures do not do justice to this area AT ALL. It was the most gorgeous place I've ever seen. Rolling green hills every where you looked, dotted with quiant little country houses and churches. Every single house had its own vineyard, tomato vines, and lemon trees. Because this area is SO mountainous, it would take you forever to get to a grocery store. So, they just grow it all on their own. Heaven.
Then we finally made it to the other side of the mountains, and it was just as beautiful. I actually can't decide if I liked the hilly side or the coastal side more. It's a tough call. The water and the sky were the exact same color and there was virtually NO horizon. It just looked like a continuous blanket of blue. It was really strange, but gorgeous.
I thought these wildflowers were really pretty
We made our way into the city of Amalfi. It was a cute little town full of shopping, cafes, and gelaterias.
We stopped at a little cafe and enjoyed cappuccinos and a canoli on the patio.
Then the adventure began. After we shopped and at lunch, we had to make our way back through the mountains and towards Pompeii. Holy. Cow. When the windey roads were first built, they were made for horses.....NOT buses and cars. At each curve, there was a big mirror nailed up on the cliff so that you can see who is coming from the other direction. It's completely dangerous and there are no guardrails. Needless to say, things got hairy when our tour bus...and two more behind us....were trying to make our way through the mountains and throwing in crazy Italian drivers.
THAT is another bus no more than 6 inches away from us. It was terrifying.
This is a guy that got out of his car to try and direct traffic. We got stuck in a 30 minute traffic jam on the side of a mountain when we came upon a curve at the exact same time another bus was trying to make the curve. You have no where to go besides.....back. Well, trying to back a tour bus up a mountain when you've got two more behind you plus other cars, is obviously not an easy task. We couldn't go anywhere and neither could the other bus. So this poor guy (and many heated flailing of arms by frustrated drivers) tried to fix the situation. It finally worked and the bus broke out in applause.
After we made it back through the mountains, we made it to Pompeii. It was raining, but luckily it only poured for about 10 minutes before we started our tour. There were souvineer stands and food trucks outside the gates where they were selling lemons like THESE. Some of them were the size of a cantelope!!
Once we got inside the gates, one of the first things we saw was this area. I think its an arena where gladiators used to fight much like the Coloseum.
This is where the gladiators were held until it was time for them to fight.
An amphitheater
The streets of Pompeii
These were homes,stores, and restaurants that lined the streets
The courtyard of a house
The mosaic tile entry to a house
This was their forum. Kind of eery with Mt. Vesuvius in the background, huh?
Just off the forum, they had hundreds of artifacts that they had found. Pots, bowls, architecture, and even a dog and a couple of humans...
They say that it looks like this dog was chained up and he was trying to get away :(
And this was the most shocking thing I saw on the entire trip. I just can't believe how PERFECTLY this guy was preserved. I mean, you can see the folds in his shirt!
This appears to be a little kid
Ok, I'll stop being gruesome now.
This was a Basilica at one time
Then we FINALLY got some pizza! I was not about to leave Italy without getting a slice of pizza. It was so good too.
Well that concludes our stops on our Mediterranean honeymoon. Although, I got our "film" developed from the Rome camera disaster and got the images on a CD. Most of them came out ok except for inside St. Peter's :(. SO BUMMED because it was gorgeous! Oh well.....guess that just means we'll have to go back! :)
I'll post those pics from Rome and random pics from the ship next. Then maybe one day I'll make it around to Cambrie's bridal shower, my showers, the wedding........maybe. :)
