I am a bit behind, but there is a very legitimate reason... the Amalfi Coast is one of the best places ever. I arrived in Positano on Wednesday and after checking into the hostel made my way down the million steps (and I'm not entirely exaggerating) to the "Little beach". I rented a beach chair and umbrella for the afternoon and Andre and I chilled. It was nice to not be on the move for a bit and to just sit and read my book. I really enjoyed it. The Mediterranean is a beautiful place. When I got back to the hostel, I got to meet a bunch of people. I ended up having dinner with two Aussies and an American and then had another American and an Indian join us. It was a fantastic night.
It was an interesting start to yesterday with a girl in our room waking up around 4 complaining that she was cold and asking her friend to put more blankets or clothes or anything on her. The friend (who was sleeping above me), didn't seem all that concerned (and I can understand why as it was bloody hot). Anyways, the first girl kept saying "I'm so cold, put clothes on me." When the other did, the first was like "Ow, you're hurting me!" Then she told her friend that she was a bitch and that she didn't even care about her. The friend responded, "no, you're just being a princess". I was very close to laughing, but held it in. Then at about 5:30, girl one starts spewing on the window sill (she's on the top bunk). I made sure that Michelle (from Oz), who was below her, was awake before pulling my pillow tight over my head. Again, had to laugh when she kept saying, "It's not the drink, it's not the drink" I call B-S! Anyways, it was a pretty gross night and reminded me of some of the downfalls of hostel dorm sleeping.
Once we got up, after much debate, Michelle (Sydney), Hew (Melbourne) and I decided to do some hiking. We asked for instructions on how to get to the Sentiero degli Dei (Path of the Gods) that goes from Positano to Priana, and were instructed to take the bus to Nocelle to start (this meant skipping the first very significant up hill, which I was ok with in the 32 degree weather). Anyways, we went outside to catch the bus. Well, somehow our instructions apparently didn't make all that much sense to us and we were standing in the wrong spot when the first bus to Nocelle went by. Although we didn't know it at the time, this meant that we would be waiting for another hour for the next bus. During this hour, we were extremely entertained people watching. The road that the hostel is on is a 'highway'. However, at home, it would be a one way residential street. It is super skinny, but people are traveling quite quickly along it. So watching everything go by was great. The favourite was the car with a box of potatoes and a weed-wacker tied to the roof. I also enjoyed the man on the scooter who randomly said "Hello" as he drove by. Oh people.
Once catching the bus, and a very harrowing ride around the cliffs above Positano, we made it to Nocelle. An little old Italian man gave us directions to the start of the path and gave Michelle a stern warning about her footwear (flip flops) before leaving us. We started the hike and Michelle was a trooper with her flip flops on as parts were quite rocky. She received another warning from a concerned German who came running after us saying "You must not go any further!" She listened to the advice, but we all kept going. I have to admit, there were parts I was concerned, but when you don't have sneakers with you, you can't let it stop you. The hike was full of beautiful views and lots of warm sun (I have developed quite the tan on my arms and shoulders). After a ridiculous amount of down hill and very sore calves, we ended up in Priana at their little 'beach' which is more of an rock outcropping then anything, but there was a cold coke there to meet us. We ended up just chilling there for a bit - taking in the wide array of bathing wear currently in use in Italy. Our favourites tended to be pink garments wore by men. One was a speedo that was a lovely bright raspberry colour and the other a very bright barbie-pink with black graffiti writing and a grey waste band. Neither of which left anything to the imagination. What was slightly shocking is that these were men who were probably my age or a little younger. Yikes!
We took a little water taxi back to Positano and when faced with the steps up to the hostel, we decided to save our legs and take the little bus instead. We had a wonderful snack of wine, cheese, bread and prosciutto. As avocados are not readily available currently in Italy, this is my new favourite meal. We then went to dinner and had a wonderful meal overlooking Positano - I had probably the best Manicotti I have ever had. Yumm. All in all, it was one of the best days I've had in a very long time. Very enjoyable.
I am writing this entry in Salerno, almost ready for bed. I have a lot to tell about today...here are the basics - I went to Capri and got stung by a jellyfish. This allowed me to discover my second favourite Italian word - Medusa. Next to Andiamo.
I am a bit behind, but there is a very legitimate reason... the Amalfi Coast is one of the best places ever. I arrived in Positano on Wednesday and after checking into the hostel made my way down the million steps (and I'm not entirely exaggerating) to the "Little beach". I rented a beach chair and umbrella for the afternoon and Andre and I chilled. It was nice to not be on the move for a bit and to just sit and read my book. I really enjoyed it. The Mediterranean is a beautiful place. When I got back to the hostel, I got to meet a bunch of people. I ended up having dinner with two Aussies and an American and then had another American and an Indian join us. It was a fantastic night.
It was an interesting start to yesterday with a girl in our room waking up around 4 complaining that she was cold and asking her friend to put more blankets or clothes or anything on her. The friend (who was sleeping above me), didn't seem all that concerned (and I can understand why as it was bloody hot). Anyways, the first girl kept saying "I'm so cold, put clothes on me." When the other did, the first was like "Ow, you're hurting me!" Then she told her friend that she was a bitch and that she didn't even care about her. The friend responded, "no, you're just being a princess". I was very close to laughing, but held it in. Then at about 5:30, girl one starts spewing on the window sill (she's on the top bunk). I made sure that Michelle (from Oz), who was below her, was awake before pulling my pillow tight over my head. Again, had to laugh when she kept saying, "It's not the drink, it's not the drink" I call B-S! Anyways, it was a pretty gross night and reminded me of some of the downfalls of hostel dorm sleeping.
Once we got up, after much debate, Michelle (Sydney), Hew (Melbourne) and I decided to do some hiking. We asked for instructions on how to get to the Sentiero degli Dei (Path of the Gods) that goes from Positano to Priana, and were instructed to take the bus to Nocelle to start (this meant skipping the first very significant up hill, which I was ok with in the 32 degree weather). Anyways, we went outside to catch the bus. Well, somehow our instructions apparently didn't make all that much sense to us and we were standing in the wrong spot when the first bus to Nocelle went by. Although we didn't know it at the time, this meant that we would be waiting for another hour for the next bus. During this hour, we were extremely entertained people watching. The road that the hostel is on is a 'highway'. However, at home, it would be a one way residential street. It is super skinny, but people are traveling quite quickly along it. So watching everything go by was great. The favourite was the car with a box of potatoes and a weed-wacker tied to the roof. I also enjoyed the man on the scooter who randomly said "Hello" as he drove by. Oh people.
Once catching the bus, and a very harrowing ride around the cliffs above Positano, we made it to Nocelle. An little old Italian man gave us directions to the start of the path and gave Michelle a stern warning about her footwear (flip flops) before leaving us. We started the hike and Michelle was a trooper with her flip flops on as parts were quite rocky. She received another warning from a concerned German who came running after us saying "You must not go any further!" She listened to the advice, but we all kept going. I have to admit, there were parts I was concerned, but when you don't have sneakers with you, you can't let it stop you. The hike was full of beautiful views and lots of warm sun (I have developed quite the tan on my arms and shoulders). After a ridiculous amount of down hill and very sore calves, we ended up in Priana at their little 'beach' which is more of an rock outcropping then anything, but there was a cold coke there to meet us. We ended up just chilling there for a bit - taking in the wide array of bathing wear currently in use in Italy. Our favourites tended to be pink garments wore by men. One was a speedo that was a lovely bright raspberry colour and the other a very bright barbie-pink with black graffiti writing and a grey waste band. Neither of which left anything to the imagination. What was slightly shocking is that these were men who were probably my age or a little younger. Yikes!
We took a little water taxi back to Positano and when faced with the steps up to the hostel, we decided to save our legs and take the little bus instead. We had a wonderful snack of wine, cheese, bread and prosciutto. As avocados are not readily available currently in Italy, this is my new favourite meal. We then went to dinner and had a wonderful meal overlooking Positano - I had probably the best Manicotti I have ever had. Yumm. All in all, it was one of the best days I've had in a very long time. Very enjoyable.
I am writing this entry in Salerno, almost ready for bed. I have a lot to tell about today...here are the basics - I went to Capri and got stung by a jellyfish. This allowed me to discover my second favourite Italian word - Medusa. Next to Andiamo.
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