Pompeii and Sorrento (5/11/09)

Today was a travel day, with a lot of activity. We started the day with a great breakfast on the rooftop of the Hotel in Roma, and said goodbye to the Eternal City as we headed towards Termini Station. Somehow, we figured out how to use our rail pass and made the 9:44 train to Napoli (Naples). Think of it as the Acela…a very smooth, fast ride. We made it into Naples without much of a hassle, and enjoyed some great views on the way. Even saw an IKEA!!! From Naples we took the local train to Pompeii.

At Pompeii, there was a baggage check at the gate so we left most of our stuff and were able to walk about the ruins with just our normal day bags. Everywhere in Pompeii, Vesuvius looms large. It’s amazing to think the mountain looked like a triangle at one point. Pompeii was originally a port, until the volcano erupted and left tons of ash everywhere. Now it’s a bit inland. It was all very interesting to see. My favorite part (and apparently I talked about it a lot from the last time I was there in college) was the amphitheatre, where I could be up in the stands, and Lisa in the middle of the Arena, and could whisper to each other clearly. The town Brothel was also quite interesting, with frescoes depicting services offered.



After Pompeii, we once again boarded the local train headed towards Sorrento. We quickly fell in love with the resort town. Our hotel is very quaint, and along the main drag. There are upscale boutiques everywhere. Sorrento is known for its Lemons, and has a public Lemon Grove in the middle of town. A walk through the grove was a bit of serenity, and the Limoncillo we were offered was fantastic. A stroll around town was wonderful, including a beautiful sunset, until we headed to dinner. At Dinner, unbelievably, we ran into someone from work. We thought he looked familiar when he walked through the door, and it turns out he works in the same building as Lisa. Small world.



Sorrento caters to a lot of British tourists, and so after dinner, I made Lisa head to a British pub for a Pint of Kilkenny, my favorite beer of all time – one that I can’t get in the United States. It hit the spot-almost as much as the Gelato we had afterwards. Off to bed…we are going to attempt to see the Amalfi Coast tomorrow!