Sunday, March 29, 2009

Amalfi Coast

Last week Drake's game got postponed at the last minute, so..... we got to go on a road trip! A whole two days off. I heard about a cute little town on the Amalfi coast called Positano, and have wanted to check it out for a long time. We headed off in that direction, not quite sure what to expect. Once we got to the coast driving became quite tedious and stressful, (the roads are real narrow, very curvy, and along the edge of the cliff/coast), I am so glad Drake is always cool and calm behind the wheel, I would be a nutcase! Anyways, we took our time driving stopping at a few of the most notable cities on the coast, and ended up staying the night in Positano. It was a fantastic weekend, one I will always remember. We took so many great pictures, hard to choose which ones to post, that is why there are 34 of them.
First stop was a tiny town called Cetara.

The Amalfi coast is well known for lemons. Along the road there are all sorts of stands selling lemons. They have some of the largest lemons I have ever seen.

Our Italian book noted that Ravello is the most lovely of the cities on the coast, and I think we would have to agree. It is situated on top of a cliff, so much character and fantastic views. Here is Drake in the town square.

I was interested in this lady who was gardening. I was confused at the bags on her feet, she was using them as shoes. I guess its a good way to keep your socks clean when you want to garden without shoes.

Adorable, tiny old lady making her way up the mountain, pretty impressive.

I know we have so many random pictures! We had to capture this man's tupee. The side angle doesn't do it justice.
In Ravello there are so many beautiful gardens, here are some shots from the grounds.


It was like he was asking me to bite his toes.


All of these faces have lost their noses.
Thought this was a cool angle from above of farmland on the side of the coast. Many of the farms are growing oranges and lemons.



Next stop was Amalfi. We never figured out why the entire coast was named after this particular town. It wasnt quite as impressive as Ravello or Positano, but it was still awesome none-the-less. Their Duomo was very nice.
That is the Duomo behind us.


In many cities I have been to they have fountains where I always see people drinking out of. I have always been suspicious of them, they don't look the most sanitary in my opinion. In Amalfi, there were all sorts of people drinking out of this fountain and I asked a man about it, and he claimed that it was the best water in the city, came right from the mountain. Decided to try it.
Drake says I am trying to decide if I liked it or not in this picture.
My personal favorite city on the coast, Positano.

This city was awesome. Everywhere I looked I wanted to take a picture. Everything was so unique, almost felt like I was in a different world.
Even this deli we thought was so cool, Drake got our dinner here.

Here I am down by the waterfront at dusk.
This picture is funny to us. We wanted to take a picture of my gelato, but the camera would not focus when it was so close, so I held it out trying to get some distance. I guess it must have looked like I was going to dump it out, because the guys in the background looked so concerned.


I don't like olives, but in Italy they are unbelievable.
Here are some shots we took out on our hotel balcony. The view from our balcony was awesome. You could see the waterfront, the mountainside, and the town.
Our last stop was Sorrento. We were both tired and a little anxious to get back home, so we didn't spend all sorts of time there, but of course there is time for gelato. This shop had SO many options. It must have been pretty well known because they had all sorts of pictures on the wall of famous people who have been there, and of girls and boys bathing in chocolate.





Happy Birthday Bryce!!!!

I never blogged last week, so this post is a little late. Last week on our day off we stuck around Avellino to help Celeste and Tamar celebrate their little boys 3rd Birthday. Great party, great company, great fun, here are some shots!

I swear they are one of the best looking families out there

I have loved making friends with Le Le and Celeste, they both leave this Tuesday. I will be lonely with out them here:(

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Paestum

Another day off, another road trip, and therefore another blog! While we were in Salerno, we saw pictures of ancient remains just south of the city and we knew that Paestum would be our next excursion. Little is known about this place, but it was built by Greek colonists (which you can tell by the likeness to Greek remains), a very long time ago, about 7th century BC. It really was a sight to see and a beautiful day, lots of pictures hope you enjoy!

Temple of Neptune


Temple of Athena


Mid-Yawn (of course Drake captured this moment)


Post Yawn


The ruins of the city of Paestum. Kind of reminded us of the ruins in Pompeii. Temple of Neptune in the background. Drake is hiding somewhere in the picture.



Who says white girls can't jump?






Had to take a picture of this lady. Some of the "get-ups" here make me laugh out loud. Notice the white heels and matching purple fur hand bag. Pretty classy.

Drake set this picture up on self timer. Turned out pretty good



Looking up in awe.

We kept running into this group of French kids, can you find Drake trying to blend in?

(You can click on the pic to make it bigger)




The mediteranean is only half a mile away. Got creative with photo shop.




As we were leaving the beach we were both floored by the sight we saw. I didn't intend on photographing myself, but this way it is only G- rated. There was a little girl, probably about 5 or 6 years old, who had to go to the bathroom, so her Dad just held her up while she relieved herself, right on the road. Her mom was right there to wipe her. Pretty funny.

Okay miss everyone, ciao!