Trips

Tues., 7/7/15 – Pompeii
            This morning we spent two hours touring Pompeii in 100° heat and no breeze.  It was definitely a “culture is torture” kind of day.  There were at least three cruise ships in Naples and one in Sorrento and they all had many tour groups in Pompeii.  It was crowded and hot with very little shade.  We walked up the North-South street and then on the East-West street where homes and shops were.  We entered the bordello with the phallic symbols and frescoes of what kind of sex the customer wanted.  We walked through the crowded men’s bath – fridgidarium and steam rooms.

Pompeii	Pompeii - Palestra
Pompeii - Roman Theater	Pompeii - Roman Theater
Pompeii	Pompeii - Bordello
Pompeii - Well	Pompeii
Pompeii	Pompeii - Baths
Pompeii - Baths	Pompeii - Baths
Pompeii - Baths	We entered the large palace/villa of the dancing fawn.  The fountain statue and dining room floor mosaic are copies but we saw the originals in the Naples museum.
Pompeii - Dancing fawn	Pompeii - reconstruction methods
Pompeii	Pompeii
Back at the hotel we had 20 minutes to wash off, change out of our soaking wet clothes, and be ready for our Grand Circle home-hosted lunch.  Ten of us squeezed into an 8-passenger van with no air conditioning and only the two front windows that opened and rode up even steeper, windy roads to Antonella’s B&B up on the hillside above Sorrento.  She grows grapes, olives, and organic vegetables.  We sat out under her grape arbor, with an occasional small breeze, but still very hot, and had a very good meal.  We had zucchini in tube pasta, brochette, fried zucchini slices with cheese in the middle, chicken breast cooked in lemon sauce, and a baked ragout.  Dessert was chocolate gelato with a chocolate cookie and then we had our first taste of homemade lemoncello, a lemon liquor.  It was strong but refreshing.  Antonella has a beautiful view from her house.  We met her son and daughter and cook/maid.  They all spoke good enough English to have a nice conversation.
Antonella’s B&B - the view	Antonella’s B&B
Antonella’s B&B - grape arbor	Wed., 7/8/15 – Isle of Capri             This morning we took the optional tour to the Isle of Capri.  We were bused down to the dock and took a jet foil across to the Island.  The ride took only 20 minutes.  The Isle of Capri is only 14 square km and lies between the Bays of Naples and Salerno.  There are the ruins of 12 Roman villas as well as a 13th c. monastery of St. James on the island.
Ferry to Capri	Isle of Capri
Isle of Capri	Isle of Capri
We took a funicular from the port up to the town of Capri and walked with our local guide past the shops up to wonderful viewpoints.  We saw the remains of the St. James monastery where the local perfume industry began.              At the top of the hill we entered the Caesar Augustus Gardens and viewpoints.  Friedrich Krupp, the German ironworks owner that built Nazi tanks and munitions, once owned the gardens.   He also had a zigzag path built on the side of the limestone cliff from the garden down to the Marina Piccolo, where the rich private yachts are moored.
Isle of Capri	Isle of Capri
Isle of Capri - No price listed	Isle of Capri - Street scene
Isle of Capri - Perfumery	Isle of Capri - Perfumery
Isle of Capri - View from the Caesar Augustus Gardens - zig-zag path to the Marina Piccolo	Isle of Capri - View of the Marina Piccolo from the Caesar Augustus Gardens
Isle of Capri - Bougainvillea	Isle of Capri - dog keeping cool
Isle of Capri	Isle of Capri - Sophia Church clock and bell tower
Isle of Capri - Tiled benches	Isle of Capri - Interesting sculpture
Isle of Capri	We arrived at Le Arcate Restaurant for another three-course lunch and then walked back to the bus depot and rode back to Marina Grande to take a boat ride to see some of the 65 caves in the limestone cliffs.  Our boat took us over the light green and navy blue clear water.  We saw the white grotto, a natural arch or bridge, a ladder from the sea up to a restaurant, and the small green cave with light reflecting from the green water up to the cave ceiling.  We went into the coral cave with red coral just below the waterline.  We looked at the Faraglioni Rocks, two of which stand in the water and the third, Stella, is attached to land where a resort now stands.  The highest rock is 105 meters high.  Our boat went through the arch in the middle rock, which is named Mezzo.  It was a fun way to experience the Isle of Capri and a nice optional tour.
Boat ride along the coast of Capri	Boat ride along the coast of Capri
Boat ride along the coast of Capri	Boat ride along the coast of Capri
Boat ride along the coast of Capri	Boat ride along the coast of Capri
Boat ride along the coast of Capri - Faraglioni Rocks	Boat ride along the coast of Capri - Mt. Vesuvius in the distance
The Farewell Dinner was at the Tasso Restaurant.  We sat at tables for four or six, which made it easier to talk.  There were thank you speeches and toasts, and a mandolin and guitar pair to sing among our tables.  It was fun, but not great singers.  Fernando found them on the street and hired them to entertain us.  He is always full of surprises!

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