update from paradise.

I'm a little bit in love with Alicante. First of all, they have a Subway, so I was able to eat my first veggie sandwich in over four months. Second, this city has the most beautiful beach I have ever seen, hands down, bar none. The sand is soft, the water is SO blue, the sky is cloudless, and there are endless palm trees. Need I say more? The only thing that went awry today was the lack of attention I paid to my rear end as far as sunscreen goes. Whoops.

Pictures from Spain tomorrow. For now, I'll finish off The Week with the Parents edition of the blog.

Wednesday, we traipsed out to Pompeii, the excavation site where an entire city was buried after Mount Vesuvius erupted in the year 79 AD. It remained covered until 1700's, I do believe, and even today is not fully excavated. I distinctly remember having a book about Pompeii as a child (my mother corroborates this. She herself is fascinated with the city and tried to get us kids excited about it, as well. Apparently her plan worked, since I still remember the book 15 years later).

I honestly don't remember what most of these buildings are. Couldn't tell you if my life depended on it.

This one is famous, though. It was a house with this mosaic in the entry way that reads (in Latin) "Beware of Dog"

They also restored a lot of gardens as they would have been back in the days of Pompeii.

This one's the amphitheater. It held over 20,000 people which was a big deal back in those days (but coming from a school with a stadium that can house over 90,000, it takes a lot to impress me. Kidding.) This was used for gladiator fights, and was apparently shut down once upon a time after a fight broke out between fans from opposing cities. Good to know that the human race has evolved...not.

Teeny tiny doorway. I would have hit my head a lot living in Pompeii.

This was in the Teatro Piccolo (Small Theater) which was reserved for musical performances, readings, and the like. There was also a larger theater that we didn't get to go in.

Wednesday night, we returned to Sorrento from Pompeii starving, so we decided to head town to the Marina Grande, where our B&B owner had told us we could find some good seafood restaurants.

We got there a little early (read: before 7 PM), so we had to kill some time while we waited for the trattoria to open.

As soon as I saw Trattoria Da Emilia, I remembered that it had been recommended in one of the guidebooks we had picked up here. It did not disappoint! My mother and I split a plate of spaghetti alle vongole (spaghetti with clams) and pesce alla griglia (grilled fish). The grilled fish actually turned out to be...a whole grilled fish. With its head and bones and everything. And even after being warned about sneaky, dangerous fish bones, I still managed to swallow one. Whoops.

After dinner, we went to Gelateria Il Davide, which is apparently rumored to be some of the best gelato in Italy. I totally envy whoever's job it is to hand out that title, by the way. Can you imagine just wandering around Italy tasting all of the gelato you can get your hands on?

Well, I don't know if this is REALLY the best in Italy...I've been to so many places...maybe if you let me try a few more flavors I'd be able to decide...

That is banana, crema di nutella, and "Oreo" flavors. I'm predictable. I definitely wouldn't say it's the BEST gelato I've had in Italy, but honestly, at this point, I think it would be impossible to decide.

Thursday, we had to catch a train back to Naples around 4 PM, so we tried to take a quick trip to Amalfi which ended up being even shorter than we anticipated. We didn't get off to the quickest start that morning, and then the bus ride took WAY longer than anticipated.

Note to readers: If you are ever travelling the Amalfi Coast by bus, be prepared to fear for your life. Drivers apparently have little to no concern for human life as they take hairpin turns that leave you looking over the edge of a cliff at nothing but water at breakneck speed. They also have no concern for the width of the road as they speed by cars, motorcycles, people, and even buses going the opposite direction.

Legit, the only pictures I took in Amalfi. We were there for all of an hour and a half, but did manage to get in a quick tour of the paper factory, for which Amalfi is famous. They make their paper out of cotton instead of trees, even to this day. I, of course, had to get a pretty piece with some dried flowers pressed into it.

After a bit of a disaster catching our train in Naples, we did manage to arrive in Pisa safe and sound that night around 11 PM. We spent a few hours Friday in Lucca, then taking the necessary touristy shots of the Leaning Tower of Pisa upon our return (but you'll have to ask my Dad for those shots...I didn't take them on my camera). We killed more time by having some pizza and gelato before the parents saw me off on my train to the Pisa airport, and they returned to their hotel for their last night in Italy.

In spite of all of the mishaps (read: stolen wallet, missed trains, etc.), I hope that the parents enjoyed their week in Italy as much as I enjoyed spending it with them. Great food, great company, great sights, great country...what more could a girl ask for?