Amalfi Coast (Positano)

Fun in the sun with friends.

The weekend before Torri & Drew's wedding a group of 11 of us ventured to Positano on the Amalfi Coast.  We gathered at the Napoli airport on Friday, all arriving within a 2-hour window (some from within Europe, others straight from the US) and then headed towards the coast.  The drive out of Napoli isn't very scenic, but after driving through Sorrento the road rises and hugs the edge of the cliff providing breathtaking views over the Mediterranean.  The town of Positano itself is nestled within an alcove along the coast, flowing down from the hills towards to water.  It is reminiscent of the Cinque Terre towns, but maybe slightly bigger.

On Saturday the two of us decided to visit Pompeii while the others enjoyed a beach day (and fought off jet lag).  A combination of bus (back along the curvy roads towards Sorrento) and train transportation dropped us off right at the gates to Pompeii where we picked up a walking tour group (they did a good job of marketing right outside the train station). We were surprised by the scale of the ruins, along with how well they are preserved (relative to other ruins we have visited).  The entire city was destroyed when Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 79AD.  It was an interesting visit, with an entire house preserved (complete with wall paintings) as well as a brothel (with "interesting" pictures above each of the rooms).  The guide joked that it was a bit like a McDonald's, where you pointed to the picture that you wanted.

On Sunday the group rented a boat for the day (complete with a skipper, and stocked with plenty of soda, beer and champagne) and headed out to sea to circumvent the island of Capri.  We felt very much like high rollers!  It was fun to see the cliffs from sea level and to relax while skimming the waves.  There are various natural caves around Capri, and lots of small coves which were ideal for swimming (the water was surprisingly warm).

We disembarked at Capri and took the funicular from the waterfront to the town center where we enjoyed a tasty lunch with an amazing view.  In the afternoon the waves picked up a bit and part of the cruise back was a bit more exciting than the way there (pretty bumpy!).  Even so, we were able to find a protected cove along the Amalfi coast for one more swim before heading home to Positano.  This was a great experience that we wouldn't have been able to do if it was just the two of us.

 

Kraków

Pierogi. Rynek. Pope.

Continuing with our exploration of Eastern Europe, Krakow seemed like a logical place to visit.  Known as the cultural capital of Poland (and its second largest city), it's home to scholars, artists and most famously, Pope John Paul II (lovingly referred to by locals as JP II or JP 2.0).  The old town is situated around the largest medieval town square in Europe - it's huge (large enough to contain a covered market and town tower in the middle)!  And we scored with yet another great hotel - right on the square and we had a small balcony - great views from the 4th floor!

The old town itself is quite well preserved (we were told everything is "original" and not reproductions, as the city wasn't heavily bombed during WWII).  The streets around the main square were full of character, and the old town itself is encircled by a public park (where the old city walls use to be).

As usual, we hit a walking tour after arriving on Saturday, which proved to be both informative and humorous.  We found out that "The Pope" (JP2) is still very beloved by the city, with more statues of him than anyone else.  In the evening we took a stroll through the old Jewish quarter (now full of restaurants and bars) and then had dinner at a traditional Polish restaurant (think stews, potatoes, meats with sauces).  Good, filling food at very reasonable prices (being on the zlotny, prices in Poland are relatively cheap).

On Sunday we took an early morning bus out to Auschwitz (about 1.5 hours outside of town).  A more somber experience, the grounds are well preserved and it is hard to imagine what happened at this place ~70 years ago.  Auschwitz is made up of two main sites, Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau (about 3km apart).  Auschwitz I is smaller and houses the main museum exhibits.  Auschwitz II-Birkenau is much larger and is mostly ruins.  One of our more subdued day trips, but definitely worth a visit from a historical perspective. 

Sunday evening was a bit more upbeat, visiting a few of the touristy sights back in Krakow before heading to the Jewish district for drinks and dinner.  We even spotted a fire breathing dragon at the base of the castle!

On Monday we took advantage of the bikes provided by our hotel and rode around the park before heading down and across the river to the site of Oskar Schindler's factory.  Being Monday it happened to be free entrance, so we locked up the bikes and went inside.  While we were expecting a museum on the life of Schindler, the museum provided a history of the city and it's inhabitants, specifically leading up to and following WWII.  It was very well done, with different rooms designed like different parts of the city.

Overall we were very impressed with the beautiful city and had a great time!