Headin' down South

Sorrento is absolutely stunning. We got into our amazing hotel, which is still pretty vacant. High season doesn’t start until June, so we’re pretty much alone in this hotel, which is great! We have our very own balcony too.




The first day we just shopped around town, and I got myself a ridiculously awesome Italian leather purse. Mom thinks it looks like a man bag, but I think it rocks because it has a place to hold pens! It’s a totally functional purse, which I love. Mom got herself some ceramic painted pot thing. I’m not so well versed on kitchenware, but she was really excited about it.

That day we bought strawberries, tomatoes, and wine for dinner. We sat on our balcony and watched the sun go down. Legend has it that this was the location where Odysseus had to pass the Sirens, so it’s been known for centuries as being unbelievably beautiful. I wish the pictures could do it justice.



As a rainstorm rolled through.


The last shot of the night.


The next day we wanted to climb Mt. Vesuvius. I wasn’t aware that the car/bus took you most of the way, so this “hike” was severely less strenuous than the Cinque Terre hike. Nonetheless, the views from the top were unreal.

Quick side note: Mom the geologist

Mom graduated with a geology & biology major, but throughout childhood I have always felt she favored the geology side. Not only did we attend the rock & mineral show every year in Victoria, but she kept her senior year rock collection for who knows how long! I’m not even sure if she still has it, but I do know that she kept it until we moved from Victoria. And she made sure I knew she made a 97 on that project! For this reason she loves the rock beaches and volcanic rock. While we laid out in Camogli, I listened to my iPod and fell asleep. She on the other hand handled every rock in her vicinity to find the perfect rock. Now we’re lugging 5 rocks from the beaches of Sorrento.

Today she was equally as stoked to be climbing Mt. Vesuvius. As I asked her questions about volcanic eruptions trying to be interested, she diligently explained how lava flowed and how it cooled to form the rocks we see today. She was in heaven walking up to the crater, and looking at all the fractures and lava flows. Of course, she took a pumice rock with her.

Her explaining pumice rock to me. It’s porous.


Avalanche



Naples from above


The crater.


Mom wants me to display the fractures.


I promise it wasn’t windy up there; I’m just trying out a new hairstyle.



Sorrento in the background.


Mom didn’t want to go up any more steps after the Cinque Terre hike.


According to Geologist Carrie, rods from the earth’s core like obelisks can protrude with a volcanic eruption, and she suspects this is the remainder of one of those spires.


Pompei is down there. Somewhere.


The slick decline from the lava flow down to Pompei.


We conquered Mt. Vesuvius.