Capri.


We took a "taxi" from our hotel to Positano where we caught the ferry to Capri. Our taxi was on water and was a great way to travel.


Coming into Positano:


The boys enjoyed the ferry ride to Capri:


Once we arrived in Capri, we took the local bus from the marina to Anacapri. Once we arrived in Anacapri, we head out to find the sandal guy. The last time I was in Capri with my parents, my father purchased a pair of handmade sandals from di Antonio Viva's shop L'arte Sandalo Caprese. He has been there for decades, and has made sandals for many, many famous people...including my father! I was tasked with buying my father two more pairs of what he calls the most comfortable sandals he has ever worn. So, armed with a photo of the sandals and his shoe size, I found di Antonio's shop and asked about the sandals. Unfortunately, my father's size was not in stock in the style he wanted. So di Antonio told me he would make them and ship them out for me. Now, Dan couldn't not get a pair too...so di Antonio is also making a pair for Dan and shipping them to us in Belgium. I, of course, wasn't going to be left out, so I purchased a pair for me as well. We spent quite a bit of money there, and only walked out with one pair of shoes in hand!! I'll let you know when the shoes we ordered finally arrive. I am hoping we get them before we move away from Belgium!

Here is a picture di Antonio and his shop:


After shoe shopping, we found a little trattoria that was off the beaten path. It was quite and cool under the pergola. It was a wonderful break from the hectic streets of Anacapri and the food was fantastic!


And then of course there a stop for gelato after lunch!


Once our shoe shopping was complete and our bellies were full we headed to the chair lift. The chairlift ride is about 20 minutes and takes you to the highest point of the island of Capri, Mount Solaro (1932 feet). From the summit is an incomparable view of the island and the Gulfs of Naples and Salerno.

Pompeii and Vesuvius.

On 24 August in the year 79 A.D., Mt Vesuvius erupted and the commune of Pompeii was destroyed, completely buried in ash. The difference between Herculaneum (the popular tourist site) and Pompeii is that Herculaneum was burned from the lava flow, Pompeii was buried in ash. At the time, Pompeii had a population of about 20,000 people. It wasn't until 1749 that the remains of the city of Pompeii were discovered.

We took a guided tour of Pompeii and Vesuvius, so the day did not belong to us and we could only go to the places out tour guide took us too. It was a VERY HOT day...almost unbearable. The kids did great given the conditions.

Dylan ran and jumped all over the place. It was a waste to take the stroller with us.

Dylan enjoyed listening to the tour guide. He thought he could speak back to her through the receiver unit and kept speaking into it.

Staying cool on a very hot day was a priority.

Ethan was very concerned about our trip to Mt Vesuvius. He had watched a documentary on Pompeii prior to our trip, and was convinced we would die in a volcanic eruption. When the bus finally took us to Mt Vesuvius, I stayed on board with Dylan, who finally fell asleep after running all over Pompeii. Dan took Ethan on the 20 minute hike to the summit. Once they reached the top Ethan turned to Dan and said, "You made me walk the way up here to look at a hole in the ground!" Needless to say, he was not impressed, and was no longer fearful of dying in a volcanic eruption.

Amalfi.

This was the first time I had been to Amalfi. We took the local bus from right outside our hotel, down to Amalfi. We arrived early in the day and just took our time meandering through the city. Of course, the boys had gelato as soon as we got there.

And then we headed up to Amalfi's Cathedral which is dedicated to St. Andrew. It contains a tomb in its crypt that still holds a portion of the relics. We were in the area for the feast days of St Andrew (25-27 of June), but were advised to not go into the city on those days as it is beyond packed with people.

Here are some sights of the streets in Amalfi. The colors in the shop windows were amazing! It took everything I had not to buy lots of painted pottery....I already have so much. I opted for a few photos instead (Dan was very happy about that). And don't worry about the boys touching the water in the fountain...the locals drink it.

To get back to Praiano, we opted to take a ferry from Amalfi to Positano and "do lunch" in Positano. Here are some pictures of the marina in Amalfi.

Both Dylan and Ethan fell asleep on the ferry to Positano. The air was cool as we traveled (it was a HOT day) so I'm glad they got some rest.

We didn't spend too much time in Positano. It is VERY expensive and VERY touristy. Here are a few pictures from our approach to Positano and at the restaurant.