Italy Day 11

'Sun and Sea and back again'

Today we woke up early and walked down the steep cliff paths to get to Marina Piccola at the other end of Sorrento from where we're staying. Here we picked up a boat tour to Amalfi, via Capri Island and Positano. This stretch of coastline has the most gorgeous cliff face scenery and from the water we could see the underside of the overhanging roads, clinging to the rock high above. Perhaps if we'd seen the roads from this angle we would have had second thought about driving along them a few days earlier in a heavy bus!

Sorrento high street early in the morning.

Yaz in her new All Saints dress.

Swimming in the electric blue waters of Capri Island.

With the sun shining and wind blowing in our hair we set out across the bay to our first stop, Capri Island. The captain dropped anchor and we dived off the port side into the luscious electric blue water for a refreshing swim. We could swim near some stunning rock pinnacles and next to a nice yacht that I fell in love with.

A gorgeous yacht that I spent a lot of time drooling over!

Capri Island pinnacles.

Positano from the sea.

We stopped briefly to drop off some passengers at Positano, where Niamh (my cousin) and Aaron got married a few days earlier. Look closely and you can see the yellow church with the dome where they married.

A wedding in Amalfi.

Amalfi church.

Mum, Yaz and Katie.

My favourite place, sitting on the bow of a boat.

Capri Island in the distance.

Yaz and I in the sun for the last time!

Another boat that Yaz and I were drooling over!

Quick swim in the sea before heading home.

Italy Day 10

'Milky'

As Yaz is starting her PR internship at Jury White on Wednesday we've been trying to get up early, conditioning our bodies into the commuting routine. As we still had some time left on the WiFi we utilised it by browsing the net further and I continued to update my blog.

We did want to hire a boat and drive to Capri today but decided it would be a little too expensive... something I REALLY regret because for €130 we could have had a full day out on the Mediterranean with the sun on our faces and wind in our hair! :(

Instead we explored parts of the town we hadn't seen before, ate the nicest Spaghetti Carbonara and made friends with a cat. The cat's called Milky - it likes milk.

Italy Day 9

Feeling rather lazy after a busy wedding we hit the pool again. You'd think that we'd get bored of it but when you dive into the crystal clear water and surface to see the stunning panoramic view across the bay of Naples you can't help but return here day after day.

Yaz and I got a little burnt in the sun today. That kind of burn that'll go brown and that doesn't hurt unless you scratch it so we're not too fussed about it.

We've been reading our books each day and have differing opinions on them. Mine is called 'Too Close To Home' by Linwood Barclay and I just can't put it down. It's far, far superior to his previous book, 'No Time For Goodbye' and I strongly recommend it as a complex thriller. Yaz's book is called 'This Charming Man' by Marian Keyes and she thinks it's a pile of crap. In fact, so does my cousin Doreen. They're both reading it and say they couldn't be more bored reading a book. Not only are they a rubbish read but both of their copy's of the book are falling apart! The printing and binding is awful with pages flying out from their hands and going in the pool!

After using the pool for the day we purchased some WiFi time and sat on the terrace checking our e-mails and updating this blog. Of course we paid our attentions to Facebook too, how could I forget about the beloved FB!

As the sun set we had dinner in the restaurant with my cousin, Corena, and her husband, Mark. We hate the freshly hand made pizza's with the finest of french fries and drank into the early ours. Afterwards we said our goodbyes and hit the hay.

Italy Day 8

'Pompeii not Pompey!'

Turkish bath style spas with steam rooms and plunge pools.

This morning we got up early and headed for the train station to get the Circumvesuviana to Pompeii. Pompeii is a Roman city discovered centuries after it was buried in ash from the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius back in the day (Yes I just wrote 'back in the day', I kept it in because I'm just so old skool).

Bodies of romans who died in the eruption, preserved by the ash that enveloped them.

We spent the afternoon enquiring about boat hire and using the pool.

Tiny tiles make up a huge mosaic on a rich Roman's courtyard floor.

Instead of signing the artwork the artist instead makes each facial characteristic resemble his own.

The bakery with oven (left) and grinding stones (right) which would have been turned by slaves using wooden poles in the holes at the side. They would grind the grain to make flour.

Sink-like bowls in the work surface of a shop selling soup and wine mixed with honey.

A whore house in the red light district. The girls are known as 'She Wolf's' and punters choose which one they want then point to the picture with the position they'd like to do form the wall.

Effectively a road sign in the street in the shape of a penis. They point in the direction of the red light district and the bigger they are the closer you are to the whore house.

A dog preserved by the volcano ash.

Italy Day 7

With an early rise we hit the beach. I call it a beach but it was more like a sheep pen. The only free beach (the others you have to pay for) was absolutely tiny and was crammed with Italian sun worshipers. Nevertheless we managed to squeeze in long enough to get a couple of swim sessions and to dive from the rocks.

Afterwards we joined our Irish relatives at their roof top pool for a swim and some sun.

For dinner we went to the same restaurant that the girls went to on the hen night a few nights previous. The name of the restaurant translates to English as 'The Parish Priest' but it didn't seem religious at all, except perhaps for it's likeness to the Garden of Eden.

The place is built in and around a luscious green forest-like garden with a huge glass greenhouse in the centre. Lemon, lime, orange and olive trees grew amoungst the tables and grape vines formed a canopy overhead. They had numerous cats roaming freely amoungst the diners, presumably they prevent mice and rats. Mind you they begged for food more that they hunted for it!

Italy Day 6

'The Wedding'

Today was the day of Niamh, my cousin, and Aaron's wedding here in Italy. We woke up early and the girls started getting ready whilst I read my book in the sun for a couple of hours. After lunch I jumped in the shower, got dressed and we walked next door to The Hotel Bristol to meeting the rest of the guests and groom. By the time we were there, a mere 5 minutes after getting out of the shower, I was dripping with sweat. In the heat of the day I had soaked my shirt through with sweat! I tried, and failed, to dry myself with a hand towel in the toilets before we boarded busses and headed for the church.

The church was situated in the centre of Positano, a 30 minute hair raising bus journey from Sorrento along jaggy cliff face roads. By the time we arrived my sweat-drenched shirt had dried and we sat patiently on pews waiting for the bride to be escorted down the aisle by my uncle Padraic. The service was brilliant and when the couple were pronounced man and wife we got back on busses to The Hotel Bristol in Sorrento where the meal and reception was to be held.

There we had champagne, canope's and admired light from the setting sun casting warmth over the bay of Naploli and Sorrento. After numerous photographs we were seated upstairs on the roof terrace for dinner... and what a dinner!!!

- Bread rolls

- Melon and Parma Ham

- Hand made Ravioli

- Olive and Rocket Salad with Orange

- Red Snapper with potatoes

- Zesty Orange Chicken with Mozzarella and Aubergine

- Fruit Salad in a half pineapple

- Wedding Cake

- Coffee

- Limoncello

- A bottle of wine... EACH!

As you might predict we were extremely stuffed after all of that and were all feeling very sleepy and satisfied. After a little while to recover we drank and danced in the poolside disco, all wishing we could get away with a sneaky swim to cool down.