Tuesday 17 July 2012

Actual Culture Minus Alcohol

Dear all, Italy is good, weather is great and somehow have tan. Last day in Sorrento today- Bologne tomorrow, home of bolognese, yum yum! Hope England is nice and the cat is ok, home soon. Love Cal xxxxxx *Is probably what a post-card home would say (if it had occurred to me to send one.) However, that would be a definite insult to the previous two days' brilliance, which I hope to recount now to the best of my ability. Yesterday was dedicated to exploring the Amalfi coast- a playground of the rich and the famous, like Dolce and Gabbana and Elton, the queen herself. Needless to say that we didn't run into anyone particularly influential, but my new claim to fame is that I saw Janet Develin sat in an Irish bar, (one can only assume that she enjoys the cliche- apologies that I can't find the acute on this iPhone.) Built into a sheer cliff-face, these higgledy-piggledy towns like Positano and Amalfi require a strong pair of calves to navigate, but if you have these at your disposal, you are rewarded by charming views as they are quite literally hidden gems absolutely full of character. It is probably unsurprising that we spent some time at the beach but the experience sounds quite cultured if you miss that bit out. The bus back to our hostel was an hour and a half long, in which I was stood with my face pressed into a variety of windows, armpits and bags for the entire journey, while constantly fearing that I would be catapulted through the door- a definite stand-out moment so far. However, today was incredibly exciting as I finally realised my dream of visiting Pompei, cultivated by hours dedicated to watching Mary Beard documentaries. It was an early start, and we arrived before the gates opened, which meant that we were able to experience this haunting place as it was supposed to be seen- a dead city, completely devoid of people, save for a few archeologists, before the hoardes of American tourists arrived from their cruises. It was absolutely amazing seeing the delapidated buildings which I have seen so much in picture, in the flesh, and the perfectly retained corpses which are so famous. Tomorrow we move on to my final stop in Italy before I come home, which is very sad, but hopefully a trip to Venice will be feasible. Regardless, I am sure that the next few days will be packed with activity. Home soon, hope everyone is enjoying their summer, Cal (xxxx)

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