Amalfi Coast, Italy

On July 13, 2018August 11, 2018 By treesatravels1 Comment

July 11, 2018

We arrived in Amalfi from Napoli this morning by private car. The other options to get to Amalfi seemed too complicated so we decided to spend the little extra money and take our Napoli AirBnB hostess’ suggestion of going by private car for 120 euro. Luckily we did because the place in Amalfi was a bit hard to find! Our new Amalfi AirBnB host met us by a small moped car park, easily missed. Then he walked us down to our apartment, which can’t be seen from the road! When we got to see the view from our place it just made the small inconvenience forgotten. The view was great! The water was so blue, you could see boats passing by, and to the left a really great view of the coast. Even though this place was small, the luxury of being next to the ocean was so awesome.

Starting from a few days before arriving, I started to feel a little sick. I think the constant walking, being outside and not having the best diet (Italian carbs all day) really started to take a toll on my body. So when we first got there, I took a power nap (repeat of Naples haha) hoping to gain some energy.

Afterwards, we walked about 8 minutes down the road to a nearby cafe that had an AMAZING view! Oh I just think anywhere we go there’s so much for the eyes to see! The food there was fine but the view was really spectacular.

Our host had told us about a beach that could be accessed by steps off the road. After lunch, we found the entrance and headed down. I believe the beach was called Lido Degli? I could be wrong but there is a restaurant on that beach with the name. Anyways, the steps down wasn’t so bad but up would be! That’s why instead, after some time on the beach, we took a water taxi to Amalfi’s main port. But the time on this little beach was nice. The beaches here don’t have sand. It is all pebbled. The water was so blue and clear it was tempting not to go in. But being that it was our first day, and starting the day off rather late, we wanted to focus on just seeing what is around first.

The water taxi put us at Amalfi’s city center about 5:30 pm. On the ride there, is was nice to see the coast from a different angle. While in the “city” (hardly a city more like a village), we saw many tourists and shops. It took only a few minutes to walk from the port to the top of the busy area. So small!

The village was charming though, but filled with tourists just like us. Once we finished looking at some shops, bought a magnet and some towels, we found a place to sit down for dinner.

So far what I’ve seen of Amalfi it looks rather nice. I’m excited to have a lazy beach day where all I do is sunbathe and swim in the ocean. Tomorrow we are going to Positano, a neighboring town by boat. I feel it is similar to here but I guess we will have to see then!

July 12, 2018

The ferry to Positano was at 10:30am. This morning, we caught a city bus to get to Amalfi’s center. Once we boarded the ferry, it was as short twenty minute boat ride to Positano.

Coming into Positano, you could see more houses, hotels, and places build along the coast than in Amalfi. I think when people imagine the Amalfi Coast, they imagine Positano. Like I had said before, I was really looking forward to being a beach bum. Yes there was a beach right near the port but I didn’t want to be where everyone else was. It was just too crowded and not peaceful.

In my night’s research, I saw that Positano, like Amalfi, also has smaller side beaches. On the map, it had showed Arienzo beach also had a ‘free beach’ section. To get there we would have to walk. I was feeling lazy and saw that the Arienzo Beach Club also had its own water taxi to get from the main port to the beach. Hey we’re on vacation. Why not! We then took a water taxi to Arienzo Beach Club.

Here, if you take their water taxis you must spend money at their establishment. So when we got there, two chairs and an umbrella was 15 euros a person. A little steep but we weren’t going to be moving elsewhere so let’s spend a little money. Next to Arienzo there was the free beach that could be reached by steps from the road above, like I had mentioned before. We saw people come down from there but had no idea how long it actually took to get there from the port.

After getting settled in some chairs, the waiter asked us if we wanted to make a reservation for lunch. Wow we even had to book a time slot!? We supposed 1 pm would work and enjoyed where we were till then.

For lunch, we had a bar seat that looked out onto the beach. Let me tell you, a person could get used to this view! The water was so blue and it was just so nice to look out into the sea when having a seafood lunch!

We pretty much spent the day sunbathing and swimming in the water. The water’s temperature was brisk. It took some courage to dip your body fully in, but once you did, it felt really great with the sun.

We headed back to Positano’s main port to check out the sights there at about 5 pm. After closing out and packing up, our total bill was about 77 euros (chairs, umbrella, and lunch). Arienzo was nice because they had an available free shower, bathroom for guest as well as food and drinks. It was a bit pricey but a nice time on the beach. Plus it wasn’t so crowded like it was on the main beach.

Positano had more little walkways and alleyways. It was definitely bigger than Amalfi. We had about two hours till our ferry so we tried to find the best view to take pictures of the coast line. There were many art galleries and small boutiques that filled the little streets. Maybe next time we go to the Amalfi coast we should stay in Positano!

Our ferry was at 7:45 pm so we quickly headed back. Trying to take pictures in the town at this time of day was difficult though. The sun was so strong and nearly every photo we had squinty eyes! I’m hoping we at least got something memorable!

The ride back was an easy twenty minutes. We then had dinner in Amalfi at Taverna Degli Apostoli. I’m super happy we found this place. It was very delicious! We had seafood with fumili noodles and the gnocci that was stuffed with cheese (the lighting was so dark it was hard to get food photos. Sorry!). The waitress and waiter were also very nice and the ambiance just perfect for dinner. We really wished we had more time this evening but we were trying to catch the 10 pm bus back to our place so had to rush a bit.

Having a relax day in Positano, amazing views of the coast and one of the best meals of the trip thus far were a great way to start off our time in Amalfi.

July 13, 2018

So being that we are vacation, and the beginning half was “go-go-go,” we were a little guilty of sleeping in. This morning we woke up pretty late and decided to have a day spent nearby. After getting ready, we took a bus to Amalfi port to catch the water taxi to Santa Croce. We had originally seen Santa Croce from the lunch spot on our first day in Amalfi. Just looking at it from above was gorgeous so we had to check it out.

So based on our previous experience in Positano, we knew that taking the Santa Croce water taxi we were essentially saying we would spend money at their establishment. At this beach, it was much smaller and there were only two restaurants there. When we first arrived, we sat down and had lunch straight away. For lunch, we chose a salad (trying to get more vegetables in the diet), a plate of mussels and seafood risotto. The food was not bad and the service nice enough.

After lunch, we purchased two sun-beds and one umbrella (20 euros) for some time on the beach. Once we digested, we took a dip in the water and checked out this little beach a bit. To the right of the restaurant there was this other beach section that seemed abandoned. There looked to be scraps from an old bar that used to be in that space. Now, all that was left was scrap wood and an empty beach lot.

It was sort of interesting because it felt like a small private beach. From here, we could see many people swimming in the neighboring beaches and some even jumping off rock bridges and cliffs. Since we weren’t that confident in our swimming skills, we stayed close to the shore.

Santa Croce beach was nice in that it was smaller and less people. Unfortunately, not too long after lunch, a swim and some photos, the sun disappeared from this beach. The restaurant owner told us the sun usually goes about 4:30 pm. Well, that’s what we get for starting the day so late! Already by 4, many people started leaving this beach in search of more sun. After closing our bill, a total of 44 euros, we too were some of those people.

We took the restaurant’s water taxi back to the port. It wasn’t too late in the day, so we figured we make a stop for gelato.

About this time, I had checked my phone and got some really sad news. My grandma had passed away. My mom had told me she went peacefully and to pray for her. My grandma was nearly 100 and everyone knew that she would go Home soon, but death always is accompanied by sadness. Suddenly a heavy feeling came over me and all I could do was try not to cry. But of course that was a failed attempt as I am the biggest baby ever. Writing this now weeks after it happened, I’m much better. I feel sad but also happy she can rest easy now and be with my grandfather and with God. My grandmother was a great woman who lived a long life. I will always have these happy memories of her in my childhood and even months before her passing. I’m glad she got to meet Caoliang and we were able to share the memories we do have. I love you Ba Noi and will see you again.

Not wanting to have the rest of our holiday spent in sadness, after having a good cry and calling my mother, I tried to put my head in a better space. That night we decided to check out one of the restaurants that we could walk to.

The place was called Al Pesce d’Oro and had surprisingly good food. We had a veggie pizza and a seafood pasta that was cooked in a bag. Sorry I can’t remember the proper name but it was apparently a local item. After finishing our meal, we walked back to the apartment, enjoying the sounds of the sea as we went.

July 14, 2018

On our last day we decided to stay near by. Caoliang was thinking about checking out Capri but being that it was our last day, we wanted to have an easier pace than an early wake up call and no time to really relax.

We decided to go to the beach that was walkable from the apartment. Once we got there, we picked a couple sun-beds that were in front of Lido Degli Artisti Restaurant. When we got there about noon, there were already so many sun-beds filled. Luckily we got a couple for 25 euros total.

The afternoon was basically spent in the sun. It was so nice to take a dip into the cool ocean, especially after sitting under the hot Italian sun for so long! At this beach there were also some large rocks that we just had to check out. Thank goodness we had water shoes! I have no idea how people walked barefoot on these rocks! The rocks didn’t offer much amazing scenery and after being out there for at least thirty minutes, I knew we had to go back for water and lunch!

Being that we were in front of this establishment, we decided to have a quick lunch here. For lunch we got a large beer, water, a caprese panini and octopus starter salad. The total was 21 euros for everything. The food was good and filling. Since we didn’t order from the regular menu, we sat by the bar to eat and had a nice view.

After lunch we continued to swim until the shade covered the beach. Like before, we took the water taxi back around 5:30. Since it was our last day, we walked around getting some last minute souvenirs. We didn’t want to go through the struggle of figuring out what to eat so decided to go to Taverna Degli Apostoli, again. It was so good so why not!!!

This time we got a lemon pesto spaghetti and the same seafood pasta. But today we chose a caprese salad which had baby tomatoes on it and this huge ball of mozzarella cheese. Best caprese salad ever! Since it was our last night, we had a glass of red wine each. We also ordered a side of local veggies, peppers. So, so good. Dinner turned out to be 92 euros. A bit much but hey it was our last night in Amalfi!

Once dinner was done, we still had some time before our bus at 10 pm so we just walked around the port. Great and simple day. Tomorrow we go back to Naples and then fly to Madrid in the evening.

Honeymoon, you were awesome.

xx
t.

Rome, Italy

On July 3, 2018July 17, 2018 By treesatravels1 Comment

July 2, 2018

Honeymoon has begun!! So with wrapping up Malaga, we were lucky to have TWO weeks free till Caoliang had to start work again. Many of his colleagues took this long break to go home but we took this break to see a new country and spend some time together after getting married. Where you ask? Italy! Home of pizza and pasta and people speaking with their hands!

This day was primarily a travel day. So from Malaga, we took a train to Madrid and then a flight to Rome. We didn’t arrive at Rome till the evening so really couldn’t do much. In each place we stay, we tend to look up AirBnBs for lodging. In Rome, we chose a place that wasn’t too far from the Vatican City. We had not been to Rome before but when looking at a map and using Google to figure out walking distance from things, I figured this location would be ideal. Our host, Antonello met us right outside the nearest station and kindly showed us our place. The room was small but it had everything we needed.

After dropping off our stuff, we were hungry! Luckily, Antonello recommended some places nearby that we could walk to and that were still open.

We ended up going to Buona Forchetta. It was a short 10 minute walk away and being that it was a little later in the evening, there wasn’t much car traffic or sun to slow us down. The restaurant was situated next to a residential area, the tables were all outside in front of the restaurant, and a decent amount of people were there. We ordered a pizza, spinach risotto and two beers. The food was tasty, affordable and beers necessary to celebrate the beginning of our trip. I was surprised at how cheap the pizzas at this place were. They were all about 6 to 9 euros each.

Even though this day was primarily travel. We were happy to arrive in Rome safely and to have the next two weeks free to exploring!

July 3, 2018

First full day! So I’m not sure if I have told you guys this before, but I’m a very plan oriented person. Before each new place or big trip, I tend to spend some time researching and creating an itinerary for the day. This helps me to feel productive and use my time wisely when going to a new place. In my opinion, I think when you don’t have much time in a new city, you have to know where you want to go and what you want to see before, so you don’t waste time on the actual day fiddling around with your phone trying to think of what to see next. Luckily, my husband doesn’t have a problem with me being so plan oriented.

So as I said, I had the two full days in Rome pretty planned out. I usually make my plans based on other travel bloggers I find via Google, using Google Maps suggested itineraries, or simply just looking at a map of the city and pulling out key interest points that Google already has suggested. From there, I check the distance and see how much time it would take to walk from point A to point B, etc.

On this day we started with Campo de’ Fiori. We took the city bus into the city to save some time and to get a better feel of where our apartment was located in relations to all the stuff we wanted to see. Campo de’ Fiori is a small market area in like a plaza area. All the vendors here sold mostly the same stuff: dried fruit, nuts, dried pasta and some cooking seasoning. The place was interesting to see but unless you were planning to buy something, little time would be spent here. I honestly wanted to buy some of the cool looking pastas but didn’t because of the lack of space in my luggage.

From there, we took a short seven minute walk to Largo di Torre Argentina. According to my research, this was a place with ruins of Pompey’s Theatre but now was a place where a bunch of cats lived. I didn’t see any cats roaming around but I did see a sign that said not to feed the cats because they already had specific food. Strange. As you could guess, we didn’t spend much time there either. Next we walked under the very hot Italian sun to Campidoglio. I’m guessing because Rome is the capital of Italy and it is high travel season, the city was very crowded. Did I mention it was hot? Anyways, Piazza del Campidoglio was laid down at the summit of Campidoglio, the most important of Rome’s seven hills, and is the first modern square to be designed in Rome. Surrounded the plaza was the Campidoglio Museum and Fontana della Dea Roma. We took this opportunity to find some shade and sip some water, along with snapping pictures and video of course. Roaming around the backside of the fountain, we saw the Roman Forum. This was actually very impressive and peaked our interests.

We didn’t exactly go down into the Roman Forum just yet, but we spent some time walking around it. It was actually more interesting to see it from above. We also saw some archaeologists working underneath a tent. I wonder, with something so old, how often do they really find new stuff?

Rome has a few major sites that nearly every tourist who comes to Rome plans to see. One of those things, is the Colosseum. We had purchased our entry tickets online, with Tiqets, before to enter at 4:30 pm (36 euros for two people). Because it’s such a high traffic place, you must have a ticket to enter. We got to the Colosseum grounds a bit early just because everything was unfamiliar to us and we wanted to be sure we weren’t late for our time slot. Once it was our time to go in, we entered smoothly and bought two additional tickets for a guided tour (5 euros a person). When we were outside waiting in line, there are a lot of people trying to sell you tickets or tours for way more money than it should be. Before we entered, there was a man that was trying to sell us a personal guided tour for 15 euros a person. He also told me there was no guided tour inside! What a liar! I’m glad we didn’t listen to him because the reality was, there ARE guided tours inside for much cheaper! So if you plan to come to the Colosseum, beware of those salesmen!!

Our guided tour started at 5:15 pm. The group was pretty large with at least 15 people in the group. I had never really done guided tours before but in Rome they were everywhere. The tour guide would give you this listening device where you would put one ear bud in, tune into the right station, and hear the guide perfectly no matter how close or far you were from them. I thought this simple device was pretty clever for something such as guided tours (but a little wasteful because they don’t recycle the ear buds).

Our tour guide was a French woman who knew a lot about her history. She started telling us about the background of the Colosseum and how it got named. You’ll have to forgive me on not knowing everything she told us. It was a lot to remember! The interesting part, for me, was the information about the gladiators. Some fun facts I didn’t know before: the arena was originally covered in sand. The word “arena” comes from the latin word harenae which means sand. The sand helped absorb the blood from the fights and executions. At the Colosseum, they had many fights, even animal fights. The different animals they had ranged from lions, panthers, tigers, gorillas, giraffes, snakes, elephants, and bears. There was also an order to how the events would happen at the Colosseum. Usually executions or animal fights would come before the gladiator fights. Another fun fact: even if the rare chance a gladiator gets his freedom, he is seen as society scum. He would be equal to prostitutes and grave diggers. Why them? Grave diggers because they deal closely with death and prostitutes because just like them, they use their body for glory.

Being in the Colosseum was pretty interesting. It is such an old place with so much history, I could only imagine how crazy the stands would be during those times or what the spectators would actually see happening before them.

I have also read about a tour of the tunnels in the Colosseum. Unfortunately for us, we didn’t have a booking for that so had to keep all our sights above ground.

After the craziness of the Colosseum, we ventured back towards the city center and came across the Pantheon. The Pantheon is an old Roman temple but now used as a church. It is one of the best preserved of all Ancient Roman buildings because it has been continuously used throughout history. Sadly when we walked by it, the church was closed so we didn’t get to see inside. But the square in front of the Pantheon, Piazza della Rotondo, was very busy with street performers, tourists, and people just hanging out enjoying gelato. Before coming to Rome, I heard that is has a bad reputation for pick-pocketers. So anytime we are in a busy area, like we were in this plaza, I get a little nervous and hold my bag in the front of my body. Also because of this fact, we didn’t spend too much time in the area and quickly moved on.

Nearby, we found a whole street of restaurants. One tricky thing you hope to get right when traveling, is picking the right place to eat! We decided on Il Barroccio based on a blog I read. The restaurant was near the Pantheon and the prices reflected the location as well. We had ordered a pasta and Caprese salad. The food was mediocre and forgetful but I think because of where the place was, the prices were that high for just ok food. Also another detail, in Italy, anywhere you eat there will most likely be a “service fee” of about 2 euros a person. I guess you could think of it as a tip.

It was soon becoming nightfall but we still wanted to fit in at least one more thing. Our AirBnB host had told us that Janiculum Terrace was really nice and romantic at night. The walk from where we were was a bit far, thirty minutes, but we figured we could walk off our food and kind of be heading in the direction of the apartment. The walk here was a bit dark and out of the way so it made me feel a little uncertain with Google’s directions. Luckily, we made it to the top of the hill and it wasn’t all that great. The botanical garden right next to it had shrubbery that blocked a lot of the city. Also, Rome is a low city with not much to see from a high point. What was there though, were people having beers outside hanging out, a bar with live music, and a truck with snacks, beverages, and souvenirs. We went about 9:30pm and spent only a short time up there before decided to make the walk back down to call it a night.

xx
t.

treesa travels

Tag: honeymoon

Amalfi Coast, Italy

Rome, Italy