Italy

The first day that we docked in Naples I accidentally slept through my trip to Mount Vesuvius (which I was really really excited about and am so sad I didn't get to go!) because I had a sinus infection...
Second day, however, was much more exciting! We took a hydrofoil (hovercraft) to Capri, and while the ride there was nauseating (rough seas), Capri was worth it. I've never been anywhere so beautiful! (Although I can think of a few other islands to which I would like to travel that might challenge it!) We explored Anacapri, the town on top of the mountain, then went to Faro, which is a little "beach" area (no sand or even pebbles - just rock and then water) which had Caribbean-colored water. My camera, as it turns out, is waterproof but not wholly salt-proof. After taking some fun underwater pictures, the lens wouldn't open the next morning! Thankfully, running it under tap water seemed to fix it. We all agreed that it was a good investment! We took a wrong turn after trying to find the lighthouse, and ended up walking halfway around the island and finding an old medieval fort! After more swimming and tanning (I'm so freckly and tan right now!) we went to dinner. Italian food in Italy is nothing like Italian food in the US. I like it so much better! It isn't heavy at all and there's so much more nuance in the flavor.
The next day we went to an old villa that had pieces of Roman ruins in it. Of course it had wonderful overlooks of Capri and the artifacts were neat as well. I got to touch a 3200 year old sphinx statue! The shopping in Capri is just as good as the food and views! The euro is dangerous, though - everything costs in numbers what it reasonably should in dollars, so it never seems like you're spending as much money as you are! Later we went down to the beach by the harbor.
The last morning we went to the Blue Grotto, which was neat, but not as spectacular as it's purported to be. Back in Naples, I took the bus to Pompeii to see the ruins. I wanted to see Mount Vesuvius and the National Archeological Museum, but I didn't have time for either. Having taken Latin for 6 years, at least getting to see Pompeii was a highlight anyway! Not getting to see everything that I wanted to just means I'll have to come back for sure! Ischia and the Amalfi Coast look wonderful as well. I'd probably do Naples as a day trip, though because it is just as dirty as everyone says! Even though the trash strike was "over" there were still piles in the street and trash all over the ground. I hear there are nicer parts to the city, but I didn't see them!

I have lots of reading and two papers to do by tomorrow, and then on Tuesday we're in Turkey!