Trip to the Amalfi Coast

Sorry it's been so long since our last post.  Our lives have been pretty routine, with Mike starting his regular work schedule and the girls being in full swing at school.  Last weekend, we got to get out of the bubble of the base and took a boat cruise from just outside Naples along the Amalfi Coast. When we arrived to board the bus that would transport us to the boat, the girls were delighted to see that some of their friends from school were going on the same cruise!  The crew became inseparable for most of the day. Here they are, waiting to board the boat, followed by a bright-eyed Thomas and Dad waiting too.

As we pulled away from the dock, we were able to get a view of the beautiful verdant mountains behind us, unlike the bare, dry mountains we're accustomed to seeing near the base. 

Turning the other way, we got a panoramic view of the Bay of Naples, with Mt. Vesuvius towering behind it.

A short time later, we stopped in Sorrento to pick up a few passengers, and then cruised along the spectacular coastline south of Naples until we reached Capri, where the boat docked briefly to allow some passengers to attempt a swim. Here are the girls, thoroughly enjoying themselves: 

The water was pretty rough that day, and even though the girls wanted to give it a try, Mike cautioned them against it once he jumped in the water. Some passengers were having a hard time avoiding knocking into the boat on their way down the rope ladders into the water!  As we sailed passed Capri, we saw the precipice where the Roman Emperor Tiberius is said to have forced prisoners to jump to their deaths back in Jesus' time.  It sent chills down my spine as I gazed up at the ancient ruins at the top of the cliff.   We are still in awe of the fact that so much of what we see here, from land formations to crumbling buildings - were part of the daily experience of people thousands of years ago. It is very humbling. 

After leaving Capri, we sailed passed picturesque Positano (couldn't stop there because the waves were too rough).

Then we journeyed on to Amalfi, where we had a 2 hour stop and got to visit the Cathedral of St. Andrew (which contains a peaceful cloister and basement chapel housing relics of the saint) and enjoyed refreshing gelato off a narrow, busy street winding through town. 

The cloister - a peaceful moment interrupted by 2 crazy kids stage right

View from the top of the Cathedral steps

 It was a long day, and it was quite challenging to keep the kids entertained and sane during the 2-3 hour trip each way, but it was worth it, as the pictures show!