Still My Heart's on the Isle of Capri

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Day Trip to Capri

Marina Grande

    With Frank Sinatra's famous tune 'Isle of Capri' in my head all day, I (along with my sister and her friends who were on their spring break trip and spent two days with me in Castellammare, Sorrento and Capri) set out on an journey to the lovely isle of Capri off the peninsula of Sorrento. We felt the warm breezes and clear skies of summer on our ferry ride over to the Marina Grande, the main port of Capri. I'm fortunate enough to set foot on the island for a second time, as I visited it on a school trip in my junior year of high school. It is exactly as I remembered it, and remains to be my favorite location in Italy so far.

Capri is famous for its cliffs, the blue grotto and its all over beauty. After a failed attempt to rent scooters to tour and scour the island with, our first adventure was to the Grotto Azzura, the Blue Grotto, a cave who's clear blue water reflects onto the rocky ceiling. The boat tour took us all around the island, past the towering cliffs littered with houses, green shrubs, shrines and mountain goats. 


 We arrived at the entrance of the blue grotto, where multiple boats took eagerly awaiting tourists through the minuscule gap between rock and water.
Entrance to the Blue Grotto
Us four blondies (and one red head) piled into a boat, along with an elderly Italian man and of course, the driver/rower of the vessel. Though charming at first with his lulling, Italian voice and entertainment of song, he quickly became obnoxious, making farting noises that echoed off the cave walls. But we laughed. No picture could do the grotto justice, but at least it is an introduction to the unique color. 
Ducking into the grotto

Inside the grotto
   Capri is a large enough and populated enough island that just wandering narrow, white-walled cobblestone streets can entertain you for hours. We stumbled upon a ruin that is now a high school, a church at the top of a hill that was giving away books in exchange for an offering, and the Gardens of Augustus. From these gardens, we had a view that reminds me why I am obsessed with towering vistas.

   We missed our opportunity to take the chair lift to the top of the island from Anacapri, as it closed at 4:00 and we arrived fifteen minutes after. We spent our last few hours leisurely strolling the Marina Grande, before we were seduced into having drinks at the restaurant of a dancing, bald Italian man who was slightly infatuated with my sister.
   The trip ended all too suddenly, and Kelly and her friends had to make their way back to Milan to go home. I've speculated on how I can home back to the island, and have come to conclusion that I'll become rich enough to retire to one of the villas on Capri overlooking the Mediterranean. 
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Italian Word of the Day: Caffè Lungo

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Caffè Lungo is a large espresso drink that is poured into a tiny cup. One is supposed to take a few sips of the espresso and shoot back the rest like a shot of alcohol (though the caffè lungo is a little healthier than an alcohol shot, and probably more socially acceptable at 2 pm in the afternoon)
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Happy in Stabia

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This video was posted recently. It's a montage of the locals of Stabia, the town I am in, dancing to Pharrell William's song Happy and it embodies the culture, liveliness and joy in the town.

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Hiking Mount Vesuvius

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Climbing the Volcano that Destroyed Pompeii
From the top of Mount Vesuvius

              Today, along with a few other JWU students, I made the climb up the famous volcano, Mount Vesuvius, located just outside of Naples. I was under the impression the hike would take a few hours, but the starting point was already mostly up the mountain. It only took a half hour of steep climbing on gravel to get to the top where the crater is.

Climbing

The crater

Smoke coming from the inside

     The volcano is most famously known for it's destruction of the ancient city of Pompeii in 79 AD. The last eruption out of Vesuvius happened in 1944 and it is overdue for another one. If it were to erupt today, the few million people living the Naples and surrounding area (including me depending on the intensity of the eruption), would be buried in lava. Over the years, the eruptions from Mount Vesuvius have destroyed many towns and killed many people, yet the Neopolitans keep rebuilding because they can't imagine leaving the area.
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Castellammare di Stabia: Castle on the Sea

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Benvenuto to Italy!
View from my dorm room, with Castellammare di Stabia below
    I am in paradise. A cold, but sunny and picturesque paradise. Castellammare di Stabia (meaning "castle by the sea" in Stabia) is quaint town 45 minutes outside of Naples, the city where pizza originated (my kind of place). I'm studying and taking classes on tourism management, international tourism policies and tourism marketing while here. Already, it's a nightmare trying to concentrate in class with this view in our window.

   Don't be fooled by the palm trees and constant sunshine. Castellammare di Stabia is much colder than it looks at high 50's to low 60's. Italians are still donning their winter coats, boots and jeans (all dark). Italians aren't one for colorful fashion, and most of their clothes are a stylish black. 

    Being here almost a week, I've made some primary observations on Italian life, and I will post my final observations at the end of the trip as well.

1) The stereotype of Italians always speaking with their hands is true. Whether the debate is passive or lively (it's sometimes hard to tell), Italians will use hand gestures to embellish what they're saying. I think that's why I see elderly Italian men with their hands locked behind their backs when they stroll, so as to stop their wild hands.

2) The young people know more English than I thought. Maybe the Italian gelateria woman doesn't know what I'm saying, but conversing with the people my age is not too difficult. We've met some Italians our age who say they all learn it in school now. Their knowledge of the English language is far from extensive, but it's enough to get by. However, I am learning Italian here and hope to be able to speak to them in their beautiful language soon, which they are very proud of. 

3). In the evening, around five or six pm, many people with go to the center of the town and stroll along the boardwalk. It's called La Passeggiata and is done all over Italy. La Passeggiata is a way of being seen and seeing the people of the town.

4) Siesta's are the best. A siesta is the time between 1pm and 5pm when most shops close down. The period of time is meant for naps and relaxing before opening back up again. In our case, they are a time for naps. A culture that socially accepts and designates a time of day for naps is my kind of culture. Since dinner is around 8 or 9 at night, most people don't go to bed until 12 or 1 am, on a good night. We have to, however, wake up early for class, so taking a short nap during the day is what's going to keep me sane. 

5) People in Castellammare get excited about Americans. Since it is a smaller town that doesn't attract too many tourists, the Italians here are happy to say Caio and talk to you. When I say excited, I mean run-out-of-their-store-to-introduce-themselves kind of excited. Everyone is welcoming. 

Pizza Vesuvio

6) Italian food is everything you've ever heard and more. Our meal plan includes fresh, local ingredients prepared daily in the form of two 3-course meals. The only reason why I'm not going to gain 20 pounds on this trip is because of the steep hill from my school down to the center of town that I walk everyday. The first course is usually a pasta (my favorite so far is a pasta and fresh pesto dish). The second is a meat with veggie meal, and the third is dessert. Decadent cakes and pastries aren't eaten much for dessert in Italy, so fruit is usually eaten. And of course, pizza. I ate a pizza vesuvio (pizza filled with local, mozzarella cheese made from buffalo milk, and ham) and I thought I'd gone into gooey, carby, cheese, indulgent heaven. The classic Margherita pizza, named after Queen Margherita, with mozarella, basil, tomato sauce and the dough, is a staple here. Most of the wine sold is local, and you can buy a bottle of wine for as cheap as a euro. 


        
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Kalmar and Öland: Visiting the Ancestral Homeland

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Kalmar and Öland

Kalmar Castle

Beach in Köpingsvik













I set out to Kalmar on an early morning train ride by myself. It was the first weekend trip I've taken by myself, but it was more than nice to get out on my own. I went to Kalmar because it's the city on the mainland across from Öland, and my Aunt Linnea suggested I visit the small city, and a great suggestion it was.

The first place I went to in Kalmar was Kalmar Castle, which, despite being somewhat small compared to other castles, was one of the prettiest I've ever seen. 



The castle used to be a fortress, used mainly against the Danish who were constantly fond of attacking Sweden. When it was made into a castle, Eric XIV, who I mentioned in my previous post about Stockholm, a son of Gustav I, spent his time in this castle and on Öland as well.


The photograph above is of the church inside Kalmar Castle. It is on of the most popular wedding churches in Sweden. By the looks of it's beauty, there is no doubt why.

Inside Kalmar Castle

From the castle

The rest of the day was spent exploring Kalmar and what it had to offer. Kalmar is a small port town on the sea with the island Öland across from it's shores. I walked along ports and visited the cathedral. There were many shops that specialized in Swedish glass in Kalmar.


Kalmar Cathedral
The next day I went to Öland, where some of my Swedish ancestors are from, specifically Köpingsvik. The first town I went to, however, was Borgholm, next to Köpingsvik. The main attraction of Borgholm is it's castle, which is a lot like Kalmar castle but more in ruins. It was also a fortress turned castle.


My favorite part of the castle, besides the fact that it was completely deserted and I had it all to myself, was the incredible views it offered. The Kalmar Strait, that divides Öland from the mainlaind, could be seen if you climbed a few stairs.



Kalmar Strait from Öland

Town of Borgholm from Borgholm Castle


When I was done exploring the castle, I walked for more than an hour to get to Köpingsvik, the town where my Swedish ancestors are from. Thanks to my fantastic Aunt Linnea, I had some information about my relatives there before I came. Unfortunately, after trying to get in contact with them for a few months before I came to Köpingsvik, I came up short and couldn't contact them. It was still nice to explore the area.










 Köpingsvik reminds me of a small, tourist beach town. As I walked down the main street parallel to the water, I must have walked past four or five different campgrounds. Local businesses lined the other side of the street.

Walking along the beach in Köpingsvik was my favorite part because I kept picturing my relatives, even my aunts and grandparents and mother who visited, walking on the beach or just around town.

I spent the next few hours sunbathing on the beach. It was the first weekend in Sweden where the sun had really shone. In fact, when I got back to Gothenburg, everything was transformed. Grass turned greener and buds formed on trees in a few short days.





I left Öland and Kalmar the next morning. I was so fortunate to see one of my ancestral hometowns. My only regret is that I wish I had more time to explore Köpingsvik.
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Sunny Stockholm

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Stockholm

Stockholm was a city I knew I was going to have the time of my life in, even before I'd been there. So the early start and six and a half hour bus ride from Gothenburg to Sweden's capital city wasn't too unbearable. The entire group from Johnson and Wales went because it was a planned school event, so our bus, hotel and Stockholm Cards were already bought and booked. Stockholm Cards are probably the greatest tourist draw a city can have. They offer free access to 80+ Stockholm attractions and it's how we were able to enter most of the places we visited.

When we arrived in Stockholm, we dropped our stuff in the hotel. The hotel was in the food district of Stockholm, which we explored on the last day. From the hotel, the group went off and did their own things, but we decided to take a sightseeing boat tour of Stockholm.


Nordic Museum



 Meandering through Stockholm are a few canals and rivers, which lead out to the Stockholm Archipelagos,  a group of islands. In the middle of north and south Stockholm is Gamla Stan, separated from the other parts of the city by these canals.


This boat is actually a hostel


 After our sightseeing tour, we made our way back to Gamla Stan, the old town of Stockholm. This dinner was provided by Johnson and Wales, so about 25 of us girls and our teacher wandered the streets for about an hour trying to find the restaurant. By the end of the trip, we would be pros at finding this street because it was one of the most popular tourist areas. The dinner was delicious (I had salmon and creme brulee) and a great way to spend my 19th birthday.

The next day I set out with my friends Alexis and Katie to Gamla Stan. One thing that made me fall in love with Stockholm is the architecture. Not just the old buildings, but the color. Most buildings, in Gamla Stan and in the other parts of the city, were light colors. It wasn't gray and depressing like many cities.

Our first stop was the Stockholm Cathedral, called Storykyrkan. Many Swedish royal family members are married there. The current king and queen, Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia, were married there in 1976. Their daughter, the Crown Princess Victoria, married her personal trainer in 2010.
Cathedral gates



Inside the cathedral

The Cathedral


 After exploring the cathedral, we stumbled upon a free tour group that took us around Gamla Stan.

In Gamla Stan

 In this square below, we learned was the location of the Stockholm Bloodbath, where the Danish King Christian II ordered all of the noblemen to be executed. Many years before then, the Swedes had had a long standing war with Denmark. Denmark would take over Sweden but then the Swedes would win their country back, but then the cycle would continue. It wasn't until Gustav I (who's father had died in the Bloodbath) led a war against Denmark and King Christian that the Danes were gone from Sweden forever.
Sight of the Stockholm Bloobath
 Also in Gamla Stan was the Mårten Trotzigs gränd, a 90cm wide alleyway name for the man who opened up a shop in the narrow alleyway.


On our tour we met Kailie, a girl from Hawaii studying in Denmark but in Stockholm for the weekend. We walked around with her for most of the rest of the day.
Alexis, Katie, Kaili and me

 Our next visit was to the Royal Palace, which may have been my favorite part of Stockholm. We went into the Tre Kronor museum in the Palace, and learned a lot about the history of the royal family in Sweden. We learned especially about the wars between Denmark and Sweden, and Gustav I, who I mentioned above. He had three sons, one of them Eric XIV, who spent all his time in Kalmar and Öland, the island where my family is from. The tour guide said Eric spent all his time on Öland, and since "there was nothing to do in Öland but hunt and eat, he got very fat".

 We went inside the palace, which reminded me very much of Versailles in it's luxuries. The Swedish royal family doesn't actually live in this palace, but one a few hours away.


The Swedish royal guard performing changing of the guard


Fishing in front of the royal palace
The rest of the day included visits to the Aquarium and some shopping in Gamla Stan.
The next day we set out to take a ferry to Drottingholm Castle, where the Swedish royal family usually lives, but we misjudged the times and missed it. Instead, we went into city hall.

City hall is not only the meeting place of the government of the city of Stockholm but also hosts the Nobel Peace Prize dinner. The gold room (below) has walls entirely made of gold. It's where, after the dinner, the guests and winners come to dance. The king, who attends the dinner, does not attend the dance however. Apparently, there is a rule in Sweden where if the king dances with one lady, he has to dance with all of the ladies in the room. Too much for a guy to handle.





 One of the adventures on our itinerary was the Grona Lund, the amusement park in Sweden. Unfortunately, we didn't have time.

Grona Lund

We only had half of a day in Stockholm on our last day, so we decided to go to the Ericsson Globe Arena in south Stockholm and go on the Skyview. The Skyview is a glass orb that takes you up to the top of the Globe where you can see all of Stockholm and beyond.



Stockholm in the distance

On the way back, we stopped in Gamla Stan for one last look. Of all the places I've been to, I've never fallen in love with a city as quickly as I did with Stockholm. Part of me wasn't even sad I was leaving because I knew I'd be back there soon.

One last walk through Gamla Stan




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