To celebrate MC turning 29, we headed for a long weekend of sunshine and sea on the Amalfi Coast in Italy. We stayed in Positano, a pretty village built into the cliffs above the coastline but did a few daytrips to the surrounding towns in the area.
In Sorrento, with the fan that John bought off a bum for one Euro because he's a true Brit now and can't handle a 25 degree day!
Sorrento
We took a boat to Capri for the day.
Beach in Capri.
Cannabis-flavoured chocolate??
Us after a hot, steep walk up to the top of Capri.
Arriving by boat in Capri.
MC strolling in Ravello, a tiny village above the town of Amalfi.
View of the Amalfi Coast from Ravello.
In Amalfi.
MC swimming in Amalfi - the water was lovely!
Church in Amalfi.
Our love affair with the scooter continues...
Nocelle, a wee village in the hills above Positano.
John admiring the view of the Coast from Nocelle.
We walked up to the hole in the cliff above Nocelle - see below - and encountered lots of lizards along the way!
Legend says the hole was created when the devil challenged the Madonna to a contest: whoever pierced the rock would own the village. In 10 attempts, the devil could only scratch the limestone, but when the Madonna touched the rock, it crumbled, the sky appeared, and she walked right through, sinking the devil into the hole.
View of Positano and the coast.
The lovely view from our hotel room.
Birthday girl and a rainbow in Positano.
In Positano.
One of two beaches in Positano - no golden sand here though!
On the walk down to the centre of Positano from our hotel - 336 stairs to be exact.
So we had a lovely weekend and MC has had her last summer birthday!
MC now has only 2 weeks of work left before becoming a lady of leisure. She has a few holidays booked to keep her occupied over the summer - a girls' trip to Sicily in July and in August we are both going on a self-drive canal boat trip on the Canal du Midi in France with a group of friends. The rest of her unemployment will be spent planning a 2-month trip through the USA on the way home and packing our life here into boxes!
Rach and Naj outside the cathedral in Palermo. We stayed here for two nights at the end of our trip.
Interesting gesture from this figure outside the cathedral.
Beach huts at Mondello, a lovely white sandy beach just out of Palermo.
Mondello, the sea was amazingly warm.
Out for dinner in Lettojanni, a wee town outside of Taormina (where we stayed for a week).
The girls on the balcony of our apartment in Taormina, a village which is perched on a cliff overlooking the Ionian sea.
Cute wee cafe we found in Taormina.
The view from MC's bedroom at the apartment in Taormina.
Isola Bella in Taormina.
MC and Rach all set for a day of swimming and sunbathing (and unfortunately also some stinging - from a nasty little jellyfish!) at Isola Bella.
View of Taormina from the Greek amphitheatre.
MC and Rach at the amphitheatre.
Climbing up the hill to see the Saracen Castle above Taormina.
The view of grumbling Mt Etna (Europe's largest active volcano) from the Saracen Castle.
More views from the climb up to the castle.
Naj, Huia and Rach.
Pretty piazza in Taormina.
Mazarro Beach in Taormina.
