A "Trip" in Pompeii & Sunshine in Sorrento

       With our last class finished, we took our third travel break for the weekend. Feeling the need for some relaxation and sun, I decided to go to Sorrento (on the southern coast of Italy). Holly, Rachel, Meaghan, and I left before the sun breached the sky on Friday morning and began our journey. We went to Pompeii for the afternoon, on our way to Sorrento. I was amazed at how extensive the ruins were, and by how much has been preserved since the earthquake in 79 AD.

Pompeii Ruins with Mt. Vesuvius looming in the background

 We walked all over the cobblestone streets, seeing homes with beautiful courtyards, bakeries, public baths, and giant theatres. It was overwhelming. Also, being the clumsy individual that I am, I found myself constantly tripping over the cobblestones--which, in my defense, were more like boulders stuck in the dirt!! I made quite the entrance into the ruins by managing to miss a step and trip myself, falling in what felt like slow motion, as I grabbed something that was NOT stationary...it came down with me and I looked up to see an old man rushing to rescue me. Too late. All I could do was join the rest of my onlookers in laughter. So graceful!

See what I mean?? Boulders!!

Amphitheater

 

Sorrento

 We left Pompeii, covered in dust and feeling rather exhausted. On to Sorrento! We trudged through the streets for about 20 minutes until we came to the oasis of our campground. We were greeted with a wonderful surprise: an upgrade from a tiny cabin (which definitely could have been mistaken for an outhouse) to a roomy bungalow overlooking Mt. Vesuvius and the brilliant blue Mediterranean! We spent the rest of our trip relaxing at the campground beach, soaking up the sun and dipping our feet in the ice-cold ocean. It was a gorgeous day and we felt the Lord's blessings in everything!

Our Campground Beach

Lemon Grove!

Mt. Vesuvius at Sunset

 Following Rick Steves' recommendation, we visited one of Sorrento's many lemon groves. We sampled our first sip of lemoncello, which made all of our mouths pucker and our eyes buldge, but it was delicious! Downtown Sorrento was adorable. There were shops everywhere--displaying everything decorated with lemons, lemons, and more lemons! I fell in love with this seaside town, vowing to myself that I would return someday...or maybe annually? Yes, once a year sounds good. Hmm, it's a wonder we even came back from that place of paradise. If you're ever in Italy, please treat yourself to Sorrento. 


I'm back in Orvieto now, drinking in every moment of our last month here. Can it really be that I am leaving in less than a month now? I've learned much and still have much more to learn in this last class of Arts & Liturgy. I am thrilled to learn about the monastic tradition of hours of prayer throughout the day. We will be incorporating this liturgy into our regular schedules for the next month. What a rich and beautiful practice to make a habit. More on this topic later. For now, these words from Dara Maclean's song express a piece of what my heart has been feeling in the Lord lately:

How can I say thank You?
How can I adore You?
All I have to offer
Is the life I lay before You
You're the One I live for
So let my heart be filled to overflow
Each day brand new
With gratitude

I've been forgiven and now I'm free
Every morning, Your love embraces me
Only You, have satisfied
Only You, have been faithful all my life

AMEN