After leaving Rome I didn’t know what else to expect. I had already seen everything I had ever dreamed of seeing…so now what? Little did I know…

First off, on the train to Naples to get to Sorrento, the theory of Italian guys being very complimenting and vocal about what they think about you…well it got proved. We were sitting in the corridor of the train because we didn’t have actual seats since they were open tickets. We were fine with this and chose a nice quiet hallway type thing to sit in. We decided to sit by the area who had their windows shut with curtains…that way we would have to awkwardly stare at anybody in their seats. Good plan, right? No.

We were making jokes and being a bit loud, when one of the boys looked out his window at us, opened the curtain and opened the door. Instead of saying Hi, or even Ciao, he just sat there and stared at me. I tried to ignore it, but after 10 minutes this guy was still staring at me. So I decided to kindly ask him, ‘Is there a reason you’re staring at me?’ He started laughing and gave me a high five. I was confused, my friends were half cracking up, half wondering what the heck was going on.  He had two other friends with him and they preceded to try to talk to me. I barely knew any Italian, and only one of them barely knew any English so needless to say the conversation was enthralling. He was taking an english class and was trying his best to piece together what he had learned. But, all he could really get was ‘I….I….WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS!’ We all laughed so hard we almost cried. Then he tried singing NeYo’s ‘Miss Independent’ to me. I can now say that I was serenaded on the train in Italy.

When we finally arrived to Sorrento we were absolutely blown away by the amazing view. We took a bus to what we thought was a hostel, but it actually turned out to be little bungalow cottages overlooking the sea, called Villaggio Resort Nettuno. We thought we had died and gone to heaven. For only 14 euros a night we were in paradise.

The day after we arrived the ‘resort’ was running a deal where for 30 euros they would take you around Capri, into the Blue Grotto, and then you could spend the day on the island and they would pick you up at 430pm. So of course we took the opportunity!!

It was a 30 minute boat ride which is incredibly scenic. They took us to where the Blue Grotto is and since we were in a huge boat we figured that the cave where this thing is must be pretty big! I hate caves, so I was pleased. Well…not so much. They transfered us over to little rowboats and then pointed to where we were going…this little tiny holy that you literally had to duck in the boat in order to get through it. Holy crap. Luckily once you’re in the actual grotto it’s a lot bigger and going in there was one of the best decisions we made. Beautiful can’t really describe it…and pictures don’t even do it justice. You have to see this water with your own eyes to really understand just how magnificent it is. After the grotto, the boat took us to Manna de Piccola which had the bluest water in pure daylight that I had ever seen.

Capri is a beautiful island and if you have the money, find a hostel or hotel on the island and stay there. But it’s cheaper if you stay in Sorrento and take a boat to Capri for the day or two. Everything is very expensive on the island so it’s a good idea to pack a water bottle and some snacks with you.

Sorrento in its own right is just as beautiful. On our last evening in Italy we decided to head into the middle of town. They had tons of shops and curvy little streets. We took a little tour through the town on a little white train that looked like it had escaped the nearest children’s playground. And of course, found some gelato. (I seemed to be addicted to it.)

After returning back to our bungalow for the night, I decided to go down to the seaside with my Eat Pray Love book and have some ‘me’ time. It was nice to get away from everything and just sit and appreciate all that the last couple weeks had given me.

The best part about this Epic Eurotrip is that through all the disappointments, the stressful traveling instances, the heavy luggage….throughout all of that…I finally saw some of the world. And I loved every millisecond of it.

All I can say is I hope you, reader, have your own epic trip someday. One that really opens your eyes to the world. Even if it’s not to Europe…it could even be to the grocery store if you’re lucky enough, just a journey that gives you hope and new dreams that you never thought imaginable. I hope you do.

Epic Eurotrip ‘09, OUT!