Monday, September 17, 2007

Napoli Futbol

Yesterday was the day that all of Karl's dreams came true...we went to a professional soccer game here where our home team (Napoli) won 2-0! We went to the game with Greg and Judy and had an amazing time. The fans were absolutely out of control (and we loved it!)- they set off fireworks in the stands, almost stampeded us getting through security, and were so loud that I actually had to cover my ears a few times or risk hearing loss. We miss football season back in the states so much, but this just about made up for it! The crowd was so die hard that they actually have a huge net that goes over the section where the opposing fans sit so they won't get hit with anything (even though it didn't stop the Naples fans from throwing water balloons and bottles of soda at them).
San Paulo Stadium After the goals, the crowd set off fireworks and the stadium filled with smoke Karl and I after the game outside the stadium...hot and sweaty, but excited nonetheless
On a side note, we wanted to let everyone know that we're moving into our house tomorrow and it can take up to 60 days to get internet (we're hoping we get it sooner than later), so our blog might not get updated as often. Please do keep up with us though, and you can always call my cell if you need us (the number is on the bottom of the previous blog). Hope to be up and blogging soon! Ciao!

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Capri

This past weekend, Karl and I took a trip to the island of Capri which is about a 45 min boat ride from downtown Naples. We were celebrating the sixth year anniversary of when we met and had our first date and we couldn't have picked a more romantic place to go. Capri is becoming a vacation destination for celebrities, so there is AMAZING shopping (every designer you could think of) and restaurants. There are great views from all over the island and the weather was great for us. We did a lot of window shopping and had a nice lunch and really just enjoyed walking all around the center of town. Before leaving, we stopped at a produce stand and got wonderful fruits and veggies for dinner...it was a perfect end to a perfect day. (To look closer at the pictures, you can click on them to blow them up)
A nice shot of Naples from the boat as we were leaving the Port Another shot of downtown Naples I took this from the boat as we were coming up on Capri The port at Capri- we had a nice bottle of wine there in the evening and watched all the boats come in and out More Capri from the port To get to the center of town (which is at the very top of the island), you have to walk if you don't have a car...this is the road there Karl at the port with the carnival behind him
The view from the center of town (seeing how far down the port is, you can only imagine how long it took us to hike up) We had a nice lunch here and it gave us time to really soak in the view Karl with the Gelato...mmmmm This was a fun find for us- it is a HUGE tiled map of Capri (probably the size of our old living room)

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

A Quick Update!

I wanted to give everyone an update on what's going on with our new Italian life! Most importantly, we have FINALLY received our move-in date and we will be in our home Sept. 18! We are VERY lucky because most people move into their house and then have to use loaner furniture for at least a month until their household goods arrive, but ours is already here and we will get all seven crates, our express shipment, AND all of our appliances on the 18th- that is going to be an insane day!
Another exciting bit of news is that we have bought two cars and are almost done with the registration process (it takes FOREVER)! Karl has a silverish-blue Honda Civic and I got a purplish-blue VW Polo and put some pictures of my wonderful new car below! I have been forced to learn stick shift since that is all that you can get here and I haven't hit anything yet-yet being the operative word. Driving has actually been the hardest part of the transition because the Italians are so crazy. Karl and I think it's so funny that Italians are so slow at EVERYTHING except driving- in a rush to go nowhere I guess.
I LOVE MY NEW CAR!!! This past weekend was also the anniversary of the day Karl and I met each other...awwww! Saturday marked the six year anniversary that we met at the Western Michigan game in the North End Zone and six years ago yesterday was our first date! We celebrated by going to the island of Capri for the day on Sunday and I'll put up those pictures tomorrow! One last thing, I have a cell phone finally and the number is 39-340-714-6365! Ciao!

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Boating Adventure

Last weekend, Karl and I went down to the Amalfi Coast (about 2 hours south of Naples) and went out boating, snorkling, and cliff diving with a few other couples. The weather was fantastic- not a cloud in the sky and about 98 degrees- and the water wasn't too cold either! We left in the morning and drove to another base to meet up with the group then we drove down past Sorrento and parked at a little beach between the mountains. Down at the docks, we rented speedboats and took off towards the nearby islands. We first stopped at a clump of three small islands to do some snorkling (after some persuassion, I actually did strap on my snorkel gear and got in the water and I'm so glad I did)! The water was as clear as bath water and the fish were amazing and luckily no sharks. We then went over to the island of Capri and spent a lot of time there- Karl and I snorkled hand-in-hand through the Green Grotto (an amazing cave at Capri) and then we enjoyed some beers on the boat. Our last stop was to go swimming and cliff diving at a beautiful beach on the coast (Karl was brave enough to jump 40 feet or so off the cliff- I was brave enough to watch).
After spending the day on the boat, the whole group went to an awesome dinner at a restaurant that sat on the top of a mountain- we sat there for hours as they brought out course, after course, after course and so on (I was stuffed after course 2)! The pictures we took don't even do that day justice- the water was bluer than in the Caribbean and the villages on the nearby coast seemed almost magical and like something from a postcard. For anyone planning to visit in the summer, this trip is a must!
The beach we left from on the boats Looking behind us at the beach- incredible! Passing a town while on the boat Relaxing on the bow More of the beautiful Amalfi Coast Mine and Karl's feet- I am definely tanner than Karl This is the first island we stopped at- it was neat to see all the houses on the islands because there are no bridges- people can only go to the mainland by boat More of the islands This is at the island of Capri (on a clear day, we can actually see Capri in the distance from our balcony in our new house) The Green Grotto and the caves we snorkled through