I see that the frequency of my posts are exponentially decreasing every month, and I cannot believe the pressure people have been putting on me to write - thank you for your support :)
Anyway, I'm not going to bore you with the usual topics of conversation. This entry is reserved solely for travel stories and pics.
A few weeks ago, I, along with 20-something (I think 22...not sure) of my exchange companions, ventured cross-boot-country to test out the notorious Nepolitan pizza (didn't happen - will explain later), the ruins, and the general Southern hospitality.
So CIRCUMVESUVIUS it was. In all its lack of glory. We were ushered into a seafood restaurant on the second floor of a building, and all 27 of us were served by one 90-year-old man, who required to go down in the elevator to the kitchen to fetch the food, 2 plates at a time. Great start. At least we got wine.
After seeing the ruins, we trained (verb?) to Sorrento and I was absolutely blown away by the number of go(o)d-looking people. EVERYWHERE. And what an exquisite little city. One of the things I miss terribly about Cape Town is the never-ending 'vibe' - something indescribable, but you notice it when it's missing. The streets were pumping with busy, happy people.
When you get taken away on a heavily sponsored trip, you
expect to eat dump food. Being surprised with a full hotel breakfast the
following morning was the beginning of, what I think, was my favourite day. Of
my life. Ever. (Start with pancakes, and you start with joy.)We walked to the dock and boarded a “ferry” (looked like a
cargo-ship) and headed off to Capri. Despite first impressions, the cargo-ship
was home to a casino and other such luxuries. Happiness. 
Listen, I've never been to Greece, but I imagine that Capri is what Greece looks like. By far the most beautiful place I have ever seen in my entire life. Pictures to follow. Capri is famous for its attraction of celebrities, and pictures of George Clooney, Beyonce and Jay-Z, Ronaldo and Federer, were seen eating at various restaurants across the island.
We hiked down to a pebble beach with water as clear as can be, and ate an amazing lunch on the resturant deck that extends over the water.
The hike up was made bearable by the premise of lemon granita at the top - 3 weeks later, and I'm still thinking about how phenomenal that was. Our free time was aimed at "shopping", but unfortunately an exchange student's budget does not cover Salvatore Ferregamo or Prada. Instead, we wondered around aimlessly in awe of the beauty, looking for something more productive to do, when we smelt it. The most amazing smell I have ever smelt. A group of about 6 of us legitimately walked around with our noses in the air sniffing out the smell, which after 20 minutes, led us to a gelateria where the waffle cones, the source of the smell, were made as you ordered. Needless to say that was the most satisfying waffle cone ever.
We returned to our hotel in Sorrento, tanned and satisfied with a wonderful day.
The next day we were driven to Nerano, a pinnacle in Sorrento, and walked the Baia di Jeranto all the way down to the beach at the bottom. The terrain was quite rough and the hike exhausting but the views proved worth the discomfort.
When we got back to the centre, we were so exhausted, but were informed of our next tour - the wood museum. With sore calves and closing eyes, we slumped through the museum and managed to get excitement only from the wooden bed-frames - waiting hopefully for an offer to try it out. The offer never came.
After an hour of unproductive, gelato-filled (although that is always productive), we returned to our usual dinner spot - a restaurant off one of the main roads in the old city. After the meal, a handful of us were standing outside the restaurant getting some fresh air, and obviously talking very loudly. All of a sudden, a bucket of water was thrown over us from someone's balcony above us. We were open-mouthed, speechless, and sopping wet. No warning. No "shut-up". Just chuck a bucket of water on me. Thanks, bro.
We left Sorrento the following morning, and started the next leg of our trip in Casserta - the home to the Spanish King's paland (old king, obviously.) Definitely the best museum-esque tour we've had. An interesting tour guide who spoke in Italian we could understand and showed us things we thought were cool. After the tour, we had a picnic and free time in the king's garden 'round back. Just your average back yard.
We got on another train and headed for Rome. Now, the next 3 days are a bit confused, because there was a strike on the one day so we kind of mixed our itinerary around a bit.
Between the flashmob dance we did outside the Coloseum, to the race up the Spanish Steps, to getting our faces characatured in a Piazza, meeting and conversing with prostitutes on the streets, predending to throw coins in the Trevi Fountain, and rapping commercial songs in weird accents in public, we did all the normal touristy things. Maybe it was because our time was so short that I felt like Rome is incredibly overrated, but being with exchange friends made the time incredible. We boarded the train in Rome and headed back to Milan, sad to separate and say goodbye.
Overall, the trip has been the highlight of my exchange so far.
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