Welcome back, happy November! This is going to be an image-heavy post…starting off with mine and David’s trip to Napoli, Italy! On our maiden Ryanair voyage, our backpacks passed the size limit. We were off put by their offensively bright cheddar-cheese seat backings, and I’d never heard of an airline raffle before. Flying over the Alps could not have been more scenic; I’ve seen the Rockies from above – and they are stunning in their own right – but these mountains were visibly more dramatic. A picture never does it justice, but it can give a taste. 

Immediately, we ogled at the buildings with floor to ceiling windows and manicured window boxes or balconies. We wove in and out of narrow alleyways with clotheslines draped in between. We felt keenly aware of just how old the city and buildings were when the key to our accommodation looked like it could open a dungeon from Harry Potter or something (we both forgot to take a picture, so you’ll just have to imagine). In Napoli, we stayed a quick 8-minute walk from city center, but every street and alley had shops, restaurants, and other lively happenings. The first meal in Italy might’ve been one of the best, simply because of the long travel day and its novelty.

Right: Bookstore-bar we found. One of the coolest joints I’ve ever been to. We need more hybrid spaces like this in the United States. Here, you could cozy up with a book (which you could literally borrow from the wall), and/or share a delicious drink and lively conversation. Speakeasy ambiance mixed with dark academia.

Despite the long travel day, we rose early the next morning to get to the Path of the Gods trailhead. It seems like a rite of passage to at some point have had an epic transportation complication or failure. What would normally be a straightforward route (well.. still 3 bus connections) to Bomero, one of the notable Path of the Gods trailheads turned into a multi-hour, multi-modal fiasco. Heads up, public transit system in Napoli/Sorrento is wildly different on Sundays. Some of this will be indicated online. Some will not. Some things like route changes and reduced frequencies we researched, understood, and corrected for. The ‘less controllables’ like ridiculously late busses, busses not showing up, conflicting terminal directions, symbol misidentification, limited electrical resources, and the language barrier challenged us. Persistent, resilient, cooperative, motivated, optimistic, these trials and tribulations could not dissuade David and I from pursuing our ultimate aspiration. 

Top left: quiet metro car in Napoli. So clean. Top right: taken inside a bus in Sorrento, I thought Amalfi coast paintings were gorgeous and vibrant. Bottom left: One of two streets in the town Meta – our first bus connection. Bottom right: Basilica Pontificia di Santa Maria del Lauro¹ the main church in Meta.

And that we did. Monster in-hand & backpacks cinched, we had a few hours to complete the Bomerano to Positano Path of the Gods Trail before catching the 4:30 ferry back to Naples.

Never in my life have I experienced such a consistently breathtaking, scenic hike. The plunging cliffs, lush landscapes, small vineyards, homes and farms nestled into the landscape, dramatic cliff faces, the sun glistening against the Tyrrhenian sea. Sheer bliss.

At Nochelle, which is just about 30-45 minutes from Positano, David and I enjoyed freshly squeezed lemon/orange slushies. The juice-makers (what do you call someone who runs a slushie stand?!) have nailed their product – so acidic, refreshing, and cold. 

The last 30-45 minutes of the hike shifted from trail-walking to quaint town exploration. We braved the endless staircases in upper Positano to descend into the commercial part of Positano. Our achy knees wished for a walking stick to absorb part of the impact.

All pain was temporarily forgotten when we stumbled into a Pasticceria. Although we didn’t indulge in the classic sorbetto served inside the lemon rind, we did grab a cannoli. Now, I am deeply loyal to Boston’s North End – shoutout Mikes and Modern – but THIS was hands down the best cannoli I’ve ever eaten in my life. I loved seeing how the buildings nestled into the steep hills/cliff side and the shops layered on top of each other. I wonder how many flights of stairs between grocery store and home is typical for a Positano resident…

Bottom left: cool soccer pitch, eh? Bottom right: Looking up at Positano from the beach.

We took the ferry from Positano to Napoli, walked back home, and grabbed hors d’oeuvre. During our trip, we developed the tradition wherein we jointly recapitulated the day whilst enjoying (astonishingly cheap) delicious meats, cheeses, wines, crackers, or produce. Thanks to ideal European dining hours, we could enjoy this thoroughly, have time to digest, then walk to a nearby spot and enjoy yet another amazing, high-quality meal. 

Another day, David and I explored the UNESCO World Heritage site Pompeii. Unlike the Museum of Fine Arts exhibit in Boston I saw as a child, which hosted many of the plaster casts (the notorious, famous ‘images’ associated with Vesuvius’s victims), the site itself was more-so an architectural experience. If you’re particularly interested in an in-depth Pompeii learning experience, I’d recommend going on a live tour or using the audio guide, since the plaques did not provide much information. 

We walked through the majority of the city, and my favorite site was The Villa of the Mysteries (Villa dei Misteri) because of the preserved frescos. How cool to see the recovered ancient city intertwined with modern Italy, all with Vesuvius looming over the horizon. Truly once in a lifetime!

Post-Pompeii, once again, we enjoyed our evening appetizers and delicious food. David ordered fried anchovies and a seafood pasta, and I got a special ravioli. To top off the night, we grabbed a drink at Archeobar, one of Naples’ top rated bars. One of the last novelties David and I indulged in was a liqueur called ‘Strega.”³ Now, amidst a roughly 12 page cocktail/drinks menu, this name popped out to me because of the “Strega nona” books I read in second grade (shoutout Ms. Walker!!) Knowing Strega Nona’s Calabrian origin (Naples is part of this region) , it seemed mandatory that we indulge. Most shots burn your throat, make you tear up, or wish you’d never taken it in the first place. Strega, however, warmed my stomach and went down way too easily. I have never tasted such a warming, delicious, herbally-hard-liquor in my life. Dare I say it was delightful?! According to my deep dive after-the-fact, Strega Liqueur is a distinctive Italian herbal liqueur, created in 1860, made from the distillation of about 70 herbs and spices, which gives it a unique flavor and its characteristic golden-yellow color from saffron. Legend states the city where it’s produced was the site of ancient witches’ rites, adding a magical mystique to this versatile spirit that can be enjoyed neat, on ice, or in cocktails.⁴ Unexpected highlight for sure. 

Thanks to David’s radical optimism, we cleared customs in time to make the early train from Edinburgh to St Andrews (difference between getting home around 11:30 versus getting home closer to 1am). Backkk to reality! Without synchronous classes, I worked on essays/assignments, went to the golf range, meandered around town, and enjoyed meals with the few people left in Deans Court.

Toward the end of reading week, I played in my first game vs Edinburgh – their ice rink is located right next to where the big rugby match was in September. I kid you not, we had 8 skaters to play in a full regulation game. At one point we had more people in the box than we did on the bench. Miraculously, we tied. With puck drop at 10:30pm, we got off the ice and were showered on the bus by 130isham. Had it not been daylight savings for the UK that exact night, we would’ve gotten back to St Andrews at 3:00 – 3:30am. The things we do for sport, ey?

Left: Lydia B hosted a us for the best halloween pre (she’s the goat). Here’s her spread (aperol, olives, feta etc. etc.) ! Right: Lucas and my couples costume. I found Nemo (and I had an excuse to wear the coolest wellys – shoutout to Sharon, Rebecca, Caroline, and Hannah iykyk)! Lucas made his costume in an hour… a man of many talents.

Our next set of games coincided with Halloweekend, and the ‘Phoons had a roadtrip planned! Playing on team has shown me a lot more of the UK than I anticipated… Saturday we drove down to Leeds, England for a 10pm game. There was a bit of confusion on the break regulations required by our bus driver, so we arrived at the rink about 15 minutes before the actual game. Despite the scramble, we earned a decisive win against Leeds. 

That night was the World Series, so naturally we hit the streets of Leeds in hopes that any pub would turn on the game for some Americans and Canadians while the rest of the town ambled around in costumes. We closed out the bar around 3:30 am, and the Dodgers didn’t even win until around 4:30. Late night in Leeds.

The next day we drove an hour-ish and arrived at Planet Ice (Manchester – its a UK ice rink chain) around 12:30. You can imagine the rink manager’s confusion and temporary panic when a team shows up ten hours early to their game. So, it was time to take advantage of a day in Manchester! Tommy brought and assembled the Sparx machine, so everyone got a fresh new skate cut.

We bought train tickets to explore the city center and grab much needed sustenance. Manchester City must’ve planned their schedule around ours because their match began at 4:30, leaving us ample time to watch the entire game vs Bournemouth, grab dinner, train all the way back to Planet Ice, and warm up. This was my first premier league game; I loved experiencing the fan culture and team cheers. Even with nosebleed tickets, the pitch view was excellent. We saw not one but two Erling Haaland goals – what a unit. Definitely one of the biggest stadiums I’ve ever been in.

Our game vs Manchester began at 10:45pm – redbull and fruit gummies powered me – and we secured a decisive second weekend win! The bus ride home began around 1:30am, and we returned to St Andrews around 7:30am. Somehow we were allocated a tiny bus for the weekend, so the sleeping arrangements were tight. I ‘slept’ on the floor in the back of the bus. After a weekend on the road, I savoured the Deans Court breakfast with renewed gratitude. We’ll wrap on that note 🙂

1. https://turismo.diocesisorrentocmare.it/sanctuaries/basilica-santuario-santa-maria-del-lauro/?lang=en ↩︎
2. https://pompeiisites.org/en/comunicati/pompeii-discovery-of-a-room-with-frescoes-depicting-the-initiation-into-the-mysteries-and-the-dionysiac-procession/ ↩︎
3. https://www.strega.it/en/liquore-strega/ ↩︎
4. https://www.strega.it/en/liquore-strega/ ↩︎
5. https://dictionary.apa.org/geon ↩︎