Naples, Italy: Rain...Then We Kayaked

When we got to Naples, it was raining, so we dropped off our things and headed for some traditional Neapolitan pizza and cola (first Pepsi we've seen in Italy!), which was delicious.  We had planned to head back to our hostel, but... 

...the sun came out and we went kayaking!  It was AMAZING!  We went north from Naples along the Amalfi (ah-MALL-fee, Joel) Coast, and we were able to kayak right into some ancient Roman ruins and the caves behind Mom and I, which were filled with tide pools and sea creatures.  Some of the caves were natural, and some were carved in ancient times for use as a Roman harbor.  We also were able to snorkel off of the mini-reef that Mom and I are are standing on, which was very cool (lots of fish).  Under the water, you could see gas bubbles rising to the surface from the volcanic bottom; according to our guide, the gas was residual from the last time Vesuvius (the big volcano near Naples) erupted.  The final adventure was culinary: our guide Giovanni cut sea urchins for us right off of the rock, and we ate them right then...the freshest of fresh sushi!

The tide pools around the caves--we got to hold sea cucumbers!

Where we left our kayaks in the caves while we explored (we came in through the entrance to the right of Mom).  What a great way to end our explorations of Italia!