From the title of this post, some of you might be scared…some of you might be intrigued, and some of you might be down right offended; however, judging that you are still reading this and that majority of you know me pretty well, you should know that I keep it pretty PG. After all I idolize the Mister Rogers and the Muppets…granted, Kermit the Frog is often topless, but that is beside the point! No eyes will be scarred in the reading of this blog. Please just bear with me, and all will be explained/shown [wink wink (but seriously, it’s PG)].

When last I wrote, I had left you with my thoughts on northern and central Italy, and now I shall pick up where I left off and explain the next destination of Spring Break 2013: Italian Edition --> The Amalfi Coast.

For those of you who don’t know and are too lazy to google it right now, the Amalfi Coast is the coastline of a small peninsula south of Naples, Italy. It is known for beautiful beaches, cliffside views, and serene peace from other major tourist attractions in Italy. How did I decide on this location? Well, I consulted my travel partner in crime, Laura Euller, who like myself is EXTREMELY attractive and into the great outdoors. Those of you with whom I have spoken have probably heard my unjust, socialist, tree hugging complaint that while living in Nantes, I have had a lack of nature in my day-to-day life. The appropriate response to this lament that many have given is, “Shut the front door, Andrew, and go eat some crêpes, you ungrateful spoiled, scruffy looking, nerf hurder.” To which my response has always been:

But often too, I concede the point that this is a truly silly complaint; however, I’m on vacation, and I am going to do what I (and my travel companions) want…so there!

Laura and I departed Rome on a train to Naples which took us then on a metro to Sorrento where we were supposed to meet a bus that would drive us 45 minutes along the winding twisting roads of the coast to the small town of Positano. You following so far? One problem though: the buses took a page from the French and decided to go on strike the day we got there, so we ended up biting the bullet and took a taxi out to the town.

As we arrived at Mama Rosa’s B&B (an establishment filled with quite literally the kindest and most helpful brother and sister in all of Italy. In all seriousness go there), we settled into our room, which looked out directly onto the coastline and Mediterranean Sea. Am I spoiled? Fortunate? Grateful? At complete peace? An assertive and blissful, “HECK YES.”

In Positano, we decided to take a hiking trail known as “The Path of the Gods.” Did it live up to its grandiose name? You be the judge: The walk took us up and along the cliff line of the coast where one can look out over the ocean but also marvel at the weathered limestone cliffs, outcrops, and caves that have been forming for centuries in the area.

Not only did it house beautiful views and magnificent natural features, but also it had extremely hardcore cabin porn.

Yes, there it is again: that arcane, ominous, and outlandish phrase used earlier. To give piece of mind to the ill-informed, cabin porn is the depiction of rural home structures in relation to the serene landscape which either compliments or enhances the structure’s beauty. Again there is no nudity involved. Instead it takes from Merriam-Webster’s third definition of porn: “the depiction of acts in a sensational manner so as to arouse a quick intense emotional reaction.” To get a better understanding of cabin pornography, go to: http://www.freecabinporn.com

I saw ancient medieval cabin ruins that were built either along the cliff line or directly into the cliff itself. As a lover of nature, archaeology, and all things good in this world, I constantly became weak at the knees at the sight of these structures in relation to their environment…while probably embarrassing Laura immensely due to my excessive drooling over the idea of living someday in one of these ancient cabins. To understand my sick and twisted fantasy, I encourage you to watch this film:

After this splendid visit in Positano, we then ventured down into Amalfi, the coastal town for which the coastline is named. In Amalfi we got to enjoy the narrow streets and intricate stairs that lead to multiple viewpoints and buildings along the coast.

After Amalfi, we made the long a weary journey back to France where Laura was gracious enough to host me in her home in Annecy. Located in the Haute-Savoie region, Annecy is located on an extremely large lake and is surrounded by the French Alps. The quick visit was filled with quaint streets, snow capped mountains, and delicious bread and cheese as I plunge back into my delightful French diet.

After a train ride across the center of the country, I am now back in my home in Nantes preparing for classes and fondly reflecting on the adventures had with such wonderful people. I must especially thank Laura Euller for having the patience and kindness to put up with my antics, bumbling, and much more during the majority of this vacation. I couldn’t have asked for a more pleasant companion with which to share the adventure.

More news to come, as I make the turn around what will be the last bend here before the school year is over. How time flies, and how I look forward to those moments when it will stand still. Thank you, again for all of your kind words and support, and I hope that wherever you are, there is a cabin close by that you can either ogle or inhabit.

Firstly, I must apologize for my lack of blog postings. After returning from Christmas break, I received many visitors including dear friends like Hannah Berlin-Burns of study abroad fame, fellow former Duke TIP employee, John Stokes, and the loyalist of mountain alums, Chris Gracey, so my days have been spent entertaining and being entertained by these wonderful people and not writing. OOPS.

HOWEVER, the past two weeks I have been on spring break: 2013…it has been a complete whirlwind of excellence, and because of the daily adventures and excitement, it’s story (much like the most recent Hobbit film series) will be divided into multiple parts for royalties, merchandising, and cash money

My journey started in Bologna, Italy where I graced the home of John Stokes and his fellow Hopkins classmates for a few days. Upon arriving, I was greeted with a blizzard of epic proportions by my southern standards, but experienced delicious food, including a squid cooked in it’s own ink during a day trip to Venice!

The unique timing of this Roman adventure did allow for some once in a lifetime opportunities. For example, I went to the Vatican when there was no pope: an opportunity that I doubt I (or many others) will be able to experience again for a while. Despite the distinct lack of pope in the neighborhood, the Vatican a really aw-inspiring experience. One of the things that contributed to this experience was an encounter I had with a well-known American in the Vatican.

As one can imagine, there is quite a bit of news coverage of the Vatican right now due to the bizarre circumstances of the pope’s retirement. The square and the street approaching St. Peter’s were filled with local, European and international TV news stations. As a result, when I was leaving St Peter’s square, I encountered a familiar face from American television, ABC news anchor: George Stephanopoulos.

Now as many of you know, this isn’t the first time that I have encountered ‘famous people’ haphazardly, but I have a standard rule of conduct around these people: treat them as if they were normal human beings because that is truly all that they are. However, since being away from America for so long, I have felt the need to talk to anyone from America I recognize by virtue of the fact that it is relatively surreal to think that we are encountering one another across the globe. As a result, my reflex immediately is to talk to George Stephanopoulos as we cross paths in the street. The conversation went thusly with the parenthetical representing my inner dialogue:
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Me: Mr. Stephanopoulos! (Andrew, you don’t actually know him. What have you done.)

George: Hello!...How are you?

Me: (Mmm he is clearly wondering why he is even talking to me. Best thing is probably to make a joke) Well sir, like many today, I’m utterly popeless but otherwise functional. (Boom.)

George: Haha…That’s a good one…Do I know you?

Me: (Mmm judging by your two “ha’s,” I honestly doubt you thought it was “good one,” George. This is now awkward) No sir, you do not…but you go report the news. I’ll hold down the fort over here.

George: Alright, you have a good one.
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The conversation was over. We went our separate ways, and I sincerely doubt that George Stephanopoulos is writing a blog post about our interaction.  As I was walking away though, I started to think about how dumb it is that one of ABC’s lead anchors (let alone any body) was covering the Vatican.

Was it a unique day in history? Yes. But let’s be real for a sec: it is literally a thirty-second news segment were you have someone say, “Yes, I am standing in the Vatican City, and the rumors are true. He wasn’t bluffing. There is no pope right now.”

Better still, is that there is a rather elaborate scaffold structure for these news teams to continue reporting the situation, suggesting that they are going to be staying there for continuous coverage as if something is going to change within an instant…I imagine George Stephanopoulos almost like a weather reporter in this instance: “Yes Bob, the dew point in the Vatican City is around 48 and there is still a 0% chance of pope today.”

Needless to say, though I was excited to meet George, I am not envious of his situation because he did not get to see all the awesomeness that I saw nor be around the wonderful people with which I was lucky enough to visit. To get an idea of what I saw check out this video.

Part two of this adventure will be coming soon! Thanks again for all of your support, and I am sorry again for not being in better touch!