Teaching Kitty Not to Scratch

Jipsy has been progressively destroying this (previously) rather nice foldout couch of Holland's. She has also begun to destroy a wicker chair of mine that was not expensive but I very much like. I have decided that something must be done. The internet says that you can spray furniture with "cat repellant" spray (I think it usually smells like citrus or citronella) or put double-sided tape on the furniture, because cats don't like things sticking to their paws. I'm going to go to the pet store this weekend to look for some spray or "Sticky Paws" tape. I'm also contemplating buying an ugly, crazy-cat-lady cat tower in the hopes that she will scratch that instead. In the meanwhile, the internet says that tin foil can be a temporary fix because cats don't like the sound tin foil makes. So here I am, with tin foil on my furniture. Did I also mention that we have blankets hung over our windows also? I'm wondering if I will ever have a presentable home again.

B & B Donna Regina

We stayed at the most interesting place in Naples. It is a bed and breakfast, which in Italy means that you're actually staying in someone's home. We went through a nondescript little hobbit door that was cut in a much larger, older door. An old Italian woman then instructed us to take the teeny tiny elevator up to the forth floor. We went through the doors and stepped into this beautiful art gallery. It actually is an art gallery/apartment that is in a building from (I believe?) the 13th century.

Pompeii!

Yesterday, we took the hydrofoil from Capri back to Naples so that we could visit Capri. I was excited to see Pompeii because it is the first thing I can remember studying in Social Studies in elementary school. If you look closely, you can see Mt. Vesuvius in the background!

Foreign road signs

I asked Holland what he thought this sign meant and he said, "Burning bush ahead, take off your shoes!"

I think it actually means fire hazard.

Fiat parade!

All over Italy, there are these vintage Fiat driving clubs. One of them was driving all over Capri while we were there. They're super cute!

Villa Jovis

During our four days in Capri, we also hiked a ways out of Capri Town to the Villa Jovis, where the somewhat-crazy emperor Tiberius moved the entire Roman court for the last ten years of his life. He picked the best spot on the entire island to build his home- on a high point with a great view of the Sorrento coast, across the Bay of Naples. He also supposedly threw his enemies from the cliff at "Tiberius' Jump."

Although our guide book said the villa is open until dusk, when we arrived at four, there was a sign saying it closed at three. This is in true Italian fashion, as most places here tend to open and close at seemingly completely arbitrary hours. A man walked out and told us that it was closed, but he would let us in for 20-25 minutes. We later observed him telling other tourists the exact same thing!

Oh, and there's a church built over the ruins at the top that is devoted to Mary.

Monte Solaro

From Anacapri, you can take a chair lift (basically a single-chair ski lift) to the top of the Monte Solaro, which is the highest point on the island. The view from the top is beautiful. Holland and I rode the lift up, then hiked back down. On the way, we came across an old church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The path leading up to it has beautiful bronze Stations of the Cross on the way up from town.