Geography Department Visits Sorrento
It was an early start for the 37 pupils and 5 staff who left Bangor at 1:45am ready to fly off to Naples, Italy. Our excitement soon lost its battle against sleep and soon the coach was filled with sleeping girls as we travelled to Dublin International Airport in order to catch our 7:30am flight.
After our flight, and coach transfer, we finally arrived at the Hotel Londra, Sorrento around 13:30 that afternoon. As expected, the first thing we did after settling into our rooms was go for a nice walk through Sorrento… to get to the pizzeria. (Nothing says, “Welcome to Italy!” quite like some fresh Italian pizza!) After a quick lunch, pupils and teachers alike were set loose on the streets of Sorrento, armed with a map to do what all girls do best – shop!
The next few days were accompanied with seeing the various sights and wonders Italy has to offer. Sunday began with an early start as we headed off to visit Mount Solfatara, a dormant volcano which still emits strong jets of sulphurous steam; and then to climb Mount Vesuvius, where a tour guide led us around the main crater and told us all about the geological and historical facts about the volcano, which is still active today. On Sunday afternoon, we got to try our hands at making some Italian ‘gelato’ at the Bougainvillea Ice Cream Parlour, and even got to sample the finished product. Delicious!
The following morning we took a boat trip to the island of Capri, where we got to visit the beautiful Augustus gardens and enjoy the sun! Later that afternoon we got to visit the world famous Pompeii, which was destroyed in the aftermath of a volcanic eruption from Mount Vesuvius. We were able to get a glimpse into the lives of the people who lived there when the volcano erupted. Our final evening in Sorrento included a trip to the Alexia House Pizzeria. Here we were given the opportunity to make our own pizza dough and create a pizza to eat. There was even a bit of friendly competition for the best dough maker. This was won by Caroline Barr.
It was a sad return on Tuesday 15th when we all realised it was time to go, and it was with sleepy heads and heavy hearts that we rolled our suitcases into the airport and prepared for the journey home; but we certainly had plenty of stories to share when we got home!
Lucy Boal (Year 13)
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