by Bradley, Photos by Kevin and Richard, thanks!

          Seeing as we were only down in Mexico for 5 nights we decided there was only time for one excursion. We decided to go to the Xplor park. It had four activities to do, zip-lining, amphibious Vehicles, swimming in an underground river. and rafting in an underground river.

          I think the coolest part of the park was just the fact that most of it is underground, the whole time you are walking through caves full of stalactites and stalagmites which all by itself was fun. And of the above ground activities we were rarely with our feet on the ground because we were flying through the air on the zip lines.

by Katherine

          So just taking a quick break from Europe posts to write about our recent trip to Mexico! This time Brad and I went with 7 of our friends (I was the only girl!) back to the Riviera Maya near Playa del Carmen. We really liked the area; there were more excursions we wanted to do and flight-wise, Mexico is the cheapest to fly to. We stayed at a different resort, though - the Grand Princess Riviera Maya. It was cheaper than last year's Hacienda Tres Rios and better suited for a large group of friends. Overall, it was a great trip!

by Katherine

Key Words
Gelato, Large Variety
                 
Would We Come Back?
Yes, the limoncello gelato made it in to my top 5 flavors ever!

          We came to this gelateria twice, tho I wish we had come back more! Being in Sorrento, I had to try the lemon gelato. Crazy thing is - this place had 3 different kinds of lemon gelato, all completely different from one another. There was regular lemon, lemon cream, and limoncello (they also had a lemon slushie, but sadly I never tried it). They were all good, but the limoncello was one of the best flavors of gelato I've ever tried! Top 5 easily, maybe even top 3! The lemon cream was creamier than the other two but it's hard to explain what makes the limoncello so much better than the lemon. Maybe the alcohol is the secret ingredient, haha. I guess you'll just have to go see for yourself! Also, the gelato in general was delicious, the perfect creamy and smooth consistency that makes gelato so damn good in the first place!

by Katherine

          For our last meal in Sorrento, I found a place that was recommended for good cheap pastas.  We sat outside so we could watch the hustle and bustle of the busy narrow side streets. For an appetizer, I finally convinced Brad to let me order just plain octopus (as opposed to a seafood salad).  And it was awesome!! Seriously, the Italians know how to prepare octopus! This one melted in your mouth, not a bit of chewiness. I was in heaven!

by Katherine

Key Words
Reasonably Priced, Good Pastas, Good Views, No Cover Charge
                 
Would We Come Back?
Definitely, especially at lunch time! The views are stunning and the food delicious!   

          I had researched the best restaurants with a view in Positano, assuming there would be ton, but everything I found said to go to the top of the frickin mountain! Yes, those views would probably be the best, but lets be real, Positano is on a hill, so there should be a lot more restaurants with fabulous views that don't require a crazy uphill hike. Since our bus from Sorrento dropped us off near the top of the town, we walked down, figuring we could find lunch on our way. So then we stopped for lunch at the first place we saw, Ristorante da Gabrisa, and it did not disappoint!

by Bradley

          On our last chance to do the Walk of the Gods it again rained and we cancelled our ride to the start of the hike. The rain did clear up mid-day so we decided to hop on the bus and go down the winding, twisting road along the coast from Sorrento to Positano.

by Bradley

Key Words
Good Seafood, Good Wine, Free Limoncello Shot
                 
Would We Come Back?
Sure, even if it's just for the fried baby squid!       

          I've been to the Amalfi Coast before, in 2011 with my Dad, brother and sister. One of our favorite places that we went to was Zi'Ntonio Mare. I actually couldn't remember what the name of the restaurant was and looked back at a picture we had taken. Well the name I got from that picture was actually not the correct restaurant, it was for the one behind it, but either way we ended up going back!

          This restaurant is cool because it's on a dock on the water and you can eat outside on the dock. Our favorite part of the 2011 trip was the fried baby squid, my family and I talk about it often...because of this I just had to have Katherine try it! It was just as good as the last time, lightly fried and the squid was perfectly tender, which is impressive because being that they are so small they would be very easy to overcook.

by Katherine

          Since Sorrento was our base of operations, we spent a lot of time just strolling through the streets. The main part of town is not too big; we easily traversed all the downtown streets at least once. We passed shops allowing us to check out some art work and of course limoncello and many other lemon products. Just passing by the lemon trees around town was a sight to see. I loved seeing all of the beautiful flowers and old architecture of the narrow streets.