Sorry, it has been a little while, but I have been so busy recently! The time is flying quickly by and my time in Florence is almost up! Though I am excited to see family and friends again, I would be more than content to stay in Florence for an indefinite period of time.
This past weekend, we went to Naples and Pompeii, which was quite a long train ride (6 hours!), but well worth it! I must say that when I got into Naples, my first impressions were somewhat less than flattering. It was something like, “Hmm, this must have been Dante’s inspiration for the Inferno.” Upon closer inspection, I realized that my initial reactions were pretty much spot on. There is trash everywhere. I’m talking about mountains of garbage, not just the random bottle or piece of paper in the street. And the streets are torn up, huge holes everywhere. Not potholes, mind you; holes that look like a meteor shower hit Naples. Our hotel was in a decent-looking part of town, near the train station, and from our balcony window we could see prostitutes on the street corner; for a while, we watched them go away with people and come back, and compared times. People drive like maniacs, red lights mean nothing, laundry is strung out between buildings, and the buildings are so close together it makes you feel claustrophobic! I was a little afraid for my life. But the pizza was very good, hehe.
Pompeii was much more family-friendly entertainment, but I have never been so hot in my entire life. I sweat so much that I don’t think I peed once that day, and I drank two huge bottles of water (sorry if that’s a bit graphic, but I’m trying to give you an idea of how hot it was). It was hot. No shade. No breeze. Just hot. Pompeii was definitely worth it, though, because it is just such a unique place. You walk through it, and it’s almost eerie, how it seems that at any point the owners of those houses are just going to return and continue on with their lives. It is so well preserved, it really gives a beautiful picture of what city life was like in early Italy. Prettiest spot: Garden of Hercules, where we found a patch of shade and sat down for a quick rest. Lots of flowers and a nice set-up. Saddest spot: Garden of the fugitives, where the shapes of around 10 bodies, including small children, are preserved in exactly the same position where they died when Vesuvius erupted. Most entertaining: the Lupanare (the town brothel, complete with illustrations on the walls of what went on…just goes to show, some things never change!).
On the train ride back home, we anticipated getting home at around 1:45 in the morning Tuesday morning. Instead, we got home at 3:30. Our train left almost 2 hours late, because there were electrical problems at the station ahead of us, and so we were all very tired once we finally got back home. Plus, apparently there weren’t enough seats on the train, so we had to stand for the last 3-4 hours of the trip out in the hallway. All in all, it was quite an experience.
Now, I’m back in Florence for the last few days, trying to soak up as much as I can and enjoy myself before I leave on Sunday for Cefalu, Sicily!