Since I've been gone for such a long time and seen so many wondrous sights (okay, probably taking this too far), I am going to separate my trip into multiple blog posts. Also, I tend to get bored before I'm done if it goes on to long. :)
Jennie and I set out on Sunday ultimately for Sorrento, but our first actual stop was in Pompeii. This was very exciting for me because Pompeii is on my (long) list of ancient sights to see! In order to reach both Sorrento and Pompeii it is necessary to change from the EuroStar train in Naples to the circumvesuviana line. This line does exactly what it sounds like, circumvents Vesuvius. I actually got to see that mammoth in person!!! So exciting. A note about Naples however, and I will warn you it is not a fair assessment as I did not actually see the city. Really, it's more of a comment on the entire Campania area. Firstly, it's beautiful. Rocky cliffs jutting out into blue, sometimes aquamarine, waters. Citrus trees, grape vines, tomatoes in excess. But good lord, the graffiti, the trash, the vista ruining slums. It could be so much, a haven. Instead, it is a lesson in not appreciating the gifts given.
Anyway, Jenn and I jumped on the small (graffitied) local train and headed towards the Pompei Scavi stop (there is a stop for Pompeii, but that is not the correct spot to see the ruins). We dragged our bags off the train and dropped them off at the luggage drop in the park - very convenient. We grabbed a quick lunch, fairly typical panini, but the drinks were the big thing. In this region, as I said above, they grow lemons and oranges. Now, while we were there the fruits looked oversized, about twice the "normal" size. But Jenn says in the spring, when she was there last, they are GINORMOUS. Like, four to five times as big as a normal American citrus. They make lemon and orangeade; I got the lemonade and it was delish! I highly recommend it to any lemonade freaks out there like myself!
After our nibbles, we headed into the ruins themselves. Turns out we were very lucky girls (as if we doubted) because that weekend Pompeii was celebrating "cultural heritage days" and everyone got in for free! So, that was super sweet; the only money I spent was on an audio guide. Jenn opted not to get one as she had been to Pompeii a couple of times previously. But, secretly, I love audio guides. They just have so much information and I AM A NERD. So we wandered around the ruins as I learned about Pompeii before the big BOOM. I was surprised to learn that Pompeii is not exactly an accurate representation of the usual italian town -- it was considered a wealthy city. Certainly we saw quite palatial houses, one that literally spanned an entire block! But it was cool to see how an ancient Italian house would be laid out -- with the servants quarters and winter rooms upfront, courtyard and summer rooms open to the elements in the middle, and private family rooms in the back. It's nuts to think that this was a lively, self-sustaining town and then within a few hours it was completely wiped out. Apparently it wasn't the ash that laid waste to the town, other villages in the area were also coated, but it was the blast of noxious poisonous gas that was blown through the town that killed everyone within minutes.
My favorite part was the main forum area, and the temple of Saturn. The weather for our visit was actually pretty awesome; there was a violent storm building around vesuvius and the dark cloud made it look as if the volcano was erupting. Made it easy to imagine what the citizens of Pompeii saw right before they met their demise. We didn't make it to the giant amphitheater, but we did visit the small theater -- I really enjoyed the ancient graffiti and "community boards". People posted all sorts of things, almost exactly the same as today - help wanted ads, rental opportunities, missing pets, conspiracy theories, etc. And the graffiti was very amusing, especially the man who felt the need to tell everyone about how he came to Pompeii and "all the women couldn't resist me and all but a few gave themselves to me". Some things never change. And yes, I did see the brothel...it was interesting, and by far the most crowded area. Hahaha.
After I was done soaking in the ruins, we packed up and hopped back on the circumvesuviana. We headed south, to the end of the line, until we reached Sorrento. Sorrento is a cute, quaint town situated on the edge of the ocean. The first night we set up shop in our very tiny hostel room and then headed out for dinner. I had the most delicious risotto fruta di mare ever, and our waiter was great. The only thing that marred the meal was our "soapy wine". It was fine until we got towards the bottom -- we think that they didn't wash out the pitcher well enough! (In Italy if you ask for the "vino di la caza" or wine of the house, they give it to you in liter or half liter pitchers). After choking that down (greedy girls that we are we had ordered a liter) we were pooped, and headed home!
And that my friends, is where I will leave it until the next time! As for current events, I have nothing to impart but the usual Firenze debauchery -- we thoroughly introduced Caroline to the Florentine nightlife last evening! Love you all!
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