Love, Love, Love

I do not even know where to begin! I had the best weekend I have had in a long time. It was amazing, it was relaxing, I got free food, and and inside peek at original frescos in Pompeii. I rode a zillion trains, nearly got sick on a bus ride, met lots of people, and had one of the most beautiful views from a hotel I have ever had. I decided to put up pictures and describe my weekend in parts. Otherwise this will turn into a novel. Especially because I have been reading Jane Austen's "Emma", and anytime I read Jane Austen my writing suddenly gets very flowery, contains really long sentences, and I spend way too long describing people. That being said, forgive me if I ramble, and I will start at....

Part 1: Getting to and Seeing Pompeii

I was packed and ready to go early Saturday morning. After waiting for what seemed like an eternity my bus arrived, and before I knew it I was sitting on a very nice train heading towards Naples. The ride was only an hour and ten minutes. I was very cautious arriving in Naples, because everything I have read says it can be dangerous and tourists are targets of theft, robbery, attack etc. I had zero problems and after a little confusion found and bought my ticket towards Sorrento that would stop in Pompeii. It was a commuter train and pretty rough. I got off at Pompeii found their free luggage storage and then I was in!

Pompeii completely blew me away. I had no idea it was so huge, and had streets still intact. The city had about 20,000 people living it when Mt. Vesuvius erupted in A.D. 79. That is THE Mt.. Vesuvius you see in the picture towering above the town. The others are of the forum and a poor Pompeian. It was really an amazing cite. I had a Rick Steve's podcast and armed with my map I began with the Forum, saw the baths of the forum, and the House of the Faun stopping to admire streets and ruins as I went. Then one of the coolest things of my life happened. Yes.

I was asking a guard/museum type person where something was. There are rows and rows of ruins and it is really easy to get turned around. So he pointed me in the direction of the Bakery and Mill or Forno e Mulini. I found it but then turned around and there he was. He started pointed and saying for me to follow him. I will admit I was a little nervous what with obviously being on my own. But I reminded myself that I was in a huge and popular cite, that this guy had a badge and officially jacket that matched others I'd seen, and well I was on an adventure right? I figured the odds where pretty small that I was about to be murdered or something similarly awful. So I followed him, and eventually after finding some other guy named "Francesco" and a huge ring of keys we set off. He was very nice and we talked only in italian.

We arrived at a house, which he said belonged to a very rich person in Pompeii. Then, he unlocked it and said to go inside. It was amazing! It was the first of three or four different homes he took me into. All where locked off from normal tourists. A few he said where "siempre chiuso" or always closed. Others may be open at other times I don't know. I can't even begin to describe how amazing it was. I saw frescos, original frescos not copies, in the home and on the wall they were painted for hundreds of years ago. I walked on the original mosaic floors and saw the original bird bath and fountains in courtyards. There were still roofs over these houses, the windows and floors were all the same.

It was so peaceful and quite with just birds chirping, I could so imagine ancient Pompeians in their homes. We went into several houses through back ways and always using several keys to get in. Anytime some other visitor came up to us as we exited a house, he quickly locked the door and we set off. He also made sure to make me walk on the side walks not in the street. I like to think it was a kind of respect for the city and it's people by using the city the right way. Or it could have simply been the stones in the street are hard to walk on.

Needless to say, I was awestruck. Without a doubt it was one of the most amazing things to have ever happened to me! I had a little tour that was one of a kind for sure. We walked into these houses for about half an hour, when finally he said he had to go to lunch (it was 1pm). He then shook my hand and I thanked him. I wasn't sure if I should tip him or something knowing I was in Southern Italy and these things are common, but he saved me and said "e perche ... lei e...your beautiful" I kid you not. He gave me this fabulous behind the scenes tour because I was "bella". I decided that I liked Southern Italy a lot!

After this I walked around a bit more, then went back to the train, and got on to go to Sorrento. I was on cloud nine at this point and really enjoyed the heat from the sun, the crowded train, and all the italians I was riding with.