The shortest distance between 2 ports is a straight line...

The shortest distance between 2 ports is a straight line...

After Naples, I began what turned into the longest transit jump of my trip (possible my life)  The morning started fine and good: I checked out, ate a hearty breakfast, and got to the train station at an acceptable time. Much to my delight, there was -you guessed it- a rail workers strike! Which means trains were delayed ERRYWHERR. I was terrified that I would miss my transfer in Caserta and subsequently (and literally) miss the boat. Luckily my first train was delayed only 15 minutes, and the connected was delayed 20. Once I got to Bari, I headed straight to the ferry port and the waiting game began.... 

 See, the ferry didn't leave Bari til 8:00pm, but it started boarding at 5:00. Waiting on the boat seemed better than waiting in an empty terminal, so on I went. I ended up meeting a physio therapy student from San Francisco that was also on his way to Athens. We sort of paired up for the journey, keeping each other company for the overnight haul from Bari, Italy to Patras, Greece. As our tickets were the cheapest ones available, our sleeping accommodations were whatever we could fashion out of the cafe chairs. So obviously they were SUPER comfortable and I slept for HOURS. Not. We also had the delight of passing through some rough weather. Now I'm not one to get motion sick, but this was ROUGH. No one could walk in a straight line and most of the passengers were looking a little green. This little patch of weather also added another 3 1/2 hours to our ride. So a 15 hour ride was now 18 1/2. I've never been so happy to get off of a boat in my life.

  Once we safely on dry land, Jake (San Fran Physio) and I teamed up with 3 girls from Regina and we all began the final leg of our journey: the 3 hour bus trip from Patras to Athens. We all parted ways on the Athens metro, but I was grateful I did not have to go through that ordeal on my own.

Once I got to my hostel in Athens (and showered) I did some math: 

  If Rachel leaves her hostel in Naples at 8am on Wednesday, has a 15 - min delayed train, another 20 min delayed train, an 18 1/2 hour ferry ride and a 3 hour bus ride, and arrives in Athens at 7:00 pm Thursday, how long was she in transit for?

Answer: 35 hours.

Things I have learned:

- ALWAYS take time to hit a grocery store for snacks before a long travel day. 

- travel pillows are a god send.

- when doing an overnight ferry, spend the extra 20€ to get an airseat. Your neck and spine will thank me.

- there's a part of me that wishes I hadn't changed my plans, as Bari seemed like it would have been interesting to explore. 

- some people pretty much nest when trapped on a boat for more that 3 hours. Large piles of blankets, pillows, groceries, magazines, various jackets and sweaters piled high around them like a citadel wall. It's impressive.

How would you like to Pompeii for your pizza tonight?

Would you like to Pompeii for your pizza with cash or credit?

So while in Rome, I had this moment of panic. I thought that I had planned poorly and was lacking a place to put my person for the night before my ferry journey. I had also not heard from the individual that was supposed to host me for couch surfing. Being the eternal sorter-outer, I decided to throw in a night in Naples instead of Bari as originally intended. This way I got to see Pompeii, and it was sort of on the way to Bari anyway. I left Rome early in the morning so I would get into Naples early enough to check into the hostel, drop off my luggage, and spend the afternoon touring the Pompeii site (which is a 1/2 hour train ride outside of the city). This ended up being an excellent plan. I loved Pompeii. It is significantly larger than I imagined, and spread out enough that even with all the tour groups there were times when I was the only person on a section of street. The details that remain of the city are astonishing, especially the intricate mosaics that still decorate the nicer homes. The only thing that bothered me was the sheer amount of garbage that people had left on the sites. Cigarette butts, camera batteries, empty water bottles. I imagine that archaeologists must HATE opening sites like this to the public, but have no choice because the admission fees help fund further research and excavations. The turmoils life in art and humanities. *le sigh*

 After Getting rained out of pompeii (emergency poncho FTW!) I did what one does when one is in Naples: I got pizza. The places the hostel recommended were kind of in a sketchy area of town, but all of Naples is sketchy area of town, so I figured I would take my chances. And the verdict is: I can safely say that when you go to Famoso, you are getting TRUE Napoli-style pizza. The crust and quality are exactly the same. The only thing that differs is the tomatoes, and that's just a case of freshness and type. You really can't beat a true italian pink san marzano. There's just something about that delicate sweet nuttiness...

 

Things I have learned:

- it is impossible to ignore the economic crisis plaguing Italy when you're in Naples. The city is covered in political graffiti and there a general disatisfaction that looms over all the inhabitants. It's sad because the city is gorgeous and has so much potential.

- Pompeii was essentially the Vegas of Ancient Rome. Or at least the buildings that survived made it seem that way. Penis and sexy frescos on ALL the things.

- I really need to lay off the dairy. And the pizza for that matter. *squish squish*

- you can buy Nutella in 4 litre pails. This is dangerous information.

- always get the unlimited day pass for the train system. I kept asking for it and they kept selling me one-time fairs. When it came time to come home from pizza, both of the ticket kiosks were broken and it ended up taking me an hour to figure out get change and figure out where to buy one. Not fun at 10:00 at night... Especially in Naples.

Wherever I May Rome

Wherever I may Rome...

After falling in love with Florence, it was time to take my dairy-bloated self to Rome. I really didn't have any sort of plan for specific sites I wanted to see, and was honestly feeling a bit blah about the whole place.

When I got in, I found out my hostel did not have kitchen facilities or included breakfast, which meant I would have to eat more meals out--an expense I wasn't expecting and was a bit choked about. The hostel also wasn't very conducive to meeting people, so I spent the 4 days pretty lonely (especially after having so much company in Florence). My first full day there, I decided I would start at the coliseum and work my way around the main centre. When I got out of the metro station, I came across a breast cancer marathon. Consisting of over 34,000 people.  Greeeeeeeat. Trying to get across the street to actually see the coliseum was a nightmare and the lines were already ridiculously long at 10 am. Unimpressed Rachel was unimpressed. I did notice that you could get a city pass that would grant you free access to your first 2 sites and unlimited transit usage for 3 days, so my goal of the day became to acquire one of these. Which turned out to be more difficult than I anticipated because there was just so many people around that you couldn't get your bearings. 

  I think part of my negative attitude was traveller's fatigue. By this point I was about 4 - 5 weeks into my trip and I was just getting sick of wake-up-stand-in-line-dodge-tour-group-see-sight-take-pictures-eat-picnic-repeat. I know, first world problem, but this nomad lifestyle can be exhausting, both physically and mentally. I used the evening to get to bed early and hopefully recharge my sense of wonder.

 The next morning was a bit easier. I started at the Vatican (just the site, not the museum) and worked my way down the main road, across the river to plaza nuovo and the trevi fountain.   And the answer is no, I did not throw a coin in. *GASP*  It was so crowded by that time of day that I was terrified I would hit someone in the face if I tried to do it. So now I HAVE to come back to Rome in order to throw my coin in. Take that. 

I checked out the roman forum and palatine hill in the afternoon, and figured I needed a fix I hadn't gotten since Lyon: seeing a movie! This time: The Great Gatsby with Italian subtitles. Not Baz's best work, but it filled the gap.

 Speaking of filling the gap, guess who found 2 (yes 2!) vegetarian restaurants in Rome?! THIS GIRL. The first was The Beehive, which is actually a hostel with an organic cafe  inside. It was Sunday night so I happened to be in time for the set menu for 8€. Ohmygodsotasty. I really wished I had stayed there as it was just around the corner from my hostel, has free breakfast and kitchen facilities and was only 5€ more a night. I also had a little curry platter at a place by the Vitoria that was also ohmygodsotasty. Definitely a nice change from pasta.

Things I have learned:

- I found I enjoyed the roman forum ruin more from outside the actual site as you could see better where all of the foundations were.

- actually, I found I enjoyed ALL the sites more from outside. Rome really is a city of history, and there is so much around you really don't need to go in the attractions to appreciate them

- compared to the other major European cities I've been to, Rome's metro system is fairly lacking. I imagine that anytime they try to expand it though they come across another archaeological site.

- reading Jane Austen makes me instantly sleepy.

- the Spanish steps are kind of unimpressive...

- Rome sells hot priest calendars! Like firemen calendars only with less abs and more crucifixes. 

- there is still way more Pope John Paul II swag than ones for the new Pope Francis. It seems everyone just wants to forget about Benedict...