I don't want to go back to Rome. Don't get me wrong, Rome is "a'right" in a nosy, crowded, expensive, bustling, artifact filled, Jesus loving kinda way. But it wasn't until I left Rome - 9 days into the trip - that I realized why I LOVE Italy more than anywhere in the world. But it took a few stops to remember that....
6:00 a.m. on vacation is mean. And its not even the day of departure (I have to leave by 4:00 a.m. that day, but let's not cry until then). First stop on my tour of Southern Italy - Naples. Most of you associate Naples with Neopolitan pizza, ice cream, possibly Dean Martin or maybe even some of you didn't even realize Naples was a city outside of Florida. Well it is, a sprawling "rough and ready" city at the base of Mount Vesuvius on the Mediterranean sea, home to Sophia Loren and organized crime (but shhhh...don't talk about it or they will have to kill you. seriously.) I was told that on my tour a "stop" in Naples is all that is warranted. And they were right. It is possibly the ugliest, dirtiest (um are the trash collectors always on strike) and cramped port town I have ever seen. A contrast between a city still smarting over "The War". Uumm, Hello 1943 calling, THE WAR IS OVER PEOPLE.
We quickly ventured onto the highlight of the day and something I have been meaning to do for years, but always missed, a tour of the fabled city of Pompeii aka Disneyland of Architectural Excavations. Seriously, as you pull up in your motor coach, in line with at least 50 other motor coaches and any given time, your senses are greeted with cafes, stores, stalls, hotels and the random wild dog all welcoming you to the land of volcanic destruction ("BUY YOUR MOCK PLASTER CAST HERE!"). Hmm. This should be interesting.
In contrast to my experience at Ostia Antica a few days back, there were people EVERYWHERE and Pompeii is HUGE. The benefit to being here is having a guide to point out the highlights, take you places you couldn't go and overall give you a little history lesson. Like I learned, that there is currently a traveling tour of the best artifacts from Pompeii in Houston right now. Great, now they tell me. I did get some great shots which you can see in my Picasa album, met some great people from New Orleans and Houston and made my way onto my final stop for the day...Sorrento.
Sorrento is simply...heaven. In start contrast to Naples, just across the Bay, Sorrento and its surrounding villages is stuff dreams are made of. Sheer cliffs, soaring visits, beautiful foliage lined highways hugging the coastline, Villas, hotels and beach clubs all jocking for position and boasting the "best views" of the Mediterranean. This is where I "breathed" for the first time on this trip...once I got my breath back after first encountering the view.
Smartly, I was staying the night there and as we wound to the tip of the peninsula (the toe of the boot for all of you mapping my journey) where my hotel was situated. I rushed off the coach, bag in hand and checked into my room and requested and upgrade if necessary - there was no way I was missing out on this view. I made my way up to my upgraded room, flung open the curtains and gasped. "Heaven, I'm in heaven...heaven so that I can hardly speak..."
After a lovely dinner overlooking the bay from a similar view as that of my hotel room and cocktails with a lovely couple from New Zealand (one thing I learned, foreigners are keeping a close eye on our election this year and they have 1 message for us, DON'T BLOW IT - AGAIN!) - I retired to my room, sat on my balcony and just stared. I counted my blessings slowly before I closed my eyes and began to count sheep...
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