Naples, Pompeii and stray dogs

This past weekend David and I took a trip to Naples. With no agenda in hand, we departed Saturday morning from Termini Station in Rome. We arrived early in the afternoon and learned quickly that Naples wasn’t exactly the cleanest place. To give a comparison, lying down on a street in Chicago was like taking a bath compared to standing in Naples.  To give the city some credit, a garbage strike had just finished. Our hostel was nothing like what we had in Stockholm, yet it was comfy, clean and the owners were friendly. We decided to head to Villa Comunale, a park that opens up to the sea where we had breathtaking views of the city. As well, we toured Castle dell’Ovo and then began our search for some infamous Neapolitan pizza. Fortunately, finding a pizzeria did not take long, nor did eating the pizza….

                     

After dinner, we decided to stop by a bar that claimed to be frequented by locals. Unfortunately, we didn’t’ get to talk to any.  After, we headed back to our hostel. The following day we woke up and had our free breakfast ‘made’ by our hostel owners. We were very thankful for the cereal and processed loaf of bread. We decided that after exploring Naples the previous day, we should go to Pompeii. Originally, we had intentions of attending mass, but arrived too late and instead went straight to the ruins of Pompeii. Originally, this was the town of Pompeii before Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 79AD. It was really interesting to go here! For those who do not know the story, in 79AD, Mt. Vesuvius erupted burying the existing city of Pompeii. It was not until the late 1500’s when the city was excavated. You can still see paintings on the walls and walk through homes that are now only crumbling walls. As well, they were able to save a lot of pottery and you can view these as well as some of the remains of people caught in the lava. The best Pompeii Ruins souvenir? A stray Pompeian dog! At the first site of a dog in the ruins, I thought he was dead lying on the cobblestone path. On the contrary, he stood up, quite alive, trotted over to two other dogs where they began a Sunday stroll through the ruins. What a life. There are many alive and healthy dogs that wander the ruins. They are fed, cared for and available for adoption. Instead of a dog though, I settled for a rock.

 Pompeii Pottery 

After spending hours exploring the Pompeii Ruins, we headed into the current city of Pompeii. Here we found the city square, their famous and beautiful Santa Maria church, and lots of people enjoying the beautiful day. After lunch, we people-watched before attending mass at four. Shortly after, we caught the last train back to Naples, picked up our things from the hostel and got back on our train to return to Rome.

 Santa Maria 

Inside Santa Maria

Overall, it was a relaxing weekend. It was nice to travel with David as he is the exact opposite of Sarah. While Sarah is very free spirited and spontaneous, David always has a set agenda. As well, he is a great person who forced me to realize that a great traveling experience is not based on how much you do, but rather what you do.

Other news: I have updated my pictures. Pictures from Pompeii and Naples are under “Week 4”. I received a great gift on Valentine’s Day, the news of my mom’s (Mo) intentions to travel to Rome to visit me. I cannot wait for her arrival! Midterms are in two weeks. I am enjoying my classes: Managerial Accounting, Literature, Philosophical Thinking and Italian. I am traveling to Siena, Italy tomorrow as part of a school sponsored trip.

To the Office of Financial Aid, specifically Lisa G, I am very sorry you had to wait so long for my post. I will be more punctual on the coming ones.