My 22nd B-Day in Naples!

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I think this was the craziest day of my life so far! I took the train down to Naples to spend my birthday there with my friend John. I spent the morning wandering throught the crowded street market just off of Piazza Garibaldi. When John arrived, we took a cab down to the port to have lunch near the sea. On the ride down, we are stopped at a stop light, and this vespa pulls up between our cab and the car next to us. The car next to us has their window rolled down, and the guy on the back of the vespa jumps off and steals the woman's purse right out of her hand. Then he jumps back on the vespa and the two guys take off. I couldn't believe what I had just seen. After our exciting cab ride, we walked to the Galleria. It is a really neat mall that is open air but has a glass ceiling. Then we stopped a a few bars and had some drinks. I thought I would spend the day on the beach, but much to my surprise, there arent any beaches(at least not where I was). It was an all rock coast. Then we walked back to Piazza Garibaldi. It was such a neat walk because there weren't any tourists or anything. I like to get off of the beaten path and feel like a local(which I guess I kind of am now). Anyway, we played fetch with a stray dog and watched some kids play basketball. Then we ate dinner at an outdoor cafe at Piazza Garibaldi. This place has the best sandwiches I have ever eaten. If I could only find out how they make them. Its almost like a pancake with ham and cheese in it, but soooooo much better. Anyway, while we were eating our dinner, we were watching some street vendors right next to us. John told me about how the guys that sell expensive electronics are con men, and it is all a scam. They show the tourists the real product. Then when the person decides to purchase the item, the vendor wraps it up for them and puts it in a bag. While the unsuspecting tourists are getting their money to pay, the vendor and his assistant swap bags leaving the tourists with nothing but a box of rocks. I believed that it had happened before, but I didn't think that I would see it. Well I was wrong. As we were eating, the vendors heard us talking about this. They decided to make their scam into a performance for us. We watched the whole thing happen, and the assistant even looked over and smiled at us as he switched out the bags. When the tourists walked away, the guy walked over, and said that they have to make a living, laughed and then took off. I have never seen people pack up that much stuff and take off that fast before. Their electronics were packed and the guys were jumping in cars to take off within seconds! It was an absolutely insane birthday that I will truly NEVER forget!

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