Advertisement
Published: June 20th 2007
Edit Blog Post
Pompei
Jen and I in ancient Pompei. Note Mt. Vesuvius in the background? Alright, so I don't know when Jen wrote that blog entry but I don't think I made it home in the "hour" she thought I was going to. Let's just say the travel adventures didn't stay in Italy.
First, let me tell you a little about our last day in Italy. So we were staying in Rome, but since we had seen everything already we wanted to go to Pompei so see the ancient city, one of the most well preserved of the Roman Ruins. The ancient city was destroyed in the first century when Mt. Vesuvius errupted and bascially covered the city. It was later discovered by someone digging out a river bed.
This was by far the coolest of the ruins we saw. It's like walking through a ghost town, because the city is almost completely intact. There's a system of roads and there are buiding on each side, there are temples, markets, and theaters, a forum and a big amphitheater. It was really interesting.
Getting there proved to be a pain, as usual, and getting back was even worse. On the way there our train, which only had to take us the last 20min.
Early Mornings
So Jen obviously loves getting up early, especially when we get to ride the subway! haha to Pompei, was delayed by 30 min. No big deal, we make and do our sight seeing. After we've had our fill of ancient ruins we decide to take the train to Naples, where we have to eventually catch our train back to Rome.
We decide to walk around Naples a little bit and then realize that walking around the train station in any city just isn't that pretty. They tend to be the "not-so-nice" areas of town. Oh well, we walk for a little then head back and get some pizza since Naples is the birth place of pizza. Yea, it was pretty good!
Now we've done everything we came to Naples to do and so we make our way to the platform to wait for our train. There's one on the tracks headed to Rome at that time, but we're not on that train, which leave on time. Our train leaves at 7:30, but then . . . of course . . . it's delayed. Normally not too big of a deal except that recpetion closes at 11pm and we need to check-out that night, because we are getting the 5am shuttle to the airport!! Call
Yum!
Naples=pizza.
Pizza=yummy. the campground, no worries, they can just bill our credit card (because we booked online) we just need to turn our key into the night security guard. No problem. Continue waiting for our train . . . and waiting . . . and waiting. It finally arrives and we get on. It's roasting! I mean, get into your car at 3 in the afternoon after it's been sitting in the sun all day, hot!!
Eventually we get moving, it's now 8:30 instead of 7:30. The air conditioning is working but not very effectively and we realize, after talking about our not-so-wonderful memories of Europe that the gentlemen sitting next to us not only understands all we're saying, he also speaks very good English. Whoops! You know what happens when you assume . . .
So we get to Rome and then have to wait for the bus. Then we have to wait for another bus . . . do you notice a theme? We spent about 8-9 hours waiting for trains/buses or in transit on one of them just to spend an afternoon in Pompei. Not exactly the way we pictured it, but hey, what can you do
I saw the Alps!
We really wanted to see the Alps while we were in Italy but we didn't get quite as far North as we needed. BUT I got to fly right over them . . . sweet! right?
Well that's all fine and good until, I wake up at 4:15 in the morning to go to the airport on Tuesday (I went early with Jen, since she waited for me when we arrived), fly 10 hours to Atlanta on a freezing cold plane (seriously it had to have been 50 degrees on that plane!) proceed to begin killing the 5 hours I have before my next flight and then 3 hours into it find out that rather than arriving in GR at 11pm, it's not going to leave Atlanta until 11pm!! I'm a little frustrated and quite upset (that's the understatement of the year!)
I have now been up for almost 20 hours, I am exhausted, bored, and not in the mood to deal with airport personnel! (I'll be honest I break down and cry). I have decided that I am the most unpatient person on the face of the earth when it comes to things like planes and trains . . . I just can't stand it!! I mean at least if there was something I could do I would feel better, but I can't.
All I can do is sit and wait.
I do a lot of that between 8 and 11 pm just to find out that NOW the estimated departure time is 11:58 (why don't they just say 12!!!)
I fall asleep for a while and then notice my flight is no longer listed on that gate's board . . . my gate has been changed (good thing I didn't fall asleep for longer!)
I rush off to the other gate.
NOW the estimated time is 12:20.
I go to the bathroom and come back just in time to hear the good news . . . my plane isn't going to leave until 1am.
Laura is officially ticked off.
I fall asleep again and finally, finally, finally the plane arrives and we are able to leave at 1am.
In short, it was a pretty crappy day getting home. I finally arrived at 3am. My parents picked me up and took me to my apartment and that was that.
On the UPSIDE . . . because I had to stay awake so long while in the airport I pretty much fell into bed and am already on the Michigan time schedule. So I avoided some nastly jetlag! Yay me! 😊 Oh, AND I got to see the Alps after all! We flew right over them!
So I made it, albeit slowly, and am safe and sound! Cheers!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.111s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 10; qc: 49; dbt: 0.0772s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Michelle
non-member comment
Welcome home girls! Nice work on keeping us updated thru the blog, there were times i felt like i was there...and most of the time i wished I was!! Hope to see you both soon!