Naples and The Amalfi Coast

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The day I left for Venice I had to take an 8 hour train ride to Naples. No fun at all. Very uneventful though, so that was good. I caught up on some reading and took a nap. On the second part of the trip, from Rome to Naples, I set next to a guy I'm pretty sure worked for the mafia. He was completely decked out in an Armani suit and gold chains, and after we talked for a bit, I asked him what he did. He looks at me, winks, and says "Me? I am a beezniss man." Too funny. It's crazy that the mafia actually controls most of what goes on in Naples. All restaurants have to pay kind of a mafia "tax" for protection... And you can't decide NOT to take it.

Anyway when I got here it was close to dark and I was freaking out a little bit because... Well, the place just isn't very nice, and there's a lot of sketchy characters hanging around the train station. I walked forever without a map and then stopped in at a farmacia to ask if I was going in the right direction. I was, but wow... kind of creepy. A couple of times I actually turned around on roads and took a different way because I felt too isolated. But I made it, and was advised by the lady at the hostel Dad had already called to check in !! Oh dad. I watched Oceans 12 in Italian with some other people in the common room, and then ventured out to get something to eat. I ended up eating pizza, sitting on the edge of the bay of Naples under the full moon, watching little girls dance to music coming from a gelato stand in the square. And there were fireflies everywhere ! A very good moment.

This morning I woke up and was still feeling very crappy so instead of going to Mount Vesuvius I hopped on the bus to Amalfi. It was about three and a half hours but so SO SO worth it. Along the way there are tons of little towns built on the side of the cliffs, and the water is the deepest blue. Amalfi was the last stop so I got off, had some gelato, and relaxed for a bit, enjoying the view. I've eaten WAY too much gelato here... Chocolate, Tutti Fruity, Tiramasu, Coffee, Kiwi, Coconut, Lime... So, so good. Gelato could quite possibly be my favorite part of Italy. I wandered around Amalfi for a bit, waded in the sea, had lunch, and eventually got back onto the bus. I fell asleep and woke up to find the bus empty at my stop, and got off just in time to catch the train from Sorrento back to Naples. Now, I'm going to relax, take a shower, order some pizza, and decide what I'm going to do tomorrow. My time in Italy is almost coming to an end !

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