Blogs from Campania, Italy, Europe - page 91

I flew from Colorado Springs to Denver to Munich to Naples on United, Lufthansa, and Air Dolomiti. I had checked in online the day before through United's website, but they only gave me boarding passes and checked my luggage through Munich. I didn't know they could check it all the way to Naples, but apparently if you check in at the ticket counter they can. Note to self. I had to collect my luggage in Munich and then go to the ticket counter and get a boarding pass and re-check it. Customs going both ways is very anti-climactic. Everyone talks about "clearing" customs, but all that entails is saying "I don't have anything to declare" and you don't really have to tell anyone that, you just walk through the green door instead of the red one. ... read more

Leaving from Sorrento by train we traveled for about an hour before arriving at Pompeii. As soon as we left the train we entered the gauntlet of people trying to sell you anything they could. There were people everywhere peddling bottle water, sunglasses, tour books, beach towels, and even guided tours through Pompeii from a "bona fide Ph. D." in archealogy (as was supposedely evident by their name tags which listed their names, Ph. D.). Why would a bona fide doctor of archealogy be whoring himself out to Pompeii tourists at the train station for 50 Euros? Who knows. Anyway, we blew by the makeshift marketplace beside the train platform as quickly as we could, picked up some audio guides and made our way into Pompeii. It wasn't long after we were inside that we realized ... read more

Is this a place where people actually live or is Positano only here for the tourists? I found myself wondering this as I watched teams of laborers carrying load after load of beer and wine by hand up the steep and narrow streets in this Mediterranean town. The town itself is situated on picturesque hillsides and clifftops overlooking the Mediterranean Sea south of Napoli on Italy's western Coast. Positano seems less popular and less well known than the largely similar but distant Cinque Terre towns to the north, but nonetheless seemed wholly consumed in the tourist trade. Positano is only accessable by road or by sea, and as I understand it the drive into Positano is quite treacherous and buses can be less than realiable and frequently overcrowded. So, we opted to arrive in Positano by ... read more

So Im not such a fan of Naples. Its crowded and busy and the traffic is ridiculous. Most people dont speak English and they just look at me like Im stupid when I try to speak Italian. I know I obviously dont speak great Italian, but Im trying. Give me some credit. Yesterday I hated Naples. Today I still dont like it, but Ive adjusted and its okay now. So after seeing the Pope... I saw the anti-Bush riots. They were peaceful, but I was still kind of afraid and spent a lot of that day in my room. It was my last day there, but I had kind of run out of things to do anyways. So I came to Naples the next day. And hated it so much. I couldnt find the hotel I ... read more

This morning, we checked out of our hotel in Sorrento and made the relatively quick bus ride to the ruins of the ancient city of Pompeii in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius. Our guide for the Pompeii tour was the wife of Mariano, our guide from the previous day! It was amazing to see how well preserved these ruins actually are. Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 A.D., destroying the city, killing tens of thousands of people, and burying the entire thing under ash and rock (but not lava). That is why archeologists were able to uncover the city in such great condition. We saw a courtyard for gladiators, a small amphitheater (which could hold up to 1500 people, since they were much smaller than we are today), and several houses. The streets were difficult to ... read more