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Published: February 11th 2008
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Change of plans. We decided to go on a day trip with Molly's family to Napoli and Pompei on Saturday. It was a very long, expensive day, but I am glad we went. We were picked up from the Tiz around 7am and began our 3hr bus ride to Napoli. I slept most of the way, but the scenery I did see was beautiful. A lot of countryside covered by vineyards and crops. The Appenine Mountain Range adds a whole new dimension to the view. At some spots you could even see snow on the mountain peaks. We reached Napoli around 10 and stopped to pick up our tour guide "Franco". We stayed on the bus while during an orientation tour of Napoli which consisted mainly of the Port of Napoli. The actual city is disgusting. As Franco mentioned, "There are very few rules and regulations within the city." Italy's general garbage problem combined with the month-long garbage strike in Napoli simply added to the already dirty nature of the city itself. There is garbage and debri everywhere! Buildings and sidewalks are covered in graffiti, and squatters are more common than in Rome. Also, everyone seems to hang their close up
to dry on balconies outside their windows--this gives the city a cluttered, poor look. Although I was not impressed by the city itself, the Port of Napoli and the coastline was absolutely gorgeous. It was a nice, sunny day, so visibility was great. From the bay we could clearly see the island of Capri and the Sorrento Peninsula which is where Molly's ancestors stem from. Although not clear as in the Carribean, the water was a pretty blue, quite unlike the mirky waters of Lake Michigan.
From the port, we traveled about 15/20 minutes to Pompei. There is a new and an ancient part of Pompei. We stopped for lunch in the new part where we were served an authentic plate of spaghetti, potatoes, and pork. Of course I was still hungry! I literally cleaned my spaghetti plate of any trace evidence that food was ever actually on the plate. After lnch, we proceeded onto ancient Pompei to begin our tour of the famous archeological sites. Pompei is very well preserved, much more so than Ancient Rome. This is because, after the ancient volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius, the city and all its contents was covered in volcanic ash
and then forgotten about for centuries. It was not until an engineer began digging a pipeline through the ancient city that it was rediscovered very well intact.
Pompei seems to have been a very advanced city. We saw evidence of lead water pipes buried beneath the city roads which accounted for an average lifespan of only 50 or so years due to lead poisoning. There was also evidence of heated buildings--steam from a boiler powered by slaves was pumped into the hollow walls of the buildings. A funny fact is that there were over 25 brothels in the city itself--all I have to say is "wow". Lol. Anyways...we left the city and were home around 7:30. The four of us than went to dinner with Molly and her family at Santa Anna Pizzeria and Ristorante. It was delicious; I ate an entire pizza by myself! This was the first night that we ordered a bottle of wine for the table--a red wine to be exact. I think from now on, as long as the price is reasonable, we are going to have wine every time we go out to dinner; it makes us feel very italian. Haha. That concluded
our long Saturday.
This morning we went to mass at St. Peter's and stayed for the Pope's Angelis again. Mass was nice. I just wish I could understand what was being said. Jess and I had McDonald's for lunch--I swear even mcDonalds is better in Italy, more expensive though. That's all for now. Next weekend will be our first weekend to relax. It will be a nice relief.
Other Weekly Events
--visited the US Embassy (the lady with the big gun wouldn't let us in)
--visited the Hard Rock (the menu is exactly the same as in the US--YEA AMERICAN FOOD)
--visited the exhibit at the Quirinale (President's House)of recovered stolen artifacts that were bought on the black market by several American museums: it was kind of lame
--I finally washed my socks and underwear...sooooo boring
Food This Week
1. Biscotti--Trastevere across the River: Excellent Cookies
2. McDonalds--nice American relief
3. Ristorante Santa Anna--great pizza for sit down
4. Huge gelato & dulce place throught the Pantheon plazza--TERRIFIC--favorite gelateria so far
5. Pizza Buono/Nice Ice (Pantheon)--nutella crepes, a must!
6. la Panizzaria--on the left hand side of Corso Vittorio Emanuele II on the way to the Vatican--best
filled cornetti (especially coicolato): and a great pizza dinner deal!
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