Naples Adventures
Jul. 13th, 2007 11:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
transomwhiplassToday was an absolutely magnificent day. From exploring the ruins of Pompeii (jumping fences and all) to drinking ice-cold granita made with lemons fresh from the grove to discovering what should be a new color in the spectrum.. today was an occasion.
Though I didn't get to see everything I wanted to in Pompeii, an adventure was still had in exploring and tourist dodging. We ended up skipping Herculaneum and getting dropped off in Naples. From there, we went to the most famous pizza place in Naples (the place famous for inventing pizza) and had an extremely reasonable and completely satisfying dinner of pizza and beer. From there we split and took the metro to Portici to find our hostel. From the neighborhood, I was kind of sketched out but people, without asking, kept directing us forward. I was so surprised to find this ultra-clean, modern adaptive re-use building (a former fabric manufacturing plant). The interiors have been a thrilling vacation for my eyes, at the very least. An amazing find.
After a brief rest, in which I actually had a good conversation with my roommates (though Kelly didn't look like she was having a good time), we headed for the water to watch the sunset. As we walked, we passed a festival celebrating the town's independence from communism and a small carnival set-up that reminded me of last summer's adventure to Salem, State Fair et. al. We headed down this pier and watched as the sun painted the most amazing colors across the sky and land. I still don't know what to call the color of the land silhouetted--it was like discovering a new color entirely, it was that overwhelming.
We watched as the sky became darker and all of the lights lit up in Naples across the water--it was like the stars coming out in the sky. It reached that point where even though it was darker--all the colors of the buildings seemed more vivid than ever, the colors in high contrast because of the brilliant orange glow radiated from the setting sun. While sitting there, Carly told me that my eyes were the same color as the sky and when she looked at me, she felt like she was looking through me. lol.
As we turned to leave, Carly lost her shoe and the other girls went to retrieve it. While waiting for them to get back up from the pavement below, we got into a conversation with this little old man with a dog. Bent on communicating with us and armed only with a couple choice words of English, I began to listen to him in his persistence to have a friendly chat. I began to understand every word then began to translate and respond. It was one of the most completely thrilling experiences of my life. As we communicated back and forth about his upcoming trip to New Jersey, his penchant for a particular singer, and his family's restaurant where his wife was chef.. I was just completely taken aback. The girls had experienced locals before (my only encounter was Paolo, the retired music store owner, on the train to Bracianno who insisted on speaking English) but it was truly a magical moment for me. The act of understanding, as simple as that. My confidence restored.. words cannot express the pride that swelled from within me. We left the old man to find some dessert but ended up back at our hostel after Kelly's insistent need to eat something more substantial.
Eager for food and drinks, I found a common chord in my group with the idea for mojitos Perfect except they didn't have any mint. Instead, the bartender concocted some drink--a strawberry, lime, vodka, & ice concoction--ever so strong in sweetness and intensity that more than sufficed. I also enjoyed a plate of patate fritte (french fries) and soon found my dessert cravings banished for the evening. The hostel's club had a quiet but pleasant atmosphere, the designers did amazing work on the place. Today has just been an amazing day. I had my doubts but I'm even bonding with the girls better. I'm quietly optimistic. We've hit the halfway point. Though the days go so long, I don't feel like I've really been here three weeks. Though, at the same time, I do when thoughts of things at home seem so distant--though I think I remedied some of my homesickness and worry by rereading familiar words and conversations (chat logs: creepy but surprisingly effective).
Regardless, I trust the next three weeks are going to absolutely fly by. With that, I cap my pen and set my head to my pillow to allow myself to dream about what's to come.
Though I didn't get to see everything I wanted to in Pompeii, an adventure was still had in exploring and tourist dodging. We ended up skipping Herculaneum and getting dropped off in Naples. From there, we went to the most famous pizza place in Naples (the place famous for inventing pizza) and had an extremely reasonable and completely satisfying dinner of pizza and beer. From there we split and took the metro to Portici to find our hostel. From the neighborhood, I was kind of sketched out but people, without asking, kept directing us forward. I was so surprised to find this ultra-clean, modern adaptive re-use building (a former fabric manufacturing plant). The interiors have been a thrilling vacation for my eyes, at the very least. An amazing find.
After a brief rest, in which I actually had a good conversation with my roommates (though Kelly didn't look like she was having a good time), we headed for the water to watch the sunset. As we walked, we passed a festival celebrating the town's independence from communism and a small carnival set-up that reminded me of last summer's adventure to Salem, State Fair et. al. We headed down this pier and watched as the sun painted the most amazing colors across the sky and land. I still don't know what to call the color of the land silhouetted--it was like discovering a new color entirely, it was that overwhelming.
We watched as the sky became darker and all of the lights lit up in Naples across the water--it was like the stars coming out in the sky. It reached that point where even though it was darker--all the colors of the buildings seemed more vivid than ever, the colors in high contrast because of the brilliant orange glow radiated from the setting sun. While sitting there, Carly told me that my eyes were the same color as the sky and when she looked at me, she felt like she was looking through me. lol.
As we turned to leave, Carly lost her shoe and the other girls went to retrieve it. While waiting for them to get back up from the pavement below, we got into a conversation with this little old man with a dog. Bent on communicating with us and armed only with a couple choice words of English, I began to listen to him in his persistence to have a friendly chat. I began to understand every word then began to translate and respond. It was one of the most completely thrilling experiences of my life. As we communicated back and forth about his upcoming trip to New Jersey, his penchant for a particular singer, and his family's restaurant where his wife was chef.. I was just completely taken aback. The girls had experienced locals before (my only encounter was Paolo, the retired music store owner, on the train to Bracianno who insisted on speaking English) but it was truly a magical moment for me. The act of understanding, as simple as that. My confidence restored.. words cannot express the pride that swelled from within me. We left the old man to find some dessert but ended up back at our hostel after Kelly's insistent need to eat something more substantial.
Eager for food and drinks, I found a common chord in my group with the idea for mojitos Perfect except they didn't have any mint. Instead, the bartender concocted some drink--a strawberry, lime, vodka, & ice concoction--ever so strong in sweetness and intensity that more than sufficed. I also enjoyed a plate of patate fritte (french fries) and soon found my dessert cravings banished for the evening. The hostel's club had a quiet but pleasant atmosphere, the designers did amazing work on the place. Today has just been an amazing day. I had my doubts but I'm even bonding with the girls better. I'm quietly optimistic. We've hit the halfway point. Though the days go so long, I don't feel like I've really been here three weeks. Though, at the same time, I do when thoughts of things at home seem so distant--though I think I remedied some of my homesickness and worry by rereading familiar words and conversations (chat logs: creepy but surprisingly effective).
Regardless, I trust the next three weeks are going to absolutely fly by. With that, I cap my pen and set my head to my pillow to allow myself to dream about what's to come.
