Alright. Last night in Sicily. Off to Barcelona in the a.m. Italy left a wonderful lasting impression on me. Such great characters and good hearted people. Amazing food, beautiful sights and cities, and ocean. Ah just everything.
Back to Naples. After watching, what was usually for this city, an old man chasing down and hitting someone being a nuisance to him with his cane, outmof the market, Simone and guiseppe his brother had planned an English tour of a museum. They were such sports. They genuinely cared that we say these things. Simone always did all the talking and would get us the European prices for everything. They even did it with us. This was no ordinary museum however. It was an underground two thousand year old roman theater that hadn't been discovered until recently. In Naples, the architecture and building was traditionally don't on top of old monuments. Therefore an entire city block had been build over, and even utilized parts of this old theatre. During the war it had been used as a place of refuge, and even thousands of people would live down in the caves to escape the bombs. All along no one really knowing what lay beneath and right on the other side of the walls. Beyond the theatre were caves. It was crazy. Like windowns to b and bs just opened into it, and part of it had been used for a bike shop. Archeologists had to give a family a new house just to gain one entrance to the underground. The bottom foundations of houses just kind of are suspended over you as you walk around the underground part of an old city that was partially and mostly once above ground. You would have to demolish a whole city block to completely uncover it. And from thousands of years of construction over within and utilizing it the foundation would probably just collapse if any structures were removed. It was so cool. It was on cities of the underworld. There are a lot of places like this all through Naples, and many of which havnt been fully discovered. We went down into the water systems deep beneath all the caves, through a tiny pathway, just barely shoulder width that had to be done entirely by candle light. Kind of creepy and claustrophobic but so worth it. It was a full day, as Simone said, filled with many projects. He escorted us back by train to our hotel where we were alotted our rest time, before the project of the evening, the Napoli footbal match.
Guiseppe took us all and Simone rode with Vonda and Francesco and his girl friend that we had just met for the first time. Guiseppe had grown on me. He would sing and be goofy. He really liked coming along for the time. We crowded into the match, and had seats up quite close. It was fun. The crowd goes nuts. We all got into the spirit. We, by the end of the night, were exhausted. I tried so hard to stay awake as the other two slept on the ride home to keep guiseppe some company. Simone granted us permission to sleep until 11 haha, he got the clear from his friends at the hotel that it wouldn't be a rush to check out. He would prepare a good day for us.
At 1145 the next day Simone was there bright eyed and bushy tailed. He apologized for not bringing breakfast, but explained that Sunday they eat a lot fo food throughout the day so they don't eat breakfast. We were joining his family for dinner. His parents did not speak any English, not a problem. Simone and his brother would translate in there broken English. So funny. His mom would go into long rants, all over the place with her hands, eyes locked on you, then pause and wait for one of them to translate without breaking eye contact haha. They would laugh because some of the things she would ask or say they didn't even know in English. What a proud mother. So typical. She rocked the apron the entire time and his dad had head to toe jump suit of bright blue, Napoli team colors, and Napoli blue slippers. Shaven clean head. His mother was so funny. She gets very excited and is very affectionate with girls because she has only two sons her husband and no sisters. Simone has been with vonda for four years now so she has her at least. Vonda Simone Francesco and most of his other friends houses or flats are near each other. We had a tour of the coast line before going for luck and he also pointed out most of there houses. Vonda stopped in for a few minutes, but it was her mothers birthday so she couldn't stay.
For appetizers she made these fried dough ball things. So good. It is charming because she flattered herself often on her cooking. She would have simone translate for her, that her friends come over and she cooks them things and they say it is wonderful, so she figured she mist be a great chef:). She really was though. She whipped everything up one after another. One dish done she could clear the table in thirty seconds have the second course served and be sitting eating herself in under a minute I swear. Things kept coming out of everywhere. There was this strange nectar drink Simone gave us with the appetizers. They we sat down for pasta. It was penne and for me she made it with just tomato and eggplant. Idk how she even made a sauce. It was somflavorful but with just using olive oil I think and mixing the vegetables and seasoning them just right. Better than anything I had out. Home made bread across the table on top of it. His dad pouring wine down our throats. They had the English dictionary out on the table to reference repeatedly haha. Not a very good one. It only ever had half of what we were looking for. Lab rat was one we figured out for them. His mom was trying to have them tell us their dad was her lab rat. She makes him sit at the table on week nights when everyone else is busy and try whatever she decides to whip up. They seem so young but they are retires. They live in a flat, but it is really spacious and very nicely decorated. I genuinely would have like this decoration for my own flat. She was on top of her stuff. The next course was sausage, which I guess was really good, seasoned pork, huge mozzarella, the best I've ever had and French fries with the extra oil hahaha. But wait there's more. Your choice of lemon chello, creme de lemon which was a creamy lemon chello or a creme de strawberry. Then homemade cake cobbler. So good. So full. We had all sorts of plans to do a hike or go on marcellos boat, but honestly it was just as nice spending time in a home, with such a hospitable family. Guiseppe had a friend over as well. They helped us find a ticket to Barcelona. What a stress. Francesco came over a little bit later too. To celebrate the ticket finally we popped a bottle of bubbly. Simones mother and father wanted us to google earth where we lived. I showed them Hawaii, and where my boat was and my school and the beach and the mountains, and Sarah and sarahya did the same for Vancouver. Bella bella she just kept saying. She loved little Sarah. She's hardly five foot and tiny. She cuddled with her on the couch and wouldn't let her go. It was funny. Poor Sarah, but she s a good sport. She made us home made hot chocolate, which you might as well call chocolate soup and had some chocolate biscuits. As if it wasn't enough, once Simone could peel us out of his house, after first being reminded to send a magnet from where we live, his mom had the fridge covered top to bottom from places shed been, we headed out at guiseppes request to meet some more of his friends at the bar. And to meet up again with his friend from dinner. We parted ways with Francesco, so sad. This kid is hilarious. Then off to the bar for one last drink, meet a slew of knew people, then off to the train station. He made it a point to swing by Vonda s even though we we running late. It is amazing how much he really loves her. Kind of makes your heart melt when you see them together. Two wonderful people. Too cute. Guiseppe had the English dictionary in hand the whole time haha. They were jacked up on practicing English. He even called out the car that cut us off, "your mother is a fucker". Close. I was dying, so much better. They sped us right up to the station, walked in our bags, checked for our gates and even waited for the train to come. So sweet. sad good bye.
Boy were we dumb after not having to think for ourselves for three days straight. The night train was absurd. I felt like we were getting smuggled across the Mexican border like donkeys with drugs stitched in them. There were only a few cars, no seats and it reamer like piss. We had to set up in the tiny narrow hallways outside the six seat boxed rooms. It was hilarious only because it was so aweful. We all just looked at each other after twenty minutes to ourselves of silent problem solving, when we finally had to face our circumstances, and said...well this is it, good luck guys. It was like the fight for comfort through blood shut eyes, numb limbs, dirty as floors, cigarette smoke, apparently when you are a second class citizen your train cart becomes the smoking balcony, and piss smell. What a long haul. We got to Palermo exhausted. Couldn't find anywhere or even think. Found a b and b. Determined that we hated Palermo, partially probably based on our own foul dispositions and exhaustion. Slept the entire day, looked up where to go next and set of first thing to the town our dinky dink airport is in, with the only flight near Barcelona. Tripane. As I had already said earlier on we got a ride to the b and b, and set off for the day. We got pretty lost haha. We finally found the beach, and the old town and just vegged. It w nice and well needed. Cool out but warm in the sun. Perfect autumn weather. Some people were swimming and in suits, they're crazy. Hopefully Barcelona is nice but I think Croatia may of been the nicest weather I'll see until Hawaii again. Early night in after a grab bag of candy and a canoli on the walk back. Not to mention a splurge on some new kicks. Had to be done. I was feeling very grubby. Back to the b and b for an early start to today.
We went to the island traverse....something. Can't remember now. After our breakfast of course. The nice owner had a dilectable spread for us. So much starch for breakfast in europe. They dont do the eggs or even meat thing, unless its cold cuts and cheese, anywhere outside of ireland and the u.k. We took a scenic tour first. Well not intentionally, just the bus the wrong wy all the way to the country side then back to where we started where it headed of the other direction ten minutes to where we were suppose to off gone. Only an hour later:). It was perfectly though. We caught the ferry just as they were setting off. It was neat to get out into the Mediterranean. So clear and aqua blue. Sarah seriously messed up her neck so we decided not to rent and triple on the scooter. Probably safer not to, even with all my experience doing so. Instead we did the little train trolley thing. So ghetto and tourist but hey for five euro it saved us a lot of walking. Had no idea what the tour guide said. We would just stare at the stuff he'd explain and everyone would UH and ah and determine that that was probably something important. We got the ferry back after another beer at the harbor side bar, that gave us free olives and cheese plus. We decided, since we landed back import near old town Nd city center to go for one last pasta dinner. I got gnocchi. Pasta and Italian is good everywhere but some places you really do feel lie you could get it anywhere. It satisfies our final craving. One last hunt for a canoli. The best canoli s. Bused it back for an early start to the airport tomorrow. And here I sit at 12 :24 still awake writing to you all. I though I'd scramble to catch up. I will have cherished and fond memories of Italy. This has been a strange and glorious journey. Simone wrote us one last message today,
GIRLSSSSSSSSSS i'm so happy that it's all okk..... i think that is impossible imagine your fatigue^^,girls i want say you for last time thanks and sorry,thanks becouse your way of thinking has open our mind and has given us a new lease on life...and sorry becouse i didn't find a good place where you can sleep...yes becouse i would have liked thatt you didn't spend so many money:( maybe my home was a better solution.girls i was so sad sunday night i hope that a day in the future i can meet you again. thanks very much and remember my mom's words OPEN YOUR EYES in this travel also i think you are three intelligent girls and you are not in need of advice...good travel girls see you again i hope....remember also that i will want have your picutre of this period...enjoy on your way.
I'll miss those guys. Arrivederci Italy, and Hola Spain.
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