Now that I've walked the streets of Naples, I know what it will look like when the world is ending. This city had lost complete control. It reminded me of Gotham in the movie Batman. It was dark and eerie. There was no logic when it came to traffic, motorcycles were racing by, cars did not stop for pedestrians, trash lined the streets. It gave me a new appreciation for laws. Clearly no one was abiding them here. There was a lot of crime. There were men who lay blankets on the sidewalks lined with miscellaneous items like iPhones, cords, jewelry, make up- it was obvious they just rob people and then sell their belongings right on the streets. I had left my purse in the room and only brought Twenty Euros to dinner for this very reason. I asked Darragh and Mitch who had medical insurance. Puzzled, Mitch replied yes and Darragh said no. I told them in the event we get held up by a knife, Now we know who we can push in the line of danger. At least he can go to a hospital and get fixed right up- Darragh and I would bleed to death.
We thought like any person, that it would be easy to find a restaurant but we walked the city for nearly an hour and found nothing. Many buildings were boarded up and there was no sign of food. I wasn't kidding when I say this is what it looks like when the world ends, I don't think people eat out around this area.
Finally I asked someone for help and they pointed us in the right direction. We found exactly what we were looking for, an Italian pizzeria with outside seating. The table was placed right on the sidewalk with green linen and a lit candle. It was Exactly how I pictured my last dinner as a twenty-seven year old. Here I was in Naples, with two great people who let me tag along on their journey. The server came over- classic Italian, and was so eager to have this be our best experience. He got really excited after he found out where we came from. He treated us like kings and helped us pick out the recommended pizzas. They cook them in a brick oven and this was what I was waiting for all day. The real Italian pizza experience.
We ordered wine and they toasted to my almost birthday. In that moment, I realized how lucky I was again. It's not often you meet a great person on a trip. I've met eight. I know it is extremely risky to decide to join two guys to Naples. This could have gone a completely direction, but Darragh and Mitch treated me like a life long friend. They looked out for me, never once hit on me and were extremely respectful. I felt like they were my brothers because you could tell if I was trailing behind a little they would turn to make sure I was okay. They always had my best interest in mind. I never felt unsafe in their company. I also felt they were like a brother because they kept me laughing the entire time. They are very intelligent and extremely witty.
Why they allowed me to join their trip, I'll never know. It's not like I gave them the impression that I was going to be with them. But here we were, laughing, toasting and having an amazing time.
Our pizza was placed in front of us and our mouths were watering. It looked like a dish you see on food network. I proposed we split our pizza in threes so we each could experience all the flavors. This literally was the most amazing pizza I've tasted. The flavor was out of this world. At the first bite, I fell in love. This was worth the trip to Gotham.
We were all going to town on our food and I had taken bites of each pizza and left the crust behind so that I could enjoy stuffing myself with as much prosciutto, mozzarella and oregano as possible. Darragh turned to me and said in his Australian accent "Julie, your plate looks like where a pizza goes to die" Darragh has a unique way of describing things. Where a normal person would say, "your plate is quite messy" He describes it in a way that uses your imagination and laugh. We all talked about relationships and life at dinner. I probed them with questions and asked advice for me. I felt like I could ask them anything. They are very good guys and I believe a girl will be lucky someday to find them.
We stuffed ourselves until we could eat no more and then walked back toward the hostel. We stopped for a gelato of course and bought bottles of wine at the market. We set our chairs on the balcony overlooking the streets and sipped on our terribly cheap and disgusting wine and laughed. We should have spent the extra Euros and got something that didn't taste like medicine. Mitch turned to Darragh and asked what time it was so we wouldn't miss my birthday toast. Darragh went back in the room and then raced back through the drapes to yell that it had just hit midnight! They toasted me to "being over the hill" is what they call it. They had been giving me a hard time because I was older then them. I sipped on my wine and smiled. I never in a million years thought I would be having wine on a balcony in Naples with two Australians.
I was thanking my lucky stars for being in such great company, and finding friends while traveling who not only cared it was my birthday but were counting down the minutes to toast to me. It was very special and I crawled into bed that night very thankful. To travel half way around the world and be celebrated on your birthday is a gift. I could have very well been alone in a hotel room tonight, celebrating with no one. The fact that I was with two Aussies made my year. In the morning the boys woke me up and wished me a Happy Birthday. Roberto had breakfast prepared for us in the kitchen. The stay is only seventeen Euros so it wasn't much but one thing I noticed is he takes everything he has and treats it with such delicate care. He can make anything plain more inviting by the way he speaks so eloquently in his beautiful Italian accent. On the table lay a croissant, yogurt and blood orange juice. He prepared me a cappuccino and it was fantastic. I asked Roberto what day he takes to himself and he said he works everyday around the clock for his guests. I could not believe that he never takes time for himself. I asked him what he will do with all the money he saves up and he started to talk about all the plans he has. He is fascinating to listen to and has a deep appreciation for life. We laughed about the different people that comes through his hostel and he told us stories about the different accents he encounters. I was really glad that out of all the hostels we stayed in that it was Roberto's. He was very moving to listen to and I hope he does get to go on his trip soon.
We headed out to Pompeii. Mitch was the tour guide so I just followed. We made our way back to the train station to drop our luggage at storage and then took the metro to Pompeii. Once we crammed into the train and I told a little Italian girl her sandals were beautiful. She began asking me questions. The dad told her that I was American and didn't understand. She asked me more questions so I pulled out my iPod and clicked the buttons to know how to respond. The family quickly yelled
"Neccesito telephono "over and over. I did not understand. The guys jumped in to help figure out what they were saying. Finally another English speaking person on the train said " They're telling you to not pull out your iPhone in Naples in fear it will get stolen"
I thought it was crazy that they were so worried about my belongings being stolen and they just met me. I also found it scary that this city's crime is so high that you must be warned to never gave your phone out in public. We began speaking back and forth in very basic Italian. The two little girls loved talking to an English speaking person. You could tell they were very excited. They asked if the boys were my "ragazzo" , my boyfriend. I laughed and told them no. This was my favorite part of traveling in different countries. Most people hate language barriers but I feel like it's piecing together a puzzle. Italian, Spanish and English all have a few words that overlap so you can kind of piece things together in correlation with hand movements and facial expressions. When you do finally figure out what they're asking and you respond, both parties get filled with excitement like you've just won an award. I find it fascinating. The Italian family exited at the stop before us and so I went back to speaking plain old English with the Aussies. Today the guys opened up even more to me. I was really starting to get to know them quite well and I had really come to admire them. Mitch is like a walking encyclopedia. You can ask him any question in the world and he knows the answer. Darragh is just as smart but more opinionated so the three of us talked on the train about evolution, religion. I just felt like it's rare to find such guys who like to talk about what really is going on in this crazy world so I was pulling every question that wanders my mind that I never really came to a conclusion. We talked about what happens after you die, currencies even marriage. I held their opinions and belief with high regard.
Darragh was looking up flights from Rome and I asked where he was headed. He said he didn't know. I asked in disbelief "You don't know where you're headed in 3 days?!?" I found it crazy he didn't know where his next destination would be. He replied " Julie, you didn't know where you were headed yesterday morning and made a decision in one hour"
Sometimes you don't recognize in yourself what you see in others. I found his spontaneity and sense of adventure intriguing and hadn't even realized the magnitude of what I had been doing this entire trip.
Once we reached Pompeii I was relieved. It was a totally different environment then Naples. Pompeii is considered to be The most Classical city in all of Europe. I had known anything about Pompeii or what we were about to see but the boys said it was a perfect birthday present for me.
We got to the gate and bought the tickets to enter. Mitch and Darragh recommended we buy the audio headsets to listen along the tour. I had never done that before and though it may be boring, they highly recommended it and said it helps you picture what the city once looked like. I trusted their judgment so bought the headphones. I learned that the city was destroyed by a volcano in 79 A.D. The ruins were the only thing left and it was the most unbelievable site to see. We toured the entire ruins for 4 hours and as I listened to the audio tour I trying to visualize the people and the buildings that once existed where I was standing.
I would have never thought to come here and see this amazing city. The guys opened my eyes to something new and as we walked around the ruins, I would ask them questions from time to time and of course Mr. Encyclopedia knew the answer.
The story of how all the people of Pompeii died was so incredibly sad. You could literally see the volcano beyond the city and knowing that it erupted and put this incredible city to rest was so upsetting. The entire city was covered with gas and ash that was over twenty feet high. No one survived. The city wasn't even dug up again until the eighteenth century. Now we were walking where the markets, gardens, theaters, and houses once stood.
The guys were right, This was quite the way to spend my birthday. I had a great time exploring all these beautiful cities in Italy but had no clue that I would be exposed to Pompeii and its (sad) and beautiful story. I felt like I was on a different planet all day. I have felt like that this entire journey really. Walking through "Gotham,"' hanging out with Aussies, tasting true authentic Italian pizza, having conversations with Italian families. It was all such a beautiful thing.
We headed back to the train station and I told the guys to go ahead. They had the Euro pass and the next train for me was half the price if I waited an hour. I would wait for the next train and meet them in Rome to celebrate my Birthday tonight. They were so cute and waited with me to look after me until the last possible minute. This could have been their out if they felt I was cramping their guys trip. They had me take a picture of their printed directions to their hostel in case I got lost when I arrived in Rome. With two minutes to spare, they jumped on their train.
Now I'm off to do the one thing I was sure of for this trip, spend my twenty-eighth birthday in Rome, Italy.