Hello from Athens! We arrived this afternoon and I just got back from seeing sunset at the Acropolis!! We'll leave tomorrow morning to catch a ferry to Santorini, but I wanted to update you all on my travels so that I don't forget anything! I'm finding it difficult not having computer access to update regularly. I try and write things in my travel journal as they come to me, but sometimes I think faster than I can write. I'll try and write a brief summary of the last few days, but I can assure you they will not do justice to the amazing things I have experienced!
Monday morning was an early one! We were out of the apartment by 7:00 and then took a water taxi to the train station to go to Naples (Napoli), where we arrived just after 6:00. After checking into our hostel - Welcome Inn Naples - we ventured out for dinner. David, the guy whose dad owns the place, recommended a restaurant called Gino Sorbello and he said they had the best pizza in town. Now Naples is the birthplace of pizza, so we had pretty high expectations... let me just say, he didn't let us down! The restaurant claims that the Pope has eaten there and they even had pictures; it was kinda crazy! The pizza was absolutely delicious! We heard it was a popular place and we didn't have to wait for a table (we never have in all our time in Europe). However, after they brought us the check they said something in Italian that I think was a nice way of saying, "hey, we need this table," so we took it as our cue to leave. By the time we walked out, there were people standing in the street and we could hear them calling peoples names over the loudspeaker. Needless to say, it was a fun night.
The next morning we were disappointed to wake up to rain, but we were determined to accomplish what we'd come to Naples to see. David said that they may close the Mt. Vesuvius national park if the weather was bad, so we hurried to catch a bus to the volcano in order to climb to the top. It was a tiring hike and it was crowded with bus loads of high schoolers on vacation from France, but the view from the top was so worth it!! It wasn't quite what I expected, but I loved it! I kept imagining looking into the crater and seeing bubbling magma or firey lava, but the crater looked like a big, green valley. We DID see some steam though, coming out of the cracks surrounding the crater, so it made it seem a little more "volcanic." [And for all of you Baylor Highlanders, I made sure to listen to Kyle's "Volcanic" sermon podcast before going!]
We climbed back down and took the bus back to the train station, where we got another short train to go to Pompeii. It was unbelievable, and I'm so glad I got to see it. The weather was not very cooperative and it was pouring on-and-off all afternoon, but we really enjoyed exploring the ruins and taking photos, imagining what the city was like before the infamous eruption. After seeing Mt. Vesuvius earlier in the day, it was neat to walk the city streets and see what damage it had done.
Tuesday night we decided to stay in since we were so exhausted from the day, so we cooked some pasta and relaxed at the hostel. It was one of the best hostels we've stayed in, and the atmosphere was very similar to that of the Chalet Martin in Switzerland (the Chalet is still my #1 though). Everyone hung out in the big common room and we met a lot of really cool people. The two guys we shared a room with were from Germany and they were hilarious. After dinner I was flipping through pictures on my camera, and a guy from Singapore asked about my Nikon and brought his D40 out. We chatted about photography for a good while, and it was just really fun to realize how much I can have in common with people I meet during our month-long journey.
Okay, so my interpretation of Naples, or Napoli as the Italians say... it was probably my least favorite city. We only went to Naples in order to see Mount Vesuvius and Pompeii, so it was totally worthwhile and I don't regret taking the time to go. I just don't think I'll be back in Napoli anytime soon. The city itself was dirty and covered in graffiti and at times it just didn't feel like I was in Italy. However, on the first night we did get to see a little side of Naples that I enjoyed. We got a little lost on the way back from dinner, but our detour took us through a residential part of town where we got to see what I imagine as the typical Italian family life. The streets were narrow, there was laundry hanging everywhere, and from open windows you could hear music and laughter. Looking inside, you could see grandparents, parents, and children all gathered for a meal, and it was a neat to experience a little bit of life off the beaten track.
On Wednesday, we woke up, ate breakfast, and went to the train station to catch our train to Bari. [And yes, for all you Waco people, that IS Bari like our beloved Baris restaurant!] The train left at 9, we arrived at 2, and then we waited around at the train station for Chris who was coming from Milan. When his train arrived, the 5 of us spread out across the platform in order to find him, but our search proved unsuccessful, and with his phone number not working we reluctantly got on the bus to the port. Thankfully not all hope was lost. We finally got a hold of Chris, who did in fact get off of the train we searched through, and once he got to the port we boarded our ferry to Greece!
The ferry was amazing! I expected a dinky little boat but in reality it was a small cruise ship, complete with two restaurants, a cafe, and rooms to sleep in. We didn't want to pay for a room, so we opted for the "airplane" seating which was off to the side from the smoky, loud cafe where the economy seating was. The seats were nice and we had TVs, but I opted to sleep on the floor. The 15+ hours passed quickly, seeing as how I slept for 10 of them! Yeah, that's right - I said 10. I could hardly believe it myself. After eating dinner and playing a few hilarious rounds of pictionary telephone, I pulled out my sleep sack, curled up on the floor, and slept the whole night through.
Smooth sailing turned to bumpy roads when we arrived in the Greek port city of Patras. We discovered that the trains were shut down because of a 24-hour strike. That meant there was only one train to Athens and it wasn't leaving for another 3 hours - a 4 hour train ride to Athens meant we wouldn't get there until after 9. Our only other option was to pay 17 euros for a bus ride to Athens, which we sucked up and did just for time's sake. We went to go get bus tickets and were told that on the next bus there were only 4 seats available... well great, but there are 6 of us. Then magically they had 6 tickets available, but when we got on the bus there were only 5 open seats. It was a squished bus ride, but we arrived in Athens at 5 and then hopped on a bus to find our hostel.
The term "it's all greek to me" seemed very fitting for our afternoon. It was a little difficult to find our hostel, and while on the bus we all were kinda freaking out about where we were supposed to get off... but, we all know how God provides! There was a sweet old man sitting across from Joanna that looked at our directions, tried his very best to communicate to us in Greek, and then motioned for us to follow him from the bus stop. He walked us in the direction of our hostel and we were so thankful for his help!
After checking into the hostel, we hurried out to see some of the city before the sun went down. The afternoon was very frustrating as we tried to find our way to Athens, but one look at the Acropolis and all its glory and the annoyances of travel seemed to fade away! We hiked up through the market to get as high as we could go. The Acropolis was already closed, but we wandered up through a neighborhood and found a BEAUTIFUL lookout point over the city. The sun was setting over the mountains, the ancient ruins below were beginning to light up for their nightly display, and I was completely in love! We climbed back down and found a restaurant called Exapinis where we ate dinner. The owner and his staff were amazing! Kaitlyn and I split a deliciously flaky, lamb-filled pastry for dinner and then our server brought us a free homemade dessert called Halva which was really good. Oh, not to mention the fact that we ate outside, looking up at the Acropolis. It was the best night!
Alright, tomorrow will be another early morning as we set sail for beautiful Santorini, Greece! I am so beyond excited, and I am LOVING every minute of the journey... even when things don't go as planned. Love you and miss you all!
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