Italy Day 9

Laundry day! Oh how fun. As I was walking to the Splashnet Laudromat I was thinking how nice it has been to not have to do any chores. I get up, pack my bag, and I am off for the day. No cleaning, no making the bed, no dishes… It has been nice. But alas, I must do laundry before I start to smell bad. I found the perfect place, though! All I had to do was take my clothes out of my bag, and the guy there did my laundry for me as I got caught up on the internet. Cant beat that! I want to find a place like that back home.

After getting my laundry done I walked down to the train station to head to Naples. I was getting a hang of the train station, and soon I was relaxing with my ipod on the train to Naples. I decided to only spend £10 instead of £40 and take an extra hour, which ended up working out just fine. Once in Naples I immediately found the local train and headed right to Sorrento. It took over an hour, but the views were amazing. Jagged rocks with homes build on them, over looking the coast. It was nice to see water for a change.

I was in Sorrento by 3pm and as soon as I steped off the train, I knew I was going to love it here. I wandered my way though town and finally found the Ulisse Deluxe Hostel. Wow, it is nice! It has a huge lounge area with a bar and breakfast place. It also has a swimming pool, spa and fitness center. And this is the cheapest hostel yet! I couldnt believe it. I really feel like I am staying in luxury. They do charge £5 for just one hour for internet though, so maybe thats how they make thier money.

I put my bag down in my room and headed out. It was so nice to finally be outside and not have to wear a jacket! I could feel the moist air coming off of the water, and it smelled of the sea. I wanted to see the water so that was my first stop. I wound my way down the steep, winding narrow street, and eventually it opened up to the coast. Fish boats were coming in and heading out, there were men tiding up their netting and cats running wild, chasing each other. There werent many people out and the ones that were seemed to be lost in their own worlds so they didnt seem to notice me. The days are really getting shorter and the sun was already behind the hills. I took a lot of pictures and then found a foot path that seemed to head back up towards town. It was again steep, and I was the only one on it otherthan a few cats. I had to keep stoping to take pictures of everything, it was too amazing to just walk by.

I eventually turned onto a narrow street lined with shops that were full of home-made trinkets, scarves and other souvenirs. The street was crowded, but not nearly as bad as being in Rome or Florence. It finally ended as it ran into the main street, so I slowly made my way back to the hostel. On the way I found an English Bar, so I decided to stop in and get some dinner. An Italian waiter immediately came to my side and started chatting with me. He said he saw me today on the train, although he didnt look familiar. After taking my order he came back over and sat down to chat some more. He was a nice guy, and was fun to talk to. He asked me where I was from and was shocked when I told him America. He said °no, you cant be from America! You do not have an American body. Americans are fat! You must be from somewhere else, no? Maybe France, or Canada?° It was rather amusing that he didnt believe me, but I will take that compliment. Once my pizza was ready he let me enjoy it in peace. He came back after and asked if I would go out with him and some friends later tonight. I told him  would think about it, and would be back there at 10pm if I was up for it. I am not sure if  will take him up on that or not…

After dinner I continued to walk down the street. It was completely dark by now and people were starting to close down their shops. So I made my way back to the hostel and decided to go for a swim. It was nice, although more crowded than I had hoped. Maybe later would be better for that. But I cant pass up a pool at a hostel in Italy! I am now going to head down to the lounge for a while, for a glass of wine and decide what I want to do for the evening.

I have come to realize this last week that I really dont mind, and actually have really enjoyed, traveling by myself. On quite a few occassions I have overheard couples getting into arguments over the most rediculous things, travel buddies fighting over where they are going to go next, and parents screaming at their kids to behave. I feel so grateful that I have the freedom that I do. I can get lost, sleep in or get up early, stay as long or as short as I want to at the different places, and meet and talk to whoever I want until as late as I want, all without consequence. It is such a good feeling, and it has made for such an amazing experience. I think that after this trip it is going to be hard to find someone I am compatable with for traveling! I am sure that is not true actually. I already know this trip has been so good for me, and just what I need at this moment in my life.

Italy Day 8

I was ready to get back to the city by the time I woke up this morning, so I packed my bag, said bye to the owners and headed down the dirt road. I had no idea how I was going to get to the train station, but I was grateful it wasnt raining out. There was a bus stop close to their drive, but from what I could read, it didnt look like one was coming for at least an hour. I decided to start walking and figure it out from there.

I made it to the next town, but realized that walking probably wasnt the best idea. There was no shoulder and the roads were starting to get more narrow and windy. I found another bus stop, and even though the bus wasnt scheduled for another 45 minutes, decided to wait. I was praying one would come, because I had yet to see a bus, going in either direction, yesterday or today. But one did come, right on time, and eventually I was at the Termini.

I decided to head back to Rome. It didnt make sense to go north again, since I am planning to be in Sorrento on Wednesday. I had to wait almost an hour for the train, and the train took over an hour and a half, but soon I was off the train, back in Rome. It actually felt good to be back around lots of people, and a place I kind of knew my way around. I made my way right to the Alessandro Hostel, where they greeted me with happy surprise to see me. They had room, and as he was doing the paperwork he asked me where I had been, what I had done etc. I realized I really missed people interaction!

After putting my bag down in the same room I stayed in last week, I made my way down to the computers to get caught up. A guy, Taylor, came in and we started chatting. He is traveling alone from Toronto, and he just got into town today. He is majorly jet lagged and was asking me for all sorts of advice. It feels like forever ago that I was in his shoes! We both finished up and headed to the bar to share the open bottle of wine I had. It was more good conversation. People started piling in the closer it got to 8:30 and the free pizza. Taylor and I invited a couple of guys from Germany to come sit with us, and I am glad we did. They were a riot. I could barely understand them through their thick accents, but their animation was more than enough to understand what they were trying to say. We all spent the rest of the evening enjoying pizza and beer, laughing until our cheeks hurt. I realized I did miss this the last few days. But I am off again, leaving tomorrow to head south. I am excited for this last leg of my adventure though. Skàl!