Naples, Pompei, Sorrento, and Amalfi Coast

I had a nice train ride from Rome to Naples. There were two guys from South America, a Romanian girl, and her Italian boyfriend. We talked for most of the trip---most of them spoke some English and I know a few words in Italian...we gave each other lessons. I had no clue where my hotel was or even which one I had booked online. A lady at the tourist information booth let me use her computer to check my email so she could give me directions. I got on the Metro and headed to my hotel. I was shocked when I got off my stop--it was dirty and there was garbage piled high along parts of the sidewalk and streets. My hotel was six blocks from the Metro and I was thinking about changing hotels if my hotel was anything like the neighborhood. My hotel was much nicer than the surrounding area so I unloaded my bags and I am still here. I got on a bus headed for downtown and saw some more dirty, smelly areas of Naples. I made it to the Archealogical Museum and then headed back to my hotel. I sceduled a tour for the next day through my hotel to go to Pompei and the Coast. I spent some time by the pool (pool does not open until next week, but they let me sit beside it in the lounge chairs). I had a meal at the hotel's restaurant gnochi with pesto..mmmm and relaxed in my private room. I watched the movie Babe in Italian and headed for bed. The next morning I had breakfast at the hotel and met up with a guy from Washington DC as we boarded our tour van. Our driver was dressed in a light beige suit with typical Italian sunglasses...by the end of the day we thought he had ties to the mob! LOL We picked up 6 other people and headed for Pompei. Pompei was very different than I had expected. I was anticipating seeing tables and chairs and casts of people in their houses--mainly we saw the brick remains of the town. There were some frescos and an area where there were some casts of people and their possessions. I found a high road to walk along where I could see the tops of building and I made my way to the Colosseum. The place is amazing and very well preserved for being almost 2000 years since the eruption. We met back up at the van and headed for the Amalfi Coast. I did not realize that it would be a winding road with lots of quick braking and then speeding back up. I was car sick by the time we got to our first panaramic view. We stopped for a bit to admire Sorrento and then continued on to a few other small villages that clung to the cliffs. The views were just amazing! We stopped to eat on a cliff with an extraordinary view. We had to go down three levels and we got to eat outside overlooking the sea. Our driver arranged things ahead of time and "had connections" with the staff that got us a better deal than most tourists. At the end of our meal, we went upstairs and tested the Limoncello...good but not the best I have tried! I bought a little bottle that was in the shape of a lightbulb. I was just getting over being carsick when we got back in the van for the last leg to reach Amalfi. While the views were over the top, the tight corners and oncoming trafic were what I focused on. We had some time to relax in Amalfi so I walked through the long street with Ty, my fellow American and then met up with the German Couple to have a glass of wine and watch the people stroll by. While I have no desire to go backl to Naples, I can see why people may stay in Naples and travel to these very close beautiful hotspots. The ride home I tried to close my eyes to keep from getting carsick. We took a mountain road, but it was just as curvy and narrow. Once we got back to Naples, Ty and I got out of the van downtown and strolled along the streets and made our way to the waterfront. There were four big cruiseships docked and people everywhere. We ate at a small pizzeria and made our way back to our hotel. From the time we left that morning until we reached the hotel--13 hours...I was exhausted, dehydrated, a little more pink, and ready for bed. This morning I slept in, had breakfast in the warm sunshine and spent a little time out by the pool. I packed up my stuff and checked out of the hotel--no reservation yet for tonight but will look online for someplace between here and Florence. In a few days, I will be back in Poland and I will share some of my pictures. Italy is amazing and I look forward to coming back. Hope you all are doing well and living each day like it was a gift from God! I am so thankful for this opportunity, but it also makes me realize that I need to live everyday, no matter where I am or what I am doing.