Sunday, 17 August 2008

• Naples/Pompeii

   

  After four days, I was actually getting tired of Rome (gasp!).  Though I made sure to take my time sightseeing, one can only go from attraction to attraction for so long in the same city before feeling burned out.  Sure, there were plenty of "must-see" things listed in the guidebooks that I still had not seen, but I found myself planning to go not because I truly wanted to, but rather because of some vague obligatory feeling that I should see this or that, or so I could say that I did. 
  
  It sounds so simple, right?  "Do what you want."  But this is actually something I've struggled with mightily: doing things not entirely for the right motivations, whether it to be to please my family, people whose opinions mattered to me, or society in general.  Living up to what others thought I should be, overly concerned with what others think, trying to fit a certain ideal, was detrimental to my growth.  Nowadays I'm better at recognizing it, but too often still catch myself relapsing.
  
  And so upon seeing this behavior manifest again, I knew it was time to stop and revaluate.  Four days in Rome was plenty for me; time for a change of scenery.  It was Sunday night, my last night at the hostel.  I made my way to Termini station and booked a train Monday morning to Naples to enjoy the original home of pizza, and to see the famous city of Pompeii.

  Monday morning, I woke up early and packed my things, trying not to disturb my hostelmates.  Grabbed some free breakfast, checked my email using the hostel's PC, and departed.  Thirty minutes later I was on the train to Naples.  Reinvigorated by the lush Italian countryside seen through the oversized windows on either side of the train, I relished the freedom I had at that moment, able to hop a train on short notice to yet another place I never imagined I'd have the opportunity to see.  I reached into my backpack to pull out my moleskine journal to record this emotional high...
  
  Nothing.  Strange.
  
  Reached into my backpocket...
  
  Nothing.
  
  (Panic quickly escalating...)
  
  I rummaged through every pocket of my backpack, my jeans, the seat around me...

  "F*ck."

  *****

  Yeah, I know.  It wasn't like it was my passport.  Or my cash/ATM card.  But those things can be replaced.  This was arguably more valuable: my thoughts and feelings on my inaugural trip overseas, something I'd been looking forward to for years.  To me, there was no argument.

  My heart sank as my body crumpled into the seat.  The other passengers in the cabin looked at me with a mixture of concern and curiosity: they could see it on my face.  I had just lost something very important to me.

  Or had I?  My mind raced as I thought back to the last place I saw it.  At the train station?  While I was packing? When I grabbed breakfast and checked my...?

  The hostel's computer!  I remembered the optical mouse was on a surface that didn't work very well, so I pulled out my moleskine to use as a mousepad.  I must have left it there this morning!!...ARGH!!

  (Despair changed to Hope which changed to Frustration, haha)

  Once I got off the train in Naples two hours later, I immediately called the hostel and asked them to keep my moleskine safe until I could return to pick it up, which was only a minor problem.  Originally, I had planned on taking an overnight train straight from Naples to my next tentative destination, Venice.  Now I just needed to make a quick stop in Rome on my way, no problem. 

  I breathed a great big sigh of relief: crisis averted. 

  *****

  Highlights from Naples and Pompeii:

  

  More pics here (WARNING: Some content unsuitable for children and prudish people).

  *****

  Exhausted after being in the sun the whole day exploring Pompeii (which was much larger than I expected), I hopped the train back to Rome, picked up my moleskine, and booked an overnight sleeper berth on a train to Venice.  It was about 11pm Monday night.  In about seven hours, I would be arriving in Venice, the beautiful city of canals...

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