Ciao Bella!

Day 1: Thursday, Rouen to Paris to Rome to Naples to Lago Patria

Wednesday night there was a fiesta in the common room because it was a Mexican and a Spanish girls' birthday. It was a really great time with music food and sangria. I'm so glad I went because it would be the last time I would see people for a week or so. My Finnish friends introduced us to their strange obsession with salted licorice flavored items like salmiakki vodka which is a slated licorice flavored vodka that looks more like melted black tar than something to drink and salted licorice candies. I have been adopted as a Finn because I didn't mind either and everyone else wanted to spit it out. (it must be the Swedish blood in me because apparently they drink it too). It was a late night of socializing which wasn't the best idea since I had to wake up at 5 am to get ready and leave for Italy!

I made it on the 6:30am train to Paris and once on the train passed out of exhaustion (little did I know that would be the last of my sleep for some time). Once in Paris I had a network of metros to take to get to the airport, and arrived to check in at 9am. Then to my joy my flight has been delayed due to the worker stike until later in the afternoon. Here are a few photos from what turned out to be a 5 hour delay:

At the gate you get on a bus which takes you to the air strip where you actually board the plane

Luckily our of the delay I got some food vouchers. During the second set of vouchers a couple of very nice gentlemen gave me theirs which made me happier than I could explain (there were almost tears of relief and joy) with their vouchers I could get water, a sandwich, and an apple. At this point I feel like a zombie from lack of sleep.

Finally at 4 I get on the plane where they tell us they have lost 8 passengers and once they are found we will be on our way. *then I fell asleep* I woke up as we were about to begin decent where over the speaker system they started to play Clair de Lune by Debussy it was very relaxing and after 2 hours of sleep in the plane I felt much happier.

In Rome I got my bag and grabbed a shuttle to the train station where I worked through intense sleep deprivation to kind of figure out the ticket machine. I ran to the train and asked to ticket master man if it was the right one. He said yes and helped me get on the train. I then watched him get in an argument with another man who had bought the wrong ticket and was being charged for it. (this is about 8:30pm now). 10 mins before my stop was to come the man next to me asked where I was going and I told him and he said that the train wasn't going to Napoli Centrale. I had a slight panic attack and then logically figured out he was wrong and I got off on my stop.

In Naples I stayed with a stellar family who so kindly picked me up from the train station in Naples since it was so late (10:45pm). They had, had to borrow a friends car since theirs had been broken into and the window smashed earlier that evening. They took me home and showed me my room for the week, it was the sun room on the top floor with view of the lake and ocean. I was stoked beyond belief.

Then I passed out for several hours


Day 2: Friday, Lago Patria

here is a of the lake from where I stayed

They whole Lori and I bonded over family photos, tv, food, and movies. It was the most relaxing day I had had in a very long time.

Day 3: Saturday, Naples

Lori and I decided to venture to Naples for the day, she hadn't been there for some time and wanted to go experience the city with me.

We took the Alibus from the airport to the theater next to the Umberto shopping center and Piazza



here is a view of Vesuvius






there was a run or some kind of event they were setting up for



We had breakfast at a beautiful coffee shop in Umberto we drank cappucinos and ate cornetti (croissants) and brioche

We then wandered around the heart of Naples a bit until we decided to find a small church which is now a museum that holds a statue called the veiled christ.



*insert veiled christ visit here* I wasn't allowed to take photos but it was amazing it is a place called Cappella Sansevero it is 6 euro for adults and 4 for students if you like churches, sculpture, or me and you are ever in Naples you MUST go. Or I will hunt you down and drag you with me.


Lunch: my street food abilities didn't let me down this was 2,70 euro! so cheap

After lunch it started to rain, Lori and I tried to find a chocolate shop but gave up when we discovered it had moved and the rain started to pour down in buckets. We retreated back into Umberto to get some gelati. This is where I met my future sugar daddy. We were waiting to be served and a man came up and asked us where we were from (he was american) we told him and Lori introduced me as a friend told him she lived there, I studied in France etc. He told us he was from Everett Washington, now worked on a private yacht (he made a big deal of that) that was headed from the Greek Isles back up to Northern Italy. As we were leaving Lori said to him "It was so nice to meet you" but he was too busy staring at my assets to really take notice of what was going on. So the new joke became the task of finding matching purple track suits and a sugar daddy.


Lago Partia has some of the most incredible sunsets and sunrises I have ever seen (thank you pollution) here are a few photos from that evening


Day 4: Sunday, Lago Patria

Sunday was a lazy day watching movies, exploring the small town of Lago Patria here is a photos of some random ruins in the middle of two subdivisions

Day 5: Monday, Naples

Monday Lori and I decided to head back to downtown Naples to see the Archaeological Museum that is world renowned specifically for it's sculpture garden and it's items from Pompeii. So Micheal drove us in to the Navel base on his way to work. During the drive there was the most amazing sight to be held.

In the tiny little car below you will see a VERY big man in the driver's seat ans his wife who is most likely in her 70's pushing the car all by herself while wearing some pretty serious heels.


Eventually a man from another car got out and helped her push start the car once traffic let up a little. The entire situation was extraordinarily comical though.


Once we got to dowtown Naples we went in search for the chocolate shop again (this time however we had aid of google maps from the night before) After finding the shop and buying a box we stopped in this small piazza and had a few






Then we decided to wander through downtown on our way to the museum. here are some shots taken from the walk






For lunch we had street food king: Kebabs. This is Lori's first kebab and I had to take a photo in order to remember this moment forever

the view from our lunch spot


There was also piano music coming from one of the restaurants near by.



The museum was only a few blocks away so we walked straight there after lunch




The National Archaeological Museum was the highlight of Monday! It was the one thing I felt like I had to see in Naples if nothing else. Mostly because if I had, had my way when I was 10 I would be a student at University of Chicago studying Archeology specifically Egyptology. So Lori and I headed over and spent most of the afternoon nerding out with all of the sculptures since it is both our favorite form of art (well my favorite is like a 10 way tie but go with it). Here are photos from the actual museum

This was the creepiest sculpture of my life!


Yes we are complete dorks



no biggy this is just the ceiling in one of the halls


I had to take this photo 4 times because I had the hiccups



Hercules and Omphalus


This is my favorite statue in the museum. I'm in love with it!



Flora


Artemis

Muse


Eros with dolphin


Pan and Daphne


My new boyfriend:


The courtyard:


My Sugar Daddy!
After the museum we went and grabbed some coffee before grabbing the Alibus back to the airport. Then we took the shuttle on base to the support site which is another base which has the commissary (grocery store), hospital schools, etc. I totally got checked out by the gate guard too. One of the most surprising things is the fact that you get your id checked everywhere! getting on base, going into the grocery store on base. I have never had so many people see my passport in one day.


Day 5 : Tuesday, Rome

On Tuesday I took the train into Rome to meet up with some friends and see some sights. When I got to Rome my friends were already in the Vatican museum so I went to the Colosseum and revisited some memories from a couple years ago. It was such a nice day outside I was amazed.










When I travel alone I am almost always mistook as a Spaniard which frankly I don't mind and my Spanish is good enough that I can fake it.

On my way to meet my friends for lunch I ran into this Basilica S. Paolo which was beautiful. I didn't go in because it cost money and frankly I was already running late to meet Team Finland and Canada for lunch.



At the Vatican I hung out with Tytti and Anniina in the square and waited for the rest of the crew to finish climbing the church. Mostly we just enjoyed the sun and warmth.

We had lunch at a cafe nearby and afterwards we split up again. I was running out of time and decided to see Saint Peter's before I left and they went to see a castle or something. So we bid farewell and went off sight seeing






In the church there were nuns singing at this alter and it was soooo beautiful I had to try and capture it on video

After the church I wandered around the Vatican for a bit before heading back to the metro station.

I grabbed the train back to Naples and headed home. Lori and Michael picked me up from the airport at around 9:30


Day 6: Wednesday, Caserta Market

Wednesday Lori and I decided to go on a trip to Caserta Market organized by the Navel base. It is a lot like Camden market or a big street market. We were bused there and back it was awesome.

We finally found our purple track suits! We were so excited I can't even explain it
The market was amazing it had everything you could want. shoes, clothing, kitchen supplies, fabric, food, plants, etc. I bought a cute blue sweater dress, some sunglasses and Lori a Christmas cactus for their house as a thank you.



This nice man held up his live octopus for me to take a photo


That night I went out to drinks and dinner with Lori, Michael and a bunch of their friends. I had some of the best mussels I have ever eaten in my life. They were so good I am demanding them for my last meal along with croquetas, lamb stew, and Belgian/Naples chocolate, and some other stuff I can't think of right now (bigs juds bacon cheese buger, wok king dinner b with chicken corn soup, popcorn, mint chocolate chip ice cream, bacon and hash browns... Belgian waffles, lamb shoarma...) Back to the point, it was the perfect last night in Italy.


Day 7: Thursday, Lago Patria to Navel Base to Naples to Rome to Paris to Rouen

Thursday morning Michael drove me to the airport to grab the bus, to grab the train to Rome. The sunrise was amazing over Naples and I arrived in Rome with plenty of time before my plane so I sat in front of a museum across from the train station and read my book, ate some lunch etc.





The flight was boring and I got to Paris on time, unfortunately the trains in and out of Rouen were running late so even though I should have been home around 9:30pm it was more like 11pm. But I made it and it was a great week all in all.