Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in you sail. Explore. Dream. Discover.
~Mark Twain
Travelling is truly a vice - at least for me. Once I started, I couldn't stop. I've got quite the insatiable urge to travel, and I agree with every word in this quote from Twain. Travel is something I know I will look back on and always remember.
And sometimes, the truly memorable things do require getting out of your safe zone and sailing into the unknown. That's where the adventure really starts...
This weekend, I was delighted to head south and explore Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast with some friends. It's a place I've dreamed about going to ever since I set my sights on visiting Italy, and I wouldn't have traded the past few days for anything. What a thrilling experience. But it came with its own fair share of drama.
That's what makes this quote so perfect. I know I'll look back someday and remember all of this fondly.
Pompeii was incredible - so far beyond anything I could have imagined! It's literally the coolest thing to walk through a city built in BC that still has ruins around today. We visited there Friday, and I was so content to spend my afternoon wandering around and of course, capturing plenty of pics like the one above.
But to get there, let me tell you. 4:45am we left our apartment. We took 5 trains in the span of 7 and 1/2 crazy hours to cruise our way down to Southern Italy. Somehow, we executed 3 connections so perfectly. I mean we had switching trains down to a science until the very last one.
You would think 30 minutes would have been enough time to literally walk up a flight of stairs. Needless to say, it wasn't. We sat quite content with ourselves on the platform waiting and finally thinking our train was late. We then watched the right one pull away on the tracks across from us. So after that tragic moment, we worked ourselves out and made it, exhausted, to Pompeii.
But of course, what kind of amazing study abroad weekend could end with just that??? So Saturday morning, we were off yet again with a nice trek to the train station. I thought I had planned so well to arrive at the station early. We arrive at the address provided by Google maps and end up basically in the middle of the road, no train in sight. I was slightly crestfallen when some kind Italian told us it was a 10 minute walk away.
Luckily, Italians must walk slow, and their trains go even slower because 3 minutes later we were at the station in plenty of time to catch a train 15 minutes late. The heat and the stress got my heart going to start our day, but we then made it to Sorrento without further event.
Let me tell you, the Amalfi Coast is like NOTHING else I've ever seen. A picture's worth a thousand words right? So here's 20,000 words then. You're welcome.
I can't say I'm the least bit disappointed with any of this glorious adventure. I don't think I've ever seen water as clear as this. While I was swimming, I could see all the way down to my toes!!! We got to see Sorrento, Positano, Agerola, Amalfi, and Salerno along the whole stretch, full of towns tucked in the cliffs and beautiful beaches. And there's straight up lemon trees just casually growing in the street like nbd. So amazing.
What was less amazing were the bus rides between towns on the coast. Personally, I was having a great time chilling with my music and watching the water roll by as we bumped our way through the hills. The aforementioned bumps however were significantly more bothersome to one of my travel buddies.
Let me set the scene for you. I've got a whole row to myself on the bus, looking across it and out the opposite window at a stunning view of the ocean - and then my friend puking into a paper bag. Friend 2 behind her is very pointedly looking at the window and hiding her face from the scene.
A minute later and the puke bag has started to leak so friend 1 is like freaking out that it's gonna break on her. I get up while the other 2 start shouting for friend 3. While they try to move the leaking paper to a plastic bag, I start running down the bus trying to get wet wipes from friend 4. Remember those lovely Italian rolling hills? Yeah, they sucked when I was being thrown around the bus like a pinball and almost falling all over everyone very conveniently avoiding the saga unfolding around them.
Apparently I need to start lifting more or maybe I was just stressed because I could not get the darn backpack down from the shelf above us. The guy next to friend 4 must have seen my panic because he helped me get it down and I bolted. The second I had those wet wipes, I just started dispensing them. You get a wet wipe. You get a wet wipe. EVERYONE gets a wet wipe.
Backing up just a second, before I arrive with the wipes, the bag was shoved into a plastic one, but not before throw up got on friend 3's hand. She is proceeding to have a near meltdown when I arrive swearing she's now going to throw up and I'm like this cannot be happening. Friend 2 sees friend 3 getting nauseous and starts shouting "count down from 300 by 3. NOW!" and then proceeds to start yelling "300, 297, 294..." while friend 3 hyperventilates, friend 1 keeps apologizing for throwing up and I act like wet wipes can somehow clean up this train wreck.
Soon enough though, the chaos was contained, and everyone got cleaned up. Stomach's settled down, and we could all take a deep breath and settle in to finish off our bus ride. Too bad we would have 3 more to go... By Sunday, we wised up and ditched the nausea-inducing bus in favor of a ferry ride over to Salerno. Best decision ever. I'm so glad we got to see the coast from both sides, land and sea.
Don't let the smile fool you, I earned these views. Italy has a way of luring you in, and I can't stop wanting to see every bit of it. It's my vice, but I'll accept it ;). I think Twain would be proud. We set sail from the safe harbor all right. It was a bumpy ride, but a beautiful one. I certainly can't be disappointed for missing out this weekend!