Third Week in Sorrento!

Week three in Italy was full of exciting adventures and going out of my comfort zone. On Sunday, Sydney and I went into Naples on our own. Arriving in Napoli Centrale was hectic. We were trying to find out where to go to get on the subway to take us to the Vanvitelli stop. We ended up asking a few different people where to go and they told us we had to exit the train station and go across the street. Sunday was the first time I took the subway in Italy. It was very similar to the trains, only we had to go down about 6 escalators to get to the subway platform. Navigating Napoli Centrale and trying to ask directions in an unfamiliar language was definitely an out-of-my-comfort-zone experience. 

Once in Naples, Sydney and I visited the National Archaeological Museum. It was definitely the coolest museum I’ve ever been to! We only spent three hours there, but I definitely could’ve spent three days exploring every floor! Having taken a class on Ancient Egypt and Pompeii/Herculaneum, it felt like the Archaeological Museum housed all the knowledge and artifacts from both classes. Walking around the museum, especially the upper rooms with the frescos and mosaics, felt like a scavenger hunt to find all the art that was featured in the class slideshows. The visit was absolutely INCREDIBLE and one of my favorite experiences so far. 

Monday, Tuesday and Thursday were full of class, homework and small outings around Sorrento. I went to the Sant’Anna Beach Club for the first time on Tuesday before class. The water felt amazing and swimming definitely helped me destress before class. Wednesday, Sydney and I went to Pompei Scavi! This visit was the final piece of the puzzle in my exploration of the eruption of Vesuvius in 79AD. I’m so excited I got to hike to the top of Vesuvius, explore the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum and visit the National Archeological Museum in Naples over the past three weeks. Although there were similarities between Pompeii and Herculaneum, the cities were preserved differently which provided an even deeper understanding of ancient Roman life. On Friday I went back to the beach at Vico Equense and I navigated there from the train station without a map! 

Saturday and Sunday was the weekend field trip to Paestum and Castellabate. Seeing the three Greek Temples preserved in Paestum and being able to walk inside the Temple of Poseidon was awesome! On Saturday night, I went out to dinner and felt like a 7 year old because I ordered French fries at a seafood restaurant. My excuse for staying in my comfort zone was that the French fries were cheaper and I didn’t want to spend that much money. While that was true, I was also scared to eat the seafood. Everyone else at dinner ordered calamari, fish, shrimp and squid. By the end of dinner, I was semi-coerced into eating seafood. I admit, I was being a *little* dramatic about eating it, but in my defense, the heads were attached, almost everything had eyes and the spine was still in the fish. I surprised myself (and everyone else at dinner) by trying not just one type of seafood, but all of it. I de-spined a fish for the first time and overcame my mental block about eating food with eyes. Personally, I am very proud of myself because I don’t think me three weeks ago would have done that.