Life is Still Life

Italy! Of all the destinations on my list, Italy is the one I am most excited about exploring. My first day in Naples, however, was a reminder that life is still life even when rustic Italian buildings and pizza parlors are your backdrop. Bad days still exist. When I arrived at the Napoli airport, it was raining, and the descent of my flight was delayed due to the weather so we just flew around for an extra hour or so. No big deal. It rains in the US. I had left Santorini almost 11 hours before so I was getting a little tired, but the end was in sight. Or so I thought. The plane finally lands, and it's not just raining. It's a torrential downpour.  The planes in Europe don't pull up cozily to the terminal. They park in what looks a bit like a plane parking lot then you exit using the plane's staircase and a bus shuttles you to the terminal. In my case, all this means is that I am soaking wet, drenched from head to toe by the time I make it to the terminal. Unfortunately, my bag doesn't fair much better. I spot it in the myriad of bags and watch it circle around the carrousel. I can tell by the bags around it that it is wet. However, when I pick it up I realize that just wet is an understatement. A puddle forms on the floor below where I'm holding it. The pads in the shoulder straps squish in my hands the way your tennis shoes do after you've spent an hour walking around in the rain. My bag and I together are a drenched hot mess about to walk into a huge Italian city and have no idea where to go. 3.2.1 go!

The directions given to me by the hostel say that there should be a bus stop right outside the airport. They lied. There is no bus stop in sight. I walk a good thirty minutes, in the pouring rain mind you and carrying forty-five pounds of luggage, before I finally spot something that looks like it could resemble a bus stop. I had decided that there was no way I could find a bus that would take me directly to my hostel, but if I could find a bus that got me to a central metro station, I had a better shot of getting where I needed to go. I climb on the next bus that stops and ask "metro?" The driver replies "Si. Eight euro". $12 for a bus ride seems like a lot, but I hand him the coins. I make my way to a seat and look at the ticket the guy just handed me. It CLEARLY says four euro for anywhere in the city. He totally ripped me off! I fight my way up to the front of the bus, point to the ticket, and demand my four euro back. Okay, maybe not demand. I ask nicely, but I am extremely frustrated at this point. He looks at the ticket then stares at me almost astonished. Yeah buddy. You're busted. I know I look like a drenched, frazzled, and confused American right now, but I'm not. Smarter than the average bear. Four euro. Four euro is a glass of wine, and I'm going to need one after today. Hand it over pal. He does and is actually very helpful after that making sure I get off at the right stop and know which metro line to take. 

Finally, I get off the metro at the stop that is supposedly only half a mile from the hostel. I'm suppose to be looking for a bright green door with yellow trim. Number 8. Does this look like that description?

Yeah. I didn't think so either. I walk past it 6 times then stand in front of it for a good five minutes trying to decide if I want to open it. It was the right door and actually opened up to cute little courtyard and a very welcoming hostel. Don't judge a book by it's cover I guess, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared when I opened that little hobbit door for the first time. It's almost 9 pm at this point. I left Santorini at 6 am and landed in Naples almost 4 hours ago. Walking around for four hours in the rain will put a bad taste in anyone's mouth I think. I missed home for probably the first time through this day. I missed being able to throw toilet paper in the toilet. I missed the standard of customer service that we expect and receive in the US. I missed knowing where I was going and being able to communicate effectively if I didn't. I missed things that I have never once been intentionally grateful for at home. Things that I will no longer take for granted. It had stopped raining about the time I was checking in, and I asked the receptionist, "Does it rain a lot in Naples?" He replies, "no.. It actually hasn't rained in almost two months. Just for the past few hours." I laugh. Life always has a way of keeping us grounded. Head up. Heart strong. Tomorrow's a new day. Still lots to explore in Italy.