Back to Roma!

[Only my favorite photos are posted on this blog.  You can see the rest HERE.]

When we finished with Pompeii, we rode the train back to Naples.  We were in a much crappier train this time.  It kept stopping and couldn't get going again.  I don't know what that was about.  On our way, we passed a giant trash city.  Houses made out of garbage.  At least that garbage was being used for something.

When we actually got back to Naples, we got our tickets for the next morning's train ride.  We made sure we were booked in first class that time!  Then we wandered around the city some more.  I beg you, if you are considering a trip to Naples, RECONSIDER.  The place is disgusting.  I had to watch the sidewalk as we walked down the street to make sure I wasn't going to step on dog poo.  The city smelled like a city dump in the middle of summer.  Which, with the heat wave, it pretty much was.  I don't know how people live like that.  Someone said that they were under a garbage strike.  So what!  That doesn't mean you just throw trash everywhere and let your dog crap wherever it likes!  

It turns out that everything is closed on Sundays, so we went back to our hotel to eat.  The service was terrible (we had to wait forever despite being the ONLY people in the restaurant), but the food was very good.  Then we went upstairs and reorganized our luggage and got ready for our trip to Rome.  

The next morning, we paid the hotel driver to take us to the train station so that we wouldn't have to drag it there.  It was a good thing we left early because there was a protest going on that held us up for about half an hour.  But, we eventually arrived and boarded our train.  Then we headed back to Roma!

It was a very quick trip.  Then when we left the train station, we were going to try to get a taxi but the line was a mile long.  And, the taxi driver wanted to charge us 65 Euros to go about 3 miles.  I don't think so!  So, we came up with the brilliant plan to go to the next taxi stop to find a taxi.  It wasn't very far away.  

So we started dragging our luggage there.  By this point, both of the big bags only had one wheel left.  And, during this trek, one of the big bags lost the other wheel.  It wasn't pretty.  Anyway, when we got to the taxi stop, there were no taxis.  None.  We waited for a few minutes with no luck so we decided to keep going.  It kept going like that with no taxis.  Finally, when we got to the Piazza Bernini, we waited a few minutes and actually got a taxi.  That was after going a mile and a half.  The taxi took us the next mile and a half to the hotel for 6 Euros!  I still can't believe that taxi driver thought we'd pay 65 Euros to go 3 miles!

Anyway, when we got to the hotel, we checked in and relaxed for a few minutes before heading out again.  We mostly did a bunch of shopping.  Well, Philip did most of the shopping.  ;)  We went to the Ferarri store and Philip spent a ton of money (I only say that because he's embarrassed that he spent so much!  lol).  He bought himself a Ferrari t-shirt, Ferrari shoes, and Ferrari cologne.  He's quite the Ferrari man now.  ;)

We wandered around and around and finally made it back to the hotel about 8pm.  Then we asked for a good local restaurant and ended up just a block away at Vitos.  It was good, but REALLY salty.  I actually couldn't finish my meal because it was so salty.  

Then, it was back to the hotel for a good night's sleep.  We had to get up EARLY for the Vatican tour the next day.