Where in the World is....Audra

Napoli~
So, leaving the Chez Raz (the farm in Velletri) was difficult, as now it was finally time for me to venture off onto my own and fend for myself in the “big bad world” of the Italian language. It is funny…each transition is slightly difficult and contributes to some form of apprehension and anxiety(some much more than others). Isn’t there a quote that says to do something that scares you everyday…well that I’m doing…even if it is as simple as risking looking like an idiot when I go to order pizza….which may a say is AMAZING in Napoli !!!! So simple, yet so absolutely delicious…4 main ingredients (super thin dough, tomato, buffalo mozzarella and topped with olive oil) and voila! The funny thing here is that there isn’t much sharing when it comes to pizza…to each there own…I don’t think I’ve finished one yet!
When I arrived in Napoli I was in awe! It is crazy and magnificent…the best way to describe it is RAW…loud, congested, cars and scooters FLYING by, and yet, people enjoying their lives…laughing and taking time to speak with on another rather than blindly carrying on with their daily lives. After getting off the bus at Piazza Dante I walked to the hostel I was staying at. Now let me remind you that there are side streets that are just big enough for a car and as you are wandering in search of something on these side streets, you are competing with these cars…SO FUN!!! I walked around the block twice looking for the hostel (6 small rooms…on the 3rd floor from the street…with a door sign no bigger than a name plate) before the old Italian man finally made a gesture that I was walking circles. It was then I attempted to ask (since now OTHER people were noticing my inability to find where I was going) and go figure…I was ONE door away! So up the stairs I went…huffing and puffing…until I got to the cozy and oh so friendly hostel. Right away I began swapping stories with a Danish guy who was to leave in a few hours. Small world…I was staying in a hostel that was housing another traveler, Jaime, from Denver! I rested for a bit, attempted to use skype with no avail and then walked around part of the town and down to an overlook of the water. Here was filled with young couple sitting on their scooter and kissing (guess it’s like “parking” in the U.S.) I then attempted to find a place to eat. The hostel owner gave me a recommendation of great food and cheap wine, and yet when I walked in the owner stated that he did not serve individuals…you must be in a group (I will say that it took me a minute to understand this, yet I QUICKLY walked out feeling like an idiot…ie: cause of anxiety!) I finally found a place outside on the street at which I had a small bottle of house wine, a bottle of water, caprese salad and pasta with olive oil, garlic and spicy pepper all for 12 euro! The next morning over breakfast was when I “met” two of the girls who worked at the hostel, Storm and Jeni. Jamie and I took off to visit the archeological museum and then have lunch with Jeni. That night we went out to the nearest Piazza, bought drinks at the nearest bar and walked them outside…alcohol consumption is made to be so normal and so-unregulated that it is very relaxed. The next day Storm and Jaime and I went shopping at the market…boy was THAT an experience! Crazy, crowded, bartering…I loved it! I got my first knock-off D&G belt and sweater ;) We walked FOREVER and ended up at the “old castle” on the water where we sat on the rocks and basked in the sun. That night it POURED rain so a few of us decided to bear the rain to get a few pizzas and a few bottles of wine for a movie night at the hostel. The next morning another hostel-er, Kevin, and I took the train to Pompeii and explored the ruins…it was incredible…the two things that stood out; the community baths and the brothel (in which they had still-intact pornographic murals…strange yes, but interesting how it has stood the test of time, eh?) Tired and weary, it was another rainy night that allowed us to stay in and relax. The next day, I was off to Amalfi! So BEAUTIFUL! Let me just tell you though…the hostel that I stayed at (recommended by all those at 6 small rooms) was 300 steps from the street. By the time I got up there, I was POOPED! The girl, Veronica from Argentina, who was staying in the dorm with me, suggested we go to the beach…1000 steps down! (okay…1000 steps down fine, but that meant 1000 steps UP!!!) The next day we did the same and basked in the sun and swam in the ocean for hours (and I’ll be damned…this girl got hardly any color!) That night, we decided to take the bus to Positano (very posh). We walked around for a few hours, had gelati first (I could get used to this) and dinner second. As we made our way back to the bus stop, we wondered when the next bus arrived. According to the schedule, it would be in about 20 minutes, yet 1 hour went by and no bus back to Amalfi could be spotted…hmmmm…how to get back? We decided to wait until the next posted “scheduled” bus before getting a taxi and to our relief the bus arrived. Let me say though that this was no normal bus…this was the bus on which I got my first Italian date…MARCO…”red hair” he said multiple times, finally he asked if he could pick me up on his scooter at the bottom of “Willie’s” steps (the hostel name). so, jumped I did…this trip is about risks right? Marco then dropped Veronica and I off at a stop farther than what we needed stating that he would drop of the bus quickly, get his scooter, check for police (it’s illegal to have 3 on a scooter) and then come to get us on our way up the rode and take us the rest of the way to Willie’s….sure enough at about half past midnight, there we were, the 3 of us driving up the CURVY hillside of the coast on Marco’s scooter. Next day, went to Amalfi, walked in the rain for a bit, bought fresh fruit (so plentiful) from a stand and went home for lunch. Marco met me at the steps as he said at 730pm. We went to a lookout point (of the sea) across from an OLD church…we sat and spoke in a mix of broken English and horrible Italian…it was a night to remember and to laugh at…the stereotype of an Italian man and an Italian date….
Finally, I returned to Velletri…feeling like I was back at home…the kids were so welcoming, great food and we began harvesting the last batch of olives…I will forever respect the hard, tedious work of those who work in agriculture. My last day in Velletri (at least for a week or so…this will remain my “base”) and I went into town (so small and so crowded with teenagers spending their time walking up and down the town center street)…bought an Italian brand bag (I LOVE it!) and was actually stopped by someone I knew…Claudio and Filipo…how fun to actually KNOW people in a town! Took the family to gelati as a “thank you” for being so gracious and stayed up late packing…back to carrying a ridiculously heavy backpack. I am onto a town called Cecina…to work on another helpx farm for a week before the job in rome. Looking forward to the next unknown!