Naples was by far our least favorite stop during our trip. Sorry to all my Neapolitan readers (=0), but the city was dirty, trash-covered (literally, there were piles and piles of garbage which detoured off from the sidewalks into the street), industrial, and unsafe, according to both our local seatmate on the train (with whom we had a fantastic broken-English conversation!) and three different Napoli policemen we encountered within the first hour we were there. But it wasn't all bad; we found a few gems in the city:
After a morning in Naples, we headed south to one of my favorite stops on our trip, Pompeii. The best word for these stunning ruins would be "haunting." To see 1930-year-old town, with homes, temples, theaters, and a staduim so well preserved and perfectly petrified, with incredible mosaics, 2000-year-old wall art, and even (as creepy as it may be) a few bodies - yes they're real, was just plain sobering:
To wrap up... On one level, Pompeii was stunning because I love history; on another, more spiritual level though (e.g. "pastor moment"), it was the best possible reminder of the brevity of life; of the fact that nothing is guaranteed. And in the midst of a college series called "70 Seconds: Don't Waste Your Life," it was a perfectly-placed scenario which allowed me to question how I'm using every day of this brief time on earth: "what's the impact/legacy I'm leaving?" "how am I being used?" etc. It was a great, sobering, even shocking three hours, and while Jess was about spent (history isn't her favorite), I could have spent another day reflecting and wandering these ancient streets. Instead, we spent the following day in a 180-degree different kind of stunning, on a beautiful, white-washed, tropical island of Capri!
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