Time stands still, all I can feel is the time standing still
Today kind of blew, but last night was excellent.
After I left the internet cafe, I wandered the streets of Naples until I found the Duomo Plaza where in honor of St. Gennaro's festival day (the patron St. of Naples) was a live opera concert! And although I normally don't love opera, this was wonderful! The piazza was full of people, all singing along. The opera-tors were belting their hearts out, but with big smiles on their faces. The night air was pleasant and the stage was framed with light.
I looked to my right, overhearing English and had the pleasure of meeting a girl from Vienna, one from Hungary, one from Finland and a dude from Russia. I hung out with them for the duration of the concert (they were in Naples on a program to learn Italian but all spoke perfect English). I had a glass of wine with the Hungarian and the Finlander on the steps of a church after escaping a torrential downpour that began as soon as the concert ended.
But today sucked. I went to the Post Office to see if my promised package (my ATM card) had arrived, and after about an hour of waiting discovered that it had not. Furthermore, I sensed in the eyes of the guy working there that it would never arrive. I have a new plan for getting money, but it will be expensive and less convenient. Still, for no longer can I let myself be a hostage of the Italian post service and no longer can I allow the scumbag thief in Barcelona ruin my trip.
I spent some considerable time at a travel agency down the street, which was actually quite nice. The travel agent spoke good English and was funny and used me an example to teach her class of about 15 travel agent interns who were in the office. Most of them spoke no English but laughed and giggled at the comments the actual travel agent made as she gave me information about travelling to Dubrovnik.
The next ferry to Dubrovnik was not tonight, see. But tomorrow. Which I suppose is just as well because it gave me the chance to wait one more day for my ATM card to arrive. I truly hope it arrives tomorrow, but if it does not, I'm giving up and going to Dubrovnik. The weather is changing, getting slightly cooler and more rainy. It is time to get to the beach before it is too late and begin part II of my trip: the cold part.
I found a new hostel, this one extremely cheap but with young people to talk to. Oh, how I miss conversation. One dude I talked to today as he was leaving told me that I was the most similar person to himself he had met. I took that as a compliment, although the fact that he just turned 18 years old is telling, isn't it?
But I did nothing much today. Didn't see any of those sights in Naples I keep promising myself I will see. My legs are tired. My body needs a break.
After I left the internet cafe, I wandered the streets of Naples until I found the Duomo Plaza where in honor of St. Gennaro's festival day (the patron St. of Naples) was a live opera concert! And although I normally don't love opera, this was wonderful! The piazza was full of people, all singing along. The opera-tors were belting their hearts out, but with big smiles on their faces. The night air was pleasant and the stage was framed with light.
I looked to my right, overhearing English and had the pleasure of meeting a girl from Vienna, one from Hungary, one from Finland and a dude from Russia. I hung out with them for the duration of the concert (they were in Naples on a program to learn Italian but all spoke perfect English). I had a glass of wine with the Hungarian and the Finlander on the steps of a church after escaping a torrential downpour that began as soon as the concert ended.
But today sucked. I went to the Post Office to see if my promised package (my ATM card) had arrived, and after about an hour of waiting discovered that it had not. Furthermore, I sensed in the eyes of the guy working there that it would never arrive. I have a new plan for getting money, but it will be expensive and less convenient. Still, for no longer can I let myself be a hostage of the Italian post service and no longer can I allow the scumbag thief in Barcelona ruin my trip.
I spent some considerable time at a travel agency down the street, which was actually quite nice. The travel agent spoke good English and was funny and used me an example to teach her class of about 15 travel agent interns who were in the office. Most of them spoke no English but laughed and giggled at the comments the actual travel agent made as she gave me information about travelling to Dubrovnik.
The next ferry to Dubrovnik was not tonight, see. But tomorrow. Which I suppose is just as well because it gave me the chance to wait one more day for my ATM card to arrive. I truly hope it arrives tomorrow, but if it does not, I'm giving up and going to Dubrovnik. The weather is changing, getting slightly cooler and more rainy. It is time to get to the beach before it is too late and begin part II of my trip: the cold part.
I found a new hostel, this one extremely cheap but with young people to talk to. Oh, how I miss conversation. One dude I talked to today as he was leaving told me that I was the most similar person to himself he had met. I took that as a compliment, although the fact that he just turned 18 years old is telling, isn't it?
But I did nothing much today. Didn't see any of those sights in Naples I keep promising myself I will see. My legs are tired. My body needs a break.
posted by Jed at 10:47 AM
4 Comments:
I've always wanted to go to Naples. Must be a beautiful place. Enjoy your travels.
I didn't realize that you're going to Dubrovnik! My grandparents are actually going there sometime in the next week. My grandfather grew up there, and they go almost every year (except for those years in the 90's when it wasn't safe). I have always wanted to go there.
Kate,
So far it is great. I had no idea you were croatian. Maybe I did, but forgot. Still, nice nationality!
Beckett Amelia Hughes,
Do I know you?
And yzes, Naples is beautiful, despite being filthy and dangerous. I'm not sure how to reconcile those qualities, but I note both without irony.
Jed
Actually, I'm not Croatian. My grandfather is German, and his family figured out that Hitler was bad news a good while before everyone else did and thus emigrated. It is indeed a nice nationality, though. Serbo-croatian is a neat language, too.
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