Train Ride Home

Long train rides are my favorite...Especially when we get a first class cabin for second class price! It is such a great time to see the countryside, get some sleep, read my Bible, and jot down my thoughts. All for the small price of $19.95. The best part is ending up in a place different from where you began.

Last week was our first school trip. We spent the first night in Sorrento, a small town in the south of Italy on the Amalfi Coast. In keeping with tradition, everyone ate at the Lemon Tree where we were served the most delicious four course meal! My favorite part was the stuffed zucchini flower.

The next day we visited a town called Herculaneum. It was like going back in time! In 79 AD the village was "frozen in time" by a volcanic eruption from Mt. Vesuvius. In 1738 excavations began to uncover the lost town. Archeologists found almost everything perfectly preserved, from table settings to frescos.

The most fascinating part was the Roman baths. The baths were the town's number one place of excitement. It was where people gathered as often as they could afford to pamper themselves, catch up on the latest news, and just get away from the daily grind. These places are extraordinary, with high ceilings and floors covered in mosaics of sea creatures. They contained a heating system of a furnace and lead pipes. The pipes carried the heated water through the different rooms, heating the sauna, and the water for the pool. It was so eerily peaceful.

 

The rest of the weekend was individual travel, where my roommates and I stayed another night in Sorrento and the next in Naples. In Sorrento we proved our penny pinching ability by finding awesome bargains on almost everything. Hostel (cabin on the coast with a gorgeous view) - 9 euro. Local transportation- free when you smile at the bus driver. Supper - 6 euro for a whole amazingly cheesy pizza that I proudly ate by myself (see the grease dripping off the plate.) Scarf from the market - 5 euro...someone's Christmas gift. Shot of Lemoncello - free (this is a famous drink in Sorrento but turned out to be a bad idea...it looked like lemonade but felt like acid burning down my throat.) My biggest downfall was gelato...but it really wasn't my fault. We went to this famous gelateria (where the Pope has his pastries specially made.) It was so busy I just pointed at a cone and shouted my three flavors. It turned out to be a 5 euro cone.  Yummy but expensive!

Early the next morning we set off on a ferry to the island of Capri. Let me just say wow! We took a chairlift to the top of the mountain where we were standing on top of the world. I've never seen anything like it in my life. The phrase "feast your eyes" took on a whole new meaning. I couldn't get enough.

The final highlight of the trip was on the train ride home. Anna and I sat with a middle aged couple who spent the first portion of the ride listening to the Rome vs. Naples soccer game. When Naples won he and several other men in our car exchanged joking cheers and boos. Anna and I decided to cheer! After the excitement calmed down, we began to talk with the couple, Rosella and Ciro. They live in Rome. He is a musician and she designs websites. They have two children in their 20s. They joked with us about their son (which was quite embarrassing especially after they showed us his picture…our cheeks had some extra color.)  Ciro discussed his career in music. Then he gave us his cd...so cool! We even had the opportunity to share our faith! Four very short hours later we arrived in Rome where Rosella told us that she currently is taking time off and would love to show us around the city. We are currently planning to meet up on Saturday. You can pray that this will provide another opportunity to share the Good News with them!