"Hey! Have you seen dead people?" -Some lady, Pompeii

It's official! I found my dream home! And yes, it was right smack dab in the middle of Pompeii--not to be confused with Pompei the quasi-modern city that surrounds the Mt. Vesuvius anillated heathedistic community that now stands well preserved in ruin.

Casa di Octavius Quartio. Yup, that's it. I just really like the lay out and how all the rooms face in and everything is always focused inward like seating,etc. And the co-existance with nature with the water running through the home and on outside and the trees and beautiful gardens with the walkways and lattice and terrace...aww...can't you just imagine it all in full bloom!! And don't even get me started on the artwork that gentely graces the walls inside and out. I love art!...though I may pick some more tasteful items...It's gorgeous! I want one! I'm going to design my home after this.

Pompeii was so rad! And there were a couple of digs going on while we were there and they were all cordened off and it just made me want to jump in and start taking notes or something :)

There were a couple remarkable sites...what am I saying, "a couple"?? Pretty much everything was amazing! I was blown away by how well preserved so many parts were. And don't even get me started on the artwork that is still depictable and awinspiring with all it's viberant colors and magnificent detail.

We got back, grabbed our stuff and were off! Our directions from our new friend...who's name has left me at the moment...were:

"Walk out, turn right, and go straight and you'll run right into the station."

Yeah. Right.

After about 30 minutes of walking a bus finally drove passed and Babak flagged him down...on a kinda highway road (ha! no big deal. After 5pm there's like not a soul out in Pompeii). The guy couldn't have been older than me, big guy with spiked, thick italian hair, and some huge designer shades. He told us to just get on and he took us straight to the train station (another 10 or so minute BUS RIDE...so much for being right at the end of the street...yeah, it wasn't even near the street we were on either). He and Babak just chatted it up the whole way and he let us off free of charge. It was pretty legit. We would have never found it ourselves. ha!

We walked up this little, ridiculously steep hill and our stomachs began to protest as the aroma of pizza and lemon's entered our nostrils. Ok time to eat.

Let's just say we got ripped off royally! We weren't going to eat at one of the touristy spots but some guy offered us a euro discount on anything on the menu. We sat, ordered, waited for days for our pizzas (which turned out to be all the same frozen cheese pizza with a piece of meat or veggie here or there according to you order which we watched them toss on there there right before they popped em in the microwave). He brought us our check and we already knew how much it was supposed to be so we just handed him the cash and as we grabbed out bags he goes,

"No, no, 3 more euro. You owe me 3 more euro."

huh?? We calculated and it's pretty hard to mess us 3 x 5...we don't owe him anything. We looked confused and explained our math and then he goes,

"3 euro service charge."

Instantly knowing what just happened I couldn't even close to contain the blurting laugh that came out as Babak, fuming by now, just hands him 3 more euro and we walked away.

3 euro service charge...for what? My nicely mircrowaved piece of cardboard??

We left Babak on the platform because this was the end of his adventure with us. As we departed he was still mumbling, "After all the amazing pizza in Napoli but trip end with this trash..."

hahahaha...poor Babak.

Bye bye Pompeii. And on to Sorrento!!!...and just in case you're wondering...no we don't have somewhere to stay...yet :)