We left Rome this morning for Sorrento.  Arriving at the Roma Termini or main train station, we caught the Frecciarossa to Naples.  This is their FAST train and boy were they right.  As we got rolling, there is a video screen that shows the speed of the train as it changes speed.Here’s a pic that shows our speed as 301 kilometers per hour or 187.03 mph.  I will try and post a short video of what that speed looks like.

Once we arrived in Naples, we walked to the end of the Naples station.  We had to go downstairs and buy tickets for the Circumvesuviana train which travels across 26 stops between Naples and our destination……Sorrento.  Doug walked up to the ticket booth and asked to buy four tickets.  The gentleman in the booth asked Doug a question in Italian and Doug gave him a blank stare.  The “gentleman” then raised his voice and began yelling at Doug in Italian.  Doug looked to me and I stepped up.  The guy was incensed.  I tried understanding what he was saying but to no avail.  I thought, “Look fella, we just got off of a train going 187 miles and hour, do you think you can throttle back your Italian speed to maybe say…..35-40 mph.  I just can’t do the 70+ mph Italian yet.”  A kind gentleman standing next to us explained why the guy was yelling and a new international incident was quickly averted.  Whew! Still don’t understand why he was mad.

We looked up and saw that the trains leave for Sorrento every 30 minutes and there was one leaving in 3 minutes.  Pressure’s on Camanoescapers….let’s go!  Down more stairs at a gentle hurry speed and out the proper platform where others were already waiting for the train which was not there yet.  We take up a position where there’s not a massive crowd of people and wait for the train to arrive.  Sure enough, here it comes…….right on past us and stopping about 30 yards from us.  By now we are running with our bags.  Also by this time the masses had already piled on and people were elbowing their way ahead of us.  I heard one of our group mention something about maybe waiting for the next one.  Oh contrare!  Leading the pile and using my fully stuffed carry on as leverage, I pressed into the crowd using the best basketball blocking out techniques I knew.  Lynda got on behind me and when I saw that set jaw and stony eyed stare on Doug, I knew that he and Barb were both going to make it on as well.  We were packed in there like sardines in a can, standing room only.  Oh, by the way, did I mention that this particular train between Naples and Sorrento (the Circumvesuviana) is world famous for the amount of pickpockets on board?  Ya, it is.  Not to worry as we all went into this experience with our eyes open and prepared.  Nothing in our back pockets but so many people were wedged in so tight that it is easy to see how people could to fall victim to this kind of thing.

Though I was a little concerned about pick pockets while wedged in there, my distraction on this trip was something else and actually quite disturbing.  Besides the fact it was 110 degrees in the train and the sweat was literally rolling off of everyone (not just our group) AND there were smelly arm pits raised all over holding onto the overhead bars since the train was lurching about, there is more.  Oh yes, there’s more.  My problem came when the 350 pound man behind me apparently mistook me for his wife and thought it would be nice to “spoon” with me.  I tried moving away, but there was no place to go.  I won’t go into detail but suffice it to say that after 3 stops when one lady next to me got off, I was able finally able to slightly pivot and send this man’s attention back to his wife or whoever it is he should have been thinking about.

We eventually arrived in Sorrento but not before going through several tunnels where it sounded like angry bats were chirping at us in the dark.  It wasn’t bats, but it sounded like it.  I will try and post some audio/video of that as well.  (especially for you….Bonnie)  We are now checked into our hotel and ready for the next adventure!