Day 39. Sat 8th May.
With a song in our hearts, if not exactly on our lips we travelled the second leg of our southbound escape rout to Pompeii.
Impressive scenery on the way down. The clouds thinned as the possibility of dying out beckoned.
Until the satnav turned into the demon bitch from hell.
15km from our destination she instructed us the leave the motorway. I still don’t know why we blindly obeyed? having already worked out the site was only 2km from the autostrada. Obey we did.
“Turn left”, we were in the back streets on Naples (they sound nice in the Peter Sarstead song) on a very gnarly, narrow road that was two way traffic and no road markings. Bouncing and lurching, after several very near misses my nerves were beginning to fray and the road was deteriorating before our eyes, bumpier and narrower by the meter with taller and taller slums looming overhead. Motorised lunatics swerving in front, (they NEVER let you through). We hit several blockages caused by oncoming cars trying to get by and simply having nowhere to go. Further road narrowing then we were hit by the lunchtime rush to get home for food and a kip.
The situation had become impossible.
It was then the mental cow said, “now turn right”? An impassably narrow right hand turn, we would have struggled to do it in the car but with the wang was a no no. We had no choice but to disobey (at last) and keep straight on.
Straight up a one-way street, coming the other way.
A school had just turned out, so a plague of gurning spawn swarmed round us while the stream of oncoming vehicles blasted us with abuse. We sat mesmerised by fear with nothing to do but wait for the stampede to abate.
After about 10 minuets, during which I didn’t breath once, a gap in the traffic appeared and I shot forward the 20 meters to a right turn I could manage. More bumpy narrow streets and the satnav going bonkers, we didn’t do a thing she suggested, and somehow found our way back to the autostrada. Followed the directions in the camping guide and in no time at all were set up in a pretty, deeply shaded spot in Camping Zeus, 20m from the entrance to Pompeii.
OMG.
But at last the sun was shining.
Rob and Andy have been living and making together since 1990. We love all things art and design, travel, music, cinema, the joys of eco renovating a mid century house & garden and our beloved hound Molly.
OK everyone we have to send loads of positive thoughts over to Italia and the 3 in a Wang (I'm not up enough in caravaning to even know where that comes from!?) so the sun shines, they have deserted idylic campsites, mud is a distant memory and their home triples in size as if by magic overnight! When its boiling hot guys you're going to miss that rain - admit it! Glad the sun was shining over the weekend! :) I'm off to take Sam to work, he's been training in football coaching on his NVQ's and now has a job at Portsmouth Football Club teaching the youngsters and going round schools. For a Man United fan it didn't take too long to swallow his pride and put on his Pompey uniform. Just hope the club doesn't go completely bankrupt now!
ReplyDeleteLordy - it must be a rare event for Peter Sarsted to be referenced in a blog! I also fear that you are straying into both Mafia and Volcano territory.
ReplyDeleteNow volcanoes we know all about, here in blighty! I suggest you keep an eye on the top of the hill. If things start looking a bit puffy - head back to the rain! A light sprinkling of volcanic dust will probably finish your sanity off.
But, as Fi rightly points out, in a few weeks time when you are all cooking in the wang - you will be gasping for rain!
Enjoy the ruins at pompei and Herculaneum. I have only seen photos - but it all looks quite spectacular.
Love to you all!
Hilary
xxx