Rough patch

The only way to describe the past couple of days are as a rough patch in our trip. We took the boat to Italy. We didn't get much sleep on the boat because they felt that it was necessary to have a discoteque where the none cabin holders were sleeping. We didn't ahve it as bad as the australians we met the next morning. They slept outside in the wind and cold. We whined our way into seats like on an airplane. After every appendage fell asleep at different points I decided to pull out the handy sheet my mother sewed for me and sleep on the floor.

It would have been fine, becuase we were going to try and stay in the southern part of Italy for a day but we decided to moe onto Sicily. So that meant another overnight train. This would have also been fine except there were not sleepers or couchettes. So we explored Bari a bit, which was much nicer than Igoumenitsa. It was a pretty cool city actually. We went to the sea side and then went into an old city. It was just a cute little Italian city. doors were open, people were cooking and just enjoying the nice weather.

By the time we were ready for the overnight train I was exhausted. We had a 4 hour trip to a town near naples then overnight to siracusa. So the train to Siracusa was a 6 seater room. The first like 4 hours we had 3 italian chatty women hangin out with us. We were exhausted because of the lack of sleep and walking around all day. we were not sociable. they were nice enough to turn out the light. They finally left the train at 1 in the morning about... so we stretched out on 3 seats a piece. we put on our ipods and passed out! The train was freezing as well.

So we wake up the next morning and are starving and tired. we hop on a bus into Ortigia which is supposed to be the best part of Siracusa. Its cute and quiet.... very quiet. Nothing is open. we finally find this crazy cafe that is supposed to look like an airplane and we grab some antipasto and pasta.

we were so happy.

We dedide we want to take a picture int his crazy diner.... We can't find either of our cameras. We start retracing our steps in our minds. The only time they were ever out of our sight was when we were sleeping in the train car. We've come to the conclusion that someone cmae in while were sleeping and took them. We can't think of another time when they could ahve disappeared.... we almost cry.

I'm getting really sad and we are talking about it. We start the greiving process. Then we start comforting eachother. Talking about the more important things, like the actual expiernce. I quote my brother and say, you know "we paid close attention" We cant share the pictures with our friends, but the experiences we have are the reason we travel. Its just a material object. so we've bought a disposable and will have a few pictures from Italy. Also our friends we made in Istanbult ooka bunch of pictures so we can get those when they post them. I've about decided to boycott digital cameras saying they are unnatural. I'm giong to stick to disposable or borrowing other peoples cameras, haah.

so, as you can see, we've been in a bit of a rough patch. But great things have happened.

Yesterday, we spent the day with Kate's distant relatives. They gave us lunch (home cooked) and took us around another sicilain town called millilli. It was beautiful. Our first night they took us to great pizza and there was a parade for Saint sabastian. Is Saint sabastian SaintStephen in English? Its the saint that was shot with arrows. Does anyone know his story? I mean I figure the jist of it is that he wanted to worship christ and was persicuted by someone, probably those Romans, but I was hoping for some specifics... He's the patron saint of mellilli. Also, does anyone know how patron saints were assigned? Maybe david? do you know?

so we are eating with Kat'es family again tonight. We saw a great greek theatrea nd a roman one as well. we say Archemedes tomb. All the catacoumbs are closed during the witner for some reason so we didn't see any of those. We also went to our 3rd archeology museum...

We go to a town called noto tomorrow for the day. Its the capital of the baroque artistic style and then to Palermo tomorrow evening. We are staying in palermo for the day then taking another ferry to Naples (we have a cabin booked this time, its first class!) We're going to Po9mpeii and then to Rome on the 26th. I'm almost back to America! Crazy!

and with no pictures to show for it :( ok the last i'm speaking of it... Only happy thoughts! Power through! (we say that a lot when we are tired or we loose our camera...)