A Rude Awakening
Ok gang, story time.
During a visit to Italy in 2018, I found myself in Pompeii. After getting off the train, I did my usual exploration to see if this was a place I wanted to stay for the night and where I may find accommodations. In this case, I stayed at the delightful Hotel Diana on the main drag through town. This hotel was charming and the staff were incredibly nice.
It was one of those separated places, you know? The kind where the staff walks you to a separate building in a different location. It can be unnerving the first time you come across this lodging option, but it’s fairly commonplace. Once we were in and settled, the adventure began. We explored the ruins, visited a gorgeous duomo, had gelato, and even found a penny machine! You know those old school crank machines that squish a penny and imprint a cool design on them? There was actually one need the duomo.
Upon returning to the hotel, we were making our game place for the next day. Deciding which train we would catch and in which direction we were heading. There was a brief chat about whether or not to stay another night to see more of the ruins, but we wanted to move on to Domodossola, so we opted to stick with the original “plan”.
This room was a little warm for us, but the air conditioner worked just fine. Problem was, when you showered, the bathroom looked like the rain forest. For some reason, there wasn’t good circulation in there. So, we opened the window to let the steam out. After showers and dinner and packing and planning, we decided to go to bed.
There is a loud explosion. And then another. I sat up, mildly terrified, trying to figure out what the sound is. Another explosion sounds off, louder than the first two, and then another. There are jeers in the background between pops and now my heart is racing. I fly out of bed and start throwing on clothes. Thinking myself in the middle of a revolution, I want to get out of town quickly and safely.
Once the sleep leave my mind, my travel partner figured out that it was fireworks. Amplified by the open window in the bathroom. The jeers were people cheering on the celebration and that nothing was on fire. We were likely not in a revolution. To this day, we don’t know why there were fireworks that night, but I vividly remember the rude awakening. Until next time.
Thanks, y’all!
Don’t forget I wrote a book filled with travel tips and tricks for you to help you plan your next vacation. Check anywhere you get your books.
