What just happened?!?!

**Update - I have added pics to this post but did not change any of the wording to reflect that. I pray you forgive me as I am exhausted from walking up the mountain to our room. Grazie!

Yesterday, we had the misadventures of a lifetime. Joe's work wanted him to travel to Naples area for support on an assembly. We decided we'd all go along since they provide a room, as long as we stay in Italy. We had no idea the exciting day we would have driving from Torino to Naples!

The day started like a normal day. Get up, make breakfast, get ready and head out. We've switched houses/hotels so many times already, no big deal, right?!?! Our new Cincy friends graciously agreed to allow us to store some of our luggage and stuff at their house. We thought we were set! Good intentions. Bad execution.

I think I need to jump back a step. We picked up what we thought would be our Italy vehicle on Friday afternoon. It was my first time driving in Italy. I did pretty well. I didn't have to drive far and just followed Joe to drop off the rental van. If I had faster internet, I'd upload a pic. Wifi here is very spotty and has gone out a few times since I started typing this. Maybe later!

So, we piled in the van, stuffed our bags in there, and headed out. The day was sunny and we were pretty positive about our journey. We went through a gazillion tunnels. Well, it felt like a gazillion. There were at least a hundred or more. The kids stopped counting at 14 and we went through several after that. We got to see beautiful views of the Mediterranean.  God's beautiful handiwork...it is gorgeous.

We stopped to get a cappuccino, use the toilette and eat a little bit of cotta. Joe decided we should get some gas, since we were stopped. We aren't sure if that is the beginning of our problems or if they started way before that. Anyway, we left the gas station refreshed. Heading east, we were feeling pretty good and enjoying the view. Mediterranean on one side, mountains on the other. We were just outside of Florence when it happened. Joe looked at me and told me to look up a warning sign on the dash. He said the engine had shut off and he had no power. Luckily, he threw it into neutral and we were heading down an incline. We made it to the next pull-off (luckily, these are extremely common in Italy...a concept the US might want to consider) and Joe shut it down. Smoke was pouring out of everywhere, it seemed. Joe thinks a fuel line broke. We smelled diesel and are very lucky the car didn't catch fire. It was a tense situation! We contacted the emergency service for the car and they sent out a tow truck. Well, let me say, this was the first time I've ever ridden in a tow truck. Let me also say, the way we "rode" in the tow truck would be illegal in the US. We were in the van atop the truck bed. I don't think the tow truck driver liked it either...because he dumped us like some old trash at the first hotel he saw! He didn't speak a lick of English and just motioned for us to get out and take our stuff with us. I have some funny pics from the front of the van and sitting in the parking lot at the hotel. Alas, not gonna happen right now. I'll try again later.

View from inside a van on a tow truck bed

Another view from a tow truck bed.

Dropoff point - eviction point - point of no return

At this point, we were all a little frazzled. Sitting atop a tow truck bed while the van leaked diesel everywhere was stressful, to say the least. We made the best of it. We told Little J that he was having these adventures at 6 and I was having them at 39, for the first time. Hopefully, the only time. Ha! The emergency contact told Joe he'd call a taxi for us...or Joe thought that was what he'd do. Nope. We went into the hotel and asked them to call one for us. The taxi showed up in about 10 minutes and was huge! I think it was a 12-passenger and had plenty of room for us and all our stuff. It felt good to spread out a little, because we were going to be cramped the remainder of the day.

Our next stop was the Florence (Firenze) train station. Wow! So many people, so little time. I was convinced our taxi driver would hit at least 10 people on the way there. It was pure insanity. Anyway, back to the train station. We were able to get family passes for the train. We sat "sort of" close to each other. Luckily, Joe has experience on the trains and had been warned by his coworkers of petty theft. There were a couple of guys we were leery of when we boarded. Turns out, we were right. They tried to take stuff out of one of our bags while we were riding toward Rome! Joe saw them and looked right at them. Luckily, it deterred him. Unfortunately, we were on hyper-aware at that point. It is sad the levels people will stoop. We think they just wanted to steal to steal. They had all the latest gadgets and gizmos. They had paid to ride the train. It is almost like a hobby for some people, I guess.

We arrived in Naples (Napoli) and were completely overwhelmed. People, graffiti, opportunities to be ripped off abounded. Between lugging 2 huge suitcases, my purse, Joe's briefcase, kids' backpacks, bags of food and bags of dirty clothes, we were already exhausted. Poor Joe had to do all the lifting of our suitcases since I couldn't physically do it any longer. God sent a few guardian angels for us, luckily. The first was in the train station that pointed the way for us to get on the train. The second one was aboard the first train we got on and directed us to switch trains to make it to Pizzouli. This is the last stop and the closest and safest to our hotel. We were extremely leery of this woman. She appeared to, umm, well, umm, be a lady of the night. She kept trying to carry the kids' bags. Everything you see and read says don't let anyone "help" you. They will run off with your stuff. Turns out, she was just a Good Samaritan helping the crazy Americanos with all their stuff. We prayed for that woman last night. May God pour blessings on her like nothing she has ever known before, for her kindness. The thirds guardian angel was on the platform for the train to Pizzouli and just confirmed we were on the right platform. Being frazzled, not knowing the language and trying to keep 6 people safe is beyond stressful. I still feel like I have PTSD from yesterday. I am not taking it lightly. My head feels "shaken" and my stomach feels icky. It is not a fun feeling to have. I almost had a few meltdowns throughout the day. God kept me strong, prayer kept me sane and staying calm for the kids kept me straight. I will say, had it just been Joe and I, I wouldn't have been as stressed. We are big people...we can handle the situations. Dealing with all of that and having the kids along...well, it made me appreciate Torino and Kentucky. I, seriously, cannot wait to return to Torino! Getting in our house in San Pietro val Lemina will be even better. Pinerolo is such a nice area.

Back to my story...we exited the train station and there were 2 taxis waiting for us. We were a little skeptical since the hotel said it would be 10 minutes and it was 0 minutes. By this point, I just had to pray that these were the taxis we were supposed to get and trust God would keep us safe. We also knew that taxis are a way people steal from unknowing tourists. Luckily, these guys were legit. Thank you Jesus! We checked in, checked out our little suite and headed to the restaurant. We hadn't had "real food" since our small pre-lunch of cotta and nuts. It was good enough. Not the best Italian food ever, but it tasted good to us. Boo and I even had gluten-full food because we were desperate and beggars can't be choosers. I'm not doing so great with it. We will see tomorrow how she does. We also had gluten at breakfast today. Oh boy, my tummy is screaming at me. It usually takes a little longer for her effects to be seen.

Today, we woke up to the sun shining and a view that is spectacular! I really wish the internet would work better so I could show you guys. It is like a postcard here. Luckily, we are in a nice hotel and a very safe part of this area. We are going to venture down to the sea today, just to walk around and get out of this little room. The walk back will be interesting! It is straight up a steep incline. Hopefully my head and gut feel better by then.

Outdoor swimming pool - not open 

View from our front patio

Front patio with some sweet urchins

Instead of Hotel Gli Dei, this place should be named Hotel Palm Trees. Not complaining! I love palm trees.

Well, a little misadventures for our family. So many "firsts" for all of us. The kids had their first tow truck ride, taxi ride, high speed train ride, regular train ride, car blowing up, abandonment by a tow truck driver, etc. All in all, we still love each other and are praising God for his faithfulness, love and mercy. Ciao ciao!