On the way I was given a lift to Pompeii so I went to see if there was anything I could see through the fence. I did get a few ruins but it would be better if I could have gone in. In the evening I went into the Catholic church but they were having mass so I quietly went to the side and viewed the ceilings, which were full of art. I then happened to see an old homeless man carrying to big bags. He would pick them up, walk about 3 meters (10 feet) then put them down and rest then pick them up and down again and again. I went up to him and asked to help but he declined. The next time he put them down I grabbed one side of one of the bags and it was very heavy. I was surprised because it was reminiscent of carrying my backpack and that was only one bag and with him carrying the other side. He still had to stop because the other bag was just as heavy and only had string handles do it was cutting into his hand. The next time he put it down I grabbed it to carry it for him. He had to go about 200 yards to reach the train station. On the way there was a red bell pepper on the ground and he stopped to pick it up. That was a rather sad situation for me but I was also moved by his humility. Even if I would pick up food off the ground, I wouldn’t do it when someone was watching me.

A man gave me a lift from Pompeii to the docks in Naples so all in all it was a good trip. He did not speak English but tried very hard to teach me Italian so I could understand what he wanted to say to me. He has four children, the oldest of which was 12. He works transporting fish for a company so he has a rather humble existence and though he knew nothing about me or my pilgrimage, he insisted I take 10 Euros. This truly amazes me because, although I would pick up a hitchhiker, I wouldn’t think to give him money; I would expect that he has his own money. Another small blessing to be assured.

Happy Thanksgiving folks!!!

I finally stayed the evening in Salerno and I was very impressed by the city’s Christmas displays. They have light decorations on nearly every street, including the little tiny side streets. They also had a community park filled with figures like snails, trees, flowers, trolls, mushrooms, stars, two huge tunnels and so forth. Unfortunately, my camera does not work very good in the dark so the pictures do not do the view justice. Salerno seems to be much the same as any other Italian city, though nicer than Naples, so I didn’t take pictures of the city, save what you can see through the Christmas lights. Very beautiful; I wish Antonella could have seen it with me because it was very cool.

I was told at the Salerno port that it was not possible for me to get working passage on a ship without a seaman’s card so I would have to find a private yacht but for that I would need to go back to Naples.

Everybody is aware of the dangers of driving while talking on the phone; many fatalities have begun that way. Well, in Italy you have the same problem only it is talking on the phone while walking. Yesterday I was walking down the street as big as I could be (with my backpack on as well) when I happened to come into the proximity of a walker-talker, which everyone aware knows the inherent danger. However, due to my cat-like reflexes allowing me to veer away from impending injury, his flailing hand only clipped my hat sparing me undo bruising and facial marks.

Something I love about Italy, that stands out more than any other country I’ve been in, the people walk and talk. It is only in old movies I have ever seen little groups of men or woman walking down the street together or just standing on a corner visiting or playing cards. Here it is everywhere. It is more rare seeing someone alone than with someone.

After Naples, we went to Salerno then up the cost about 40kms to a couple coastal cities that were very beautiful. Tuscany was beautiful but this area was even better. Unfortunately, we were on the bus so many of the most wonderful scenes I’ve ever seen I could not capture. Antonella said, if she ever gets married, she would like to come here for her honeymoon. It was quite spectacular and I would rather have rented a car and spent a few days along the coast to take it all in. Instead, we had to rush to make sure she got to her train on time.

We had an unfortunate incident the last night we were there. We got a but going the wrong direction and when we got to the final destination, Antonella realized her mistake. Unfortunately, we had to go back where we just came from but due to the late hour, there would not be another bus or train to take us back to Salerno so she asked the bus driver is there was a hostel in the city he was going. No, but there was one in the city where we took the wrong bus so he dropped us off there. However, we soon found the hostel had closed. We went to a few hotels but it was a tourist town so the prices were double the normal hotel prices and since my money was stolen and she had run out of hers, we couldn’t afford it. I ended up taking her to a 4 star hotel but we slept sitting on their welcome mat. Only the best for the girls I hang with (sorry Antonella).

The worst part of it was the severe tropical storm that hit. The rain was so crazy, while I was running through it trying to find better shelter for us, I heard this rushing river but the sound was not coming from the direction of the main water flow. I looked and there was basically a flash flood coming through the buildings down the stairway and it looked like white water rafting down the stairs. If you have ever been to Universal Studios when they let the 10,000 gallon barrel of water go to make a flash flood through the city walls, it was like that. Needless to say, my feet were soaked as well as much of the rest of me. Antonella did her best to take care of me but we had a mostly sleepless night and were very uncomfortable. Now she knows what life is really like for me out here (okay, that was closer to the extreme negative but it happens. The worst night for me still was when I had to try and sleep in a shopping cart).

I didn't want my picture taken but then I joked with Antonella and this was my attempt at a sexy pose LOL. Okay, but what do you expect from a 48After Antonella caught her train for home I walked 2.5 miles to McD’s to get online. I Skyped my son and we chatted for a while (which is difficult with all the noise in McD’s because Italians have got to be the loudest people on the planet J), then my son remembered that I sent him a bank card in case anything ever happened to me, it would be easy for him to get my money. He searched and found it then went to the bank to see if there was any money left on the account. It was blocked and he could only get $40 out but he said there was over $300 dollars in the account so I guess Barclays did get the message and stopped the account so I didn’t lose all the money in there.

I will now try to find a boat I can work on that will also take me to the other side of the equator. I wanted to go to Australia but it looks like I will have to pay for a visa so unless I get some paid work, I guess I will have to miss Australia. I also don’t know if I will have internet on the boat so it could be several weeks or months that I may be off line until I find my next location to update my blog.

We also went to the Palace of Caserta which was beautiful but quite the hike. A guy told us that it was a 7km (4.5 miles) round trip to go from one end to the other so we had a good walk. We ran out of time so I rushed though only part of the English garden that was awesome. I wish I could have gone through it all with Antonella. We actually could have stayed longer as we still got back too late and missed our opportunity to stay the night with her friends as they had to leave early. We ended up staying in a hostel in Naples that was nice for a hostel. They were given top ratings in 2008.

This was a statue erected to Dante for his success with The Divine Comedy and other works.

I was told there was a saying that once you’ve seen Naples you could die… meaning: Once you’ve seen the beauty of Naples there was nothing better so you’ve seen all there is left to see. However, apparently, we went into the worst areas of Naples and it was the dirtiest city I have ever seen. It is crime ridden, full of graffiti, had trash all over the place, the buildings were run down and even the water tasted disgusting. Antonella’s friends we were staying with (Lina & Mimo) were upset with her for not taking me to the nice areas of town but these were the areas she knew of. We did stay in a nice hostel though.

The Colosseum in Rome.

Rome must be the most interesting city on the planet. It has history, ruins, churches, art, culture, and much more. I was in awe at nearly everything I’ve seen. I could have spent weeks there enjoying all Rome has to offer. I’ve taken too many pictures for this blog but not enough to adequately view Rome.

Antonella joined me for 5 days and it was a pleasure to have someone to share the site seeing with. She makes a great companion but she was not used to the rigors of traveling around with a backpack especially up many stairs and hills. There were a few times where I helped by carrying her backpack. Even though it is only 12 kilos (25lbs) when you’re not used to it, the weight can slow you down profusely.

The only thing I don’t like about the many beautiful ruins and wonders of Rome is the fact they have to put security gates and other such things to keep vandals from destroying them. These security measures take from the beauty of the scene.

Pantheon

Although we saw many of the artefacts of Rome, the highlights, such as the Sistine Chapel, were too expensive so we had to content ourselves with such things as we could view without charge.

As we got on the metro train to head for the main station to take a train to Naples, the train was packed and everyone was pushing their way in. Antonella found a seat and there was a small opening in front of her where my bag and I could fit so I was trying to make my way to her but this small woman was pressed up against me so tight I couldn’t turn to push my bag along the floor and it is too heavy for me to push sideways. The woman was about 20 years old, but all I could see was the top of her head and her hand on my chest. As I would scoot to the side she would scoot with me so I couldn’t get free. Antonella was gesturing for me to come to her but I threw up my hands to show I couldn’t go anywhere. Others were also watching the spectacle and one man told me she wants me to give her a hug. I didn’t and was quite uncomfortable with the situation when the train was about to leave and she suddenly broke away from me and jumped off the train.

When we got to the main train station, Antonella and I were discussing the strangeness of the event when she said the girl was a gypsy. A cold chill went down my spine when she said that so I reached into my pocket and sure enough, my wallet was gone. We tried calling the bank to block my debit card but out of 3 phones we didn’t have one with enough money on it to complete a call, especially since Barclay’s bank put us on hold forever. I couldn’t get online either because the only contact they accept for stolen cards is phone. I sent a complaint to their customer service hoping they would make the call for me but their response was an email stating they would contact me within 5 working days by letter to my home address. We had to get on the train for a 2 hour trip to Naples and I figured by the time I got there it would be too late and they would have drained my account. I tried a few more attempts to contact Barclays but they were all in vain. I did put about 200 Euros in my backpack for just such an emergency so I was not without money but they did get my Utah driver’s license, my UK driver’s license, my UK National Insurance # my Social Security card, my UK medical card, and the only pictures I had of my children as well as about 160 euros in cash.

One evening, while we were waiting for Antonella’s friend Gianni, to pick us up from the train station, I was telling her a story then said, “We were laughing and cracking up.” She didn’t understand what I was saying so I explained further. Later she tried repeating the phrase and said, “We are laughing and crapping up.” After I stopped laughing I told her, “Now that would be a talent I wouldn’t want to try.”

Florence from The Michelagelo Piazzale.

I started walking toward Florence for several kilometers before finally receiving a lift by Sarah. Sara was young and spoke only a little English but through our conversation she wanted the missionaries to come by and bring a Book of Mormon.

Florence at dusk.

I walked a few more kilometers before being given a short lift by a man who dropped me off at the auto strada (freeway). In Italy it is illegal to auto stop (hitchhike) on the auto strada so I was waiting just before the sign indicating no auto stopping. It was very cold and the cars were flying by. Two guys pulled over to give me a lift but they were both going to Pisa instead of Florence. It turned dark and I know nobody picks up people after dark. I was very cold and uncomfortable, and became quite desperate. I prayed asking the Lord in increase my faith by getting me a lift to Florence. A minute or so later, 2 men from Armenia picked me up and was only going about another 10km. After talking with them a bit they gave me a lift all the way into Florence.

Florence is a beautiful city but what was more beautiful was the home and people I stayed with. Antonella’s friend Letizia was a wonderful woman who let me stay a couple nights with her. She had four other girls staying with her and they were all very good to me. The college girls told me I was like a father to them and that made me feel good. Sylvia was very kind as well. Their church started at 3:00pm but she got up to go to the 9:00am ward just so I could go to church and she could show me the way as it was quite complicated. After church I met Dave, who was an American. We talked for about an hour after church and Sylvia waited patiently for me to take me home.

Tuscany has got to be one of the most beautiful places on earth. It is replete with jagged hills and verdant beauty. Trees abound, rivers flow, beautiful edifices line the panorama and for those so inclined, the views are stunning and appear to flow interminably.

Dave and his wife Heather invited me to their house for dinner but before that, Dave was trying to help me find a lift to Rome the next day, where was to meet with Antonella. Because nobody was going, he offered to buy my train ticket to get there on time. They have 6 kids but still they have several people stay with them as well. They picked up and moved to Italy because one day the Lord told them to move to Italy and not because of work or opportunity. They were such a great family! All the kids were helping with dinner and one of the younger daughters kept coming in to see if there was anything else she could do to help. Dave played professional football in the Europe league and at 42 years of age he competed in the Summer Olympics and won two gold medals and a silver. His son and daughter also compete in track and field and both won first place in at least one of their events. Their youngest daughter was just a cute as could be and would try talking to me whenever I was near. We spent the evening discussing Dave, his daughter and a friend of their’s businesses. Dave is learning marketing and sales but he has naturally been doing many things correctly. I’m sure I could help him a bit but he has success written all over him and once he learns this aspect of business, there is nothing that will stop him.

This was the only bridge in Florence that Hitler didn't bomb because he said it was too beautiful. It is now filled with mostly jewelry shops.

The Florence Cathedral

That is not snow, it is marble chips from the marble display. This is another popular church in Florence.

This is the inner dome of the Cathedral.

The famed (copy of) David. This is at the Michelangelo Piazzale.

On the train to Rome we went through the country and there was heavy flooding. Cars, trucks and tractors were buried up to their wheels; houses and shops were filled with at least a foot of water, many trees are down or floating away in the flow of water, and the rain is still pouring down heavily. The fields for several hundreds of meters look like one big river now but there were no signs of people trying to save anything or anyone so I guess they are okay with it.

You could take pictures all day in Tuscany and this is not the best by any means but this was just a place where I was waiting for a lift. These pictures are out of sync because going back to Turin and while there I didn't take many pictures and I took too many of Pisa and Florence so my notes getting to those locations will show their pictures.

This is the leaning Cathedral of Pisa. I don't know how I did this but the effect looks like the tower is strait up and the cathedral is leaning.

From Milan it was difficult getting lifts to Turin. After a few short lifts (one of them the man also bought me breakfast), a man picked me up that was going to get his daughter in Turin. It was over an hour lift and his destination was only about a 15 minute walk from Antonella’s house.

The streets of Pisa are very narrow and the buildings very old.

I spent another week with Antonella and visited Dominico in the hospital. His spirits were down as he has been struggling with his intestinal problem since June having had several operations. It was nice to see him and his family once again but I only wish it could have been under better circumstances. He started working as a waiter again but the sutures came undone and he had to go back in.

Here is another odd picture. You now have the leaning tree of Pisa that was leaning with the tower. This is the image I woke up to.

Antonella made more sacrifices for me, having basically no money for the next month she still housed me for a week. Never have I known a person so willing to sacrifice for others as Antonella. She will always stay in my mind and in my heart. Her friends are so great too, all trying to convince me to stay in Torino. I just can’t thank her enough for all the help she offers even while she suffers and goes without herself. You just don’t find people like that.

This was inside the Cathedral in Pisa.

I was going to meet Antonella one evening to go visit Dominico and her parents graves but I misunderstood her directions and ended up walking through the Turin city center. I had not seen this part of Turin before and it was quite a beautiful city.

This is another view from within the Cathedral. The artwork is phenomenal.

On the way to Savona two men took me off the main roads into the mountain roads and dropped me off in Alba. From there I only received 2 short lifts and ended up walking about 30km (18 miles) before a young Romanian man gave me a lift. He was only going a short distance leaving me 20km to go to get to Savona. He decided to take me the rest of the way as it was near dark.

The last view from inside the Pisa Cathedral.

From Turin to Pisa I received 7 lifts. Four of those were from Romanians. In Romania they have no problem giving lifts. In Italy, about 20 years ago, a hitchhiker (or hitchhikers) was killing people and taking their cars. Now, Italians don’t pick up hitchhikers so it is difficult at times to get a lift.

The Star of the show. The most famous tower in the world... the leaning tower of Pisa.

 In Pisa you have the leaning tower and the church from which it stands and that’s about it. There isn’t much more to see in the city but the tower and church are worth the trip. It is quite a spectacular scene.

This is a house along the lake.

I am no in town called Domodossola, it’s 9:10pm and raining. I see all big buildings around me so I don’t know where I will be sleeping as they will soon kick me out of the train station. I am sitting on a vent that is blowing warm air and I would be happy to sleep here but doubt they will let me. 

It has been quite a while since I’ve been able to get online so I am way behind on everything. I did have internet access in Zermatt but only for an hour and I started trying to catch up on my blog first but I didn’t know it was an hour and it cut me off before I could publish so that was an hour lost.

This was another house I came across along the lake.

I spent Sunday the 27th hiking 20km along Lake Maggiore because nobody would give me a lift. I received two small lifts, one 3km (2 miles) and another 10km (7 miles). It was a beautiful lake with islands but every time I tried taking pictures my camera wouldn’t work. The second lift dropped me off Castelletto Sopra Ticino where I spent the night at the bottom of a cement stair well going to an underground parking lot. Good thing I found this because there was a terrible storm with high winds that I’m sure would have destroyed my tent and soaked me anyway. I heard the wind but I was underground so I had no problems.

This is Dino next to the machine we worked on in the nursery.

I only had to walk about 2 miles to Sesto Calende when Dino picked me up. He is a very kind man 65 years old. He was going to take me to my next location (Milano) then told me he had to go to Vicenza and would be going back to Milano in the evening if I wanted to go with him. I had mentioned to him I was looking for people to help and he had three big drums of liquid he had to load into his van and take back. I offered to go help him and on the way back he offered to let me stay with him for the evening and feed me and tomorrow I will help him clean his machine before he takes me to Milano.

This is the garden of the Castle in Milan. I set up my tent in this garden.

Dino ended up paying for a train ticket for me as he was not going to finish cleaning the machine for a few days and didn’t need me anymore. He ended up also giving me a lot of food and 15 Euros to help with the trip. What a great man. I really enjoyed our conversations and friendship. He was a wealth of knowledge sharing information, especially on his vegetarian foods and diets. He also gave me an essential oil that helps with sinus blockage.

Half of Milan castle. It was huge!

Milan is more like New York (or what I imagine it to be as I have never been to New York. It was a big city with big buildings, lots of luxury shopping and everything was very expensive. Not much worth taking pictures of for me.

Half the inner court of the Milan Castle.

I was trying to go to Turin to spend Halloween with my friends there but didn't make it. While trying to walk to the outskirts of Milan to hitch a ride it started raining and it is hard enough getting a lift in Italy on a sunny day so I spent the rest of the day in McD's on the internet catching up. Now that it's dark the rained stopped.  Maybe I will find a place to set up my tent since it stopped raining but I will mainly be looking for something that will keep any more rain me.

This is a tomato spider behind Timothy's shop. It's body is about half the length of my little finger but about the same girth.

I know it has been a while since my last update but I have been mostly working for the last three weeks making wallpaper with Timothy (the son of Roberto and Mary Claude). Timothy has been great to work with and feeds me very well for lunch. We usually have a sandwich made with nice meat and soft cheese or salmon marinated in lemon juice with crackers. We then have gelato (ice cream) and finish it off with fennel, which I have never had before but it is a vegetable with the consistency of celery and tastes like liquorish.

My body is finally used to the work and I pretty much have it down but it is time for me to leave. I have been told by Mary Claude that Timothy tells her I work too hard and he gets a lot done with me compared to others he’s had work for him. I told him in the beginning that I may have been a businessman sitting behind a desk most of my life but I do know how to work, so I’m glad I was able to live up to what I said and help him out. I will continue helping him change his business model and marketing via email and hopefully help his business start making money as he has been floundering for four years now.

Antonella invited Dominiquo, Mariangela, their parents and aunt over Sunday with the missionaries and we had a great time with them and it is good to see Dominiquo on the mend from his intestinal surgeries. They have invited us to dinner at their house tonight before I leave tomorrow morning for Bordeaux, France to visit with my son and his in-laws for a few days following the marriage of their son in England.

 For the really great news, Sjlvia Macchi, a professional translator in our church here in Italy, has translated my book (The Opportunity In Every Problem) into Italian. I can’t thank her enough and hope it will be distributed throughout Italy (eventually) to help people find opportunities here.

This is the second piece of junk solar batter sent to me from China. The batteries are bulged and don’t work and this is a brand new unit. The first one had batteries but wouldn’t charge. This one charges but has no batteries so it charges for about 3 minutes then stops. This is after I told them I am traveling and can’t wait around for shipping from China so please test the unit before you send the second one. They assured me they would and would also send me a European plug. Instead they send me another piece of junk that if they tested, would find right away that it didn’t work; and of course they sent me an American plug. This has been such a waste of time and money as I have to keep paying shipping to send it back and forth. I will demand my money back but I doubt they will because I opened it but I will let people on ebay know my experience with them.

For comparison: The batter in my hand is what it is supposed to look like. The Pillows are bad batteries. Remember, this is the brand new replacement for the first brand new piece of junk they sent me.

This is from the haiguang-store so if you ever buy electronics on ebay, be sure it is not from this store.