Angst Italia: Pompeii October 13, 2018
I’m on the way to Pompeii. I was dreading two days off, so I decided I could jam in one more road trip. We were notified (in 3 languages) that we had a 43-minute delay. I called it found time, though I knew it would throw the rest of my train transfers into the abyss. I had forty-three minutes to take in the hills of Rome. I wonder how the homes and buildings hanging from the hills stay there and how they were built. Forty-three minutes to notice that no one on the coach is huffing and puffing at the delay. Two screaming children got some looks, but no one seemed rattled.
Since I arrived in Prato almost five weeks ago, I recognized that Italians are more patient than Americans with delays, deadlines, down time, and wait lines. They are patient with working through the language barrier as well. Most everyone I have dealt with has correctly decoded my point, smile, and mime method of communication. I have enjoyed taking a stroll to do my banking, dining, and shopping without stopping for fuel, looking for a parking spot, or getting stuck in traffic. I doubt that the experience has made me more patient for the long haul, but for today, I was 43-minutes late to see the people of Pompeii, who have been frozen in time since 79 AD, when Mt. Vesuvius erupted. That kind of puts things in perspective.