01.06 First day of June hid more natural spots on our timetable. Firstly we visited a huge tree Gigante Buono. Even local school kids went there to study more about nature. Then we went outside of Sersale again to walk to another waterfall. It was with a really good access but waterfall itself wasn't so high and powerful as others that we had seen. But it was enjoyable to take last days with easier pace and enjoy more the surrounding. I discovered old mill ruins and explained how it was constructed. Even though I do not study a lot in university I remember the most important things. In the afternoon we saw how to make soap out of weird ingredients like ash. The most important part of soup making was mixing. It was physically harming - a good alternative workout exercise. Unfortunately the soap was too liquid when we left and we couldn’t bring piece of it with us. I started annoying people with camels story. Those brain games and anecdotes were popular during the project. We also visited a gelateria. We saw the whole ice cream making process and the right ice cream machine. Best part of that visit was of course degustation. Wild strawberry ice cream reminded me taste of Estonia :) In the evening we had an Italian cultural night. We got an overview of Calabria and Sersale. We all received souvenirs of Sersale and ate good Italian homemade food. Locals had cooked a lot of delicious food for us. And by now we were able to dance tarantella and sing along all the folk songs. After dinner in information center we started preparations for Erasmus party. One club literally made an Erasmus+ party and even a poster about it. Huuh, karaoke parties never can end well. And also this time. I wanted to sing something so badly that I end up singing L'essenziale. I hate myself because it is way too difficult song for me but I still want to perform it :P Two years ago I did kind of the same thing and probabilmente solo Heleri e Quirino ricordano quanto è stato male. And free alcohol is even worst thing that make you do stupid things. But even though I couldn't hear my voice at all I somehow survived those 3 minutes and the support from locals was amazing and heart-warming. At least I finally had a change to dance along club music. 02.06. Last project day was a total bureaucracy. We still needed to deal with our train tickets and to collect and print all our invoices and travel tickets. Because we only had Mihkel's computer it took a long time. At some point Mihkel went away for a period of time and came back with a camera. Better sooner than later. He didn't have anything to record anymore because we had visited all the great places already but at least for his next trips he has it already waiting. Weather was again cloudy, so it was great to make a tour and photographed architecture. I was lucky that I went back home before rain started to flood the streets. Rain was actually really refreshing but after that all the heat was back. In the mountains the weather is totally unpredictable. At least I got free time to rest. It is not a right project when you do not need to sleep during the day XD I realised that I lost my T-shirt. I have no idea how it is possible but it is lost. Allora, quando trovi la mia maglietta nera "Eat, Move, Sleep" scrivimi :) Even though I thought I'll skip evening activities I found a power to join with others. I don't know why but I became mentally tired in the end of the project. But I am more than glad that I participated in friendship rituals activity. And I saw so many similarities between Estonian and Italian rituals. All other Italians that I have met are usually more than far from nature. I would say that they even hate everything which is related with living nature. So, that's why it was great to relate with Sersale citizens. For some reasons Liis and Mari mixed their wine. Calimocho is pretty well-known Spanish cocktail but this recipe hasn't reached France. I mean, the reaction of Guillaume seeing Liis pouring coke into her red wine was priceless. And even though we played a trick to him I guess Gui still consider us as his friends but really impolite barbarian friends. Gianni and Guillaume left us right after the dinner. It sucks when people start leaving, everything will be so quiet. We tried to make a farewell party but because audio system didn't want to cooperate with us our party was over soon. I said goodbye to all the people around me and made a last tour in the town to enjoy yellow lights around the area. Night ended with latte shots. 03.06. In the morning Fabrizio gave us a lift to the Lamezia Terme train station. It was time to say goodbye to our active Italian soul as well :( From Lamezia we headed to Naples. Surprisingly the train arrived on time but we still arrived later to Naples than planned. First impression of Naples wasn't great. Immigrants have occupied the area near train station and trash is litarally everywhere in Naples! I though that trash mafia days are over. Oh, and there are many homeless people walking around. Maybe the environment change was too drastic: from cute small Sersale to metropol Naples. Anyway, after short city walk and pizza stop (this family restaurant was funny) we went to a museum with Meriliis. Now we had to say goodbye to Jane because she had to leave to the Rome soon. The entrance was free because it was Sunday At least one good aspect of Sunday :) I loved the exhibitions in archaeology museum. There were so many connections with my university frescos and my countryside manor. There were 4 paintings for why I even visited the place and it was amazing to find them finally. There was also a concert in the museum. It was comic: musicians arrived late, conductor looked like Filipp Kirkorov and they haven't practice enough before the concert. This was total anthropological experience. After cultural experience we went to discover the old town. Narrow streets were great and made a special atmosphere. And there are so many churches hidden between the houses. Because old town looked almost the same we decided to discover seaside. And there are many castles around the city as well. At some point we were walking on a crowded street along the seaside. From there we saw a sunset and view to Vesuvio. In Italy you wait for the bus for a long time and the point where you are ready to give up on waiting it arrives. So, we had to run to the bus with Liis. At least it was worth it, we got another free ride because bus driver was lack of tickets. Night ended in a cafe in our neighborhood. 04.06. Our mission on that day was to conquer Vesuvio. Liis had gathered some information how to reach there. Our first stop was in Herculaneum. Because Marilind lived nearby she walked there. We had a breakfast on a cafe next to a train station. Mihkel strated morning with lasagne. ˇWhen we were full of food we were ready to start our hiking. We tried to catch bus nr 5 but it didn't appear. So, one private bus stopped and offered us a good deal. He was ready to drive us to a half way with half price. Actually it was a mistake because the way up there was fucking long and there were some busses and cars appearing behind the curve all the way. After walking more than one hour we reached the ticket place. We were rebels and chose a trekking track to go up. Even though it was forbidden we took that non-touristic path. It was worth it because we saw more nature than many other people on the top. We made a buzz when we arrived on the top, the lady was really surprised and didn't understand how it is possible that we came from that side. Volcano itself was a bit disappointing for us. Crater was closed not like what you imagine when you think about volcano. On our way down we tried to find a bus but they all were too expensive and the way how the system worked was rude. Taxi mafia is a right term how to call it. So, we called to the driver who drove us there and we made a good price. At the same time we started walking down as well. Salvatore was really our saviour. After 20 km hike it was time to eat once again. This time we chose a restaurant next to the morning eating place but it was a mistake. Everything was there really expensive. But we were hungry so it actually didn't matter. After lunch we had to say goodbye to Mihkel because he needed to go back to Lamezia Terme to catch his flight. Because Meriliis didn't have much time to visit Pompeii anymore, she headed to Herculaneum ancient town. We also walked there with Marilind and saw the complex. Then we split and I just walked around the town. Surprisingly I met Liis once again and we went back to Naples together. In the train station I visited book and music shop to make my dream come true. About four years I had a wish to own Marco Mengoni CDs. Now I finally had this opportunity. I bought 3 different albums and they are probably the best souvenirs I have ever bought. After refreshing shower I was already on a sleeping mode 9 pm. But then I thought why I even bought tickets back home for tomorrow if I now just waste the time. Actually at first I planned to spend only "Una notte a Napoli" but life wanted to extend that time. Anyway, I decided to try Couchsurfing hangout to meet some locals or other travellers who want to explore the area. Gerardo was a best guide, he knew many historical places and popular places among the youngsters. We also visited a place where youth celebrate their birthday on an open-air area with a beautiful view. He introduced me a real Neapolitan culture. For example, I didn't have any information about Liberato before. I don't regret that I went out for my last night even though I was tired as hell. 05.06. Travel day fortunately didn't start too early. So, I got rest from yesterday. Because we already knew Italian train system I recommendet to Marilind pick an earlier train to reach our airport bus station. Because the train was late we still got enough time for our flight. Naples airport is a way better than Malpensa's one. It has enough shops, plugs and comfortable chairs. To be honest, I slept all my way to Milan. I literally fell asleep as soon as we entered the air zone and woke up when we landed. Well-spent time because after munching in Bergamo's airport I couldn't sleep anymore. Even though any other day had been hot as hell our arrival evening weather was cold. Thanks Estonia for a great welcome present :P It was good to be back home and eat black bread instead of panini again :) This time I want to thank an occasion. It is totally a coincidence with whom Seiklejate Vennaskond makes partnerships. I am glad that this time they cooperated with Terra di Mezzo and particularly that project was held in Sersale. I had been looking for this kind of small town in my mind for years. I always wanted to find something similar but to be honest I didn't even know what I was looking for. But now I know! And I am pretty sure that without Erasmus I couldn't find this place. There is now even a community page. Yes, it was a totally different project comparing to my previous experiences but this was totally a thing I needed most at that time. I figured out what I want from life and how to receive them. Now I can say it out loud as well. I definitely want to buy a property in Sersale. Moreover, I want to return back as soon as possible. Mainly because I see similarities between Saku and Sersale. I have had an idea to write a project on my own about a year but I was lack of ideas about the topic. Now I have a vision and concept to follow. So guys, I'll start writing a project and the venue will be Sersale! I want to say big thanks to the local community. They were supportive instead of the fact that they didn't speak perfect English. And Terra di Mezzo organization that they hold Calabria flag high. They are actually doing a hard work to promote south of Italy. And special thanks to Jane for making so many photos that I can in my blog as well. Sersale è l'essenziale :)
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