|
  | |  |
Stansted to Naples and Naples
Entry 5 of 20 | show all | print this entry |
17 January, FM to Sandy
The weather was warm in Naples; on the last day we were out in shirtsleeves, though the Italians thought we had gone bonkers; they still had heavy coats and scarves; they are used to warm weather and seem to find even a slight chill to be really cold.
We were amazed how many black men sell things on the sidewalk; all around Garibaldi Square, where we stayed, they lay out a plastic sheet and then women's purses, or billfolds, or scarves, or women's sweaters, or men's hats, or telephones, and they are good salesmen, if you show any interest, they keep after you until you buy. All are not black, but most are; I listened to two of them talk to each other, and thought they were either American or Caribbean, the latter is more likely. Laws do not seem to be enforced in Naples; one day the police seemed to be making them close up shop, but every other day they were there, and on Sunday there were even more, but we were gone all day and only saw them set up and pack up. One funny sight to me was two nuns buying a briefcase from one of the black street venders; I suppose it is silly, but I don't think of nuns shopping; they still wear habits here, though not the kind we saw when we were kids--usually now they are gray dresses and white or black covering over their hair. But they have not given up their habits as American nuns have. There are lots of police walking around, but they don't seem to have much to do.
It's very tricky crossing the street. You never really have the right of way. If there is a light and you have green, then the cars turning start flying at you. You can only cross the street by dodging between cars. We learned to follow the natives and cross when they did. The drivers will not actually hit you, but they will come close, and Vespas are even worse, Vespas go everywhere. Vespas use either the roads or sidewalks. I was almost hit by a car on a narrow little street; I lost my balance because he got so close and I fell into the vendor's counter on the other side; I didn't get hurt; I was just frightened and shocked, because they drive very fast even where pedestrians are everywhere. Another hazard was a little boy, maybe ten, driving his motorbike on what looked like a pedestrian mall, though it was actually a street and cars and Vespas were coming through very fast. He was not a good driver, but he had a Vespa and the right to drive it anywhere. We preferred being on trains and buses and away from the traffic.
FM writes 21 January 2004
According to our guidebook for Italy, Goethe said, "Someone who has seen Naples can never be sad." I couldn't help thinking about that statement when we were in Naples, because the statement is so striking. From our first ride into town on the bus from the airport, one strong impression we had is that it is very lived-in. It is full of people and their by-products. The apartment buildings often have small balconies, and these are almost always filled with drying laundry. The streets are also filled with trash, particularly near the outside markets. There is a large street market near Garibaldi Square, where we stayed, open most of the time. On our last day we went back to try to buy belts, almost every stall had disappeared; we don't know why; what was left was huge piles of paper wrapping. There are also street venders who lay out a piece of plastic on a sidewalk and are in business; they were outside our hotel everyday and on the street most of the way downtown, but apparently sometimes the police make them leave. On Sunday there were even more venders, mostly black men, and they are very persuasive salesmen of women's hats, purses, gloves, and blouses, and of men's hats, billfolds, and scarves. There are also many street people. At the train station near our hotel, they sleep on the carts that are there to carry luggage from one place to another.
The buses are full too, often very crowded. It's hard to figure out which bus or train you need or where to catch it. In Garibaldi Square there is a huge central area where buses meet and depart, but there are few helpful directional signs in Naples or in the buried cities of Pompey and Herculaneum. When you ride the bus to Amalfi, a beautiful town on a cliff above the sea, the bus stops and you get out, and no one says anything about how to get back to Sorrento; the answer is that in a half hour one of the buses in a line will have Sorrento, your destination printed in the front. Fortunately, the people are very helpful. They can see when you are confused or unsure, and they take you by the hand and show you where to go. One woman at a bus stop could see us looking for directions and told us, without speaking English, to come with her on her bus; then from her seat several feet away, she kept signaling that we should stay put. Then, when she got off, she told us to go to the next stop. This helpfulness was very common; a man on the train to Pompey told us we were not on the right train and showed us how to transfer and then got off and asked the conductor to hold the train for us so we could get to Pompey; he then looked over for us to thank him for his trouble and was satisfied and vindicated when we did; at first we had not believed him when he said we had the wrong train. The wrong train came on the right track 5 minutes before our train; we did not see the sign above that stated the destination. The only mishap we had with people helping us was a man who told us to go with him on a bus that had no number or street name. It was the right bus, but inside, we were in a tight crowd of 6 men and couldn't move; this crowding was not necessary; there was plenty of room in the bus, but we were being held within this group; the man's hand reached toward our chests, where we had our money, but before this all ended badly, the bus checkers who make sure everyone has a ticket came on board and this man quickly left by the back door. The tickets work the same way they do in Prague and Vienna: you buy a ticket and carry it but do not need to use it to get on, but if the checkers come on the bus, or into the subway tunnel, you better have a ticket; there is a fine if you don't.
Another time we met people was in a small restaurant for lunch. A teacher we met at another restaurant recommended this one as very authentic. It was run by two women who did not speak English and a teenage boy who had quit school and ran errands for them and cleaned off tables. There was also a young man who translated for us; he ate there often and managed a gym for boxers that was close by. Marty offered to take pictures of them and their restaurant, and they were very pleased; he got the address and names. Once we had become acquainted, all three of the adults began worrying about Marty's camera, which is obviously a good one that cost a lot of money. The man asked how he carried it and warned him about people who would like to take it from him. Nunzia--the owner or Nunzia's Restaurant, showed him how he should carry it: he should have the strong over his head so that it couldn't be grabbed away easily, and he should carry his hand on the top of the case at all times. We were struck by the fact that we all struck up a friendship so quickly, and then they wanted to help us enjoy Naples and warn us of the dangers. Pickpockets are a problem in all cities, but people in each city are most familiar with the problem in their own hometown and want to help others avoid risk. They gave us peeled oranges for dessert in return for the pictures that would come when Marty figures out how to print them with his laptop and the printer we bought here after we came.
On one bus we were going fairly slowly up a steep hill to Capodimonte to an art gallery, which had been a king's hunting lodge--just a small place to get away to with a few hundred rooms. In the bus people were rather impatient, so they started yelling about their opinion about slow buses or whatever they were talking about. Then others would join in about the hardships of travel up hills in Naples. Before they were done, at least half the people had shouted something to the rest of us; it was not like a bus ride in Milwaukee!
Naples is very beautiful. Even in January it can be quite warm, even in the 60's sometimes, though it must seem very cold to Italians, who are wrapped up in winter coats and hats and scarves, sometimes protecting their mouths and noses from the cold air with scarves. When we went out in shirtsleeves on a warm afternoon, they were amazed. There are flowers in January in public gardens--mainly birds of paradise and cyclamen--beautiful beds of them in parks especially and in flower boxes. There are also palm trees blooming, perhaps date palms. And the orange and lemon trees were all full of ripe fruit--often in people's yards or orchards, but also on city streets; you had to wonder who would get these beautiful oranges and lemons on trees on the sidewalks.
Naples is a coastal town on the Tyrrhenian Sea, which is more or less part of the Mediterranean Sea. It's a port with lots of tourist ships and ferries to islands and down the coast. We took a boat to Sorrento, down the coast a short way, and got our best view of Naples. It stretches from the coast up into the hills above, and is beautifully laid out on the slope. We also took a city bus north on the coast and got beautiful views of the sea and coast.
In Sorrento we walked up a steep slope from the harbor to the town above and after lunch took a bus south to Amalfi. This is an amazing ride, and the bus driver on the way over was a maniac of a driver. Or perhaps he was showing off for his girlfriend, who was along for this Sunday afternoon drive. It is a winding road up on the cliffs above the water. It is very beautiful and very exciting, especially with this guy; the ride back was not as scary; the driver used his horn on sharp corners and only passed one card on the way over we were the fastest thing moving.
It's hard to believe the towns along this coast. They must be fishing communities, but the towns are way up; pottery is also a specialty, beautiful dishes and wall decorations done in bright colors. The towns almost look like pueblos, because each house rises above the one below on steep slopes. They are large towns too, with many tourists being another source of income. We talked to a lady from California while we waited for the bus. She was touring with a daughter and two sons. They were going to stay in Positano, which is the most amazing of these towns on steep slopes above the sea. We couldn't help wondering how they got along. The bus driver dropped them by the side of the road and took off; it didn't look easy to find their way.
There is a beautiful church in Amalfi, but we had just time to see the front and buy an ice cream cone and get back to make sure the bus did not leave without us.
24 January 2004,
Hello, all,
I'll start this now but don't know when I will finish. We just got home from a wonderful Czech meal at our favorite local restaurant. We started with a shared starter of Camembert, fried Camembert, red cabbage, white cabbage, cuke, red pepper, and tomato. From there FM went to his favorite: a meal baked in aluminum foil consisting of pork, bacon, peppers, potatoes, and onions. I had the "Three Beauties" which was a chicken cutlet wrapped around garlic cloves and sausage, pork cutlet wrapped around the same, smothered in rich gravy with whipped cream. All with beer, of course. It was a terribly expensive meal, 400kc ($16.00) with tip. Because it is 6 degrees Fahrenheit outside and we are walking, we figured that we would work off some of the extra cholesterol.
I know that FM has already filled you in on lots of what went on in Naples. I'll try to give some additional "colour."
When we left here we had just received a beautiful 4" snowfall. We wore our lighter jackets to the metro figuring that we wouldn't need winter wear in Naples. It was a chilly walk. It is really strange to go on a trip and not take a car to the airport. Instead we hopped on the metro. Because it was rush hour, the metro was fairly crowded, but that was nothing compared to the bus to the airport. We got off the metro and went to the bus stop. We must have joined at least another 50 or 60 people there. When the bus came, after a 10-minute wait, we all crammed on. Everyone seemed to have a backpack or suitcase. It was sardine land. Fred and I ended up standing in the part of the bus vestibule that joins the front and back parts of the bus. Every time the bus went around a corner, the floor under our feet turned with it and the accordion pleats on each side expanded and contracted. Exciting. We were so crammed in, we didn't worry about holding on.
I don't know if any of you has ever flown a real "no frills" airline. Well, Easy Jet, aka Cattle-Car Airlines, is a new experience. We may have to get reserved seats to see a movie at our local theatre, but Easy Jet is "get what you can"-no reserved seats. We were naïve and didn't know that. We sauntered out to the plane figuring that we would have seats. Well, we did, they were just not what we expected. FM did get a window but MS ended up in the middle of three. It was an amazing flight. The plane held 150 passengers and every seat was filled. This was an 11:00 am flight on Wednesday to London (we had to fly there to get the cheap trip to Naples - figure that). The amenities are comprised of a glass of water, if you ask nicely. Everything else costs a fortune. Well, both flights were fast and clean. We did learn our lesson about seats, and at Stansted in London I ran ahead and got two aisle seats near the back. I forgot to mention that they plane and deplane from the front and back. No such thing as covered walkways except in Prague, but it's nice to have two entrances and exits.
Passport control and security at airports is really something. We waited in line for at least 45 minutes in Prague to get through Security. We almost duplicated that wait in London Stansted to get through Passport control. The British passport control person really raised an eyebrow when we told him we were not returning to the states for about a year. He wanted to know what we were doing for that length of time.
The flight to Naples from Stansted only had 148 people on the plane-two empty sets, one next to each of us! It was an uneventful flight. We arrived in Naples to a full moon and, to us, a balmy temperature of about 50f. Here Passport control was a joke, but we made up for it waiting for the luggage. We had decided to check our backpacks because Easy Jet only allows one carry-on per person with a max. weight of 5kilos, (11 pounds).
We had heard that there is an airport bus into town for 18Euros. We found out that you can get a city bus for 1Euro and that takes you right to Plaza Garibaldi (where our hotel was). The city bus took about ten minutes longer but it went right to where we needed to go. The other bus stopped about a mile away at the Plaza Municipio. A young woman on the bus was very helpful and she said she was getting off at Plaza Garibaldi and would make sure we got off at the right spot. She did and pointed out where our hotel should be. She had the wrong side of the square, but she pointed us in the right direction.
We got off the bus and immediately our senses were assaulted. After not hearing automobile horns for so long a time in Prague, we were shocked. The smell of Vespa (motor scooter) exhaust was almost overwhelming. The sight of all the trash and humanity really hit us. Unlike the Czechs, who are quite reserved, these folks were hollering and flailing their arms at a terrific volume and rate. Traffic is even more chaotic than Prague. Turns, to the right or left, from the middle lane are common. One crosses the street in groups where there is safety in numbers. A common game for drivers (autos, trucks, and Vespas) is to see how close they can come to you without hitting you. It can be a bit unnerving. Semaphores are pretty and nicely colored with their red, yellow, and green lights, but just admire them and don't obey them. One- way streets look good on paper, but don't bother. If a sidewalk is in your way, just drive up on it. This is especially true if you have a two-wheeler, a Vespa. If traffic is bad, the sidewalk is also another good lane to use. Don't worry about pedestrians, they will move. Kids start driving their own motor powered two wheelers at an early age. We saw several that were about the size of what we would call a child's "sidewalk bike." Of course these kids are going like bats out of hell and can't control their machines. If you are driving and see a friend on the street corner, stop in the middle of the intersection and talk about the family, your latest date, your current problems, the weather. Never mind the horns, quasi-obscene (or fully obscene) gestures, and hollering. If there is a policeman nearby, all the better. You know nothing will happen. He or she is probably talking on his/her phone or to a fellow officer or having a snack. Being on the street makes life interesting.
Gas stations are merely pumps alongside a street or road. There is a widening of the pavement and the car or motor scooter merely pulls off and gasses up. During the winter many Vespas are fitted out with tops to protect the driver from the rain. Interestingly, I don't remember seeing a windscreen on them.
One thing that did impress me was that you didn't see the number of "spitters" that you see in Prague. Maybe it's because the climate in Prague is more conducive to sinus conditions. I don't know. But it was a pleasant surprise.
As Fred said, the public transportation system is a bit "iffy." Certainly there are lots of busses; it's just hard to find out where they go and where you can get on. We really couldn't find any sort of transport map that showed bus routes. The metro is a real hoot! One section of the car is fitted out as if the riders were taking a several hour trip with large, well padded seats that take up a lot of room (it only goes to the suburbs, but then, maybe it does take several hours). The back section of the car is for "locals." After cramming everyone in, the doors shut and you wait. Why, we don't know. But we waited for about 5 minutes with the door shut. It was very hot. The handles for holding on are suspended from the roof and are shaped like meat hooks without the barb on the end.
Food, glorious food! Especially the pizza. There is nothing like it in the world. Less is more and that applies here. A simple, hand-tossed crust, some light tomato sauce, buffalo (musk ox) (milk mozzarella, basil, olive oil and a hot, wood-fired oven are all you need for a bit of heaven. Of course they have other things you can get on pizza like several different types of cheeses creamed together, scrambled eggs, ham, mushrooms, white sauce (no tomato), olives, etc. Whatever your order, it will be hand tossed, about 12" in diameter, and cooked in a hot, wood-fired oven shaped like a beehive. In restaurants a serving of pizza is a whole one. They don't cut the pizza. It is just delivered on a huge platter. Because they are so simple and light, a 12" pizza is not difficult to eat. Lasagna is not the wavy kind like in the US. Instead it is just flat sheets of noodle pastry with sauce and cheese. Sauces are generally lighter than in the US. Fresh salads are remarkable with radicchio, arugula, spinach, peppers (not hot), Boston lettuce, bitter greens, and simple oil and vinegar dressing. You have to ask for "sensa sula" (no salt) or it will be loaded down with salt. One night I saw a man take the top off the saltshaker, empty a pile in his hand, remove the rice (there for moisture control) and put the whole pile on his small salad. He actually did this twice, the second time when he was halfway finished. We found out about the salt there is in most salads (without adding your own) the hard way. We ordered a salad one night and could hardly eat it because of the salt.
Eating in a restaurant is similar to Prague. You are never rushed. You can sit at the table and talk and nurse your bottle of water, or wine, until forever. You have to ask for the check. Because most places tack on a cover charge and service charge, tipping is minimal or non-existent.
The mattress covers in Naples are really unusual. They are cotton flannel on one side and plastic on the other. I can't imagine sleeping on them when it is 90f outside.
The breakfast room in the hotel was in the basement. A young woman took care of it. Every morning she put out juices, ham, cheese, fresh rolls, croissants, butter, jams, and a form of Nutella. She also had some strange cold cereals that we didn't sample. With all the orange and lemon trees around, there wasn't one to be found in the breakfast room. The young woman did whip up a wicked caffe latte, however. That is, if you could tear her away from her TV. She constantly watched a morning program that was nothing but ET type trash.
Our hotel was on Garibaldi Square, not more than 100 hazardous (you had to cross two streets) metres from the main train station. The train station is an ugly, utilitarian building that replaced the beautiful one that was bombed during WWII. Anyway, we had gone there the night we got into Naples to buy our train tickets for home. We had a really nice man who was a big help. The problem was that when we went to pay, we couldn't because the credit card machines were shut down. He told us to come back the next morning, which we did. He remembered us. He told us all about getting the trains, what reservations we would need, etc. When we were all done, we could pay by credit card; he squeezed his hand beneath the bulletproof glass to shake our hands. He probably helped for 25 minutes. We don't know why he was there in the evening and then again the next morning; he worked a long day.
The ancient area of the city is a warren of narrow streets and alleys. Some of the areas are crisscrossed with wires that have vines growing on them. Even at sunny, mid-day, the area is in semi-darkness. The streets are cobblestones and are supposed to be for pedestrians only. This doesn't stop the Vespas. It's a bit unnerving to be walking along and suddenly have a motor scooter right behind you trying to get by. Actually we got used to this because the same thing happens on the sidewalks.
These narrow alleyways and streets are lined with wonderful shops (all of which close for siesta from 14:00 to 16:00, 2:00pm-4:00pm). I was especially taken with all the crèches and crèche figures. One area is known for this. There must be at least 30 shops that sell the stables and figurines, all on one street. They run from the miniature to the "cathedral size." We ended up buying a lovely, white, unglazed porcelain one made in the Capodimonte factory. (Capodimonte porcelain is famous in Naples because one of the empresses had a whole room done in it. It is glazed and painted. We saw the room in the "hunting lodge" that FM talked about. The emperor and empress were so in love with the porcelain that they had the factory dismantled and taken with them when they moved.)
Fred mentioned the laundry hanging out on each balcony. An added feature is the plastic cover over the laundry if it is raining. The sheet is just pinned onto the cord along with the laundry.
Even though it was January, most balconies had green plants and flowers on them. Cyclamen and poinsettias were especially popular. Huge rubber plants and oleanders were everywhere. The rooftop area across the courtyard from our room was actually fitted out as a bedsitter. It had lots of green along with chairs for sitting and one area had a Venetian blind hanging down from a frame. This was the summer sleeping area.
The easiest way to get to the ruins is to take the Circumvesuviana train that runs from the main station at Garibaldi. FM told how we got on the wrong one for Pompeii. One of the travelers was a college teacher, Josephine Ellis, from Auckland, New Zealand. We struck up a bit of camaraderie and spent the day with her. As she was running to catch her train for Rome when we got back to Naples, she yelled out that we should come visit her in Auckland. One never knows.
On the Circumvesuviana we did learn about a whole new way of begging. A number of youngsters, probably without tickets, with accordions get on the train. They then stroll the aisles playing their instruments and trying to make eye contact with travelers. Eye contact is deadly because they then stop and serenade you and expect a tip. They jump off the train at the next station and get on the next one going the other way.
The ruins at Pompeii and Herculaneum are really fascinating. We spent most of a day in each. Both days it rained. That didn't matter, though, because it kept the crowds away. We had both places almost to ourselves and we really enjoyed going into the ruins of these 2000-year-old villas and shops. We were astounded at the brilliance of the colors in the frescoes. Even after all these years! We had a rather funny, if not a bit scary, experience when it came time to leave Pompeii. It was getting dark and we couldn't find the entrance! When we did find it, it was across a chasm that we couldn't cross. We had to scurry to find the way out. The maps didn't help because they didn't show the gully. Josie was especially concerned because she had a reserved seat on the 18:20 Euro Star for Rome.
Many of the frescoes, statuary, and mosaic floors from both cities have been moved to the National Museum in Naples. We saw those another day. The blatant eroticism of much of the artwork amazed us. In fact, the museum has one room that has only recently been opened to the public that is nothing but some of the "best." Erotic or not, the artwork is spectacular. When we were going through the museum we came upon a tour of college students from Calvin College in Grand Rapids. Needless to say, they didn't get into the "secret chamber" with the erotic pieces.
On our way up to the Museum at Capodimonte, we saw a funeral procession. We only caught the end of it. There was a long line of mourners walking slowly down the middle of the street. They were, of course, talking and smoking up a storm. Behind the mourners came the flower truck. It was a pick up truck with a frame above the bed. It was covered with green plants and flowers! We couldn't believe it. They were tied up to the sides of the truck vertically, large palm stems and Asian lilies.
Like Florence, black dress is de rigueur. Women's, and some men's, shoes have such long pointed toes that one wonders where the toes can be. As the guidebook says, everyone dresses up to go out, even if it's just to the grocery. Cell phones are glued to everyone's ears.
Bubblers are at a premium. I think we saw one. Most people merely walk over to the closest water spigot, which usually comes out of a piece of marble, turn it on, put their heads under the water flow, and take a drink.
Naples is wonderful, but when we go back we will stay in Sorrento and commute. It's cheap, convenient, and not as hectic. Besides, Sorrento is the best place to catch the Circumvesuviana to Pompeii and Herculaneum and the busses down the Amalfi Coast.
Fred mentioned the bus trip along the Amalfi Coast. On the trip to Amalfi he actually fluctuated between fear induced catatonia and awe-struck wonder at the beauty. These conditions were probably caused, not so much by the driver, but the fact that we were seated on the side of the bus where we could look down hundreds of feet to the sea as well as see the crazy road and its hairpin turns. Few, if any, guardrails, of course. It truly was a spectacular ride. The ride home was easier because we sat on the side of the bus next to the cliff walls. The busses on these trips are fitted out with different sets of horns. One is a single pitch city horn. Another is a two-toned one. This can be blown on the low tone, high tone, or consecutively. Another way is acknowledgement to thank another vehicle for allowing the bus to pass; the other is a blaring warning when the bus comes to a tunnel or hairpin turn where the driver can't see around the bend.
The train trip home was really wonderful. We took the 6:20am Euro Star from Garibaldi to Rome. In Rome we had 40 minutes between trains. Unfortunately the only breakfast we could get was at a McDonald's in the Station. UGH! The train to Venice was also a Euro Star. These are fast, designed to lean into curves to increase speed. It is an interesting experience. The trip to Venice took us through Florence and Bologna. Beautiful trip. We saw the grape arbors being prepared for spring growing and many pretty towns. In Venice we had 13 minutes to catch our train to Vienna. Again no problem. This ride was truly spectacular. We saw the eastern portion of the Italian Alps. Much of it was at sunset. We really enjoyed it. After spending the night in Vienna we took the train home the next morning.
Enough. Hope I didn't wear you out, but it was a really wonderful trip.
|
|
If you like this entry, search for other entries from Italy or try a new search. |
| |
| Table of Contents |
| 5. | Stansted to Naples and Naples - Naples, Italy Jan 15, 2004 |
|
|
|
|
Back to Entry - Back to Home
|
