Napoli Revisited

Naples, the capital city of southern Italy. Sounds nice, right? Not so much. Or at least that was my first impression when I first visited the city of vespas, pizza, and graffitti last year. Yet this city, which happens to be the birthplace of pizza, deserved a second chance. This time around, it didn't disappoint at all. The trick was to get beyond the absolutely downtrodden Piazza Girabaldi which is where the central train station is located.

Travel author Rick Steves describes Naples as intense and "Italy in the extreme". He is so right. To most American travelers who project their values on this place, this sort of place is a total turn off. Omaha, Nebraska it ain't! In Naples, you see grit everywhere. It reminded me of a scene from Backt to the Future II when Marty McFly goes to Hill Valley in the near future and finds it to be a run down slum with Biff's casino being the crowning jewel of the town. Yup, there graffitti everywhere, traffic laws are non existent, and the people are loud and passionate. Once you get past some of the high negatives, I found myself in love with this city. Yes, it was intense but it had a really cool vibe to it. I saw kids playing soccer in a piazza, I ate the most delicious pizza that cost me a whopping one euro, I drank Moretti bierre in an alley cafe as the local Neopolitans casually made their way to and fro without a care in the world. It definitely grew on me after a day or so.

While I was there I decided not to do the traditional European tourist rut of going to all of the museums and hitting up the hard rock cafe along the way. Instead I sought to blend in as much as I could. My hair was a bit longer during my trip since I'd been on the ship the previous two weeks and I was able to integrate with the local without too much effort. The fact that my looks favor my Italian side and didn't tote around my All-American looking family didn't hurt either. Within an hour or so, the locals were trying to speak Italian to me. Oddly enough I was also mistaken for a Spaniard a couple of times...that one threw me for a loop. Anyhow, I decided to let the city "wash over me" rather than go from attraction to attraction. I strolled the streets which were draped with laundry, dodged Vespa scooters driven by ten year olds, and ate the most delicious Mozerella di Buffalo cheese I've ever had.

After getting my fill of the city of Naples, I headed out to the Island of Capri. Touristy? Yes. Stil worth the trip? Absolutely. Traveling in May definitely has its advantages. The "shoulder season" promises nice termperatures and fewer crowds. This meant that the main piazza was filled with the Herbs and Mildreds from Sheyboygan, Wisconson and the rest of their tourist buddies but as soon as I got out of there, the island was not overrun at all. As a reward, I got to experience this drop dead gorgeous island without feeling like I was being crowded out (think Eiffel Tower in June or Munich's Oktoberfest). Words simply cannot do this place justice and as soon as I get my photos developed, I will post them here on the blog.

Grazzi and Ciao tutti

Fair Winds and Following Seas

It's been way too long since I've updated this blog. Don't blame it on being lazy, however. For the last couple weeks I've been at sea on the USS Mt Whitney http://www.mtwhitney.navy.mil/default.aspx, the command ship from the US Navy's 6th Fleet (see crappy phone cam pix below). This was one of those experiences that I am sure I will be telling my grandchildren about...

When I joined the Air Force I never had any idea that one day they would put me on a ship for a couple week cruise for a major wargame. After all, the Air Force conjures up images of dusty bases in Middle America, not cruises the middle of the Med. Regardless, I was very glad to have had the opportunity to get my sea legs.

The biggest adjustment was getting used to the sleeping arrangements. I had a stateroom that was the size of a walk in closet. Oh yeah, there were six "racks" or bunks in there as well. Needless to say, things were pretty cramped. I was fortunate enough to get a top bunk so I technically had another foot or so of headspace but for some reason, the Navy put a couple crossbars right on the head and foot of the bed. I am convinced this was designed specifically so people would bash their heads into it...which I did...every night. Also, being on a ship means being inside for about 23 1/2 hours a day. This was definitely tough to get used to.

While certain aspects of shipboard life were tough to swallow, others were not nearly as bad as I thought. For example, the food on the ship was phenomenal. I'm afraid to hop on the scale after this cruise. It's no wonder why most of these Navy guys who were part of the permanent crew of the ship usually carried around a bit extra around the midsection. Also, I really enjoyed watching some of the cool "gee whiz" moments such as a ship-to-ship cargo transfer, watching the anti-missile weapons tested, and of course pulling into and out of port in Gaeta (see pix of me about to go aboard our ship).

As soon as I get back to Germany I will be sure to upload some pictures. For the moment I am taking it easy in Naples awaiting my flight back to the fatherland. Also, I've got plenty of stuff to share about Naples as well but that will have to wait for another blog entry.

Ciao!