Naples Tried to Kill Me

Taking the train from Venice to Naples was incredibly simple and straightforward. No security checks to go though, ample cafes and shopping while you wait. You could sit in the sun on the steps overlooking the Grand Canal if you wanted. Everything is clearly labled and we had assigned seats so no stress. They served beverage and snacks on board with the option of buying sandwiches and such in the dining car. There were even phone charging ports between the seats. I should have known I was being lulled into a false sense of security!

Our B&B had detailed instructions on how to find them from the trainstaion. It took a few tries to figure out the actual Naples transit trains, but everyone is super friendly and helpful. A lovely young woman guided us to the right gate and through security. 

At this point we were in a total different environment than Venice. Venice is very much a tourist town. Everything is laid back, most of the people you encounter are other tourists and people working in the tourist industries. The moment we got to the the Central train station, we were in a city - local people going about their day, commuting to work. It was a typical subway, covered in graffiti and packed to the gills!

We successfully disembarked at our station and decided to follow the walking instructions. 1.3km. On cobblestone. Uphill. Not always with sidewalks. The streets are crazy - narrow, winding, fast and they may or may not stop with pedestrians. You take your life in your hands every time you cross a street!

Janis peering around the corner where the sidewalk disappears to make sure we aren't getting run over.
2 way street with lanes only wide enough for 1! 

We thought we were lost, we weren't. A nice security guard for a gated community helped us - spoke about as much English as we do Italian! With our suitcases in tow, up the hill, not sure if we were going the right way - I will admit it, I was periously close to tears. Did I mention the cobblestones? It's like rolling your suitcase through a dry creek bed. We did finally prevail!

When the Bed & Breakfast host let us through the gate, it was like stepping into an oasis! Words cannot describe how charming and beautiful the villa is. Library, sitting room, breakfast room, courtyard, and garden. We have our own private solarium and private garden access.

Statues tucked in everywhere!

Our room, from the garden

We ate oranges picked from a tree in the garden, pet the cat and met the turtles. We named them Alberto and Ernesto (Bert and Ernie!)

After a brief recovery from the perioulous trek up the side of a mountain, we had to head out in search of supper. We had to hike back down the hill of death to find a restaurant, only to discover they don't open until 7pm. The hostess let us sit at a table and wait. At restaurants, if you want water, you  pay for a wine bottle size of sparkling or still water. However, will every cup of coffee, you get a small glass of water, sometimes sparkling, sometimes still.

Ordering food was an adventure with the language barrier. The first night we asked about salads, and got grilled vegetables. The second night, I asked for scallops and got scaloppini, which is chicken breast! Red wine and cappuccino never got lost in translation, though!

Although we had a pretty good sense of the subway, the buses were mystifying and we didn't even attempt them. In fact, we barely saw any! (It could be because they whizzed by so fast!) We also can count on one hand the number of taxis we saw, and two of them were outside the ruins soliciting business.

Since we had to meet our Pompeii tour bus at 7:30, our hosts at the B&B weren't around to call a taxi for us (we have no phone service, and had serious doubts about our ability to accurately communicate our location). The subway had a stop really close to the hotel that was the meeting place for the tour. No problem, we got this!

Slight problem, we were about 10 minutes late, no tour bus to be seen. Remember, no phone service. We heard another lady asking around about the same tour, Kate from Washington. So we joined forces. A young man assured us there was nothing to worry about, the bus would be there, it came every morning. After a very anxious wait, and Kate messaging back and forth with the company, it did arrive at about 8:30. By then we were fast friends with Kate!

After the 7-8 hour day of touring, I said that the one thing I didn't want to do much of on Saturday was walking. We had a leisurely morning, actually participated in the breakfast part of B&B. The plan was to walk down the hill to find Herculaneum and the sea. We found the ruins, but our attempt to get to the water after lunch resulted in 5 hours of getting lost. In the rain. On cobblestoned hills. No bus or taxi to be found. In our attempt to make our way back to Herculaneum, (no through streets anywhere) we ended back at the subway stop, at the bottom of the hill of death. At this point, just bought fruit and pastries to take back to our room. There was no way I was stepping foot on the street again that day!

I think this is muscle rub, the pharmacist seemed to understand what I was looking for!

From the last couple days, I'm nursing shin splints, blisters and a sunburn. But, since nothing truly terrible happened, Naples didn't get the best of me. I think I got the best of Naples!