We Leave Naples Tomorrow
When Dan and I were trying to figure out where to stay to kill some time before activating our final two-month rail pass, we knew we would be coming from Rome and wanted to head to southern Italy. So, the Naples (Napoli, in Italian — rhymes with Monopoly) area — with its many nearby sights — seemed to be the logical answer. Plus, we found what seemed to be a great hostel: near the city center, free breakfast, guest kitchen (so, we could cook meals), free internet, free pasta nights and a decent price. (It almost seemed too good to be true.) But, everything we were reading told us that Naples is a noisy, dirty and gritty city, so we were a bit nervous planning to stay in Naples for twelve nights.
Yes, Naples is everything that we had heard and because of that, I think, we had a great time. Most tourists to the area tend to avoid the city and stay at a picturesque village along the coast, like Sorrento or Positano — with a lot of other tourists. We just took trips via cheap buses to these places during the day and returned to our noisy, dirty and gritty city and excellent hostel with both fun staff and other guests at night. The hostel staff was VERY helpful in assisting us in planning our day trips, both in and out of the city. And, several days, we just walked around Naples, getting lost among the narrow and sometimes steep streets, clogged with markets, pedestrians, vespas and cars. The worn buildings nearly always had laundry hanging from the balconies, and it often seemed as though someone in one building could reach out from their balcony and shake hands with their neighbor across the street. We washed our laundry in the sink (as we have been doing for most of the trip) and also hung it out to dry on the hostel’s balcony; we were on the seventh floor. And, we ate like Neapolitans as often as possible — picking up slices of pizza for lunch from stands in front of the many small shops, buying our bread from bakeries (the best bread is NOT sliced and NOT in a bag), and cooking pasta at the hostel.
We also spent some time just reading or watching a movie at the hostel. We needed a little bit more of that after some busy stretches recently. Plus, we got caught up on posting our recent (and, not so recent) photos to our Flickr site. Check them out here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/timdan2/
Tim
Tags: Europe
timdan2
Hi Tim & Dan,
We enjoyed your description of Naples and the account of your stay there. And we checked out your new photos. It’s really amazing – the places you have been and the things you have seen. Thanks so much for sharing them as you go. We miss you a lot and we can’t wait to hear some of your stories in person. Take care.
Love,
Mom & Dad
We are now in the early stages of planning a mini European vacation with stops in Paris, various places in Spain and a drop-in to my aunt’s villa in the South of France. Because she is so close to Italy, I hope we can spend a few days exploring the coast etc. Great update, guys!