When the moon hits your car...

Sept 7th - Penultimate Cruise day - Napoli

We berthed in Naples (Napoli) not knowing what to expect. I was a little burnt out, because of the lack of sleep, but it was an interesting looking city, at least from the stateroom balcony. Pete noted the large number of dead fish floating in the harbour.

We decided a top of the bus tour was the go, since it seemed so successful in Barcelona. Big mistake. Where in Barcelona you waited for a bus and could see two busses approaching most of the time, we stood in the heat for about 35 mins before it came. There was a crush to get on, people already agitated by the wait, and the ticket lady assuring everyone that they would get a seat. We sat down below, because we knew the heat on the top would be trying.

The next 50 minutes left us gob-smacked. Naples streets are like a jumble of old Lego poured into a pile. The crush in the queue for the bus was nothing to the crush of vehicles on the streets.
Napoli traffic Rules:

Rule 1; there are no enforceable road rules.

Rule 2; stop if the other guy isn't going to.

Rule 3; double park where possible.

Rule 4; do not imagine for a moment that you car will be in the same condition as it was when you left it.

Rule 5; if two out of three cars have been side-swiped, clipped, bumped, scraped, dented, why shouldn't yours be?

The streets are very narrow, people double park, and when driving they create two lanes heading in the same direction where there is supposed to be only one. No one washes their cars. After I did a straw count, I guessed 2/3 of the cars were damaged in some way. Many look like they've done a couple of rounds in a demo derby.

The bus driver had to put the bus in reverse a few times because he couldn't fit around the corner in the space left to him.

Cars are left parked across kerbs, in driveways, and in the middle of the street.

The part of the city we toured through was filthy. The black/grey of the roads looks as if to creep up the buildings, like a sort of rising damp. Rubbish was left piled around the bins, graffiti was on every accessible surface, some slogans, some street 'art', some just tags. People's faces looked sort of downcast, as they went about their daily lives.

The thing that stands out more than anything (and its a wider Italian thing) is the 'dontgiveashit' attitude. Things will get done when they get done. (more of this later)

It's sad that we had had enough of Napoli in the short time we were there, I guarantee that for every person who visted the city, there will be a different account. But even the recorded bus commentary stated that Napoli had had lots of tough times, and that it showed. I dont think that the locals needed to be reminded.

We went back to the refuge and luxury of the ship, and to use up the last of the Spa time we had.
That night was the last night on the ship. At dinner we had a little sort of dancing show where the kitchen staff have a bit of a romp around when each course comes out. It's a tradition on cruises (American ones anyway), and left us feeling good about the last night.

Sept 8, Day 11, disembarkation day of the cruise.

We had already packed, and it was just a matter of getting breakfast and saying goodbye to Erica and Pete, Roger and Raylene. The weather had broken this morning, the first signs of something other than blue sky perfection. It was raining as we berthed in Civitavecchia.
Train to Roma
Civitaveccia (the port) became a challenge on its own. We decided to try to get internet from somewhere... no dice.

Find a travel agent? No speeka da English.

We did eventually get one, and she was very helpful, but because she had no Visa access, couldn't book anything more expensive than a Hotel room.

So we settled on the internet access that was promised at the Holiday Inn, Rome - Aurelia.

A train ride down from the port hugged the coast for about 1/2 the distance. I spotted a couple of surfers enjoying the 2 foot wind wave kicked up by the sea breeze, and a bit of a swell from the south. Its the med sea and not a bad sort of shape off the breakwater, if a little sloppy.

I wondered how well Erica would have done with a sea and swell on their half of the trip, especially since they have a full day at sea before their first port. Our ten days was a flat as.

Well, we were fairly disappointed with the hotel, internet is not working, and I took a 15E hit on the visa to find out. I doubt that vodafone will care even though I sent them an email. Apologies from the hotel, "we'll try to get it fixed".

We opted for a shuttle trip into the city (Rome) on this afternoon to try to resolve three things
1) Travel agent (hard to find with no internet)
2) Dinner (should be easy)
3) Cash machine (that doesn't reject me again)
4) Internet
Well, to shorten today's blog to something readable, after negotiating the more familiar landmarks and the Roman alleys we knew by now...

1) was a fail (utter fail)
2) Was nice but expensive, and because we didn't buy wine or a steak, we got the dontgiveashit service level.
3) Eventually we found one that reluctantly gave up 250E, but no more.
4) Utter fail, because even Mc Donalds who have wifi, require an italian mobile number to register the connection to. (some sort of privacy dodge)

Back to square one, no travel plan, and no way of making one. This was beginning to make us edgey.

Back on the bus to the hotel. No internet yet, because the hotel can't get off the dontgiveashit service level.
Just to make sure I used a bit of dilligaf in return before I left Italy, we discussed the internet in the hotel with a Canadian couple, who intrepidly found an unmanned hotel workstation and plugged in their laptop to its network cable.

Good idea says I, and proceeded to get a bunch of stuff done when they'd gone. I was prepared to explain to the Hotel staff about my loss of 15E justifying the unsanctioned and free use of their internet, but I got my potential dilligaf trump beaten by their dontgiveashit lay-down-missere, when no one asked me to desist, even the next morning when I spent an hour looking for stuff, doing emails etc, in plain view of everyone in the lobby, staff & customers.

We found a travel agent in Rome, not too far from the hotel.

To wind up the story, we are heading for Venice on the Red train, an express, to stay for three days, so Sheryl can wake up in Venice on her birthday tomorrow, then we have booked a nice room in a hotel in Cortina, in the Italian alps, for a bit of a chill-out, before we hit Munich and the Beerfest.

The train is climbing into the mountain range that runs down the guts of the country. Lots of tunnels here. Got into first class on a second class ticket, more dontgiveashit from the conductor. Theres power on the train so i can charge all the kit, and catch up on the blog, and some reading. Train transport is so much better than air.

I could write much more about the last days but dilligaf.

10 Sept (Happy Birthday)

Arrived in Venice last night. The ferry was an interesting ride, bought a one way ticket that no-one checked, (more dontgiveashit) and bumped and buffeted our way down the Grand Canal, playing dodgem with the big ferries, and pulling up to moving pontoons, that have the potential to crush someones foot between it and the moving boat easily. Theres so much wake in the canal from the power boat traffic, I am not surprised that the whole city is sinking.

We dragged the heavy bags up and over these little stepped bridges, St Marks Square was abuzz with about 3000 people , it's 9:30pm and there are restaurant patrons on cafe tables enjoying pasta and Classical pieces from String Quartets, supplied by the 'Ristorante'.

The night was warm and the delicate lights around the square gave impetus to the many young couples who all seemed to be kissing. It is a very romantic setting, crowd notwithstanding.
Little alleyways are everywhere.

This morning the rubbish was collected by men with aluminium carts, pulling them around, the cars are nearly as wide as the alleys. They seem to play a sort of bullfight game, deliberately crashing into each other's carts.
You will never guess, but we are staying in the hotel ...... Casa Nova

I, perhaps, have some work to do here, but the legendary lover was a very lucky philanderer, there isn't much we have in common.

The hotel is 3* and not cheap, but you cant get much more central. I can hit the Piazza San Marco with a rock from here.

We have some things to look at so I'll post and get going

Ciao