Here's a solid truth: Naples was so intense! I can think of a number of reasons for it. First of all, I feel that Neapolitans are intense. There's no messing with them -- they are in charge. So friendly! But they look out for their own. Ask for help and you'll get more than what you need. But don't push, or they will push back hard.
Then, too, the weather was intense. I need not go over that -- you saw it up and down my Ocean posts. Neapolitans slapped on their caps, hid behind scarves and hurried to get out of the rain. If the weather was a bother for me, it was an outright menace for them. Families hid their children. People didn't go out if they didn't have to.
And of course, seeing Bee after an almost three and a half year hiatus was, for me, intense, in all the good ways, because spending time with her is always good.
Finally, the food: so much doughy stuff, so much sugar, such big portions! I couldn't quite get the hang of eating here. Three meals was too much, but it seemed impossible to eat less. In essence, I was never hungry.
I had five days and five nights here, though of course, two of those days were really in Rome. I slept too little and walked a ton. Intense!
This morning, I set my internal clock to mind the time. I have to get into a cab by 10 or I'll be scrambling to catch my 12:20 flight to Paris. But leaving at 10 does mean that I have a solid morning in Naples. A solid sunny morning in Naples. I mean, really! Did the sun have to come out just as I am leaving??
(From my room, before dawn: the sun rises from behind the Amalfi coast...)
(a few minutes later...)
Breakfast. Alone this time and no lingering allowed! If I want a Neapolitan walk, I need to speed things up a bit. And who am I kidding -- I don't want healthy or wholesome, I want one last fling with the sweet stuff here. So, let's see.... How about the apple cake which probably has more egg yolks per bite than a soufflé?
And one of my favs here -- that leafy pastry with the pastry cream inside. Fine, add some fruit and a yogurt. And a cappuccino. They do make a good cappuccino...
Now for my morning walk. But where to? The sky is so blue, the air getting to be so warm... For the first time I shed my sweater and just stick with my light jacket.
I'm going for the main shopping drag -- Via Toledo -- just because that's where I started. And it's good for people watching. With umbrellas tucked away for good, I can now see faces and catch the tail ends of conversations (they do not have quiet voices here).
(Did I mention that Neapolitans are risk takers?! Perfect place to keep a bike helmet, don't you think?)
I cross the Piazza del Plebiscito. At this early hour, this traffic-free square appears to be used as a dog park: they meet, they chat, the dogs are let loose.
... to make friends with other dogs, with whom they start a loud conversation.
I pass by the Gambrinus Caffe. All those Neapolitan croissants! I think they claim they invented this pastry. But they don't just let it be: they stuff it, sprinkle it, glaze it. Yeah, I'm tempted. But, I've done my Neapolitan indulgence. I move on.
And now I pass those countless cafe bars where people meet up to talk and gesture and express themselves as only the southerners in Italy can.
Actually, you do not need a cafe bar. A conversation in the middle of the sidewalk will do.
There are a number of interesting side streets. The laundry is there, but this time with a promise that it will actually dry.
Looking this way, you see Vesuvius. Never too far away to have you forget that nature can be mean toward those who don't live by its rules (that would be most of us).
Ah, Naples... So full of everything!
Okay, time to head back. In a hurry now. As is everyone else here, all the time.
Well, I guess not everyone. These guys remind me of the ice fishermen back home. Same idea. Camaraderie, quiet. Probably more of a catch here. I'd eat what they bring in! (Can't say the same about stuff hauled in from Lake Waubesa...)
Fine, I need to include a last photo of Vesuvius. Naples lives in its shadow. That sounds like a writer's cliché but in this case I think it's true. Naples, Pompeii, Amalfi Coast -- in a sense they re all one, for reasons of tourism, but, too, in shaping the Neapolitan identity.
(Amalfi coast -- we meant to wander its staggered alleys, but of course, the weather stopped us. Admire it from this poster in a local cafe!)
One more quick detour -- to the Castle dell'Ovo, just across a strip of water from my hotel. I thought I'd have time to climb its ramparts, but I couldn't find the entrance to them. I admit I did not try hard. Time was running out.
A look back toward my sweet old hotel -- such pleasant, accommodating people! Such clean rooms! Such great views!
What's my last photo from Naples? Coincidentally, it's of a cat. He's waiting for a seaside restaurant to open for lunch. Cats love seaside restaurants. Our herd of six back at the farmette would feel happy here!
And that's it! I pick up my suitcase and take a cab to the airport. The driver curses the traffic, but I'm okay with it. It's Naples. The airport is close. And small. We're good.
The Air France flight takes off on time for Paris. I have a somewhat short layover there, but with enough time to browse and pick up a box of chocolates for Ed. It is Valentine's Day soon, isn't it? Oddly, as I approach the departure gate, forty minutes before take off, I find not a single passenger there. Wait, did I miss something? Did I mess up the time? The agent tells me -- you're the last one. They're all on board. Never, and I really mean never do I recall pre boarding everyone this early at CDG! Well, no matter. I'm not late, the flight takes off at its scheduled hour.
It's a long flight to Minneapolis, and then another layover, and finally another short flight -- to Madison, and now I am home. Hi Ed! Did you miss me?? Of course, gorgeous.
With so much love...
