Journal Entry: National Museum Naples & Oplonti to Stabiae

I leave for Florence in the morning. Today was fun, if it did get off to a rough start. I woke up at 6:30a. I was very slow to get going. It was 7:15a before I left the hostel.

I missed the cappuccino place from yesterday. I must have walked right by it. I stopped at a different place. The girl was nice but it wasn’t as good. 

I got two bananas again from the nice lady at the top of the hill. I really like Portici. I’m not sure why.

I caught the Circumvesuviana line to Napoli Centrale. And this is where it gets interesting. The metro lines are just there. No maps, no signs, no ticket office. I’m thoroughly confused. So, I go to the Trenitalia information desk. The man tells me to go to the tourist information. They are closed. So I wander around, I went down to the platform for the metro, but there were no signs (surprise! The Italians must hate signage.) I walked back up the stairs and saw a Tabacchi shop. I asked the shop keep how to get to the National Museum. This was apparently the wrong question. He told me to go to the tourist information upstairs. I told him they are closed. He said they were open. Well, they weren’t, so I wandered around upstairs for a few minutes then decided to go back to the Trenitalia Information and ask some different questions. Like how to buy a ticket! 

Well, it turns out the Tabacchi shop sells them. I also think that you can use the same ticket on the Circumvesuviana line. Ah well, it’s only a few euros wasted! I bought a ticket from the Tabacchi shop and this time asked the right question of which track for the National Museum. He told me number four. The Italians are a strange lot. Much different than Americans. Once on the platform, I only waited a few minutes before a train came. I was near the front and saw one of the workers get off. I said “scuzi, parla l’inglese” and he said “a little.” And he meant it! I asked for the National Museum, but I couldn’t understand his response. So, he enlisted the help of the train driver! He spoke a little more English. He told me to take the next train and get off at the first stop and I would be there. I thanked him and stepped back to wait. Then he called to me and pointed for me to get on. So I did, and it is the stop v. Cavour that one wants. 

Once at the Cavour metro, there were no signs for the museum. I’m sure you are shocked, no?

I asked at a Tabacchi shop, they pointed down the street. I found it and was a little early.

Over all, I liked the museum. I don’t think it is worth the trouble unless you are really into art, archaeology or Pompei. It was a lot of trouble to get to, especially not knowing how to get there, and it wasn’t very big. And Naples is smelly and dirty, not much charm. Portici is a little dirty but has charm!

I did see the biggest statue I’ve ever seen. It was a whole scene in the round, a bull, three people, and a bunch of animals. The crazy thing is, I don’t think I’ve ever even seen a picture of it, in all the art history that I’ve had even! 

Amazing Sculpture in the National Museum of Naples

They also had a nice collection of erotic art from Pompei. I took a lot of pictures.

I was through about 11:40a. I checked out the gift shop but they didn’t have much. I keep seeing tiles I’d like to buy but am afraid they’d get broken. 

Since it was so early, I decided to go to Oplontis. I got on the wrong train on the Circumvesuviana line, the one going to Sorno instead of Sorrento. I don’t know what I was thinking. So I changed trains at Barra. Then I realized I didn’t know which line it was to Sorno, it might have been going to Oplontis. Anyway it was okay. At Oplontis it was nice. I got a Mortadella sandwich from a shop and ate it in the shade before going in.

Oplontis is very small. It’s really just one large villa. There are some very beautiful wall paintings. Unfortunately, my camera said the batteries were running low, so I didn’t take very many pictures. 

I stopped a Tabacchi shop and bought batteries. Only €4. It was a bit off the beaten path.

Then I had the brilliant idea to go to Castlemarre di Stabia, because I had seen the sign at the station for “Stabiae Scavi” – Stabiae ruins.

I first got on the wrong train again! My ticket was only good for a little longer so I decided to get off in New Pompei. That is the station V. and I wound up at [in ’09]. There are two lines and I didn’t realize it. Now I know a bit better, to be forgotten I’m sure by the time I come back here. And I do want to come back here! Everything except Naples is lovely.

I walked all the way from the New town at Pompei to the Pompei Scavi line. I toyed with the idea of just paying €11 to see more of Pompei. I decided against it. I saw online that all of the Archaeolgoical sites are open tonight until late. If I lived here and had a car (and was crazy enough to drive here!) I would so go. I believe admission is free. 

Anyway I bought a ticket to Stabia and one to get back to Portici. I walked down to the beach at Stabia, it’s only a block from the strain station. I had asked about the ruins, but the guy who sells Fuvicula [sic, Funivia] tickets told me it was 6km [Via Nocera is the closest Circumvesuviana station and it's about a mile from there - I should travel with a map, because it's actually only a couple of miles from Castellammare di Stabia, but you'd never find it without a map]. I walked around a bit [in the complete wrong direction in a misguided attempt to find the ruins] the[n] decided I should take the Fuvicula [sic] (I’ve forgotten what it’s called in English, Funicula?) In Western NC we’d call it a lift. It’s not like a ski lift though where you sit down, you stand up in a car.

It cost €7.50. I wish I had just done it to begin with because the last car was 20 minutes after I got to the top. It was thoroughly worth the view though. There was a very impressive view of Vesuvius. I took lots of pictures and video too. [as of last fall, the attraction is closed until sometime in 2014]

The Ride Up

At the top of Mt. Faito

Next time I would like to walk around up there, I think there are walking trails.

After a short panic, where I hoped the guy had sold me a return ticket (being stuck up there was scary), a shop guy at the top confirmed that the ticket was round trip, I went back down. 

I went back to the hostel. On the train there were some young men playing instruments, one an accordion. I’m always impressed how they manage to stand while playing on the train. I filmed them for a bit then gave them €.50. They went on down the train. No one had given them any money. A lady standing next to me said in English, “You shouldn’t give them money! It only encourages them!” I said, “At least they are doing something for it, instead of begging on the street.” That really got to me. You’d have thought they were doing something terrible. I thought they played well too. Maybe they were gypsies? I can’t tell. They might have been Roma, but who cares, at least they are trying to earn money and not picking peoples’ pockets. I just can’t fathom it. I have no patience for intolerance racism or class-ism. 

Anyway, I got some mortadella from a butcher shop down the street, on the narrow stret by the hostel, where I’m surprised pedestrians aren’t mowed down LOL! I also bought a coca light from reception. The mortadella was only €1.10. The beer was cheaper at reception, a can of soda was €1.50. I haven’t been drinking much soda here.

The narrow street by the hostel - cars come flying down it

I also got some gelato on the way to the hostel, nutella flavored and chocolate and I think peanut butter or nut flavored. “Nocciotella” or something like that. They were all very delicious. 

I am going to lay down now and read some of Rick Steve’s “Provence.”

Journal Entry: Train Ride to Naples Commentary

I am on the train to Naples. We left a little late, we are just now in Aversa, not sure where that is in relation to Naples. I just finished reading “The Hunger Games.” It was okay [not really], not bad [yes it was]. I guess I’ll need to read the other books now if I care to know what happens [I don't]. 

As an aside the train is much better than the one V. and I rode on in ’09, save the annoying Americans in front of me. Rich twits.

Possibly another trip in 2012...

I landed some freelance work, and have managed to actually sell a few things on Turbosquid, so I may be able to go backpacking next May! I sure hope so, we'll see how the money thing goes. A while back I had thought about starting in Nice and staying in that area but I changed my mind. I decided that I loved the trip in 2009 so much, that I'm going to do the Rome to Paris bit again, but this time I'm going to visit places I missed.

For example, I didn't get to see the museum in Naples that holds all of the artifacts from Pompei. I also didn't get to see Vatican City or Florence. And the Coliseum in Rome is a blur in my memory because we tried to do too much in one day. All I remember is it was cool in the shade LOL So it will be the same route, but with different itinerary.

Journal Entry: Venezia

8:23 pm

Waiting for a shower to be free. We arrived at Absolut Venice about 1:30pm. There are only two bathrooms, but other than that, it's quite nice and clean. I really like our room. We walked around Venice, as far as the Rialto Bridge before giving up and buying a Vaparetto pass. We then took the water bus down to St. Mark's square and ate some gelatto. We walked around St. Mark's and window shopped. We checked out the Hard Rock Café but it was expensive. We came back to the hostel and talked to some of the other people. A couple girls from the northeast who were taking a night train to Naples.


They're staying in the Fabric Hostel too. Also some roommates from Canada, Alberta I think they said. We realized it was getting late and decided we better stop running our mouths and go find dinner. We stopped at a pizzeria. V. ordered pizza again and I ordered a burger. It was a little hole in the wall place, off the beaten path. The hamburger didn't come on a bun, but they gave me bread and it was good. They had asked me if I wanted fries and I said yes. I realized when I went to pay that the fires probably weren't included in the price and wound up paying €14 for dinner. That's the most I've spent on food so far, but it was good and there was so much I couldn't eat it all. I'll be careful tomorrow.

I think that my rash is subsiding some. I called Jan back, and told her and she said maybe I had touched something like an arm rest that had something on it I was allergic to. It may have been the nasty train in Naples. That place was totally ghetto.

I have to admit that I did freak out a bit this morning when I woke up and realized that I had a rash in a foreign country where I don't speak but a few words of the language.

The train ride from Rome to Venice was pleasant. It cost €65 and the second class seats were very comfortable and we talked to a girl from Ontario, her name was Jennifer, who got on in Firenze. She was going to Venice to catch a cruise and had been to Rome and Pompei as well. She was originally from China and had emigrated to Canada eight years ago.

The beds we have are great, right under a window that overlooks the street to the train station. It's awesome. And the owner is great too, Franco is his name. He's quite a character. (And that was an understatement!)

Journal Entry: Portici Evening

10pm

Getting ready for bed. We found a great pizza place on the road down from the Circumvesuvium train station here in Portici. I think the name of it was Pizzaria del Centro on Via Libertá. They didn't speak a lick of English. They made the pizza fresh and it was amazing the way they did it. The guy tossed it up in the air although it may have been for our benefit as they knew we were American. They baked the pizza in no time flat in an old fashioned brick oven. And it tasted delicious.

Mark from Ostia turned up this evening. We ran into him on the way back from getting the pizza, where he was buying a roast chicken. We showed him to the hostel which is not that easy to find. We ate downstairs, I bought a beer out of the fridge, called Peroni, it was delicious and they only charged €1 for it, which was quite a deal.

I couldn't even eat all of the pizza, which I only paid €4.50 for. Mark offered me €1 for the rest of it, but I gave it to him, I was just going to toss it anyway.

We took a shower and came back to the room, where two of our new roommates were hanging out. They go to Brigham Young University and are Mormon (surprise, surprise). One of them asked what religion we were, to which I responded none. So help me, I'm not interested thanks. Crazy. And now I'm going to bed. Rome tomorrow.

The quote for today is “Wow! It looks like Christianity came to Pompei/Roman world earlier than I thought.” Said by a man at Pompei when looking at a fresco of Dyonisis. I responded by bursting out laughing. The Christians stole all of the Roman iconography and that fact is lost on the vast majority of the uneducated.

* Margin scribbling: “Naples is the Bronx of Italy” -V.

Journal Entry: On the way to Naples

7:20 pm

We're on the train to Naples. I forgot to write last night I was so tired. I found V. with no problem. We crashed in the hostel after eating at McDonalds of all places. We were too tired to try to find anything else. Her tea tree face wash had spilled in her backpack during the flight so it was all over her towel and the whole room smelled of it. I slept hard. I woke up at a quarter to seven before my alarm even went off. I had toast with jam for breakfast, which was free, and paid €1.80 for a soda. The hostel was very nice and clean. At breakfast the lady at the hostel told us that the public transport people were striking. I thought we wouldn't be able to get to Naples tonight, but we had a reservation. It turned out it was just Rome and just less service, but it was a good thing because we met a teacher named Mark who had a rental car and was going to Ostia Antica. He teaches theater and we tagged along with him for about four or five hours. Regular service was supposed to resume at five pm for public transportation so we weren't rushed. When we were all exhausted, we left Ostia Antica and Mark dropped us off at the hostel.

We asked the lady at the hostel if there was somewhere nearby to eat that was cheap and it turned out there was a pizza place right around the corner. It cost €7.60 for a huge slice of pizza, enough for both of us and two bottled waters. We ate it on the patio of the hostel. It was great. We went for a short walk around Ostia to find an umbrella for V., and we walked down to a pier and looked at the Mediterranean.

I'm fairly exhausted now, navigating Termini Station was not fun and it wasn't clear what we were supposed to do with the tickets to validate them. Turns out there are little yellow machines, but many of the people working there didn't seem to speak much English, so they couldn't tell me. Finally a man figured it out and pointed to the machine.

We're almost to Naples, I'll write more later.