Amalfi Day 1

I’ve traveled to two out of the four Italian sea republic’s in two days.  What have you done lately?  The only two that I’m missing are Genoa and Pisa which are not too high up on my list, but I’ll get around to them eventually.

Upon arriving in Naples, I jotted down some observations while waiting for my train.

• Cafe Kimbo was standing tall overlooking the square
• I got two sandwiches for Kelly and I and was abruptly reintroduced to Italian driving.  The sandwiches were hardly sandwiches.  They were more fried dough and oil with a spec of mozzarella and two dices of a tomato.  They were good, just my body is craving some healthy things.  Prices were also A LOT cheaper in Naples then in Venice.  Hurray!  Too bad we were there for an hour.
• I could count the amount of ipods/musical devices - 3.
• Everyone was sweaty.  Camel toe sweat was the most shocking...
• It was so hot and humid that a haze fell over the city.
• A handful of bums were hanging out sleeping.
• The station was bustling, but with purpose.  Everyone knew where to go, except us.
• I have the largest suitcase here and I look ridiculous.  
• While sitting, they sit with perfect posture.
• They do not have the same standards for personal space.  I felt like close talker on seinfeld.  
• The people vary from grunge to what our society would call metrosexual.  It’s an interesting and broad spectrum.
• Few women have their nails polished and very few have tips.

Italian Fashion Staples

• Carreras (Soon to be my next purchase)
• Ray Bans
• Assorted designer bags - real ones.
• White pants - men
• Obvious tattoos.  I noticed this in Venice as well.  Tattoos are more of a commonality.  Waiters serve you with tattooed arms, and natives display them with pride.  Although there is a lot of body modification in the states, it’s contained.  Especially in the professional world.  Most jobs discriminate against it.  I have one friend who got his first tattoo when he entered the Marines.  During his service, he sleeved his arms and most of his body.  When he went to reenlist, they turned him away.  Most every service men I know, and most women have a service tattoo.  It’s ironic that this tradition is an unwritten necessity, but also can prevent you from continuing further.  
• Men sported crisp suits or suit jackets.  Some were linen.  I don’t know how they do it.
• Frontal backpacks?
• Women sport bohemian style flowy pants with a low tapered crotch.  I’m still in the market for a cute pair.
• Shoes - fashion sneakers or flats, no nikes.
• Popular brands: ABERCROMBIE.  I don’t see the allure.  G Star Raw, Frutti, and Gas.

European Myths

• You will not get taken in a hostel.
• No one will snatch your stuff as long as you are on planet earth.  They target space cadets.
• Travelers checks are antiquated.
• Debit cards work just fine.
• It is not hard to navigate - at all.
• Mostly everyone speaks English.  My Spanish has helped in many instances but English will get you by just fine.  A lot of restaurants even display their menus in many different languages (in high tourist traffic areas).

Upon arriving in Naples, we caught a local train to Salerno.  What a trip.  A few locals helped us on our way.  We were directed to the underground and about 4 trains came on the same track before ours.  We tried to board each one...

The trains were a bit rugged and we struggled to get our suitcases in the tiny area.  We took up 2 seats for ourselves and another two for our junk.  The beginning of the ride was very urban.  Apartments were tall and littered with garbage and graffiti.  As we headed (I think) South, water started to appear.  The beaches were black near Pompeii.  I’m not sure if this was from the volcano, or from all the garbage that was floating around.  Probably a combination of both.  The haze blurred where the sea met the mountains in the distance.  I was still incredibly tired so I passed out and awoke in the mountains.  There were some long tunnels that the train took us through and the cliffs appeared.

We arrived in Salerno after viewing some beautiful scenery, but we were hot and frustrated.  I left Kelly with our small entourage of luggage and purchased our escape tickets for Rome on Sunday.  The terminal was confusing.  Unnamed buses and taxis lined up outside but there was not a single sign for the ferry which I researched and it looked the cheapest and fastest.  Like I said, we were hot and frustrated so we opted to split the more pricy cab.  None of us said very much other then a mouthed “OH MY GOD” in the beginning.  The road was the size of one highway lane, except for both directions of traffic.  Our driver was aggressive.  He weaved his way in and out of trucks, cars, and motorcycles sped passed him.  A courtesy beep was sometimes used but it was more typical just to prepare yourself when his transmission started to buckle.  It was about an hour ride but well worth the money spent. 

We found our way to our quaint hotel.  Imagine all our luggage and dragging it up these stairs -->

The hotel was great.  It was really hard to find affordable lodging in Amalfi and it’s surrounding area.  The hostels were pricy and to get a cheap one you had to be in the mountains with the donkeys (I saw one this morning).  This place, although it’s named Hotel Amalfi, is a charming inn.  It has a flat screen tv, refrigerator, private patio which I am sitting on right now and all the essential amenities that a hostel would not.  Their is a smoke detector and lot’s of in case of emergency break glass buttons.  The steps to evacuate are labeled but confusing.  They are steep and meander through the whole structure. 

Porch 

Cat

When checking in, the staff was friendly and helpful.  They let us know about a complementary tour that was in about two hours.  We went and were greeted by a round Jewish man named Michaelangelo.  The tour started at a statue of a person that never existed.  He said when the history books were being written, only a select few were literate and what they wrote was untrustworthy.  The statue of the man is this fictional character who allegedly invented the sea compass.  There was no man and the compass was invented in China.  Way to go Amalfi.  Other interesting facts about the city:

• They host over 800 weddings per year, mostly foreigners (we saw 2 in span of 15 minutes)
• When someone dies, the gravediggers have to climb a ridiculous amount of stairs with the casket.  We also saw a funeral and the casket was tiny.  Too big to be a child, but very very small.
• The reason why the streets and alleys have so many corners is because in order to ward off pirates they trapped them.  They trained the fastest girls in the village to tempt and lore the pirates in and once they did their job, they would be sealed in an alley.  They blessed them, and then poured boiling oil from a trap door above.  AWESOME.
• Apparently women had equal writes in the early history, They even were allowed to study, earlier than the University of Padua.
• Amalfi also stole their patron saint.  He was somewhere in Constantinople and they went and fetched him.  Ancient times must have been a thrill.  Nowadays, people vacation to disney world to see giant mice and go on thrill rides.  Back then, it must have been quite the chaotic adventure to go steal some rotting bones.  I hope someone cares about my bones and wants to steal me when I’m gone... 
• Amalfi once had a pier that spanned most of the city.  Legend says that a tsunami came and engulfed it.  Scientists and historians say that this never happened.  It really was gail force wind that lasted 8 hours.  The tour guide said that the city experienced this type of wind in 1986.  It only lasted for two hours but the sea level rose  so much that it engulfed his brand new, uninsured Fiat.  He’s still bitter about it-

We left the tour when they headed into the duomo.  We were not about to pay 9 euro for yet another church...

BUGS

Bugs are a part of life.  I have ants that flood my home each spring.  I once had to murder a mouse that was suffering in the sticky trap that we set out for it.  It’s just a cruel reality that everyone has to deal with.  The warm temperatures in Venice invited some little buggers into the apartment with us.  They did infest, but nothing could be done other then spray and the average course of action.  They continued to return, but lived in peace with us.  If they were those red fire ants, or something that bit me, I probably would have a different opinion about this.  Some of the tenants went as far as having their parents email the study abroad coordinator back at home.  What the hell is he going to do from his desk chair?  Regardless, it was a moot issue for me, as well as some others.  It just was an accepted truth.  The reason I bring this issue up again is because those people would have a field day here.  There’s a terrace about 2 feet from my bed, and guess what - ANTS.  I’m no tree hugger but live and let live.  

First Night in Amalfi

After perusing the main street, Kelly and I parked ourselves at a little restaurant.  We were so excited at how many butcher shops were here.  I’m craving a good steak and their weren’t too many in Venice.  We ordered but then the people next to us had a caprese salad.  I waived the waiter down and ordered one for us to share.  Oh my goodness.  The obsession stemmed from there...

(I’m currently eating one of my Nutella to go packs, YUM!)

I had gnocci and it was pretty classic.  The only pitfall to the meal was the bare chested woman poster that was looking us in the eye from the store window next door.  Nothing like some gnocci, local wine in a carafe, fresh food, and some tanned boobies. 

We strolled down to the water front.  There was a small truck stocked with lemons and some strange pinkish meat.  I asked the man what it was and he responded ‘moo-kah.‘  I still wasn’t too sure what I was looking at but it was sliced and drenched in fresh lemon juice.  Was he saying moo cow?  Nope.  He showed be some type of horn and I guess we both looked clueless still.  He opened up a container and pulled out a boar’s head.  OK.  It all clicked now.  There was tripe, and he continued to show where the other parts were from, calf, tongue, dick - just kidding.  I wasn’t in my adventurous mode, otherwise I would have tried it.  

There’s absolutely no young people here.  There are couples, more couples, and some local kids.  

Our room included breakfast.  When we got up to go to Capri, we checked it out.  The room is on the top floor and over looks the entire city.  It was gorgeous.  A waitress took my order for cappuccino while I helped myself to the well prepared buffet.  There is no such thing as fat free here.  I got a small bowl of cocoa pebble looking cereal and there was heavy cream or buttermilk to pour on top.  Not for me, I’m a skim girl.  I grabbed a steaming hot croissant and slathered it with Nutella.  I need to meet a charismatic Frenchman to teach me the proper croissant eating etiquette.  I was no lady.  Just picture me tearing into this thing.  Buttery layers flaked all over the table as I devoured it ravenously.  I took a banana for the road and we were on our way!