Day 10: Naples and Pompeii

Sunday we attempted to go to church in Naples. Little did we know our excursion would include a funicular ride. (no, John, that link is safe from my rick rolling ways, but you don't need to read about them anyway, since you were there with me)

The address we had for the building was closed, presumably due to General Conference. We rode the funicular all the way up to enjoy the view and make sure our trip was not for naught.

It was a peaceful area and we walked up the sloped sidewalks to a castle, then rode back down to change clothes.

We started looking for lunch when we got back, but most places were closed. Weird. Maybe because it was Sunday?? We had a hard time believing Neapolitans were more devout than other Italians, but couldn't think of another explanation. Then, while walking along, minding our own business, we heard some crazy noises. Like fireworks/cannons/gunshots. People came running out into the streets screaming bloody murder and scared the daylights out of me. Cars started honking and John realized they were cheering. Naples' soccer team had scored a goal.

Mystery solved. The only places open for business had the game on. Everyone stopped what they were doing when things got exciting again. So we joined in.

Then we took the metro over to Pompeii. The lemons in this area are amazing. There are many varieties, some of which are the size of John's head. The lemonade they make is delish, although not as sweet as I'm accustomed to.

We learned that before the eruption that covered Pompeii, the two points of Mt. Vesuvius we see now joined at the top into one large volcano. Pretty crazy.

John with a plaster person. The archaeologists noticed air pockets while excavating and filled them, then removed the surrounding debris. They were left with these human shapes.

I'll try to tone down the history lessons now. I just find these tidbits of knowledge so fascinating.

Admiring what frescoes Napoleon apparently didn't find interesting enough to steal.

Streets. The city was so big, we only explored sections of it.

Including this brothel. The bed and pillow are made of stone. Comfy.

A "fast-food joint" as Rick Steves calls them. Surprisingly, people ate out a lot back then.

Ampitheatre

Walking back

They also have homeless dogs throughout the site intentionally. They feed and care for them, but also encourage guests to adopt. A little strange, since I assume most Pompeii visitors are from out of town/country. But cool idea I guess.

An overview of part of the city.

John was anxious to get home and back to bed. Poor guy. I finished several crosswords that night.

Day 9: Rome and Naples

Before we left Rome, John took a picture of me in the hotel shower. It's hard to see, but there is a drain and curtain, but no ledge. Water was relatively contained, but the splatters would get the floor drenched. Our housekeepers must have thought we were idiots because we had no idea how to use their shower.

We left Rome early in the morning to make sure the strike wouldn't prevent getting to Naples. Everything was fine, and once there we discovered a little lunch shop. I didn't know what was in this fry bread calzony looking thing, but it ended up being ricotta and heaven mixed together. We found the Naples duomo, because no city is complete until we tour their duomo. (Although I think in England cities are determined when they have a cathedral. Or so the bishop's wife in Oxford told me) We used our Naples pass (same plan as Roma) to go to the Naples Archaeological Museum, where Napoleon stored all the artifacts he stole from Pompeii. Michelangelo helped restore this Farnese Bull. Kind of cool myth behind this one, too. The husband leaves his wife (pregnant with twin boys) for another woman. Fast forward and the sons tie the mistress onto a bull while the mom looks on pleased. Morbid story, but amazing detail, and all carved from one block of stone back in the 2nd century. In the great room, where students used to assemble when the building was a university. Since the museum was large and nearly empty, we practiced our mimicking. It helped us notice the details and appreciate the models that had to pose for the artists. It also helped stave off exhaustion, because we'd been awake and moving for a long time by this point in our day. John loved this little pig. We also went through rooms of artifacts, mosaics, and erotic art from Pompeii. When I started to boogie John thought it best to get me out of the museum before someone else beat him to it. We next went to Via something Gregorio something or other, where the shop owners all make nativities. They make them into villages, which I think is so cool. We saw people making the bases and carving the figures out of terra cotta. You can get them assembled, or pick your own. The possibilities are limitless. Really, because they're continually making more. John was overwhelmed by the choices after only a few stores, but he couldn't stay in the street because of all the smokers. Catch 22. Naples, it turns out, is a filthy city. Crime is rampant, beggars and street salespeople every where, 1/3 unemployment rate, massive BO issues, 99% of people are chain smokers (observed statistic, not proven) and frequent trash strikes provide a general feeling of dirtiness. Exhibit A: Overflowing dumpsters on every block, which cars drive through and drag bags of garbage through the street. Smells amazing. The best (only good) part of Naples? The pizza. A note of explanation. Pizza in Naples was cheaper than anywhere else we ate, like lia euro twenty or thirty for a slice. We wanted to eat someplace sit down, and the menu had pizza for 4 euros. We figured because it was a restaurant, not a take-out place. Well, the pizza "slices" come, and they're not really slices. The embarrassing part is I almost finished mine. We had a small lunch, the crusts are thin, and it's not loaded with cheese or other toppings like american pizzas. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. John didn't eat much pizza because he hadn't been feeling well. The germs of this new city were probably not helping, so I put him to bed early. And yes, Naples gave us single beds even though we reserved a "double". Not twin beds, because singles are much tinier than that. John kept getting sweats and chills all night, though, so I can't say I minded having my own set of sheets.

Day 8: Rome Cooking Class

We woke up early excited for a more relaxing day. No running around, finding places to eat, museums or lines, just a day of cooking and eating. We left the hotel after breakfast, around 9. We arrived at the metro station by 9:15, only to find it was closed. We went to the bus stop confused. A policewoman there said the public transportation was striking, our only option was a taxi. The first strike in 6 months on the only day we have set plans in the morning. Nuts. After waiting in the taxi line for half an hour (everyone needed one to get to work, etc) the taxi driver told us it was too far to the address we gave him and would be impossible to get through the traffic in less than an hour. In retrospect, we figure he just wanted lots of short rides to make more money, since they charge by distance and not time. We asked him to just get us closer or go around the main part of the city, but he just told us to get out. On strike days the demand allows them to be picky, so we didn't have much choice. We started walking. Altogether it was about 10 kilometers, which is around 6 miles. We arrived sweaty, anxious, out of breath, and a little over an hour late.

Luckily they had only done introductions, chopped vegatables, and made coffee by that point. We were introduced, Andrea's wife told us the menu, and we got to work!

Our chef, Andrea Consoli, spoke quickly and had so many funny phrases. He was very welcoming and friendly.

This is the artichoke he crafted.

Here I am at work on mine.

They turned out pretty well for first timers.

The artichokes were chopped and cooked in vegetable stock and potatoes for the appetizer.

John's adding in the potato chunks.

Then we beat eggs and added flour slowly for the pasta.

We had to knead until it was "smooth as the baby bums."

Andrea would say, "let me tell you an example. For example, . . . " It cracked me up every time. Crankin that pasta Since we were late they allowed a wait list couple on board, so there were 14 of us. That's a lot of pasta. And a small kitchen.

The restaurant Andrea's family runs at night.

The pasta sauce started with chopped onions, celery, and carrots cooked in white wine until it evaporated, then we added the blended tomatoes and used pork cheek for flavor. It's like bacon, but fattier. It was great flavor, but we didn't love the chewiness.

Enjoying our primi piatti.

Our second course was very thin beef also cooked with a red sauce. It had tomatoes, bay leaves, lots of extra virgin olive oil, fresh basil, and arugula.

For dessert we had tiramisu. The cream on top was to die for. Andrea said we could try it with strawberries, but not to add chocolate because "the thought of those together makes [him] want to vomit."

Our whole group. We met some really nice people. The ones on the right are from Ireland and we ate lunch with them. Really fun couple.

Walking back was much more leisurely.

We waited until 5 when the metro opened back up. I wanted to go to the mouth of truth but we didn't really have time or energy and did not want to risk missing the window of metroing opportunity.

So we took a packed train back to the hotel and digested. We went out for another slice of that tasty pizza later at night. And one last gelato, of course.

We had a really hectic, stressful morning that was counteracted by a fun, delicious and laid-back day. For longer trips, it's great to have a lower key break and this cooking class did it. Chef Andrea was entertaining and his class was perfect for us. We left reenergized and full of big plans for future dinners at home.