Since the room at Casa Celeste’s that I’m sleeping in has only one small window in an upper corner, I’m initially surprised to find it cloudy when I arrive downstairs for breakfast. Looks like rain, and indeed, some drops start sprinkling on my table, which they laugh and move for me… A couple from Connecticut are friendly and we chat; his parents are Italian and he’s studied the language and is competent enough to speak it freely. Marco is there and I accost him for the use of his internet wiring which he generously lends me, and sit there and read my email and write my blog for several hours, with a plate of spaghetti being the only interruption. Later on, in the evening, I’m in my room and I can see the flashes of lightning and hear the claps of thunder, so I listen to my Ipod… It pours until the middle of the night.
Sunday, Rich and Nancy (or “Elizabeth” as he calls her) invite me to go for a ride down the Amalfi Coast with them. They’ve rented a car and he’s actually a respectable driver. So, off we go down to Amalfi and through the other towns in the area, stopping for lunch at a restaurant in Ravello. While we are walking the streets still wet from the night before, we see our first scooter accident. A woman is riding with her 10- or 11-year-old daughter on back and she skids trying to avoid a car coming up her path. Her daughter is ok, but the woman’s suffering some injuries and a broken helmet. We leave them calling the emergency number but we notify the police even before she gets through…
Later, I hear Italian music from the town and also fireworks, but they’re finished by the time I arrive. They’re having a yearly celebration of the Rosary at the local church. My landlady’s there and she points out the free pasta and wine prepared in prodigious amounts. There’s a band that takes until 10:00 p.m. to set up but they’re actually pretty good after they play a few songs. The music is a strange cross between Southern Italian and Moorish. And, zeppolli, like I remember it, is in abundance. Lots of the crowd is dancing and I stay until 11:30 p.m.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Panting on Capri
This morning, after a bloody phone call from the British girl at the B&B where I stayed in Naples who charged me an extra 240 Euros because she didn’t think it went through on my ATM card and charged it on my credit card, I caught the 10:00 a.m. ferry to the Isle of Capri. At a cost of 27 Euros round trip, it certainly is not a cheap venture but I had to get out of town and do something different. The ferry ride was really beautiful with a wonderful breeze and we passed several ancient, small castles (probably Saracen) and a couple of smaller towns than Positano on the way to Capri.
The trip is about 55 minutes in length and when we pulled up to dock, I could see how packed with tourists the Porto Marina Grande is and walked around for fifteen minutes before buying four tickets so that I could ride the funiculare up to the city of Capri and back with a trip to Ana Capri in between. The funiculare was crowded, of course, but when we reached the top ten minutes later, I walked around and shot a few pictures and then found a tiny tourist place where I bought a map and asked for directions on how to walk to Monte Tiberius. The walk was strenuous, to say the least, totally uphill, and I had to backtrack when I discovered that I had inadvertently taken a wrong turn ten minutes earlier. I must give myself some credit here, because I have been walking since I left San Francisco in August and my legs are primed and in condition. However, I still pant like crazy going up steep inclines! The ruins of the palace, which is apparently one of twelve built on the island during Tiberius’ reign and that of Augustus, is called Villa Iovis, or Jupiter’s Villa, and he came to live here at nearly age 70 in the year 27 A.D. According to legend, he had his victims thrown from an impressive cliff called Salto di Tiberio. The views from here are completely stunning.
After my descent, it was 15:00 in the afternoon, and after eating some yogurt and a banana, I realized that I wouldn’t be able to use those two extra tickets and decided to go back down by funiculare to the port as my ferry left at 16:25. Well, the blasted lift took about 40 minutes of waiting just to get on, the crowds were so bad, and it was already 15:15. And, once it got down to port, there was a huge line waiting for the ferry which pulled in and started boarding immediately! Apparently, they send a larger ferry for the trip back, which also shuttles to Amalfi…
Today, Celeste, Michel and Laura went mountain climbing and returned with a bag full of olives and spent time smashing them to remove the pits and get them ready to pack in water and salt. Did I mention that when I arrived Celeste was making marmalade from grapes? Got a chance to see a little news on Italian tv but not enough for a news junkie like me.
Wonder what those loud noises were outside… fireworks??
The trip is about 55 minutes in length and when we pulled up to dock, I could see how packed with tourists the Porto Marina Grande is and walked around for fifteen minutes before buying four tickets so that I could ride the funiculare up to the city of Capri and back with a trip to Ana Capri in between. The funiculare was crowded, of course, but when we reached the top ten minutes later, I walked around and shot a few pictures and then found a tiny tourist place where I bought a map and asked for directions on how to walk to Monte Tiberius. The walk was strenuous, to say the least, totally uphill, and I had to backtrack when I discovered that I had inadvertently taken a wrong turn ten minutes earlier. I must give myself some credit here, because I have been walking since I left San Francisco in August and my legs are primed and in condition. However, I still pant like crazy going up steep inclines! The ruins of the palace, which is apparently one of twelve built on the island during Tiberius’ reign and that of Augustus, is called Villa Iovis, or Jupiter’s Villa, and he came to live here at nearly age 70 in the year 27 A.D. According to legend, he had his victims thrown from an impressive cliff called Salto di Tiberio. The views from here are completely stunning.
After my descent, it was 15:00 in the afternoon, and after eating some yogurt and a banana, I realized that I wouldn’t be able to use those two extra tickets and decided to go back down by funiculare to the port as my ferry left at 16:25. Well, the blasted lift took about 40 minutes of waiting just to get on, the crowds were so bad, and it was already 15:15. And, once it got down to port, there was a huge line waiting for the ferry which pulled in and started boarding immediately! Apparently, they send a larger ferry for the trip back, which also shuttles to Amalfi…
Today, Celeste, Michel and Laura went mountain climbing and returned with a bag full of olives and spent time smashing them to remove the pits and get them ready to pack in water and salt. Did I mention that when I arrived Celeste was making marmalade from grapes? Got a chance to see a little news on Italian tv but not enough for a news junkie like me.
Wonder what those loud noises were outside… fireworks??
Vertigo, with a Chance of Scorching Weather
It’s Thursday afternoon, October 4th, and I’ve been here in Positano since Monday. The train from Naples to Sorrento took approximately one hour in length, stopping at every stop and, on three occasions, Italian “gypsies” boarded with accordions in hand and sometimes, small children to pass the cup. At one point, the middle-aged, black gentleman sitting next to me (who had been fingering worry beads for the entire time) beckoned to the young girl who had just stepped on the train and gave her a few cents and a bag of sandwiches. A regular…
Disembarking in Sorrento, I was able to maneuver my baggage easily for there is a “Passengers with Baggage Only” sign and an elevator. However, when I asked a station agent where the SITA bus for Positano was, he pointed across the street down a long flight of stairs! And what a bus ride!! The driver, skillfully adept at driving the roads at generous speeds, tooted his horn at every hairpin curve and swept the vehicle along, passing views of sheer, cliff-hanging drops to the Mediterranean spectacularly far below. On the way, we passed olive trees with sheets of green netting hanging a couple of feet above ground, to catch the dropping fruit. Grapes growing are covered with netted tarps and every here and there are small fires in the hills which are farmers getting rid of waste. When we arrived in the upper part of the town, after consultation with a couple of bell hops at a nearby hotel, I decided to take the Interno Bus and ask the bus driver to let me off at Casa Celeste. The city is flat roofed and Moorish in architecture and so narrow are the streets, you automatically step between the small cars or scooters parked on one side of the road to make room for oncoming traffic.
Celeste Rispoli runs this small pensione, where my cousin, Joanie, lived forty years ago while studying art at the tender age of twenty. Celeste is now 81, and lives with her husband and their last son at home. While I am here, her daughter, Laura, who lives in Belgium, is visiting for a month. Marco, her son, owns or rents da Ferdinando Bar – Bagni at the Spiaggia di Fornillo – the beach. One thing that I must attest to is that the beach access is via stone steps and to reach it up and down they number about three hundred fifty just to and from Casa Celeste!! Celeste and her husband walk them almost every day and have gone out in a boat around the bend in the ocean twice collecting what I think are “cockles.” I went down there Monday afternoon, Tuesday and Wednesday. I like swimming in the Mediterranean but this beach is very rocky and my feet feel like a baby’s bottom! Today I walked down to the main portion of town (which is restaurants and boutiques) which is something I have been doing everyday and night because it’s great exercise but I am, unfortunately, not really interested in shopping or tourist activities. One activity I noticed on a few corners is a target-practice of shooting bottles for, I guess, free drinks. Tomorrow, I’m going by ferry to the Isle of Capri, home of Tiberius in his later years…
I am frustrated at not being able to find any wireless internet access and do not feel the obtrusive act of having to run wires just to satisfy my needs is worth it. In fact, I am totally spoiled coming from the Bay Area where there is free internet access in the city of San Francisco. So, I’ll be downloading whenever possible, which should be a feat of sorts…
Disembarking in Sorrento, I was able to maneuver my baggage easily for there is a “Passengers with Baggage Only” sign and an elevator. However, when I asked a station agent where the SITA bus for Positano was, he pointed across the street down a long flight of stairs! And what a bus ride!! The driver, skillfully adept at driving the roads at generous speeds, tooted his horn at every hairpin curve and swept the vehicle along, passing views of sheer, cliff-hanging drops to the Mediterranean spectacularly far below. On the way, we passed olive trees with sheets of green netting hanging a couple of feet above ground, to catch the dropping fruit. Grapes growing are covered with netted tarps and every here and there are small fires in the hills which are farmers getting rid of waste. When we arrived in the upper part of the town, after consultation with a couple of bell hops at a nearby hotel, I decided to take the Interno Bus and ask the bus driver to let me off at Casa Celeste. The city is flat roofed and Moorish in architecture and so narrow are the streets, you automatically step between the small cars or scooters parked on one side of the road to make room for oncoming traffic.
Celeste Rispoli runs this small pensione, where my cousin, Joanie, lived forty years ago while studying art at the tender age of twenty. Celeste is now 81, and lives with her husband and their last son at home. While I am here, her daughter, Laura, who lives in Belgium, is visiting for a month. Marco, her son, owns or rents da Ferdinando Bar – Bagni at the Spiaggia di Fornillo – the beach. One thing that I must attest to is that the beach access is via stone steps and to reach it up and down they number about three hundred fifty just to and from Casa Celeste!! Celeste and her husband walk them almost every day and have gone out in a boat around the bend in the ocean twice collecting what I think are “cockles.” I went down there Monday afternoon, Tuesday and Wednesday. I like swimming in the Mediterranean but this beach is very rocky and my feet feel like a baby’s bottom! Today I walked down to the main portion of town (which is restaurants and boutiques) which is something I have been doing everyday and night because it’s great exercise but I am, unfortunately, not really interested in shopping or tourist activities. One activity I noticed on a few corners is a target-practice of shooting bottles for, I guess, free drinks. Tomorrow, I’m going by ferry to the Isle of Capri, home of Tiberius in his later years…
I am frustrated at not being able to find any wireless internet access and do not feel the obtrusive act of having to run wires just to satisfy my needs is worth it. In fact, I am totally spoiled coming from the Bay Area where there is free internet access in the city of San Francisco. So, I’ll be downloading whenever possible, which should be a feat of sorts…
Museo Nazionale di Capodimonte
September 29th
This place was just too far to walk to so I went and waited for over an hour for the bus to arrive. Spoke to a Tunisian who knew no French and only Italian for his second language to Arabic. He guided me to where I should get off at the Capodimonte Palace. I jokingly called out ‘Ciao!’ when I stepped off the bus and strolled through the grounds and manicured lawns high up on a hill with an overall view of the City of Naples. Apparently, this part of the city is in the line of direct arrival for the airport and not far from it because the planes fly close to the ground and the noise level is excessive.
Built in the early part of the 18th century under the reign of Charles of Bourbon and later passed to the Savoy, it’s a rich palace with three full floors of huge rooms with thirty or forty foot ceilings, some exquisitely decorated with painted ceilings, huge hanging chandeliers and furniture from that time. The collection is rich in Italian art of the 15th and 16th centuries and for some reason familiar to my catholic education: some of this type of obscure religious painting probably appeared in religious text books of my youth. Quite a number of paintings of St. Sebastian, a Giulio Pippi Madonna, Child and Cat, and the original Saint George and the Dragon by Lelio Orsi, a painting which graced the inside covers of a childrens’ anthology of literature that was read to us when we were children, the originals of which are here. Also, paintings of Food! And, Peter Bruegel’s Il Misantrope. A special exhibit by Albrecht Durer, too!
Since today was Saturday, traffic was even more hectic and noisy with even more traffic jams and the incessant din of horns beeping. At least the museum was free for some unknown reason.
This place was just too far to walk to so I went and waited for over an hour for the bus to arrive. Spoke to a Tunisian who knew no French and only Italian for his second language to Arabic. He guided me to where I should get off at the Capodimonte Palace. I jokingly called out ‘Ciao!’ when I stepped off the bus and strolled through the grounds and manicured lawns high up on a hill with an overall view of the City of Naples. Apparently, this part of the city is in the line of direct arrival for the airport and not far from it because the planes fly close to the ground and the noise level is excessive.
Built in the early part of the 18th century under the reign of Charles of Bourbon and later passed to the Savoy, it’s a rich palace with three full floors of huge rooms with thirty or forty foot ceilings, some exquisitely decorated with painted ceilings, huge hanging chandeliers and furniture from that time. The collection is rich in Italian art of the 15th and 16th centuries and for some reason familiar to my catholic education: some of this type of obscure religious painting probably appeared in religious text books of my youth. Quite a number of paintings of St. Sebastian, a Giulio Pippi Madonna, Child and Cat, and the original Saint George and the Dragon by Lelio Orsi, a painting which graced the inside covers of a childrens’ anthology of literature that was read to us when we were children, the originals of which are here. Also, paintings of Food! And, Peter Bruegel’s Il Misantrope. A special exhibit by Albrecht Durer, too!
Since today was Saturday, traffic was even more hectic and noisy with even more traffic jams and the incessant din of horns beeping. At least the museum was free for some unknown reason.
A Dragon in Disguise
September 28th
Today I spent about three hours trying to find the Piazzetta Mondragone which I could locate fine on the map but was unable to connect the streets up to it until one person who I asked re-directed me up to a lift on Via Chiaia which he said I needed to take to get up there. “Holy, Toledo!” I thought after I found the lift – there must have been at least 75-100 people waiting for an elevator that obviously would hold only 10 or 12 people. I elected to walk and in an hour found that I had gone a bit above it and was told where to go down one street back, which I did, and then asked a pair of 10 or 12-year-old boys “Piazzetta Mondragone?” and they pointed me to the end of a street which was just a tree surrounded by buildings. Into the one that was No. 18, I went and asked a young woman sitting in a glass enclosure whether this was where the Museo del Tessile e dell’Abbigliamento Elena Aldobrandini was to which she nodded in affirmation and took me up to the second floor. Containing sacred furnishings, linen, lace and embroidery of the post-unification of Naples, this collection also shows photographs of the young girls who created some of the work at the beginning of the 20th century… There were a few bishops’ caps and robes with exquisite embroidery and a few baptismal gowns of fine batiste but my favorite piece was some corded macramé lace. There were only five rooms in the collection and it took, roughly, 45 minutes to cover it. … and, another hour-and-a- half to walk back to the hotel.
Since food is expensive in Italy, as it is in France, I usually get a pizza for about 1.5 euros but tonight I splurge on a plate of spaghetti with Putanesca sauce and a few glasses of wine for about 8 euros.
Today I spent about three hours trying to find the Piazzetta Mondragone which I could locate fine on the map but was unable to connect the streets up to it until one person who I asked re-directed me up to a lift on Via Chiaia which he said I needed to take to get up there. “Holy, Toledo!” I thought after I found the lift – there must have been at least 75-100 people waiting for an elevator that obviously would hold only 10 or 12 people. I elected to walk and in an hour found that I had gone a bit above it and was told where to go down one street back, which I did, and then asked a pair of 10 or 12-year-old boys “Piazzetta Mondragone?” and they pointed me to the end of a street which was just a tree surrounded by buildings. Into the one that was No. 18, I went and asked a young woman sitting in a glass enclosure whether this was where the Museo del Tessile e dell’Abbigliamento Elena Aldobrandini was to which she nodded in affirmation and took me up to the second floor. Containing sacred furnishings, linen, lace and embroidery of the post-unification of Naples, this collection also shows photographs of the young girls who created some of the work at the beginning of the 20th century… There were a few bishops’ caps and robes with exquisite embroidery and a few baptismal gowns of fine batiste but my favorite piece was some corded macramé lace. There were only five rooms in the collection and it took, roughly, 45 minutes to cover it. … and, another hour-and-a- half to walk back to the hotel.
Since food is expensive in Italy, as it is in France, I usually get a pizza for about 1.5 euros but tonight I splurge on a plate of spaghetti with Putanesca sauce and a few glasses of wine for about 8 euros.
Ho!
The train to Nice Ville and then to Genova progressed without incident except for an annoying young Hungarian who kept trying to talk to me even after I gave him a cigarette and a cookie. I was able to pick up my ticket to Napoli and board the train, where I promptly fell asleep only to be awoken by a nasty, SS-like conductor who threatened to turn me in for not having my ticket properly updated by none other than myself. I was so startled at being asleep, to begin with, that I was extremely perplexed and momentarily couldn't remember who or where I was!! The incident caused me to remain awake until getting off the train seven or eight hours later!
Sometime after 20:00, two guys got on and it wasn't until our car emptied out and we discovered that we all spoke English and they told me to tag along with them when we got out at Statione Centrale. They were going to a B&B but it was late and they weren't sure what the situation would be like. After we disembarked from the train and got lost and spent a half-hour trying to locate our whereabouts, we took a taxi and finally got an expensive room in a Best Western Hotel immediately across the street from the B&B where they had their reservation. The next morning, we got rooms and I spent the next six nights there.
Napoli turns out to be wonderful, noisy, traffic-congested and scooter-ridden. George dragged Dave and I everywhere. Tuesday was pouring rain in the morning yet we left for Pompeii and got pretty wet and soggy, we returned to the hotel and changed for dinner. We went to "Bambi," a restaurant that the receptionist told us to try. "You know, pizza was 'burn' here!" Coming home, however, we got lost and had to walk back all the way until we finally made it and crashed into our beds. The next morning, we went to the Museo di Archaeologica, where after an unusual amber exhibit, we viewed the ancient erotic collection (sex as a talisman), glass paste beads, a mosaic collection and then it was off to view Erculeo!! We actually somehow got a guide for this museo and I shot a lot of photos. Speaking of photos, I wish I had time to download but it's impossible now to do it.
The next morning the guys left and I spent the entire day walking around Napoli photgraphing and viewing the markets, the amount of dogs sleeping, the amount of men sleeping, the architecture which is gloriously arranged and went to the hotel with a bottle of wine to sleep...
Sometime after 20:00, two guys got on and it wasn't until our car emptied out and we discovered that we all spoke English and they told me to tag along with them when we got out at Statione Centrale. They were going to a B&B but it was late and they weren't sure what the situation would be like. After we disembarked from the train and got lost and spent a half-hour trying to locate our whereabouts, we took a taxi and finally got an expensive room in a Best Western Hotel immediately across the street from the B&B where they had their reservation. The next morning, we got rooms and I spent the next six nights there.
Napoli turns out to be wonderful, noisy, traffic-congested and scooter-ridden. George dragged Dave and I everywhere. Tuesday was pouring rain in the morning yet we left for Pompeii and got pretty wet and soggy, we returned to the hotel and changed for dinner. We went to "Bambi," a restaurant that the receptionist told us to try. "You know, pizza was 'burn' here!" Coming home, however, we got lost and had to walk back all the way until we finally made it and crashed into our beds. The next morning, we went to the Museo di Archaeologica, where after an unusual amber exhibit, we viewed the ancient erotic collection (sex as a talisman), glass paste beads, a mosaic collection and then it was off to view Erculeo!! We actually somehow got a guide for this museo and I shot a lot of photos. Speaking of photos, I wish I had time to download but it's impossible now to do it.
The next morning the guys left and I spent the entire day walking around Napoli photgraphing and viewing the markets, the amount of dogs sleeping, the amount of men sleeping, the architecture which is gloriously arranged and went to the hotel with a bottle of wine to sleep...
Paris, Mahamilana, Marseille
I arrive in Paris after another red-eye flight and find the bus to the Gare de Lyon without consequence. Any directions in Paris, I would ask for by saying, "Speak English?" If they said "Little," I'd launch into a little French. Locate my hotel easily and leave to visit the Louvre, which I find fantastically rich with originals of paintings I have never seen before... It's a huge place, with two or three checkpoints for security, and amidst all the other sculpture and art, I manage to find the Mona Lisa in an elbow-to-elbow length room and much smaller than I'd expected. However, I did find da Vinci's portrait of Saint John the Baptist to be of estimable beauty and he, incidentally, has the same nose and face as my friend, Margaret.
After walking down an arcade-like park at what used to be something else a story above street level, I managed to find a grocery store where I was able to buy something to eat and drink which was reasonably priced. The next day, returning to the Louvre, I happened to look over my shoulder and there was Rich Meyers! He'd come to Europe as planned even after having just been through an angioplasty! It was fun to see him and we went to see the Mona Lisa (again, for me) and then split and walked to Pont Neuf and over into the Left Bank, strolling around and talking. I left around 19:00 and rushed back via Metro, picked up my bags and raced to the train station for my trip on the TGV to Marseille, which I made with 5 minutes to spare.
23:35
Sylvie, Philippe and Tony pick me up at the train station and we drive to Sylvie's house in the outskirts of Marseille. Meet Tim, Gilles (who I remembered, along with Philippe, from 31 years before) Alice, Artur and Anna, who I finally placed in my memory from the time of the Mahamilana in San Francisco. Meet Corrine (sp?), and Jamie and Vickie from New Zealand the next day, as well as Tim & Corinne's Kaylani, Tim's son, Simon and his friend, Matthew. Also, saw Anna Lyn, who was also staying there, too.
Monday morning, drove to Le Pescadou and proceeded to find rooms and people and with everyone showing up at different times, I turn around and see another face I hadn't seen for that long a period of time. This was the biggest Mahamilana yet, though the original in 1976 was very large. There were approximately 135 of us staying at a resort where we were served 3 meals a day and had the whole place to ourselves. By the end of the week, the staff seemed to be incredulous that so many of us different nationalities were there to enjoy ourselves and reunite, that they opened up the bar for us every night... And, we had excellent music from those involved in performing. Just great!
Simply because I have not the space to write about this event, I'll have to hold on to a point in the future where I can... The important point is getting the other stuff on paper and to cyberspace where you can read it...
Went to Marseille on Sunday, Sept. 23 and shared a hotel room with Rich, Charlie and Ron from England. Had very little sleep and left on a train to Italy at 5:46 a.m.
After walking down an arcade-like park at what used to be something else a story above street level, I managed to find a grocery store where I was able to buy something to eat and drink which was reasonably priced. The next day, returning to the Louvre, I happened to look over my shoulder and there was Rich Meyers! He'd come to Europe as planned even after having just been through an angioplasty! It was fun to see him and we went to see the Mona Lisa (again, for me) and then split and walked to Pont Neuf and over into the Left Bank, strolling around and talking. I left around 19:00 and rushed back via Metro, picked up my bags and raced to the train station for my trip on the TGV to Marseille, which I made with 5 minutes to spare.
23:35
Sylvie, Philippe and Tony pick me up at the train station and we drive to Sylvie's house in the outskirts of Marseille. Meet Tim, Gilles (who I remembered, along with Philippe, from 31 years before) Alice, Artur and Anna, who I finally placed in my memory from the time of the Mahamilana in San Francisco. Meet Corrine (sp?), and Jamie and Vickie from New Zealand the next day, as well as Tim & Corinne's Kaylani, Tim's son, Simon and his friend, Matthew. Also, saw Anna Lyn, who was also staying there, too.
Monday morning, drove to Le Pescadou and proceeded to find rooms and people and with everyone showing up at different times, I turn around and see another face I hadn't seen for that long a period of time. This was the biggest Mahamilana yet, though the original in 1976 was very large. There were approximately 135 of us staying at a resort where we were served 3 meals a day and had the whole place to ourselves. By the end of the week, the staff seemed to be incredulous that so many of us different nationalities were there to enjoy ourselves and reunite, that they opened up the bar for us every night... And, we had excellent music from those involved in performing. Just great!
Simply because I have not the space to write about this event, I'll have to hold on to a point in the future where I can... The important point is getting the other stuff on paper and to cyberspace where you can read it...
Went to Marseille on Sunday, Sept. 23 and shared a hotel room with Rich, Charlie and Ron from England. Had very little sleep and left on a train to Italy at 5:46 a.m.
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