The port of call for today was Naples, and the only stop we will make in the country of Italy. Even though the ship arrived on time and was docked by 8am, we were not cleared by the local officials until well after 9am. The excuse was there was another ship in town, the NCL Spirit, and the customs and immigrations folks were busy over there. That ship is not all that much larger than the Amsterdam at over 75,000 gross tons, but she holds from 1976 to 2475 passengers, which exceeds our amount of 1200. It is described as offering an extremely casual atmosphere for the guests that seek a lively lifestyle. The cabins are very small with limited closet space, so their cruises are short in duration. Four to seven days we have read. Anyway, they were here first, and they got priority clearance procedures.
But first, here is a little info on Italy. The capital is Rome and the 2012 population was 58 million people. And it seems that most of them drive Vespas or very small cars. A traveler’s experience in Italy has to be described as exuberant, effortless, earthy and sophisticated. Or in our words, just plain fun, but also steeped in ancient history that goes on forever. A few of the coastal cities, and some inland, not to be missed are Rome, of course, Florence, Venice, and the Amalfi Coast. These are sights you will never forget.
The best time to visit are April, June, and September, but avoid the summer months because everything is crowded and the weather can get very hot. Things to see and do include all of Rome, the museums of Florence, all of Venice, and what’s left of Pompeii after Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD. And don’t forget Sicily, it has a charm all of its own. Some other places we have yet to see are the Alps and Milan, but that would have to be done on a different type of vacation.
Their favorite dishes include tripe with potatoes, tomatoes, and pecorino cheese. Or try a T-bone steak in Florence, or devour meatballs and spaghetti with freshly-baked bread in Tuscany. And last but not least, order pizza in Naples. Don’t have to tell us twice…..
Trademarks are Renaissance art, ancient ruins, pizza with olive oil pasta, espresso, vespas, and the world’s best ice cream or gelato.
A random fact is that 3000 Euro, on average, is tossed daily into the Trevi Fountain in Rome. It promises a return visit, and perhaps that is true, because we have been back often. Unfortunately, it will not be on this cruise.
Hamish, our CD, happily announced after 9am, that the ship had been cleared, and everyone that was going ashore, could go. There were several excursions that were set to go off at 8am, so we can only imagine how crowded the show lounge must have been. We found out when going back to our room after breakfast that the stairwell and elevators were jammed with “sticky” guests. The good news was that the all aboard time had been extended an hour, so that meant none of the tours would be short in duration. We would all have to be back by 6:30pm.
The best news to report was that the weather was going to be perfect with temperatures in the high 60’s or low 70’s and no rain. Naples is one of the oldest cities in the world, dating back to the 9th century BC. This epic city is chockful of ruins from the Roman and Greek periods. And also the place to see historical museums, theaters, and churches from the Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque periods. On the other hand, you’ll easily find plazas, [arks, gardens, and so many restaurants and cafes to relax and enjoy the best Italian food ever.
And shopping? From street vendors, antique shops, and upscale high-end boutiques, it is a paradise to those who desire to indulge. It is also a good place for slightly illegal sales of knock-off treasures such as purses and “leather” products. But who’s looking?
The upmost most impressive fact is that Naples is considered the birthplace of pizza. Now you’re talking. There is even a ship’s tour that will take the guests to a small restaurant to see expert pizza-makers demonstrate their art. Part of that success to their pies is the use of the wood-fired ovens. We have done that excursion and were pleasantly surprised to find that each of us was getting a 16 inch pizza pie. We were in heaven.
There were ship tours that stayed in town. They included shopping with experts, a taste of pizza with two “foodie” tours which ran from $60 to $200. One excursion that has been added since we were here last was a drive out of the city to a dairy with 600 buffalos that are milked to make mozzarella cheese.
All of the rest of the tours were out of town and included a jetfoil ride to Capri, one most wonderful way to spend a sunny day here. Then the longer tours went to the Amalfi Coast and Sorrento, the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum, and Mt. Vesuvius. Prices began from $90 to $300, and all of those tours would make a stop at a cameo factory, a must when you visit this area.
As for us, we left the ship at 11am after having spent a night in a different room due to the flood in ours. Later in the morning, our room had been restored to its normal state and was dried out. Sure hope this is the end of the problem….
We found our way out of the huge terminal, where the info gal had no maps and no info that was of use to us. This terminal is located on the second level, and you had to look to locate the elevator instead of taking the long flight of stairs to the street level. Normally not a problem, but the knee is still acting up. Going down stairs is harder than up.
It was a long hike uphill on a wooden boardwalk to navigate the streets in town. There was still construction here for the underground transit system we believe. Once we got up by the ancient castle, we found where most of the hop on hop off buses were taking on passengers. Every significant site that was being sold on the ship could be accessed by these bus tours, but we did not pick up the flyer to check prices.
Further up the street, we carefully crossed by the traffic signal. Carefully, because you will get run over in a nano-second if you’re not careful. Even though today was a weekday, it was really busy with locals and traffic. It was then we realized that this is Easter Week, and most schools would be closed for the holiday. There were also many groups of school kids on organized tours.
A great building to see is the Galleria Umberto that is within a very historical domed building from centuries ago. The entire floor under multiple domes is tiled or made of marble. In the center are detailed mosaics with the compass rose and surrounding works of art encircling the compass. Many boutique shops, cafes, and bakeries can be found here. We ran into our buddies, Bill & Leta, who were relaxing at small tables outside a café. They had purchased a couple of sweet cannolies? from a corner bakery. And it was close to noon, so lunch for them with a couple of local draft beers were in order.
From here, we exited the building and took a right turn up the almost pedestrian only lane. This cobbled street was lines with shops, cafes, and street markets. It was a paradise of souvenirs, clothing and jewelry boutiques – modern as well as old. Further up the hill were the meat, fish, and veggie markets, most of it right on the curbsides. Narrow alleyways produced people of all ages driving the motorbikes at a high speed. If you hear the noise of the engine, you had better move aside, as they might pass by you with only inches to spare. Life happening here has a heartbeat all of its own, as it seemed like at least one million local folks were shopping in the delis, bakeries, and veggie, fruit, and fish markets.
We did find a few treasures to purchase as a keepsake from Naples. Two cotton scarves were a deal at 2 Euro each, and a handmade doggie purse was also a good buy. There were some Moroccan vendors selling the knock-off items, but they were not dealing very good. It would be better bargaining closer to the pier. Besides getting many colorful photos, we love being able to mix with the crowds to see how these people manage to live in a crowded by charming city. Everyone seems to know everyone here, as we saw many elderly folks kissing both cheeks and hugging in a typical greeting.
Now, the best part of the day was to come…..lunch. The street traffic became much more crowded as we approached Plaza Tieste’s Trento and two major buildings. One was Teatro San Carlo, the oldest operating opera house in the world. And the other monumental structure was Palazzo Reale, a royal palace, one of four, that was used by the Bourbon kings during their rule. Obviously, they thought bigger was better.
On the way to the area where we have found great pizza, we had to pass by the massive Plaza Plebisctio and the San Francisco di Paolo Church, a neoclassical design built to celebrate the end of Napoleonic rule. Other impressive buildings are there also. While taking pictures of the statues, we noticed a small crowd watching something. Turned out it was a puppeteer, who was entertaining the folks with a dancing, singing puppet that had a mini microphone and tap danced while he sang. One of the cutest things we had seen today.
We had reached the district that lies above the harbor with wonderful views of the Bay of Naples. Several large hotels were here with dozens of cafes and restaurants in between. Since it was nearing 1:30pm, most all of the outdoor patios were full of customers indulging with plates of Italian food. Sure looked good. We kept going until we rounded the corner, and recognized where we had dined several years ago. It was a restaurant by the name of Aquolino in the group belonging to Antonio’s & Antonio’s. Most all of the tables were outside the restaurants, covered with awnings. Horse-drawn buggies were passing by this mostly pedestrian street. That’s when a waiter approached us and invited us to dine there. He had a table for two ready, and it was about the only one left. As long as they still had pizza on the menu, this would do just fine.
We were handed the English version of the menu, and the waiter suggested the most popular pizza with the toppings we liked. Wood-fired and cooked to perfection, we were each served half of the pie with a large glass of Italian draft beer. Have to admit, it was so good, we decided to order another one….Margherita with parma ham and shaved parmesan cheese. Thinking ahead, we do know there is a good pizza café in both Barcelona and Cadiz, but it cannot compare to here in Naples. That was the reasoning for indulging with two pizzas.
We added one dessert of baba rum, a new sweet treat we have never tried. Sure was good. Then as another surprise, the waiter brought two small glasses of Limoncello, a sweet but tart liqueur that finished our ample meal nicely. We lingered until 3pm, then headed back towards the ship. In the main square, we recognized many folks from our ship, including Barbara and Harvey, who had taken a 6 day private tour to Israel. They said they had the best time ever, and had spent the night in Naples. Exhausted, they were glad to be coming back to the ship.
On our way back on the wooden walkway, we ended up bargaining for a small Moschino purse from a Moroccan vendor. The price was right, and he was happy to take US dollars. We resisted even looking at the shops in the terminal, because so much of the souvenirs can be tempting.
Since the all aboard time had been extended for the extra hour, we took the time to work on photos. That’s when we had another surprise with the leak, or flood, in the bathroom. At least this leak only continued for about 15 minutes before we found it, but long enough to cause some carpet soaking anyway. Reporting it, Christel was calling us immediately. The plumber arrived, and when we asked if he had replaced anything in the bathroom, he admitted he had done nothing, as he did not see anything leaking yesterday. He said he would fix it, and since we had sopped up the water, we figured that would be the end of this problem.
The ship left the pier around 7pm, and we watched from the aft deck eight, even though the official sail away party was held in the Crow’s Nest. An impromptu performance by some of the crew bar staff gave a little show, singing and playing their instruments for everyone back there. We stayed until the last rays of the setting sun went behind the mountaintops of Naples. The best one we have seen for weeks now.
Dinner was fun catching up with what everyone had done today. The fellows had gone on their own to the island of Capri, and had a wonderful day. They also came back early to Naples to enjoy pizza too. Barb had gone off to explore the shopping areas with friends, so it was a good day for all of us. They all kidded us that they hoped our room had not flooded again. Oh boy, how did they know????
Surprise, surprise……when we got back to our hallway, we found the telltale sign of the extension cords coming across the hallway for the plugs of the heater and drying units again. Now what happened??? Our room was turned upside down once again, with everything piled on the bed and couch, both of which were propped up off of the carpet. We had the keycard for the room up the hall with a note of apology for the inconvenience. We had no choice but to sleep in the spare room once again. And since it was so late, we decided to follow up with this situation tomorrow morning. Obviously nothing had been fixed like they had promised.
Bill & Mary Ann
