It's Wednesday afternoon, and we have a 4 day weekend in front of us. The plan is to drive up to Garmisch, starting at 3 or 4 tomorrow morning. The Volvo is out of the shop and appears to be running well. Webcams showed that the snow has cleared in the alps, but I am leaving in a few minutes to pick up some snow-chains just in case.
[Brad, Scott, are you two interested in riding along? Maybe we can invent some new spinning tricks for the Volvo.]
Rachel taught the boys a couple of German phrases, and we have all been reading up on German history.
Happy Thanksgiving and God's blessings to all.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Outings: Pozoulli, Olive Oil, Sorrento, Amalfi
Here are some pictures from our outings last weekend. It was a four day weekend for me (Veterans Day), and we took full advantage of it.
Mt Vesuvius in the background. There was a bus and train transportation strike (one day only), and we thought we were going to be stranded. The lady at the hotel suggested taking a ferry.
We got the car back from the shop yesterday. I put twice as much into repairs as the initial cost of the car, but I think it will be a good rig for us. The power steering system was replaced, new timing belt, various hoses and tubes replaced. They took it apart three times trying to find all of the leaks. It is very good that I did not attempt the repairs myself.
We celebrated Elijah’s 11th birthday on Friday. Gayle made sure he had a great day. The boys are both doing great.
What follows has absolutely nothing to do with our outings, but on my recent reflections. Read at your own peril
The other day I met Bob M. who is also new here and who also hails from Washington. We got to talking and discovered that we have many other things in common as well; for instance, what we have been reading. He highly recommended a book that he had recently finished by the author of Blue Like Jazz, Donald Miller. I recommended The Shack, which may be the best book I have ever read.
After making such a bold statement, I realized that I needed to decide what I mean by "best book". First, The Bible does not count as a book in the sense of comparing it to other books. I am not saying The Shack is up there with the Bible. It is also not the most captivating book I have ever read. For example, when I read Frank Herbert's Dune, I pretty much read it in one sitting, without stopping for meals or to sleep. I cannot even say that I agree with everything in it. But what I do mean by "best" is, The Shack is more thought provoking and persuasive than anything else I have ever read on the most important topic there is. Much like George MacDonald and C.S. Lewis, the author leads the reader down a path of inevitabilities for those who believe the Bible to be true. It is thought provoking, because these inevitabilities are counter-intuitive to the everyday World in which we live.
There. It took half an hour to articulate, but now I know what I mean when I tell people The Shack "may be the best book I have ever read."
Back to my story. Bob lent me his copy of Searching For God Knows What, by Donald Miller. He and ?? have clearly been drinking the same kool-aid. This book also is very good. I'm only about half-way through, but so far it seems mostly an expository on Genesis 3, the fall. Adam and Eve's glory came from God. They lived in perfect relationship with Him, and as a result of the fall, there is something twisted, wrong and missing ever since. Those are not new ideas so far, but what is a fresh idea, is seeing that our primary problems come as a result of us trying to get that glory back by getting it from other people.
Here is a paragraph I want to pass on:
"...I really started wondering if maybe a human is defined by who loves him. I know it sounds terrible, because we have always grown up believing that a person is valuable even if nobody loves them, and I certainly agree with that because God made everybody and the Bible very clearly states He loves everybody. But, as Paul said, if those relations are disturbed, the relations between God and man, then we feel the desire to be loved and respected by other people instead of God, and if we don't get that love and respect, we feel very sad or angry because we know that our glory is at stake, that if there isn’t some glory being shone through us by somebody who has authority, we’ll be dead inside, like a little light will go out and our souls will feel dark, like nothing can grow there.” (p. 108)
This book is also helping me to come to a better understanding of my own opinion about patriotism. I have wrestled with this issue for literally decades. My plebe year at the Naval Academy was, ironically, when I first started to love my country, and when I first became disillusioned with patriotism.
Here’s how it happened. I and the other incoming freshmen (plebes) that were coming from the Naval Academy Prep School were distributed across the 36 companies of the Naval Academy. We checked in a day or two earlier than everyone else. Then all of the other incoming plebes were assigned to the 36 companies. It looked random, but I know that there was thought given to ensuring that every third company had females in it (so they would have roommate choices.) There was probably also thought given to ensure a somewhat random distribution of incoming athletes, honor students, etc.
The morning after everyone had arrived, we were awakened by loud shouting. We lined up at attention against the wall in the hallway outside of our rooms. Most of us were disoriented and shaking like leaves in our newly issued gym clothes. That day, we were informed that our group of 32 plebes was Foxtrot Company, and we were better than all of the other companies. We came up with chants to reinforce this idea. The only basis whatsoever that we had for making the assertion is that we ourselves were in this company.
You may think that this was completely innocent and harmless, but I don’t feel that way. Even then I understood that the idea was to teach loyalty to my group and exclusivity over other groups. I believe the same dynamic holds over all organizations and institutions that we subscribe to, including my city, my branch of service, my high school, my church, and even, my country.
Loyalty is better than pure selfishness, because it takes into account the others in my group. However, it is still me-centric. Over time, I came to know and love those other 31 plebes. They did and still do have value, but not because I myself had been placed in the same company. True value and worth is not based on my personal proximity or affinity.
It was about this same time that I also came to love the United States and the core principles that we as Americans embrace. The main idea of democracy is that all people have value, and ought to be treated with respect. This is a very Christian idea. The United States has a rich heritage of people doing their level best to promote this idea. In my mind this is different than patriotism. Many governments subscribe to it. It is a principle of inclusion, rather than exclusion. This idea is worth fighting for and dying for.
As it is only family and a few close friends reading this, it seems crazy to get so philosophical. I suppose I am writing in part because this has been like a sabbatical for me, and I have had time to think. But I’m putting it here in our blog, because I know some of you who I love and respect will be reading this. You may have wondered in the past how I could be so left-leaning. It stems, I think, from the above distinction.
I invite your comments. You are free to disagree with me…but you would be wrong. (Just kidding.)
Mt Vesuvius in the background. There was a bus and train transportation strike (one day only), and we thought we were going to be stranded. The lady at the hotel suggested taking a ferry.
We got the car back from the shop yesterday. I put twice as much into repairs as the initial cost of the car, but I think it will be a good rig for us. The power steering system was replaced, new timing belt, various hoses and tubes replaced. They took it apart three times trying to find all of the leaks. It is very good that I did not attempt the repairs myself.
We celebrated Elijah’s 11th birthday on Friday. Gayle made sure he had a great day. The boys are both doing great.
What follows has absolutely nothing to do with our outings, but on my recent reflections. Read at your own peril
The other day I met Bob M. who is also new here and who also hails from Washington. We got to talking and discovered that we have many other things in common as well; for instance, what we have been reading. He highly recommended a book that he had recently finished by the author of Blue Like Jazz, Donald Miller. I recommended The Shack, which may be the best book I have ever read.
After making such a bold statement, I realized that I needed to decide what I mean by "best book". First, The Bible does not count as a book in the sense of comparing it to other books. I am not saying The Shack is up there with the Bible. It is also not the most captivating book I have ever read. For example, when I read Frank Herbert's Dune, I pretty much read it in one sitting, without stopping for meals or to sleep. I cannot even say that I agree with everything in it. But what I do mean by "best" is, The Shack is more thought provoking and persuasive than anything else I have ever read on the most important topic there is. Much like George MacDonald and C.S. Lewis, the author leads the reader down a path of inevitabilities for those who believe the Bible to be true. It is thought provoking, because these inevitabilities are counter-intuitive to the everyday World in which we live.
There. It took half an hour to articulate, but now I know what I mean when I tell people The Shack "may be the best book I have ever read."
Back to my story. Bob lent me his copy of Searching For God Knows What, by Donald Miller. He and ?? have clearly been drinking the same kool-aid. This book also is very good. I'm only about half-way through, but so far it seems mostly an expository on Genesis 3, the fall. Adam and Eve's glory came from God. They lived in perfect relationship with Him, and as a result of the fall, there is something twisted, wrong and missing ever since. Those are not new ideas so far, but what is a fresh idea, is seeing that our primary problems come as a result of us trying to get that glory back by getting it from other people.
Here is a paragraph I want to pass on:
"...I really started wondering if maybe a human is defined by who loves him. I know it sounds terrible, because we have always grown up believing that a person is valuable even if nobody loves them, and I certainly agree with that because God made everybody and the Bible very clearly states He loves everybody. But, as Paul said, if those relations are disturbed, the relations between God and man, then we feel the desire to be loved and respected by other people instead of God, and if we don't get that love and respect, we feel very sad or angry because we know that our glory is at stake, that if there isn’t some glory being shone through us by somebody who has authority, we’ll be dead inside, like a little light will go out and our souls will feel dark, like nothing can grow there.” (p. 108)
This book is also helping me to come to a better understanding of my own opinion about patriotism. I have wrestled with this issue for literally decades. My plebe year at the Naval Academy was, ironically, when I first started to love my country, and when I first became disillusioned with patriotism.
Here’s how it happened. I and the other incoming freshmen (plebes) that were coming from the Naval Academy Prep School were distributed across the 36 companies of the Naval Academy. We checked in a day or two earlier than everyone else. Then all of the other incoming plebes were assigned to the 36 companies. It looked random, but I know that there was thought given to ensuring that every third company had females in it (so they would have roommate choices.) There was probably also thought given to ensure a somewhat random distribution of incoming athletes, honor students, etc.
The morning after everyone had arrived, we were awakened by loud shouting. We lined up at attention against the wall in the hallway outside of our rooms. Most of us were disoriented and shaking like leaves in our newly issued gym clothes. That day, we were informed that our group of 32 plebes was Foxtrot Company, and we were better than all of the other companies. We came up with chants to reinforce this idea. The only basis whatsoever that we had for making the assertion is that we ourselves were in this company.
You may think that this was completely innocent and harmless, but I don’t feel that way. Even then I understood that the idea was to teach loyalty to my group and exclusivity over other groups. I believe the same dynamic holds over all organizations and institutions that we subscribe to, including my city, my branch of service, my high school, my church, and even, my country.
Loyalty is better than pure selfishness, because it takes into account the others in my group. However, it is still me-centric. Over time, I came to know and love those other 31 plebes. They did and still do have value, but not because I myself had been placed in the same company. True value and worth is not based on my personal proximity or affinity.
It was about this same time that I also came to love the United States and the core principles that we as Americans embrace. The main idea of democracy is that all people have value, and ought to be treated with respect. This is a very Christian idea. The United States has a rich heritage of people doing their level best to promote this idea. In my mind this is different than patriotism. Many governments subscribe to it. It is a principle of inclusion, rather than exclusion. This idea is worth fighting for and dying for.
As it is only family and a few close friends reading this, it seems crazy to get so philosophical. I suppose I am writing in part because this has been like a sabbatical for me, and I have had time to think. But I’m putting it here in our blog, because I know some of you who I love and respect will be reading this. You may have wondered in the past how I could be so left-leaning. It stems, I think, from the above distinction.
I invite your comments. You are free to disagree with me…but you would be wrong. (Just kidding.)
Monday, November 3, 2008
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Outings to Naples
I keep waiting to get enough time to upload pictures, and that just isn't happening. But for those of you following this, I just want to say that we had a great outing last Sunday to the Museo de Archaelogico in Naples, which has some absolutely amazing statues and mosaics, mostly from the original excavation at Pompei. I'll upload those later.
Today we intended to go into Naples and from there to Herculaneum (also called Ercolano). But by the time we finally got going, I decided there would not be enough time to make it worth our while. Instead we wandered around the Spanish Quarter. Had a great meal and experience at a ristorante just off of piazza Dante. Piazza's are kind of like a town center--a big courtyard with important buildings around it. They are all over, and serve a similar function to our parks.
The owner of the Ristorante obviously felt sorry for us because we were struggling over the menu. He kept bringing plates of things for us to try. As we were getting ready to leave he brought these donut tasting blobs of sugar coated pastries--very good. The waiter told us they are called "Graffette". So now I know one more thing safe to order.
Tomorrow we are going to get up early to take the train into Rome to the area around the Colliseum.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
I was updating the page called "journal"
but have since changed my mind. My original idea was to keep this somewhat organized. After using it a bit I see that blogger organizes by date and it will be easier to simply add more free-form posts.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
If you are thinking about a visit
Several family and friends are either planning or considering coming to visit us while we are here at Naples. We are excited about this. Those of you coming likely have many of the same questions I have had. This is a place to share tidbits we have been figuring out.
Before I got here, Mike S. who is a friend from VP-69 turned me onto Rick Steve's travel books. At my long layover in San Francisco I picked up Rick Steve's Italy 2008 and Best of Europe 2009. These were excellent investments. Originally I had planned to post FAQs and lessons learned, but realized it would sound very much like what is written in the Italy 2008 book. As internet access is still a problem for me, I do not know this for sure, but suspect much of the same general information is available at his website.
My most valuable resource has been a phrase book: Barron's, Italian at a Glance. It has basic phrases broken down by section (i.e. air travel, eating out, getting directions) and a tiny english to itialian and italian to english dictionary.
With my limited experience, it seems to me to have approximately the same or slightly less purchasing power as what a $1.00 U.S. has back home. However, the dollar is pretty weak. So it costs about $1.50 to buy a Ä1.00. For example, a Ä2.00 soda costs me $3.00. So, here is everything I spent for my outing to Sorrento:
Ä2.90 Round trip ticket to Naples
Ä3.30 Ticket to Sorrento from Naples
Ä3.30 Ticket to Naples from Sorrento
Ä1.50 Cappuccino at Piazza Garibaldi
Ä10.25 Lunch in Sorrento
Ä1.75 Coperto (which I think means cover charge for the table)
Ä2.50 water. This came in a 1 liter bottle, and was sparkling, which I am not yet used to.
Ä5.00 Marquerita (similar to Mozarella) pizza
Ä1.00 my tip. I understand 10% to 15% is customary
Ä2.00 1 liter bottle of water purchased from a store at the town I ran to. Again, it was sparkling because my attempt to ask for still water got lost in the translation.
Ä1.50 100ml can of coke (small canóIím guessing 8oz)
Ä3.00 small ice cream
So the whole day cost Ä27.75, or about $40. Note that I had an ice cream in lieu of dinner, and there were no souveniers involved. This should give you an idea of what you will need for spending money.
I had an awful lot of fun for the money.
Resources
Before I got here, Mike S. who is a friend from VP-69 turned me onto Rick Steve's travel books. At my long layover in San Francisco I picked up Rick Steve's Italy 2008 and Best of Europe 2009. These were excellent investments. Originally I had planned to post FAQs and lessons learned, but realized it would sound very much like what is written in the Italy 2008 book. As internet access is still a problem for me, I do not know this for sure, but suspect much of the same general information is available at his website.
My most valuable resource has been a phrase book: Barron's, Italian at a Glance. It has basic phrases broken down by section (i.e. air travel, eating out, getting directions) and a tiny english to itialian and italian to english dictionary.
About the Euro
With my limited experience, it seems to me to have approximately the same or slightly less purchasing power as what a $1.00 U.S. has back home. However, the dollar is pretty weak. So it costs about $1.50 to buy a Ä1.00. For example, a Ä2.00 soda costs me $3.00. So, here is everything I spent for my outing to Sorrento:
Ä2.90 Round trip ticket to Naples
Ä3.30 Ticket to Sorrento from Naples
Ä3.30 Ticket to Naples from Sorrento
Ä1.50 Cappuccino at Piazza Garibaldi
Ä10.25 Lunch in Sorrento
Ä1.75 Coperto (which I think means cover charge for the table)
Ä2.50 water. This came in a 1 liter bottle, and was sparkling, which I am not yet used to.
Ä5.00 Marquerita (similar to Mozarella) pizza
Ä1.00 my tip. I understand 10% to 15% is customary
Ä2.00 1 liter bottle of water purchased from a store at the town I ran to. Again, it was sparkling because my attempt to ask for still water got lost in the translation.
Ä1.50 100ml can of coke (small canóIím guessing 8oz)
Ä3.00 small ice cream
So the whole day cost Ä27.75, or about $40. Note that I had an ice cream in lieu of dinner, and there were no souveniers involved. This should give you an idea of what you will need for spending money.
I had an awful lot of fun for the money.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Outings: Sorrento
Yesterday while you were all sleeping, I was out sightseeing. I skipped church (I know, shocking) and left the base at 7:45 a.m. On the walk to the train station at Aversa (approx 2.5 miles) two or three (herds? flocks?) of bicyclists went by. All were men. The bicycles were nothing impressive. It surprised me with that mix of bicycles how all of the cyclists were wearing bicycling clothes; like they were more careful about having the right clothes than the right bike.
This is a few of the stragglers.
This is on the train from Aversa to Napoli Centrale, about a 30 minute ride. We are looking down the passageway, which was being used because the seating areas (to the right in the picture) were full.
By 9:15 I was at the main Naples train station (Napoli Centrale). Napoli Centrale is located on a large square—Piazza Garibaldi. I have yet to find a Starbucks around here, but I did find a sidewalk café that serves an excellent cappuccino. The train ride to Sorrento takes just about an hour. The non-Italian tourists were pretty easy to spot, as they were wearing shorts, short sleeve shirts or both. The Italians wear long sleeve shirts, sweaters or jackets, almost certainly for fashion. The train arrived in Sorrento at 11:15 a.m.
I started with the guide in Rick Steve’s Italy 2008, Sorrento, and found everything exactly as described. I explored for a couple of hours, took pictures and had a lazy lunch. The restaurant was on a terrace with small lemon or lime trees that provided partial shade and a wonderful ambiance. If Gayle would have been there too, it would have been perfect.
The run: Logistics
About halfway between the town and the cruise boat marina there is an information center with a semi-public restroom. I say semi-public because I think it was actually owned by the attached restaurant. But, there wasn’t anyone outside collecting money, and it had a stall I used in which to change clothes. I was unable to find a place to leave my bag (with camera, clothes, etc.), but a lady at a tourist shop offered to watch it for me.
The run was on a winding and narrow road that climbs through orchards and small towns enroute to the tip of the peninsula that Sorrento is on. The road reminded me of the road to Hana, except more populated and more vertical. According to my Garmin, I climbed a total of 1,700’. The road would be a blast on a motorcycle or driving a Cooper. I would not recommend it for pedestrians, bicyclists or runners, as there is no sidewalk or shoulder. There were times I was hugging the cliff wall as traffic came around the corner.
On a map, I saw that if I went far enough, I could make a loop back to Sorrento. However, at the 8 mile mark I chickened out as the signs to Sorrento continued to point back the same direction I had just come from.
For those of you who have never gone with me on a 16 mile run, they are pretty leisurely. I stopped at lookouts, took walk breaks, and fully enjoyed the experience. Nevertheless, I was tired by the time I got back to Sorrento. Finding a shower was the biggest challenge. I had seen a small public beach and hoped there would be a shower head nearby. I considered jumping in the Med, but that would only have swapped out one version of salty and sticky for another. The water fountains started looking pretty inviting, but there is no way I could pass off as a bird.
In the end, I rinsed off my face and arms in the semi-public restroom and went home sticky. The trip in reverse was in the dark, and my feet complained on the stretch between the train station and the base. I got to my room by 9:50 p.m. and was in the tub by 9:52 p.m.—tired, achy, blistered and completely fulfilled. It was a great day.
This is a few of the stragglers.
This is on the train from Aversa to Napoli Centrale, about a 30 minute ride. We are looking down the passageway, which was being used because the seating areas (to the right in the picture) were full.
By 9:15 I was at the main Naples train station (Napoli Centrale). Napoli Centrale is located on a large square—Piazza Garibaldi. I have yet to find a Starbucks around here, but I did find a sidewalk café that serves an excellent cappuccino. The train ride to Sorrento takes just about an hour. The non-Italian tourists were pretty easy to spot, as they were wearing shorts, short sleeve shirts or both. The Italians wear long sleeve shirts, sweaters or jackets, almost certainly for fashion. The train arrived in Sorrento at 11:15 a.m.
I started with the guide in Rick Steve’s Italy 2008, Sorrento, and found everything exactly as described. I explored for a couple of hours, took pictures and had a lazy lunch. The restaurant was on a terrace with small lemon or lime trees that provided partial shade and a wonderful ambiance. If Gayle would have been there too, it would have been perfect.
The run: Logistics
About halfway between the town and the cruise boat marina there is an information center with a semi-public restroom. I say semi-public because I think it was actually owned by the attached restaurant. But, there wasn’t anyone outside collecting money, and it had a stall I used in which to change clothes. I was unable to find a place to leave my bag (with camera, clothes, etc.), but a lady at a tourist shop offered to watch it for me.
The run was on a winding and narrow road that climbs through orchards and small towns enroute to the tip of the peninsula that Sorrento is on. The road reminded me of the road to Hana, except more populated and more vertical. According to my Garmin, I climbed a total of 1,700’. The road would be a blast on a motorcycle or driving a Cooper. I would not recommend it for pedestrians, bicyclists or runners, as there is no sidewalk or shoulder. There were times I was hugging the cliff wall as traffic came around the corner.
On a map, I saw that if I went far enough, I could make a loop back to Sorrento. However, at the 8 mile mark I chickened out as the signs to Sorrento continued to point back the same direction I had just come from.
For those of you who have never gone with me on a 16 mile run, they are pretty leisurely. I stopped at lookouts, took walk breaks, and fully enjoyed the experience. Nevertheless, I was tired by the time I got back to Sorrento. Finding a shower was the biggest challenge. I had seen a small public beach and hoped there would be a shower head nearby. I considered jumping in the Med, but that would only have swapped out one version of salty and sticky for another. The water fountains started looking pretty inviting, but there is no way I could pass off as a bird.
In the end, I rinsed off my face and arms in the semi-public restroom and went home sticky. The trip in reverse was in the dark, and my feet complained on the stretch between the train station and the base. I got to my room by 9:50 p.m. and was in the tub by 9:52 p.m.—tired, achy, blistered and completely fulfilled. It was a great day.
Journal
10/22
Yesterday I met our new Landlord Lucio D'isanti and his brother Genny. We met at the housing office at the Support Site to sign a precontract, but there was a problem with the paperwork for the apartment. The precontract meeting has been rescheduled for Friday.
On the positive side, I was able to get all of the steps done to complete the sale of the Volvo. To celebrate, Rachel and I drove to Pozzuili to take pictures to send to the madre of the house. While there we ran into Lucio and Genny, who let us in to take some pictures. (The last time I tried to insert the pictures I lost everything I had written, so if you are reading this and don't see anything, it is because I gave up.)
The first is a view from the balcony looking at Pozzuoli bay.
Afterwards we drove in to the historic part of Naples to walk around and find a place to eat. The only thing more challenging than getting around by car is finding a place to park. Especially to park something the size of the Volvo, which around here feels like driving the motorhome. We eventually parked illegally (when in Naples...) and walked around a bit.
Even though I am usually trying to talk, the Italians keep trying to get Rachel to interpret for me. She apparently looks Italian, so she better pick up the language pretty quick.
10/20
I had heard that it takes a long time to get into a house, so I picked one quickly to start the process. It is in Pozzuoli, and turns out to be the same one that my friend Kevin K. stayed in when he was here a year ago. A few days ago I learned that the ancient name for Pozzuoli is Puteoli. According to Acts 28:13, Paul found some believers there, and it was his last stop before arriving at Rome.
On Saturday, Rachel and I drove to Pozzuoli. She has posted pictures of that outing on her facebook. I will put them on the blog here as well when I have an opportunity.
On Sunday we got up early to take the train to Rome. However, Rachel's knee was bothering her, so we pushed the trip to Roma off to another day.
Speaking of which, have you ever wondered why cities in foreign countries have English names? We call Napoli "Naples", Roma "Rome", and so on. Shouldn't there be a rule against that sort of thing? It would certainly reduce confusion for tourists.
10/15
Yesterday I ran into a friend from the Navigators at the Naval Academy. I had not seen him in 25 years, since when he graduated in '83, a year ahead of me. We only talked a little, but had lots of fun getting caught up on each other's life. Hank B married Lorraine, they have 8 children, and have been here about a year. He is an O-6 now (Navy Captain). I look forward to getting our families together.
10/13
It is hard to believe I have only been here just over a week. Most of my energy has gone into preparing for my family. I don’t expect to be a tour guide, but feel like the more Italian and the more connections I can learn, the better. I’m now comfortable with the basics of getting around. Rachel gets in tonight, and just in time. I’m starting to get lonely.
The one outing I expected to do by myself was an extended run, starting at Sorrento and heading out towards the island of Capri. Yesterday I left early and this time took some pictures.
10/11
Yesterday I bought a car, and today was spent cleaning it up: http://crabtreesineurope.blogspot.com/2008/10/our-car.html
10/5
Today I had my first adventure off of the base. After chapel I withdrew €70 (approx $100) and went to catch a train for downtown Naples. I was told that there is only one bus at the bus stop outside the gate at Naval Support Site, and it goes to the train station at Avenza. Well, according to the schedule, the bus runs hourly at 15 minutes to the hour. After waiting 25 minutes I decided to walk. This I would not have attempted, except that the new GPS told me exactly where the station was, how to get there, and how far away (2 miles).
After walking for 5 minutes, I saw the bus go by. That's how I remember Italy. The bus was either 1/2 hour late or 1/2 hour early.
On the walk over, I had a few surprises. First, there was a lot of garbage on the street. Much of it was partially bagged and rotting, like it had been set out but then never got picked up. I believe someone told us there had been a garbage collection strike. Another surprise was I was expecting to feel unsafe. I had even emptied my wallet of credit cards and extra cash, and left the video camera behind. On the walk I engaged a couple of young girls in conversation that were probably about 10 years old. Their parents evidently felt it was safe enough to let them walk downtown by themselves. I'm guessing that the most menacing looking thing on the streets today was a tall, middle-aged Americano who didn't have the sense to wear long pants or a long sleeved shirt.
There is evidence that robberies do happen. Most of the apartments near Aversa are built up around a little gated courtyard that opens to the street. Each courtyard stands like a miniature walled fort. At night, I imagine the gates are closed, so the only way into the apartment complex would be to scale the walls of the buildings.
Without too much difficutly I was able to purchase a round trip ticket for €2.90. The train ride was about 20 minutes. It ends at Napoli Centrali (equivalent of a Grand Central station) which incidentaly, has a MacDonalds. Although it was not in my plans to eat there, I felt it my duty to report how MacDonalds pizza tastes (it is Excellento).
Naples is different than I remembered it. For instance, the cars obeyed traffic lights. Maybe it is because today was Sunday and not that congested, or maybe the area has changed, but drivers were definitely more polite than I remember 15 years ago. I did not see any homeless or panhandlers. Also, there are lots of castles and historic buildings right down at the waterfront. The city is picturesque, with hills rising up dramatically from the water and buildings apparently carved out of the hills.
Lessons learned:
1) do not wear shorts unless going running or to the beach
2) GPS takes away all (or most of) the stress
3) dove la banjo (where is the bathroom) is a big deal. And when I did find it, there is someone waiting out front to take your money. I suppose their fig leaf of an excuse to take money is they keep the restrooms clean.
4) always bring the camera.
Today was a lot of fun.
I had heard that it takes a long time to get into a house, so I picked one quickly to start the process. It is in Pozzuoli, and turns out to be the same one that my friend Kevin K. stayed in when he was here a year ago. A few days ago I learned that the ancient name for Pozzuoli is Puteoli. According to Acts 28:13, Paul found some believers there, and it was his last stop before arriving at Rome.
On Saturday, Rachel and I drove to Pozzuoli. She has posted pictures of that outing on her facebook. I will put them on the blog here as well when I have an opportunity.
On Sunday we got up early to take the train to Rome. However, Rachel's knee was bothering her, so we pushed the trip to Roma off to another day.
Speaking of which, have you ever wondered why cities in foreign countries have English names? We call Napoli "Naples", Roma "Rome", and so on. Shouldn't there be a rule against that sort of thing? It would certainly reduce confusion for tourists.
10/15
Yesterday I ran into a friend from the Navigators at the Naval Academy. I had not seen him in 25 years, since when he graduated in '83, a year ahead of me. We only talked a little, but had lots of fun getting caught up on each other's life. Hank B married Lorraine, they have 8 children, and have been here about a year. He is an O-6 now (Navy Captain). I look forward to getting our families together.
Today Rachel and I worked out together at the gym. She took me through some of her yoga routine. If I can keep up with it I'll be in good shape by the time she leaves in January.
Tomorrow morning Rachel is going to ride the bus with me to the base at Capodichino. Our mission is to get her a military dependent's id card so she can get on the base without me.
10/14
Rachel is here now!! It's great having some company. She was already asleep when I got in last night at 9:30 p.m., so I of course woke her up and we talked until after midnight.
As Rachel brought a laptop, I expect internet access is going to be easier for me.
10/13
It is hard to believe I have only been here just over a week. Most of my energy has gone into preparing for my family. I don’t expect to be a tour guide, but feel like the more Italian and the more connections I can learn, the better. I’m now comfortable with the basics of getting around. Rachel gets in tonight, and just in time. I’m starting to get lonely.
The one outing I expected to do by myself was an extended run, starting at Sorrento and heading out towards the island of Capri. Yesterday I left early and this time took some pictures.
10/11
Yesterday I bought a car, and today was spent cleaning it up: http://crabtreesineurope.blogspot.com/2008/10/our-car.html
10/5
Today I had my first adventure off of the base. After chapel I withdrew €70 (approx $100) and went to catch a train for downtown Naples. I was told that there is only one bus at the bus stop outside the gate at Naval Support Site, and it goes to the train station at Avenza. Well, according to the schedule, the bus runs hourly at 15 minutes to the hour. After waiting 25 minutes I decided to walk. This I would not have attempted, except that the new GPS told me exactly where the station was, how to get there, and how far away (2 miles).
After walking for 5 minutes, I saw the bus go by. That's how I remember Italy. The bus was either 1/2 hour late or 1/2 hour early.
On the walk over, I had a few surprises. First, there was a lot of garbage on the street. Much of it was partially bagged and rotting, like it had been set out but then never got picked up. I believe someone told us there had been a garbage collection strike. Another surprise was I was expecting to feel unsafe. I had even emptied my wallet of credit cards and extra cash, and left the video camera behind. On the walk I engaged a couple of young girls in conversation that were probably about 10 years old. Their parents evidently felt it was safe enough to let them walk downtown by themselves. I'm guessing that the most menacing looking thing on the streets today was a tall, middle-aged Americano who didn't have the sense to wear long pants or a long sleeved shirt.
There is evidence that robberies do happen. Most of the apartments near Aversa are built up around a little gated courtyard that opens to the street. Each courtyard stands like a miniature walled fort. At night, I imagine the gates are closed, so the only way into the apartment complex would be to scale the walls of the buildings.
Without too much difficutly I was able to purchase a round trip ticket for €2.90. The train ride was about 20 minutes. It ends at Napoli Centrali (equivalent of a Grand Central station) which incidentaly, has a MacDonalds. Although it was not in my plans to eat there, I felt it my duty to report how MacDonalds pizza tastes (it is Excellento).
Naples is different than I remembered it. For instance, the cars obeyed traffic lights. Maybe it is because today was Sunday and not that congested, or maybe the area has changed, but drivers were definitely more polite than I remember 15 years ago. I did not see any homeless or panhandlers. Also, there are lots of castles and historic buildings right down at the waterfront. The city is picturesque, with hills rising up dramatically from the water and buildings apparently carved out of the hills.
Lessons learned:
1) do not wear shorts unless going running or to the beach
2) GPS takes away all (or most of) the stress
3) dove la banjo (where is the bathroom) is a big deal. And when I did find it, there is someone waiting out front to take your money. I suppose their fig leaf of an excuse to take money is they keep the restrooms clean.
4) always bring the camera.
Today was a lot of fun.
Our Car
10/13
I've been watching the base lemon lot, and on Friday (10/10) found the car for us. It is a 94 Volvo station wagon for which I paid $1100. It has all of the quality, reliability and panache you would expect from a car worth that kind of money. Here are some pictures.
The better part of Saturday was spent getting it started (the battery had run down), fixing cosmetic things and cleaning it up. It seems to be running fine. I will not be able to complete the purchase until after I get the base driving safety course on 10/15.
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