In Napoli

Any day that doesn't involve a grown man riding a unicycle made for a Barbie doll has got to be better than the last day. And, we were in Naples.

Bill and I had never been further south than Rome, and so we were eager to visit Naples, but somewhat apprehensive. Father David had warned us to watch our backs, Rick Steves' guide books said to make sure we stayed on well-traveled streets, and our cruise director reminded everyone to be careful.

Naples is the third largest city in Italy (after Rome and Milan), but it feels larger than either. It is crowded, dirty, intense, loud, and full of an energy like I've never experienced anywhere else. I would never choose to spend a lot of time in Naples, but we really enjoyed our day. We did watch our backs, we were very careful, but, as usual, we got lost and walked through local neighborhoods where there were absolutely no tourists. Oh well; two out of three ain't bad, and we made it through alive and with all of our belongings.

Two years ago, when we were in Italy, we had hoped to visit Naples. At that time, however, they had a garbage strike with garbage literally piling up everywhere, and we decided to forgo a trip to Napoli at that time. Bill and I agreed today that we made a good decision, because even today, the streets were full of garbage, but apparently not like it was then.

The local people dress in dark clothes that match their dark coloring. They talk loudly and gesture with their hands. Many of them have dogs with them, so we had to walk very carefully to avoid the ensuing doggie poop. But you'd better not be looking down for poop as you walk, because the people of Naples will not move aside for you. They will walk right into you. They seriously walk as though they are playing chicken (Ah-ha! You flinched!).

Traffic was intense. We found that the only way we could cross a street was to get next to a local and just cross with them, which is never, ever in the crosswalk. You can get killed in a crosswalk. You just step out into the street and walk decisively. Honking, honking, honking.

Scooters are everywhere, and literally ignore traffic lights and signs. Scooters with three or more people on them. Scooter drivers talking on the telephone. Bill even saw a scooter driver reading a newspaper as he drove.

We had Neapolitan coffee, which is dark and delicious. And we had wonderful, wonderful, Neapolitan pizza. Rome and Naples are in constant competition over who makes the best pizza. I know I'm influenced by whatever pizza I've eaten most recently, but today's pizza was unbelievably good. The crust is chewier than Roman pizza, and the flavorings more powerful (not surprising in this city where everything is powerful). I had diavola, which was made with very spicy chunks of salami and a tomato sauce made with pepperincino. Bill had pizza with prosciutto, arugula, and parmaggiano reggiano cheese. We randomly picked a pizzeria which was off the beaten path, and our choice was good.

We saw a piece of art that was one of the most amazing I've seen anywhere, by an artist of whom I've never heard – Giuseppe Sammartino. The statue, carved out of a single piece of marble, shows Jesus lying on pillows on a bed, covered by a thin veil. The veil is so realistic that you almost want to touch it. You can see Jesus' nail wounds on his hands and feet through the veil. It was spectacular.

We got back to the ship early enough to rest some before dinner. After dinner, the evening's production featured the East Coast Boys, who are a take-off on the Jersey Boys, which is the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. They were very good, and we enjoyed the show a great deal.

We learned tonight that the office of Cultural Affairs in Greece is going on strike, so we will be unable to visit any of the museums in Athens. We are very disappointed. There was fear that there would also be a transportation strike, but that didn't transpire. That would have impacted all forms of transportation in Athens (and elsewhere in Greece).

Tomorrow is a day at sea as we make our way over to Greece and their striking workers. By the way, we had to turn our clocks forward one last time, so we are now nine hours ahead of our friends and family in Denver. We will stay here until we get Sicily, when we will have the hour back.