Day trip to Sperlonga

Since we found ourselves with a beautiful day on our hands yesterday, we decided to explore Sperlonga, a coastal town of historical significance 1 1/2 hours north of us. It was gorgeous...the old town center, where we had lunch, is built into the cliff overlooking the sea. Then we took a steep walk down to the beach, where the kids had a blast. Can't wait to go back in warmer weather and maybe visit the museum about Tiberius' villa and the grotto for which the town is named: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sperlonga

Nora's Newest Update

Many people haven't heard from the blog in a long time, so Mom is letting me do a post. Life is good in Naples. I have many good friends and have done many things. In September, we went to a Galleria for ice cream and went on a cruise. In December, we went to Rome. In January, I was in the spelling bee. And in February, I had a great Valentine's Day. Now it is March.
I just got my poem Months Of The Year published in Illuminations 2015. Also, Anna was born. She is so cute! We are doing well in our new home. Thomas continues to be his cute self and Caroline and I continue to fight and Anna continues to stare at us like we're all crazy! Mom will do another update soon, so you don't have to read this.
My best friends (here, at least!) are Mae, Faith, and Hudson. Mae is a nice My Little Pony Fan (like me!) , Faith is a giggly girly-girl, and Hudson is a cute, funny, freckled boy. They are all awesome!
I hope you liked my first entry!

Birthday/Pre-Christmas trip to Rome

To celebrate the occasion of Nora's 9th birthday yesterday, as well as Mike's day off and the beginning of winter break, we decided to take the train up to Rome on Saturday for a two night stay. Instead of trekking into down Naples, we picked up the train in the city of Aversa, which is 15-20 min. away from our house. The train ride itself was eventful. We discovered that no one seems to follow ticketing rules and just sit where they please.  When we boarded, all 5 of our seats were occupied and we had to ask all of those people (and their stuff) to leave.  No one batted an eye and no one apologized.  There was a good 10 minutes of jostling/reconfiguration until we were in our seats. I was half expecting someone to have a pet or livestock in one of their suitcases.

When we arrived at the Rome Termini station, we found our way towards the public bus that took us to the great apartment Mike found on Air BnB near Piazza Navona.  Boarding the bus was no small feat in and of itself, but we did it!  The bus took us along one of the main arteries of Rome, so there was lots of cool stuff for the kids to see.  After getting the keys and a short orientation from our hostess, Violetta (Thomas thereafter referred to our lodging as "Letta's apartment"), Mike and Thomas napped while the girls and I scouted out a local supermarket to get snacks and breakfast food. Once the boys were up, we all went back out again and strolled along Piazza Navona, which features an amazing fountain designed by Bernini and baroque St. Agnes Church designed by Borromini.  We were disappointed that there wasn't a Christmas market going on, which we read about online, but the kids were thrilled to discover a carousel in operation at the far end of the piazza and got to ride. We wandered back along small side streets until we found a cozy place to eat, Antica Taverna, which fit every stereotype of the quintessential Italian restaurant: checkered table cloths, red candles in chianti bottles dripping wax, wooden paneling, solicitous waiters.  Probably a tourist trap (should have been clued in by the American Christmas songs playing in the background), but we were all happy to be in such a warm, kid-friendly place, especially when Thomas knocked over an entire glass of water on the table.

The following morning, we took a brisk 15 minute walk to St. Peter's to attend the 10:30 Mass. We passed Castel San'Angelo on the way, the imposing medieval fortress across the Tiber that used to be a refuge for the Pope in the Middle Ages (connected by secret passageways to the Vatican) and a
prison in the 19th century.  The girls were fascinated by its intriguing history and I think that's when Nora started making up a story in her head about a young girl who finds out that her great-grandfather was Pope and, because the Church now follows rules of succession not election, becomes "Pope-ess." We encouraged her to write down her story so we can all find out what happens.  St. Peter's was very impressive, of course, but the girls and I agreed that we prefer the colorful mosaics of St. Mark's in Venice to the heavy Baroque ornamentation in St. Peter's (the art that "pops out" at you, as Nora put it).  Mike remains a fan of St. Peter's grandeur.  Wonder what Thomas thought?

After church, we lingered in St. Peter's Square to hear the Pope's noon address to the crowd from his apartment window.  It was quite an experience, even though we only picked up a little bit of what he was saying (since it was all Italian).  Then we wandered back to our neighborhood, had a delicious panini lunch, and deliberated what to do next. I was feeling pretty worn out from our morning walk, and Thomas refused to nap, so Mike took all the kids out to explore some more nearby sights (the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, overpriced caricatures by an artist in Piazza Navona) while I rested. Then we all went out for dinner at a great pizza place Mike had read about in Rick Steve's guidebook (Pizzeria Baffeto). Caroline ordered her favorite - marinara pizza (just crust, sauce and oregano, but it is wonderful!) and Nora was a fan of the anchovies on my Pizza Napoletana and kept asking for more.

On Monday morning, we decided to pack up and trek down to Ancient Rome to see as much as we could before catching our train back home.  Thanks to Mike's knack for figuring out schedules/tickets, we boarded a bus that took us straight down to the Colosseum.  Since we had our suitcase with us, we couldn't enter the Colosseum, but the kids were content to just walk around the outside and then, when they ceased being content, Mike found a local playground that we could take them to.  They were thrilled!  Then we found another cozy, family-owned place for lunch (Trattoria Lezzi) before getting on the Metro to get back to Termini station and board another crowded train where everyone seemed to be sitting in the wrong seats.  Fortunately, Thomas napped half of the way, the girls got along, and our car was waiting for us intact when we got back to the Aversa train station parking lot, so we had much to be grateful for.  Then it was back home for Nora's birthday dinner of honey mustard chicken, instant mashed potatoes and broccoli, followed by presents, skyping/phone calls with family, and double chocolate brownies.  What more could a 9 year old ask for?

Walking Via Coronari on our first night

Approaching St. Peter's

Look at the crowd facing us as we exited St. Peter's!

Pope Francis is up there...

Night view of our apartment

The kids loved our 1950s elevator with doors you had to manually open and shut

 

Birthday snuggles for Nora

Trip to the Amalfi Coast

Sorry it's been so long since our last post.  Our lives have been pretty routine, with Mike starting his regular work schedule and the girls being in full swing at school.  Last weekend, we got to get out of the bubble of the base and took a boat cruise from just outside Naples along the Amalfi Coast. When we arrived to board the bus that would transport us to the boat, the girls were delighted to see that some of their friends from school were going on the same cruise!  The crew became inseparable for most of the day. Here they are, waiting to board the boat, followed by a bright-eyed Thomas and Dad waiting too.

As we pulled away from the dock, we were able to get a view of the beautiful verdant mountains behind us, unlike the bare, dry mountains we're accustomed to seeing near the base. 

Turning the other way, we got a panoramic view of the Bay of Naples, with Mt. Vesuvius towering behind it.

A short time later, we stopped in Sorrento to pick up a few passengers, and then cruised along the spectacular coastline south of Naples until we reached Capri, where the boat docked briefly to allow some passengers to attempt a swim. Here are the girls, thoroughly enjoying themselves: 

The water was pretty rough that day, and even though the girls wanted to give it a try, Mike cautioned them against it once he jumped in the water. Some passengers were having a hard time avoiding knocking into the boat on their way down the rope ladders into the water!  As we sailed passed Capri, we saw the precipice where the Roman Emperor Tiberius is said to have forced prisoners to jump to their deaths back in Jesus' time.  It sent chills down my spine as I gazed up at the ancient ruins at the top of the cliff.   We are still in awe of the fact that so much of what we see here, from land formations to crumbling buildings - were part of the daily experience of people thousands of years ago. It is very humbling. 

After leaving Capri, we sailed passed picturesque Positano (couldn't stop there because the waves were too rough).

Then we journeyed on to Amalfi, where we had a 2 hour stop and got to visit the Cathedral of St. Andrew (which contains a peaceful cloister and basement chapel housing relics of the saint) and enjoyed refreshing gelato off a narrow, busy street winding through town. 

The cloister - a peaceful moment interrupted by 2 crazy kids stage right

View from the top of the Cathedral steps

 It was a long day, and it was quite challenging to keep the kids entertained and sane during the 2-3 hour trip each way, but it was worth it, as the pictures show!

Our first week in Naples

After living out of suitcases and being on the road for a month visiting family and friends, we arrived at the Naples Airport in Capodichino on Wednesday, August 20th, where our sponsor met us and took us to the Navy Lodge at the Navy Support Site in Gricignano di Aversa (a Naples suburb), where Mike will be working at the Dental Clinic and we hope to live the next 3 years.  We kept busy the first three days: registered the kids for school (on base), attended a couple of welcome picnics, and were treated to our first real Italian dinner in town. We adjusted to the time change just in time for the first day of school on Monday, August 25th. Here are Nora and Caroline in front of our hotel on their walk to school the first day, and Caroline's sign of approval when I picked her up at the end of the day.

The girls are both big fans of the school lunches - "Mom, they serve pasta every day!" - and like their teachers and new friends. Mike and I are impressed by the variety of special classes the school offers. In addition to the usual offerings of music, art and PE, the school also offers Spanish instruction for K-3, Host Nation instruction to all (Italian culture and language), and Music & Movement.

While the kids were in school, Mike attended Orientation, while Thomas and I held down the fort and popped in and out of those orientation sessions that were important for me to attend as well.  On Friday, we took a USO sponsored bus tour of downtown Naples, where we got a wonderful overview of the city layout and history and got our first taste of the city (quite literally - Naples is full of smells, both good and bad!). We had fun walking around downtown with our old Norfolk neighbors, the Hellers, and experiencing the folly of trying to eat like Italians (authentic food al fresco) on an American timetable (had to catch our bus within 90 minutes). We ended up running for the bus with our entrees in to go boxes, but the antipasti/appetizers we got to enjoy together at the table made the whole venture worthwhile. I always thought New York had the best pizza, but there is nothing like pizza from THE birthplace of pizza! Here's a view of our family in front of the Bay of Naples, a view of the Piazza Trieste e Trento from our table, and a view of us trying to wait patiently for our main courses.

We spent Saturday relaxing at the pool on base with some new friends (the girls love the pool -- it has a very fun waterslide) and caught up on food shopping/organizing.  On Sunday, we attended Mass at the chapel on base, and then ventured back into Naples on our own using public transportation. We met up with the Hellers downtown at Castel Nuovo ("I never thought I'd ever say 'Meet you at the castle at 1!'," Julie Heller commented), stopped for some refreshing gelato at the Galleria Umberto I, and then made our way to the funicular that would take us up to the Vomero neighborhood, which overlooks Naples and features the historic Castel Sant'Elmo.  Here is the view that we got to enjoy:

The kids got a kick out of riding up and down the side of the mountain in the funicular (although we were a little disappointed that part of the ride was in a tunnel and not outside). We learned on our bus tour Friday night that Naples has 4 or 5 funiculars going up and down the hills surrounding the city. The first one was built in the 1880s and went up the side of Mt. Vesuvius, but was destroyed when Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 1944.  That funicular was the basis for the famous song "Funiculi, Funicula" (which was written to commemorate the opening of the funicular and to encourage more people to ride it). I was vaguely aware of that song before, but didn't know much about it. But ever since I looked it up and started listening to it, I can't get it out of my head! Have a listen: Pavarotti sings "Funiculi, Funicula"

Here's the translation (thanks, Wikipedia):
Yesterday evening, O Nannina^[a], I climbed up,
Do you know where?
To where an ungrateful heart can no longer vex me!
Where a fire is burning, but if you flee
It lets you be.
It doesn't chase you, doesn't melt you, with just one glance!
Let's go, let's go, let's go to the top,
Let's go, let's go, let's go to the top,
Funiculì, funiculà, funiculì, funiculà!
Let's go to the top, Funiculì, funiculà!

Let's go from here below up to the mountain, O Nannina, a step away!
You can see France, Procida, and Spain,
And I see you!
You rise, pulled by a cable, quick as a wink
into the sky.
We'll rise up like a whirlwind all of a sudden knows how to do!
Let's go, let's go, let's go to the top,
Let's go, let's go, let's go to the top,
Funiculì, funiculà, funiculì, funiculà!
Let's go to the top, Funiculì, funiculà!

My head is spinning, O Nannina, It's gone up there already!
It went there, spun 'round, and then returned:
It's always here!
My head is spinning, spinning,
Encircling you!
This heart of mine is always singing
the same refrain:
"Marry me, O Nannina"!
Let's go, let's go, let's go to the top,
Let's go, let's go, let's go to the top,
Funiculì, funiculà, funiculì, funiculà!
Let's go to the top, Funiculì, funiculà![