50 days away - nearing an end

Naples was very different to what we were expecting. It is like 2 completely different cities all rolled into one. The coastline was just spectacular and right at the doorstep of the city. You could walk for kilometers along the walkway edge and never grow tired of the view. Thats Mount Vesuvius in the background.

We also loved watching the fishermen selling their catch straight off the boats.

The centre part of Naples is a mixture. Its totally crazy and yet totally organised at the same time. There appears to be no road rules but everyone is courteous and we saw no road rage or crashes, which it surprising considering the volume of traffic.

The centre city, which boasts many fine and ancient buildings, is itself a real disappointment. The ‘tourist walk’ is in an area which is totally covered in graffiti and it is dirty and littered with household rubbish and dog excrement. A real shame! There are 2 beautiful castles within easy walk of the centre. They are like pictures from a fairytale book – from a distance. Both sustained huge amounts of damage as they protected the city over many centuries of battles. And then there were decades of neglect....

A lot of effort has been, and is being made to preserve them. Walking around inside gives you the feeling of being in another world. They are massive. Like a city inside. Looking over the edge to the sea it just looks as if the castle is coming up and out of the rock that it is sitting on. Which of course it is! In places its hard to see where one line finishes and another starts.

We danced in Naples at a Sunday night milonga called Salon Baires. A nice little venue in a very unexpected spot. We walked to the street by day so we were certain we knew where we were going. It was only a 15 minute walk from where we were staying. By day looks a bit grim and secretive with the location down a narrow dingy street and locked gates allowing only a peep into the courtyard beyond. But by night its transformed, and was just beautiful. The gates were open, the courtyard all lit up and the music is just oozing out to greet you. Lovely music and a nice evening.

We enjoyed our time in Naples. It was a mixture of mild days, scorching hot days and one cold wet day ( the day we planned to go on the ‘topless’ explorer bus). Oh well – that’s Murphy’s Law!

We had a lovely few hours on that cold wet day at the Museum of Archeology. What a place. It was originally a palace and has been changed and added to, to make it a suitable venue for the museum. Floors and floors of statues and marble and mosaics. Lots from major wealthy families of bygone years, and a lot excavated from the ruins of Pompeii. I had a total fixation on the marble statues and particularly the feet. Incredible details showing toenails, veins, shoes and sandals of the time. Each foot was around 25cm long so the whole statue in each case was enormous. A real showcase of the skill of the time.

 

We left Naples on a sunny day and headed for Rome to begin the final leg of our journey home. Amazing autostrada made the journey smooth and simple – no more tight alleys!

Rome to Buenos Aires seemed to take forever. It was just over 14 hours and a real test of stamina. We arrived at 4.30 am and by the time we cleared customs (a breeze) and got the taxi to the hotel it was just on 6am. The first thing on the agenda was some sleep in a proper bed. So we allowed ourselves around 2.5 hours and then up for showers and breakfast before a final bit of time enjoying one of our favourite cities.

We love Buenos Aires. Everytime we go, we just get to know it a bit more. Some final milongas were on the agenda and so we decided to go to La Nacionale d’Italia run by Mi Refugio on Wednesday night. Last time we went really struggled to get a table so this time we decided to go early. Started at 9 and so we decided to arrive at 9.30. It was almost deserted! So we sat and had a drink and enjoyed the music until a few others arrived. It really didn’t get started until 11.30 or so and by this time we were seriously running short on energy after our long flight the same day. However, all in all a lovely milonga, and one of our favourite places to dance.

Late this afternoon after a short nap, we went across the road from our hotel to dance at El Arranque. Literally across the road! We wore our dance shoes instead of changing them there. The place was totally packed and humming. We had a lovely final milonga of our trip.

As I write this I am sitting on the plane as we make our final leg of the trip back to Auckland, I will put it on the site once we have arrived. This time Aerolineas Argentinas actually departed exactly on time. This is probably a first for us travelling with them.

Its been 50 days.

50 days of adventures, photos, memories and new friends.

We started our journey in late spring and it will be winter when we touch down later this morning.
There are still lots of stories to tell and I am sure that they will be told over the coming few months.