Naples: arrival
Naples was much more fun than I'd anticipated. (See, score a point for the glass half-empty corner; isn't it nice to be pleasantly surprised, instead of glumly disappointed?) I knew enough to expect chaos, noise, crime, and all the general stereotypes that tend to come with Southern Italy. It's generally not a destination discussed in the same excited tones as people planning a trip to say, Rome, or Milan. Why did we end up going there? J and I wanted to escape some of the winter greys we've had in the last few weeks, and also (perhaps more crucially), the air tickets were really cheap.
I think we had fun because it was so visually exciting, and so different from the calm and quiet orderliness of Switzerland. February is low season in Italy, so the city wasn't as crowded as it otherwise would be; some of the places we visited were nearly empty and there was never a queue, which is always a huge plus in J's book. The kids were able to walk for fairly long distances without complaining (much), and now that The Bun is much more aware of history, especially Egyptian and Roman history, it is also more interesting for us to have discussions with him about what he is looking at.
Typical street - no pavement to walk on, so watch out for cars!
This trip was the first time we all traveled with carry-on luggage, three small suitcases, instead of one big check-in bag that we used to take. I figured we wouldn't be doing any shopping, and as long as there was a supermarket near our AirBnB we would be fine. I had to be a bit creative with the restriction on liquids (the kids had mild colds so I brought all their medication along) but it worked out fine. It made our overall travel cost cheaper (no check-in fee) and there was no waiting around at baggage carousels (another huge plus for J).
Waiting for the Metro.
We also bought the kids properly-fitted backpacks so that they could carry their own junk. I used to be the packhorse of the family but no more! They take their own notebooks and pens, whatever stuffed toy they want, their water bottles and their snacks, and when the load is divided up the backpacks aren't actually heavy. They didn't complain at all. I can't imagine why we didn't do this earlier; I guess it was because previous iterations of backpacks didn't feel very comfortable, and (more likely) I had a part of my brain still stuck in diaper-bag mode and I was so used to carrying all their rubbish around for them.
As usual, we stayed in an AirBnB apartment, a two-bedroom one in the city centre. It looked grungy on the outside at first look, but then again it seems like the entire city is covered in graffiti, and the apartment itself was old but clean, and apart from the fact that you can't use more than three appliances at the same time, it was fine. The best part of it was its location - near a Metro station, and just a block away was a street full of lively cafes and shops. We could walk to many of the sights and restaurants, and every afternoon we would come back to the apartment for everyone to rest and chill before tackling dinner.
Outside our AirBnB's main gate, waiting for the host.
Unfortunately, the noise from the street was pretty bad. On the first night I woke up at 4am because the rubbish collectors had arrived (this also happened in Lisbon - why do these cities have to deal with their rubbish in the middle of the night?!), and with all their banging around, I could hardly get back to sleep. Then on another night there had evidently been some football match on, so many of the drunkards and football fans were yelling and laughing as they walked down our street en route to the Metro station. There was also a small leak coming from one of the underground pipes in the street, and when did the city council decide to fix it? Well, at 9.30pm at night, with drilling, digging, swearing etc. It was a good thing the kids' bedroom faced the inner courtyard where it was quieter, because if those two hadn't had a good night's sleep they would have been nightmares the day after.
Anyway, sleep issues aside, the trip was great. No crowds (except on the Circumvesuviana train, which makes me shudder to imagine what it must be like in the summer), mild, sunny weather, and an essentially compact city centre for easy exploration. It also helped that we all like Italian food, especially the kids, and it was so easy to have them dine with us because none of the restaurants ever blinked an eye at their presence and the kitchen was always willing to make them something off the menu.
Next post: the food!
I think we had fun because it was so visually exciting, and so different from the calm and quiet orderliness of Switzerland. February is low season in Italy, so the city wasn't as crowded as it otherwise would be; some of the places we visited were nearly empty and there was never a queue, which is always a huge plus in J's book. The kids were able to walk for fairly long distances without complaining (much), and now that The Bun is much more aware of history, especially Egyptian and Roman history, it is also more interesting for us to have discussions with him about what he is looking at.
Typical street - no pavement to walk on, so watch out for cars!
This trip was the first time we all traveled with carry-on luggage, three small suitcases, instead of one big check-in bag that we used to take. I figured we wouldn't be doing any shopping, and as long as there was a supermarket near our AirBnB we would be fine. I had to be a bit creative with the restriction on liquids (the kids had mild colds so I brought all their medication along) but it worked out fine. It made our overall travel cost cheaper (no check-in fee) and there was no waiting around at baggage carousels (another huge plus for J).
Waiting for the Metro.
We also bought the kids properly-fitted backpacks so that they could carry their own junk. I used to be the packhorse of the family but no more! They take their own notebooks and pens, whatever stuffed toy they want, their water bottles and their snacks, and when the load is divided up the backpacks aren't actually heavy. They didn't complain at all. I can't imagine why we didn't do this earlier; I guess it was because previous iterations of backpacks didn't feel very comfortable, and (more likely) I had a part of my brain still stuck in diaper-bag mode and I was so used to carrying all their rubbish around for them.
As usual, we stayed in an AirBnB apartment, a two-bedroom one in the city centre. It looked grungy on the outside at first look, but then again it seems like the entire city is covered in graffiti, and the apartment itself was old but clean, and apart from the fact that you can't use more than three appliances at the same time, it was fine. The best part of it was its location - near a Metro station, and just a block away was a street full of lively cafes and shops. We could walk to many of the sights and restaurants, and every afternoon we would come back to the apartment for everyone to rest and chill before tackling dinner.
Outside our AirBnB's main gate, waiting for the host.
Unfortunately, the noise from the street was pretty bad. On the first night I woke up at 4am because the rubbish collectors had arrived (this also happened in Lisbon - why do these cities have to deal with their rubbish in the middle of the night?!), and with all their banging around, I could hardly get back to sleep. Then on another night there had evidently been some football match on, so many of the drunkards and football fans were yelling and laughing as they walked down our street en route to the Metro station. There was also a small leak coming from one of the underground pipes in the street, and when did the city council decide to fix it? Well, at 9.30pm at night, with drilling, digging, swearing etc. It was a good thing the kids' bedroom faced the inner courtyard where it was quieter, because if those two hadn't had a good night's sleep they would have been nightmares the day after.
Anyway, sleep issues aside, the trip was great. No crowds (except on the Circumvesuviana train, which makes me shudder to imagine what it must be like in the summer), mild, sunny weather, and an essentially compact city centre for easy exploration. It also helped that we all like Italian food, especially the kids, and it was so easy to have them dine with us because none of the restaurants ever blinked an eye at their presence and the kitchen was always willing to make them something off the menu.
Next post: the food!