ANOTHER CITY BY THE BAY

We had a very rough night last night. The winds got up to 50-60 mph gusts so we had a pretty bumpy time of it. The TV has a channel that gives you the weather conditions at sea so we can keep up with what's going on outside. I really don't mind the rough water that much as long as I have my seasick pills.

We woke up very early and looked out over our balcony to see the buses all waiting for their passengers to take us on our next adventure.

As we looked a little farther, we had this view of Mt. Vesuvius in the early morning light. That was a beautiful sight.

This shot was taken a little later in the day when the smog had lifted, or should I say settled.

We left so early that we got into the early morning rush hour. It took us nearly 45 minutes to go only a few blocks. You can still see our ship as we were gridlocked in a traffic jam.

Naples is my least favorite city on this trip. It seems very congested and there was lots of graffiti on many of the buildings so it didn't really seem all that clean. All of the other places we have visited have been spotless.

The traffic was unbelievable as there were hundreds of cars, trucks, motor scooters, or should I say Vespas and pedestrians.

We passed several military tanks as we drove along but they didn't seem to really be doing anything besides watching the traffic go by.

We were finally leaving the congested areas and were on our way to another part of the coast.

The traffic circles were embellished with lovely fountains.

As the bus wound it's way through the city we came upon the Piazza del Gesù Nuovo. Commissioned by the Jesuit Francesco Pepe for the centre of Piazza del Gesù, this baroque obelisk was realized according to Giuseppe Genoino’s project and it was built in 1747. Medallions, festoons and angels are positioned on various levels of the pyramidal structure, ending with the copper statue of the Virgin Mary. Every December 8 the city pays its homage to the Virgin by putting a bunch of roses on its top.

When we left the city, we made our way to the highest point in Naples which overlooked the bay on the Amalfi Coast. The roads were lined with Umbrella Pines and I must say that the view was spectacular.

Naples is also well-known for its historic castles: the ancient Castel Nuovo is one of the most notable architectural representatives on the city.

The castle which Nuovo replaced in importance was the Norman founded Castel dell'Ovo. Its name means Egg Castle and it is built on the tiny islet Megarides, where the Cumaean colonists founded the city. It didn't look much like an egg to me, but that's what we were told.

On our drive back to the ship, we saw many places where the laundry was hanging out of the windows to dry. You don't think about this in our country as most people either have dryers or a yard with a clothes line. However, in the cities, they have no other choice if they live in a high rise.

We returned to the ship just in time for a drink by the pool and some pizza.

It only seems appropriate to eat pizza in Naples as they are famous for their Neapolitan Pizza.

From there we went to our suite, played cards for a while

and then took a LONG nap. I made sure to sleep there as I didn't want to look like this woman by the pool!

We have a special treat in store for us tonight. Our entertainment is an illusionist and I love magic! His name is Leo Ward and his performance was cutting edge with mind blowing illusions, comedy and slight of hand tricks.

It was extremely enjoyable. You can check him out at this link if you're interested.
leoward.com
All in all, it has been a great day.

XOXO, Pcasso