Capri

Ahhhh yes,one can definately acclimate to the caprician lifestyle quickly. It's fantastically relaxing, invigorating and recharging for the soul. Maria and I have defiately experienced some homesickness, so these past few days have been much needed. We had an adventurous,and admitadely scarry time trying to get here from Florence. First, our train from Florence to Naples was supposed to be only four hours long, not bad right, we knew we would be dining with family that night, so what's another long train ride. I comfortably dozzed off only to awake an hour later to a stopped train. After asking around, maria and I were told that something was blocking the tracks and we would be on our way within an hour. One hour passed, then another, then film crews started showing up outside the train, then the Italian passengers became restless from being deprived of their cigarettes, then, and I kid you not, they were given smoking privelages on the train. The train workers would not allow them off the train to smoke because of the dangers of standing on or near the tracks, it would be hazardous to their health I suppose (some irony, I think). So, after four hours of sitting on a stopped train and watching other trains pass by, all the while wondering how if something were blocking the tracks, why hadn't they moved it, and why was it not blocking other tracks, we were told that one of the locomotives wheels had broken, and we were not able to continue further unless we had a new locomotive. So back to a station that could give us a new locomotive, then back on course we were. When we finally made it to naples, it was 9 at night, just in time to have missed the last boat to capri. Now, the real problem with our situation was not having to improvise a new plan, but it was improvising a new plan in Naples, home of the mob, home of dirty dank and scarry streets. I half expected to be greeted by the godfather or one of his goons as we stepped off the train. So, we chose the first hotel we found to stay with the promise of a boat to Capri the next morning, "the Hotel Mignon". All in all it wasn't that bad, the room was clean...sort of, and it kept us off the streets for the night. We settled in exhausted from our ten hours on broken scarry Italian trains and turned on the television only to see the top story on national Italian news was a train broken down in the middle of Nowhere Italy, at least we made the news! After watching a little of Dirty Dancing overdubbed in Italian, we stepped out on our balcony to watch the chaos below us that is Naples streets at nights. It wasn't long until we noticed that some scantilly clad women were going in and out of our hotel entrance. Then we noticed they would stand on the surrounding street corners until invited into the hotel, do you see were I'm going with this? Apparently the hotel mignon had a reputation, but at least it kept us off the streets! So the next morning, we caught a ferry to Capri. The waters were incredibly rough, and for a time, I could fully appreciate lobster fisherman in Alaska, maria dug her finger nails deep into my hands, as I tried to reassure we weren't going to sink, and then, there it was before us, Capri, paradise and home until the end of September. Within an hour we were eating pasta, bread and fruit at maria's aunt's house, sharing Italian kisses on the left and right cheek( remember to go to the right first or you might end up planting one right on someones smackers). Ah yes, this is the life for me. Josh and Chrisinda joined us for three full days but had to leave today for Rome. We had the best time with them, and it seemed so surreal sharing food and drinks with them on their last night last night! It was a real treat having them with us and we were sad to see them leave as both maria and I know, we have the best friends in the world! As for now, I must go kiss my wife good night. Tomorrow we shall have another great day with maria's nona ida, and her aunt linda. So from maria and me to all of you out there in blogland, buona notte.