Assisi, Pompeii, Sorrento, Amalfi, and Napoli

The kids had three days off of school for Carnevale, the big holiday before the 40 days of Lent start. I took a couple of days off of work and we headed down south to have a real Italian experience. First stop was the home of San Francesco (AKA St. Francis, San Francisco): Assisi in Umbria.

The day was overcast and threatening rain constantly, but luckily it didn't rain much. Assisi is an old walled mountain city overlooking a large plain. Here are the kids sitting on the wall getting ready to start our adventure. On the drive down Ashley tried to tell them about San Francesco but kept hearing that "We already know that from our Catholic religion class!" The current Pope took the name of Francesco and came here last year to celebrate mass in his namesake's hometown.

This is the old Temple of Minerva in the main piazza (that used to be the Roman forum) that was converted into (surprise) a Catholic church.

 This is the Basilica of San Francesco. He is entombed in the basement of the church.

This is the expanse of lawn in front of the basilica. The bushes form the latin word "pax", which means peace.

From Assisi we headed further south in Italy than we had ever been before and found our apartment in Sorrento, a lovely beach town south of the Bay of Naples. We woke up to a spectacular view of the town, the water, and Mount Vesuvius towering over the area.

Look at that thing! It is an active volcano and is way overdue for an eruption (last one was in 1944). They say that they can tell when it is about to erupt about two weeks ahead of time. Unfortunately, it would take much longer than that to evacuate the over three million people that live in the nearby area. Disaster waiting to happen. Did we learn nothing from Pompeii?

Speaking of which, here is Juliet at the entrance to the ruins of Pompeii, with Vesuvius ever-present in the background. We visited at the right time of year, with cool weather and occasional rain showers. In the summer this place can be crowded and scorching from what I've heard.

This is inside the basilica of Pompeii, which was their courthouse. It had been destroyed by an earthquake 17 years before the eruption and they were still in the process of rebuilding it when Vesuvio (as it is known around here) blew its top.

This is the Temple of Apollo, just across the street from the basilica. The statues and artwork are all replicas, as the originals have been moved to museums.

This is one of the reconstructed facades that faces the Forum Romanum in the center of town.

Here are Georgie and Isaac standing in the Forum with the Temple of Jupiter and Vesuvio in the background.

Another shot of the Temple of Jupiter as Ashley walks along the original forum marble flooring.

This is facing back the other direction in the Forum.

This is one of the public baths, the Terme Stabianae.

This is the palaestra, or gymnasium, with a swimming pool in the center. All of the canopy evergreens in the background are originally from Africa and the seeds came over either attached to the fur or in the stool of captured African animals that the Romans brought for exhibitions and public slaughter.

Isaac inside the large Roman amphitheater where the exhibitions, gladiator contests, public spectacles, and chariot races were held.

Here I am outside the amphitheater. Not as grand as the Colloseum, but still spectacular.

This is the large theatre where plays were performed.

Here is Georgie performing on the stage of the smaller theatre.

Back in the main forum, this is a reconstructed part of the row of columns that lined the forum with a Latin inscription carved into the marble.

Georgie, using her Italian background, is trying to interpret the Latin inscriptions.

The kids really enjoyed Pompeii, although they lost steam after a few hours. I could have stayed there for days.

Here is one of the famous plaster casts that were formed from human-shaped holes in the lava and ash layers. Some of the positions the people were found in are heartbreaking.

These bodies are located in the Macellum or market area right off of the main forum. Notice the frescoes on the walls and the position of the person's arm. He likely was shielding his face from the heat blast of 250 degrees that is thought to have killed the local population. The people were small, with about 5 feet being the average height of the bodies we saw.

More columns along the forum just outside the Macellum. The Italian word for butcher shop is "macelleria."

Inside the glass case is the plaster mold of a dog. All around are artifacts found in the homes and shops. The large pitchers on the right were for wine and some of them were found labeled "Vesuvinum", which a pun involving the words Vesuvius and vinum, Latin for wine.

Imagine this person's last moments just before the 250 degree blast wave. Wow.

Inside one of the thermal baths. This large marble structure was a fountain.

These mini-strongmen sculptures are holding up the ceiling of the men's dressing room in the bath house.

And this is the ceiling of the locker room. Obviously not a joint for the meek and humble citizens of Pompeii.

This is a food stand right across the street from the bath house and we saw many similar set ups all over the city. The vendors would build fires in the circular holes to keep the food dishes warm.

This is the entryway to the House of the Tragic Poet, one of the best preserved homes in the city. This mosaic flooring with the picture of a chained dog is inscribed with the words "Cave Canem", which you don't need me to translate for you. "Beware of Dog."

This is the inner courtyard of the home.

This is the dining room with frescoes of fake window scenes.

This is the inner courtyard looking out through the entryway. The square in the middle was for collecting rainwater.

This is the "Welcome" mat of the largest, grandest home in Pompeii, the House of the Faun. "Have" means "Hail" in Latin.

This is the portico entryway to the home.

The statue in the middle of the rainwater square (a replica of course) is the Faun that the house is named for. Where Georgie is standing is the homeowner's office area and beyond that the inner courtyard.

Another replica, but just look at this mosaic from the 1st century CE. It depicts a scene from the conquests of Alexander the Great. Look at the three dimensionality of the horse's rear in the center and the dead horse to the left. Pre-renaissance artists struggled for hundreds of years trying to achieve that effect, and there it was, buried beneath 25 meters of ash and lava for over a millennium.

The inner courtyard just beyond the Alexander the Great mosaic.

Isaac took this picture of a typical small street in Pompeii.

Ashley in her element: a mill and bakery. The large grindstones would have been turned by wooden poles through the center. On the left is one of the oldest Italian pizza ovens in existence.

How far did we walk in Pompeii? Far enough that Jubie's hand-me-down boots from Georgie that we bought at the Payless in Altus fell apart by the end of the day.

That evening we spent in Sorrento, the town near our apartment. It was an absolutely gorgeous evening. We fell in love with everything southern Italy that night.

The big kids taking in the view.

In the background is the Marina Grande, where the kids frolicked in the surf.

Vesuvius haunted our nights as well as our days.

The kids thoroughly enjoyed themselves and soaked more than one pair of shoes on this trip.

We finished up the night at a fantastic restaurant followed by some of the best mascarpone-flavored (kind of a cream cheese) gelato on earth. The restaurant staff were so friendly and typically Italian that it really crystallized the whole Italian experience for me in that one evening.

Now, the only reason the kids look bored is because they were exhausted from the long day at Pompeii. Earlier they were both playing their instruments enthusiastically, but I had to record the singing of the quintessential Neopolitan song, "O Sole Mio."

The next day was all about the Amalfi Coast. After an embarrassingly amateur navigation blunder, I finally got us to the town of Praiano where we parked and set off on a journey to find a beach.

This is in Praiano looking west back towards Positano.

Another shot of Praiano with it's brightly colored duomo.

This is looking east towards Amalfi, which is around the point seen on the right. The castle turret on the coast in the center is near where we found our secluded beach paradise.

Here it is. Notice how they have cut out a walkway underneath the cliffs that surround this little enclave.

The houses and shops are built right into the cliffs. The wall of the restaurant where we ate lunch was cliff face, full of dynamite hollows and jack hammer lines.

Absolutely jam-packed in the summer, but we had it to ourselves in early March.

On the beach was a small dingy that didn't seem to belong to anyone. But soon a fisherman emerged and rowed it out to his boat that was anchored in the small cove. He drove a hundred yards out to his net and started reeling it in, plunking the fish that came out into a bucket. Once he was done, his assistant brought the bucket back onto shore and gave us a peek inside. Small tuna-like fish and a decent sized octopus. Even though I was abhorred at the fate of that intelligent cephalopod, it was still a fascinating experience to see it up close.

This is a parting shot of our cove as I headed back to the car. Isaac cuts a solitary figure in the fading hours of afternoon sunlight. I was able to drive the van off the main road, which you can see heading into a tunnel above the cove, right down to a parking lot just above the beach. That saved some serious whining on what would have been a long walk back.

On that walk back I found this on the side of the road: a manger scene (presepe) built as a small scale model of the town of Praiano.

Our final stop of the evening was the town of Amalfi, which reminded me of a smaller, quieter, more third world version of Monaco.

It was still a gorgeous afternoon. Jubie had fallen asleep in the car so I took the big kids to (what else?) play in the surf.

More wet shoes.

Just a random shot of Amalfi that I thought too gorgeous to pass up.

The duomo and main square in Amalfi. Great gelato there as well, I recommend the Amalfi flavor, kind of an orange creme, from the Gelateria Artigenale just north of the square. Coming down that street that heads north out of town we ran into the local Carnevale parade, with tons of kids in costumes dancing to music blaring from a parade float of oversized Disney characters.

As the sun set and we prepared to drive back to Sorrento, Jubie felt the need to express her amazement at the combination of natural and man-made beauty around us.

The next morning was the last day of our trip and we packed up and headed towards the birthplace of pizza. The largest, most non-touristy. dirtiest, and most dangerous city on the Italian peninsula: Napoli! (Naples just sounds wrong.)

First stop: L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele, founded in 1870 by the portly gentleman on the right, presumably Michele (pronounced "Mee-KEH-lay") The poem on the wall is written in Napolese-Italian and is an ode to the margherita pizza, which they claim to have perfected.

This is the entirety of their operation, right here. The older gentleman on the left rolls the dough and then adds the sauce, cheese, and oil. Only two types of pizza here: cheese or no cheese (marghertia and marinara). No toppings! This is the authentic Neopolitan pizza, people. The gents on the right bake and serve the pizzas. The picture of Julia Roberts by our table is from a scene in the presumably awful (I wouldn't know) movie "Eat, Pray, Love" when she ate at this pizzeria with her Italian friend Luca Spaghetti.

Here is Jubie with her "small" pizza, which she almost completely finished.

Here is Georgie's "medium" pizza, which she definitely finished.

Isaac went big: the "doppia mozzarella", the biggest one they have. And yes, he finished it!

Want proof? Here it is. Five clean plates. Our server was very proud.

We finished up by walking around the streets of Napoli and seeing the duomo. I was entranced by the authentic feel of the inner city, with small dirty streets jammed with small cars and southern Italians yelling at each other in a barely comprehensible version of Dante's language. We bought Isaac a cheap Napoli soccer jersey as well as an awesome scarf that says "FORZA NAPOLI!", which he promptly wore to school the next day.

I came back from this trip in love with southern Italy and anxious to head back. Kind of like how all our trips end. If only we could extend our European time a little bit longer...

London!

On February 21 Ashley and I headed to London with our good friends Megan and Greg Trifilo. Our equally good friends Ben and Charlotte Crandall watched the giblets for the weekend. Ashley had found a great deal on an apartment in Soho, right smack dab in the theatre district on the north bank wedged between the financial district on the east and the tourist landmarks on the west. Everything was fantastic, including the neighborhood and the apartment.

Here is Ashley relaxing in a Dr. Evil egg chair.

We went exploring as soon as we arrived. Here are Ashley and in the shopping/theatre district. We love our kids, but boy was it wonderful to be unfettered for a few days in a major European city. Right in this area are the discount theatre tickets. We were able to find four seats for "We Will Rock You", the show based on the music of Queen, for a reasonable price.

Obligatory phone both picture.

One of the main reasons we went to London was for food! Right out of the tube station we found an organic vegan fusion restaurant that we could not pass up. Then late that afternoon we stumbled upon a Spanish tapas bar and again could not resist.

I indulged in real Spanish chorizo, which I haven't had in years. It was heavenly.

Here I am at the Dominion Theatre where we saw the Queen show. This is a replica of the Brian May Special, the guitar that created all of those classic riffs. Brian May was an engineering & physics wizard as well as a guitarist. He and his father built the original guitar themselves, which is why Queen has such a distinct sound. The show was great. The plot was weak, but the music more than made up for it. After over 30 songs had been played the show ended, but without "Bohemian Rhapsody". The anxiety was palpable. Suddenly, a message flashed on the screen asking, "Do you want Bohemian Rhapsody?" The crowd went crazy, and they closed the show with it. Incredible. Then Brian May's voice came on over the PA asking the audience to donate their spare change to the Freddie Mercury Foundation which funds AIDS research. Freddie was a closeted homosexual and died of AIDS in 1992. It was perfect marketing, to hit us up while we were on the post-show high, and I was happy to empty my pockets of loose pounds and pence.

Here we are on that post-show high outside the Dominion Theatre with a golden statue of Freddie Mercury over the marquee. Ashley grew up listening to Queen thanks to Bryant's influence. I remember my parents introducing me to "Another One Bites the Dust" as a child, but I really got into the deep catalogue in high school.

The next morning we ate a traditional English breakfast at the bakery right under our apartment. The food was fantastic. Greg and I shared a "love bench" on one side of the table.

Not to be outdone, Megan laid a fat one on Ashley.

That morning we headed to the Portobello Road market, a smorgasbord of English antiques and international food and cheap Chinese crap. This is one of the lovely streets that T's into the market road.

Ashley and I then rented bikes and did a quick one hour tour of the major tourist sites. Riding a bike on the left side of the road in an extremely busy city that you have never been to before is hazardous at best.

Here I am with my ride at Trafalgar Square.

Ashley at Westminster Abbey.

Ashley in front of Big Ben and Westminster Palace. It chimed four o'clock while we were sitting there so we got the chance to hear the famous bells.

Here we are at Buckingham Palace.

That night we met up with our friends from RAF Mildenhall, Tim and Morgan Kuehne, and ate some excellent Indian food. Our time with them was unfortunately short because we had tickets for the 7:00 showing of...

The creators of "South Park", that politically incorrect cartoon about foul-mouthed fourth graders, created a Broadway musical called "The Book of Mormon." They grew up around a lot of Mormons in Littleton, Colorado, and have an enduring fascination with the church and its people. They had previously made a movie and a few episodes of South Park about Mormons. While they do not give credence to the doctrinal or historical aspects, they love the people. And that really comes through in the show. What they say about Mormon doctrine and history could be said about all organized religions. But their sincere admiration for Mormon people shines through this production. And you could not escape the advertisements for the play in London. Every double decker bus and tube station was plastered with the words "The Book of Mormon." Talk about publicity. Anyone who sees this is going to come out with a more favorable view of Mormons than they had going in, including me!

Look at how happy we are! Talk about a post-show high! We are imitating the missionaries in the opening number "Hello!", which is totally safe to listen to on YouTube. Also safe and hilarious are "Two By Two", "But Mostly Me", and "Turn It Off". While poking fun at the often exuberant naivete and excessive self-importance in Mormonism, it also highlights how sincerely missionaries want to do good and help change the world. All set to catchy music and lyrics with fantastic insights into the culture of our formative years. I don't think anyone else in that theatre enjoyed it as much as we did!

The next morning we went to the Sunday market on Brick Lane. Once again, it was all about the food.

This is the Ethiopian stall where we got our main course.

A veritable Olympic Rings variety of colorful vegan fare.

We also stuffed our faces with Malaysian pancakes, such as the one above, filled with peanut sauce or coconut. Delicious. The weekend came to an end all too soon. The kids were great for Ben and Charlotte, fortunately, and we were that much more in love with them after having had a quick 48 hour break in Jolly Old England.