The Adventures of R+1 and The Princess

Linda here! I thought I’d add a post to our blog while we’re still in Naples. I loved the amazing tiny mosaics from Pompeii and Herculaneum here on display at the Museo Archeologico National Naples. I feel like they deserve more attention so here are some more photos. Zoom in to see the tiny tesserae and enjoy the parade of animals! Then there was a group of musicians and some magnificent columns. Not a mosaic but I love these early Venetian glass bowls. Not a mosaic either but I can’t help including a giant marble Hercules with his lion cloak and the 3 golden apples clutched behind his back :)  

Our next adventure began as a visit to the Naples Archeological Museum. We'd heard a lot about this place and it's history. It is a combination of important family's collections such as the Bourbon, Murat, Bonaparte and Farnese's and added to that, all that hasn't been stolen from Herculaneum and Pompeii. What was intended as a few hours visit turned into an all-day wide-eyed exploration of European history and art that left us totally exhausted and in bed hours earlier than we should've. This must be one of the premier museums in the world. The Louvre may have some more important paintings, but in terms of artifacts I doubt there's anything that comes close. The next photo is of a bust of the Emperor Hadrian (you know, the guy who built the best wall) There's a whole floor dedicated to huge marble statues from early Greece through to late Roman times. This next photo is of a sarcophegus with the most amazing carvings of Greek and Roman Gods doing...

Welcome back friends. Yesterday we acquired a beautiful white Vespa 300cc by the name of Annare. Afterward, we rode along the coast road to Herculaneum where we had a tour of the archaeological site booked. It was very rough, as it was cobblestoned just about the whole way there. Traffic fast and intense, but definitley the real Naples. Straight out of a Fellini movie and I'm sure I saw some sets from 'My Brilliant Friend'. Haven't got any photos of that, but we'll have to go back and get some. Herculaneum was really good and a bit more bite-sized than Pompeii esp as the sun and heat are intense. 33-35 degrees and the stones hot enough to cook on. There's been an incredible amount of work done there over the years and it's still ongoing. We had a look at the bulldozers preparing the site of the next extension of the dig. The archaeologist leading our tour quite upset that they can't excavate the Forum of Herculaneum because it's got modern housin...

The train system in Italy is one of those things that just works. Years of investment have really paid off for the Italians. There seems to be a price and a speed for everybody. After staying overnight in the quaint seaside fishing village that the airport gets it's name from, we jumped on the train to 'Rome terminal' for the 30 minute direct link. We managed to get on the business class, high speed train to Naples just before it left. Very fast, quiet, with free drinks and snacks, as well as wi-fi, A/C power outlets and a buffet car, we were in Naples in no time. Well, an hour and a half? A quick 20 euro taxi ride from the Napoli Centrale we reached our Air-BNB pad 'Blackbird's Garden', a pretty amazing hang halfway up the hill overlooking the Bay of Naples. Naples is one of the oldest cities in the world, having been founded by the Greeks about 3,000 years ago. They spoke greek here until Unification in the ?1840s and the dialect is impenetrable even to o...

Well, in Fiumicino at any rate. A lovely little fishing village just near the airport. Got in at 9pm ('Hotel Tiber') and had a bit of a 'passagio' along the 'mole' checking out the fishermen and the boats. A big Saturday night in the main street with a live band and plenty of locals. We had a good trip and feeling pretty relaxed. Woke up this morning to a lovely day. Off soon to the railway station, quick trip to Rome Termini and then the express (business class!) to Naples at 12md. Next check in soon!

Time is nearing for our departure - 6am tomorrow morning! Will the taxi come? Will the Princess survive the 3am start? We've had a lovely day at the pool with Teyan. The rain has stopped. Dad seems to be on the road to recovery. Looks like it all might work after all. See you on the other side!