My 1000th geocache!!!!

And another wonderful day of solo travel. I wasn’t too ambitious, but I managed to fill the day. I had three goals - visit the Archeological Museum, get that elusive geocache, and eat the most famous Napoli pizza in Italy! Mission accomplished!! Here’s what happened. 

I must admit that thanks to Google, it’s easy to get around almost any place in the world. It’s hard to believe how much mapping and resources went into creating Google Maps. The one thing about Google Maps is there should be a setting to avoid hills!! I swear I would walk up one slope and then go right back down the other side. Now why is that? Maybe when you’re walking, it takes the shortest distance. I don’t know, but it’s all good. 

Narrow streets in Naples

And the streets are just crazy. Some are narrow, some are wide. Some are long, some are short. There doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to them. Sometimes there is a sidewalk and sometimes there isn’t. And that path may have a rickety railing right on the edge of a drop off. One thing I love is that it’s every man for himself here. Europe doesn’t have much to do with safety precautions meaning they assume you have common sense. It’s very refreshing from being in NA where the slightest thing is blocked off!  

A sketchy looking railing

Let’s just say that one must be 1000 percent attentive at all times. The surface you are walking on is not for the faint of heart since it’s not always smooth, and there are holes, gaps, uneven surfaces to contend with. 

As a careful pedestrian back home who NEVER crosses in the middle of the street? Well, you can throw that concept out the window here. No one crosses at the corner, HECK—- I think I only seen one traffic light to help pedestrians across the street and that was at the train station. The streets are a zoo and literally, you scour for the slightest break in the traffic, then step out confidently and pray a lot that everyone will see you and stop or in the case of motorcycles/scooters that they will weave around you. It’s total chaos!!!!

I will confess that I suck at walking with Google Maps and so many times, I get going in the incorrect orientation. My brain just doesn’t get it, but I find where I’m going - it just may take longer than originally planned. 

I had not pre-bought tickets to the National Archaeological Museum, so I had to wait about 10 minutes before I could get in. But no big deal. The building is huge and we did not get a map. I was specifically looking for stuff related to Pompeii, which I found or overheard someone say it was on the second floor. 

The exhibits consist of many items that were found as Pompeii was excavated. It was totally fascinating and I definitely want to read more about it when I get home. I managed to find a small book in the bookstore to read more. 

Of course, anything organic (people, wood, textile, etc) were completely gone, but the things made from metal or stone were fine. There were loads of mosaics and look at the scale. Can you imagine working this small?

Tiny mosaics

The most fascinating thing was the model of the entire town. It had been replicated on a scale of 1 CM to 1 M and was absolutely breathtaking and that’s where you got a really good idea of the city and how big the ruins are. 

The model of Pompeii

This 3-D model has been explicated EXACTLY as the town was found. If the walls were missing in town, they are missing on the model. If the walls were painted, they are painted on the model. You can see some of the paint in the picture below. 

Detail of the Pompeii model

WOW —- I could have looked at that model for hours. In the foreground is one of the temples and can you see that larger square behind with the circle in the middle? We were there. That is a market and the circle was a large platform where fish were cleaned for market. Can you just imagine the smell?? 

More of the scale model

Our guide said a very interesting thing (he was 30) that the people of today would not last more than one day in Pompeii. Well, during that era. With the smells and the lack of services, most of the people from today would just die. I agree with him. Even back home, living in the country with few amenities would throw people off and if they didn’t have access to the internet, they would die. Well, I would die traveling if I didn’t have the internet. OK — maybe I wouldn’t die but it would take me a long time to get anything done! 

There was also a map of the city on the wall, but not in quite as much detail and I believe those two large sections are still covered in ash. Wow!!!! Those are probably more houses? But who knows. I wish I had seen that map before going to Pompeii, but it’s a reason to go back another time. In the middle on the right-hand side, you can just see the curvature of the large amphitheater, which held 20,000 people or something like that. The Colosseum in Rome holds 50,000. About 1/3 is left to be excavated and will likely ever be excavated. 

A wall map showing how much is still to be excavate

Many painted walls (fresco) have been removed from Pompeii and were in the Museum, but so many were damaged and then reassembled. What a job that must have been to reconstruct. 

This is the ceiling on the second floor of the Museum. It was a large room with paintings on the walls. 

The ceiling inside the Archeological Museum

The only negative about the day was the number of school groups. Good grief —- they are loud in that echoing place. I totally get that children should be exposed to museums, but I swear they were in and out in minutes, rather than learning anything. Maybe they need to be given a scavenger hunt or something to keep them engaged. 

And let’s not forget about the bookstore. I almost missed it. I had walked out of the Museum and then remembered I wanted to look at the books, so I went back only to discover a group of young children in the bookstore. They were ravaging the children’s area, but many of them had money to buy a souvenir. 

Since the maps were few and far between, it was very challenging to find the toilet. Yes — the toilet, not the washroom or the rest room. Call it as you need it! I think there were only two in the entire place, one in the basement and the second on the third floor up many stairs, or you could take the slow elevator. And of course, there was one door that doesn’t shut properly which is OK if you are two, but alone? I waited to get one with a door that closed. 

It was a fascinating visit but after several hours, your brain just shuts down, so I left. 

The very noisy children in the bookstore

Oh shoot —- Google only shows me the first part of my pictures for yesterday, so I’m going to have to email them to myself. I’m going for breakfast and will finish later. I have the time advantage on my side this morning. 

And I’m back —— the free breakfast with the hotel room is amazing and I fuel up for the day!! However, I also needed to be sure to eat the most famous Napoli pizza. M had forwarded me the link to the restaurant and I took her word. Let’s say that finding the place was a bit challenging but was in the same area where I was. 

As I approached the restaurant on a odd little side street, I see the street teeming with people 

The line-ups outside the pizza restaurant

This is where you need to stand back a bit and observe what is happening and how the system works. You have a take away line beside the building and that line never stopped. The rest in the middle are either waiting for their take away or waiting for a table. At first, I got in the take away line, but then I wanted to be able to sit down and eat in comfort and there are NOT any public places to sit. So I got in the restaurant line. They were currently serving number 34 and I was number 48. But it went rather quickly. 

However once inside, the wait was LONG. The good news is that there were many Italians in the line so you knew the pizza was going to be good. When I asked M where she found this place, it was from a BOOK!!! Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. OH MY GOD — it was a movie. Now I have to watch that movie. The pizza is in the movie trailer!!!!

Julia Roberts is in the movie so you know it’s going to be good. Thanks M!!!!!

Pizzeria da Michele

They must have had to remake more dough or something because we all waited a long time for the pizza to arrive at our tables. The menu is short —- FOUR options. The actual pizza was so huge that it was falling off my plate. But remember, the crust is whisper thin. The lady at my table and the two beside me (we all arrived at the same time), they devoured their pizza and left immediately. I ate almost all except a bit of the crust. YES —- it was amazing and I’m so glad that I got to experience that. Thanks again M for showing me the way!!!

My world famous Napoli pizza

Before the pizza place, I found the geocache outside the Museum. It’s always fun to be reaching down to feel underneath planters or along fences in very public places. So when I couldn’t find it quickly, the thought breezed through my head to cheat and just log it without actually putting my hand on it. But then I went to the front of the planter which was along the street. This side was elevated so it was easy to peek underneath and there the darn thing was. 

The geocache

I took a picture of it so no one could accuse me of cheating!!! LOL. Only I would be know I had cheated. 

And thank goodness I did NOT because this was my 1000th find!!!!!  Yeah me!!!! 1000 geocaches in the many yeas I’ve been geocaching is small, but it was a milestone nevertheless  and to say I found it in Naples is pretty darn cool. 

My 1000th find!!!!

And there is that elusive virtual badge that I so desperately wanted. If I get any other geocaches, they are bonus, I got what I wanted. 

My virtual geocaching souvenir

I know it sounds like a totally juvenile thing to do, but seriously? I have discovered many places that I would never have gotten to otherwise. And it’s a virtual souvenir — so you don’t have to find a place for it when you get home. 

By this time, it was getting late and I wanted to get back to the hotel. I spotted this adorable little outfit on the way. 

How cute is this?

Here’s a picture of the streets and sidewalk. You must pay attention. I will confess that while I was searching for another geocache and not paying attention, I ran smack into a woman. No one fell and thankfully it was on the sidewalk and not on the street in the path of a motorcycle!! I was a bit embarrassed, but what can you do??? Pay more attention — that’s what!!!!

The rough pavement

I will spare you the photos of the garbage that lies everywhere on these streets. It’s insane and there seems to be homeless people living in the area as well. Just an observation, not a criticism. And of course, there are armed guards, mostly around the train station. Last night as I passed the train station, I noticed a very heavy police presence. It looked like multiple disciplines but lots of police. 

I guess then that it should have been no surprise when I passed this shop. One display was for scissors, along with swords, knives, and hand guns. 

Scissor display along with knives and swords

The other side had semi-automatic guns. 

Semi-automatic guns

It is a crazy city and so casual. But I’ve found that in the US as well. I remember visiting Missouri Star Company in September for their 9th birthday bash. There was a market on the Saturday, and you could buy a gun from a street vendor. WOW!!!!! I definitely live a sheltered life! And at a quilt store I visited in Iowa, you paid for your fabric purchases in the MASSIVE gun shop next door. 

Crap - I got a bug bite last night on my neck. Thankfully I have Afterbite with me, but even with that it’s itchy!!

Today is a transition day. It’s the final one until I need to catch my plane in a couple of days. 

OH —- I am just finishing a book about the Grand Canyon, called A Walk in the Park by Kevin Fedarko. OH MY —— if you want to know anything about the canyon, this is the book to read. It starts off quite frustrating, but the message at the end is amazing and something that we need to take away for every natural site in the world. Communities and the world are too quick to exploit our natural resources, just so they can make money and we as tourists can just decimate the place. A very interesting read. 

Have an amazing day!!!

Ciao!!!!

PS — In case you are wondering, I haven’t even considered looking for a quilting store or even a fabric store. Like I need more!!!!!