our very first day in Europe and we chose Naples

The terrace and the view.

I am missing our trip more than words can say right now, mostly because of two reasons 1. my husband is away at work and I miss him and 2. it was (pretty much) sixty degrees for the entire span and at the present moment it is twenty five and snowing. The first photo I chose to share was from Naples. We decided to land in Rome and make the hour-long commute south by high-speed train to see some of Italy's coast. We were thrilled we did when it came to our accommodations and our view (and food, says the fat kid). The hotel we stayed in was a renovated monastery and our room was one of two with a terrace. It was remarkable...if only our drive to the said hotel could have been as remarkable. 

We took a taxi from the train station and the driver drove about one hundred miles per hour down four foot wide streets that were crowded not only with pedestrians, but also motorbikes carrying one to three people driving the opposite way we were. I was grateful we did not decide to rent a car and show ourselves around Naples. We were apparently charged six euros more than we should have been charged - I just can't believe someone took us for tourists with our blonde manes and gigantic suitcases - but we made it safe and sound and again, entered into one of the most beautiful hotels I have ever stepped foot in. We took a walk and ventured a few blocks from the hotel for wine, and found another little place for dinner. We were fed something we still aren't sure about (we think it was a fried oyster) out of the hand of the chef and ate one of my favorite meals from the entire trip - homemade pasta and shredded pork covered in a sauce that tasted like French onion soup. It was delicious. We only had a starter and a pasta course, and were laughed at because we couldn't eat more. I wish I shoved something else in because the following day we ate a true Napoli pizza and I wish so much my stomach had been expanded by that point. (Pizza post to come tomorrow.) Naples was a whirlwind and well worth the efforts of a little extra travel time. Click here to see our hotel, Hotel San Francesco Al Monte.