Ho Ho Hah Hah Hah

I could write for hours about the Breakfast with Santa we went to yesterday. Although after viewing the pictures, I decided that a picture really is worth a thousand words. 

Every time I see this picture I experience a roll on the floor, eye watering, belly aching laughter.

Christmas Alley

Christmas in Naples would be incomplete without a trip to the famed Christmas Alley. I begged Chief to take me to Christmas Alley, but in reality I was going with or without him. We were forewarned by many that navigating the narrow alley in downtown Naples this time of year was an "at your own risk" adventure. Naturally this talk only piqued my interest and longing to go even more!

In order to get to Christmas Alley one must traverse Spaccanapoli, the main artery of downtown Naples. Spaccanapoli literally means "split Naples", and is filled with history. Walking the exact same cobblestones the ancient Greeks and Romans travelled on is eye opening. When visiting Naples, Spaccanapoli is not to be missed. It certainly isn't the most beautiful part of the city, but it does have the most personality. 

Inevitably the colorful characters that inhabit or work on the ancient alley are an entertaining art form in their own right; from the immigrants hawking Louis Vuittons to the man trying to make a buck euro or two on his unicycle. No sight is uninteresting!

It is evident before the entrance to Christmas Alley that Italians decorate for Christmas very similar to Americans. Wreaths and ornaments adorn store fronts, and bakers sell fresh struffoli (a Neapolitan Christmas treat). 

Christmas Alley (officially called Via San Gregorio Armeno) runs perpendicular to Spaccanapoli, and has pretty much anything to suit your Christmas decorating needs. 

Most Neapolitans come to Christmas Alley specifically seeking items for their Presepe (nativity scene), which is by far the most important and central piece of Christmas decor in a Neapolitan house. The Neapolitan Precepe is very large, and made of papier mâché and then covered with bark, moss, and cork to give it a rustic look.  

The man on the left can serve as a scale. The precepes are BIG

Of course the traditional Nativity with Mary, Joseph, the Three Wise Men, and the Archangel are the most important part of the Neapolitan Presepe. In Italy Baby Jesus is NEVER placed into the Precepe until Christmas Eve. 

Aside from the traditional Nativity scene, Neapolitan families spend years collecting figurines and accessories to fill the rest of their Presepe. Often they will have scenes that are important to Neapolitan life. For example, a Margherita pizza maker! We even saw a Presepe with trash strewn about! Surely a joke, but definitely classic Naples "scenery".

Once again, see little AC's hand for the scale of these miniature Precepe fillers.

Aside from the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker, you will find many important religious, political, and pop culture figures to place in the Presepe. We saw too many football (soccer to you Americans) stars to count, but also Silvio Berlesconi, Michael Jackson, and President Obama are viable choices for the Presepe.

As well as Pope Benedict, and once again Michael Jackson.

Every shop is busting at the seams with hundreds of figurines. For the life of me I can't imagine how the supply and demand of this business works out in the end, but I'm sure they must know what they are doing. After all, Christmas Alley has been going strong since the 1930's

Even though the large Presepi are the most predominantly sold item in Christmas Alley, traditional Nativity scenes can also be found tucked inside seashells or engraved on a grain of rice.

After having a cafe at one of the numerous bars (which are really Italian coffee shops), we decided to warm up in one of the Napoli's many cathedrals. I'm not sure which there are more of in Naples: bars or churches. It would certainly be impossible to see all of the Neapolitan churches and cathedrals in our 3 years here. I think it is safe to say that when in Naples you are never more than a few meters from a church!

A Little Makeover

My dad has always said, "You can put lipstick on a pig, but in the end it's still a pig." He is full of all sorts of wisdom.

I was starting to feel as if this little ole' blog needed a makeover, and by makeover I don't mean 'a little bit of lipstick'. The outward appearance of the blog just wasn't in sync with my inner thoughts and emotions. 

A makeover of this magnitude was far beyond my abilities. So I perused the web, and stumbled upon Julie at Zip.Zog.Zoom. I just love that name! She worked her magic, and...

Wah Lah! 

Behold the new and very much improved When in Naples!

A Bountiful Harvest

After a string of really disappointing Thanksgivings, I had all but given up on the holiday. Last Thanksgiving as my husband and I popped a frozen pizza in the oven I lamented that I was not meant to celebrate this holiday.

Fast forward one year: in early November I was ready to book a hotel and spend Thanksgiving in Rome. Luckily my wonderful husband leveled with me, and I reluctantly agreed to have a nice Thanksgiving at home. It was, after all, an American tradition I wanted to continue for the sake of our daughter. 

In order to get into the Thanksgiving spirit, Chief downloaded a few dozen Thanksgiving Food Network episodes. The week preceding our feast we would curl up every night after AC went to bed and watch Giada, Paula, Alton, and Bobby teach us how to prepare a scrumptious spread. Alton Brown's turkey brine did not disappoint. Chief and I both agreed that it was the best turkey we had ever eaten (sorry moms)!

I was easily able to channel the Pilgrim/Indian gathering spirit due to the fact that we are reaping our own bountiful harvest in our backyard. Our fruit trees are dropping fruit faster than we can pick it up. At this point our largest fruit yield is our orange trees. We literally have more than we can use. We can't even give these beauties away because everyone else has orange trees too. 

Then there are tangerines. Mmmm.

I was most excited about having a pomegranate tree when we were in the process of moving. Unfortunately one of the movers asked Nathan if he could have some. Well, in Italy that apparently means can I pick your tree clean. We went outside after the movers were gone and discovered the barren tree. Chief claims that I cried when I saw the tree, but honestly I don't remember (PTSD perhaps). This is the only one left. It won't get eaten as it is a runt that refuses to ripen. However it does serve as a symbol of hope for next year!

Our lemons are on the brink of ripeness. Lemons are the official fruit of the Campania region, and very much a symbol of Neapolitan life. 

I am so thankful to have Thanksgiving back in my life!

Ciao for now

Grape Stomping

The grape is as synonymous with Italian life as fast food is to American life. So, when we found out about an opportunity to stomp on grapes I Love Lucy style we were beyond thrilled.

The day of our grape stomping adventure we boarded a bus and rode to the mountainous Benevento province. Benevento is part of the Campania region in which we live, but is nice contrast to our bustling, dirty Napoli province. Avalon, our final destination, is a members-only vineyard and dining club. We felt privileged to be guests.

The scenes from the vineyard were so beautiful, as is usually the case in Italy. The picturesque views are often something you have to see for yourself. No camera can truly capture the great Italian landscape. 

Once we were in the vineyard we got a quick tutorial and history of the Italian grape. We learned not to ever pick straight from the vine. Grapes must be cut in order to avoid damaging the vine. We also learned that the Italians of Benevento taught the French how to cultivate the Champagne grape (so they say). 

Once we began gathering the grapes AC could not keep them out of her mouth. What can I say, she loves her produce. Her mouth was constantly full!

Ok, some of her grapes actually did make it into the basket.

Parent's of toddlers know how important it is to explain things in detail. Case in point, when we reached the area where we'd be stomping on grapes AC started picking grapes off of her personal bunch and putting them on the ground. She thought we were just going to put grapes on the ground and stomp on them! Oh to be 2!

The children stomped on the grapes first (we are in Italy), and then the adults. It felt exactly like you would expect stomping on grapes to feel like: squishy!

After stomping the grapes, we went inside for an Italian lunch. A weekend Italian lunch can be anywhere from 4 to 8 courses, and lasts at least 2 hours. Our lunch was probably 8 courses and lasted a little over 3 hours. The lunch was served communal style which is very common in Italy. I personally love eating at a huge community table. The food was excellent (of course!), but the best part was the wine they had on tap. Chief had no problem keeping the wine on our end of the table filled to the brim. Needless to say, we were on the fun end of the table!

Three hour lunches are hard on little girls. Italian culture is very child centered, so they don't place unrealistic expectation on the children's behavior.

Ciao for now!

The Carrot Works Better than the Stick

"Choose your battles wisely" strangers would chorus as I held my new baby girl.

Of course this advice meant nothing to me as a new mother. There simply aren't many battles to choose when caring for a newborn. Only now, as the mother of a two year old do I really understand the weight of these words. Thus my current ideas of acceptable behavior from a toddler have been slightly tweaked.

In all actuality, we have been lucky in this third year of life so often dubbed "the terrible twos". AC is a pleaser by nature, and therefore easily adheres to rules. But once we threw an international move into the mix we were bound to have some challenges.

I used to tell people that surely AC would be a dentist. After all her security blanket as a baby (other than me) was a toothbrush. I just didn't realize at the time that toddlers like to throw their parents curveballs.  Now at age 2, the sight of a toothbrush sends her into a tizzy. After two nights of holding down a screaming toddler, prying her mouth open, and brushing her teeth I knew something had to give. Any parent can tell you that a battle of wills with a toddler will surely be lost. I also knew that I could surely outwit her.

I referred back to some knowledge I learned in Psych 101 (duh!) and realized that she needed to be rewarded. The following morning I hastily drew a few boxes on a sheet of paper, and informed AC that every night when we brushed her teeth she would earn a sticker to put in one of the boxes. She understood that once the boxes were filled with stickers she got to pick out a toy.

Duh! The carrot works better than the stick!

That night her teeth were brushed with minimal resistance. A week later we took her to the NEX (Navy Exchange) to pick out her prize. Seeing that she is the progeny of Chief and myself she chose to go to the bookstore. But it wasn't a book she wanted. I happily handed the cashier $2 for glitter Sesame Street tattoos (Abby Cadabby to be exact).

Right now my daughter is covered in glittery tattoos, but she has clean teeth! How's that for choosing a battle?

Ciao, for now

A BIG Thank You

Veteran's Day.
                             

A holiday meant to honor veterans. A day for celebrating their victories, remembering their hardships, acknowledging their struggles. A day that usually passes without much fanfare. Maybe your town has a parade; maybe not. Maybe you have the day off; probably not. Maybe you are annoyed when you go to the bank or post office and discover its closed.

Most veterans are fine with lackluster holiday that is meant to honor them. You see in my experience veterans are humble people. They don't brag about their accomplishments, they don't advertise their feats, and they rarely talk of the struggles that come with serving in the military. They certainly don't expect to be thanked.

Which is exactly why we (non-veterans) should be thanking our past and present service members today.

You don't have to look far to find a veteran to thank. Your grandfather, your best friend's daughter, your next door neighbor, your doctor, your postal worker, your local police officer, your child's teacher are just a few of the possibilities. The veterans that cooked meals, stitched up wounded soldiers, piloted a Blackhawk, provided religious counsel, manned a submarine, or supplied network operation support are all worthy of thanks.

Thank you: two simple words that mean oh so much to the nation's best.

My all time favorite veteran!

Ciao, for now!

Hang Tight

Sorry to keep you hanging. We moved into our house 4 weeks ago, and we just got internet installed a couple days ago. Remember...nothing is fast in Italy. I have so much fun stuff to share, and promise to get it up very soon!

Thanks for sticking with me!

Ciao, for now

For the Love of Etsy

I confess that I am one of those people that start thinking about Halloween costumes in late July August. I don't know what it is about Halloween that I love so much. Perhaps it's the fact that it kicks off the Holiday season, or the fact that it's so light-hearted. Seriously, there's not much stress involved in having a wonderful Halloween party, or a great costume, or a wonderful time. A couple decades ago Halloween was a scary day that seemingly focused on evil, but these days Halloween is all about fun, food, and candy. 

Anyone who spent time with our family this summer before the big move knows there really was only one option for AC's costume. A majority of her day is spent on all fours, meowing like only a real cat can do. I did give her some options for her costume; a cupcake, a ladybug, a butterfly, but when I mentioned the word kitty cat there was no going back. 

Pottery Barn Kids costume

The day my mom received her Halloween issue of Pottery Barn Kids I jumped up like a kid at Christmas. The joy of finding the perfect cat costume, was followed by the dull pain attributed to the sticker shock that so often comes with shopping PBK. Even I am smart enough to laugh at the $69 price tag. But the costume was cute, and it did look easy to replicate. 

My dream of sewing the perfect costume was shattered when I realized that we would not likely be leaving our hotel until Thanksgiving mid-October. So, I turned to my trusty old pal, Etsy, in search of a cute, girly, cat costume. And boy did I hit the mother load with about 2 dozen costumes that were not only cuter than the Pottery Barn costume, but about half the price. 

BoutiqueSophia costume (picture with black tights and a leotard)

After two days of indecisiveness I confidently settled on this black cat costume by BoutiqueSophia. The tutu with the pink satin bow over the tail was just too much for me to pass up, as was the $25 price tag. I e-mailed the owner, Christy, and confirmed that she could ship to an FPO address. I was also delighted that she was able to custom fit the skirt for my supper-skinny AC.  

When we received the costume this week we were beyond thrilled with the final product. The pictures just don't do the costume justice. I can't wait to post pictures of my AC in the costume in 22 days! I definitely recommend BoutiqueSophia for all of your tutu needs!

Ciao, for now!  

A Whole New Language

When Chief got orders for us to move to Naples, I knew that this assignment would encompass a great deal of change. A new language, a new culture, a new way of life was in store for each one of us. As expected everything we know changed the moment we stepped off the airplane.

A simple trip to the store involves much more cognitive energy than I ever expected. Luckily, my European spec car gauges speed in kilometers per hour; so that's a no brainer for me! Although, I do need to know how many kilometers or meters to make my turn. I also have to figure out how many liters of gasoline I need to put in my car, and remember to carry the right amount of gas ration coupons. At first I was constantly calculating these conversions in my head. After a month of living with the metric system, I am beginning to "get the feel" of it.

I have a running log of the U.S. dollar to euro conversion rate. One dollar is worth .74 euro, In case you wanted to know. All of this is really no big deal. I expected to have to learn all of this.

I also expected that when the going got tough and all this change was too much to handle I would be able to seek solace and comfort in the one thing that is familiar to me: Military life. WRONG! I've spent 7+ years of my life living near Army installations. Even though Chief is an Army representative on the NATO base, we rely on the Navy for all of our support activities (shopping, banking, the library, etc). The transition to "Navy life" has definitely been one of my biggest unexpected challenges.

Every military spouse knows the importance of learning the "language" of the military. It took me a couple of years to get accustomed to the structure of the Army, know the ranks, and most importantly understand all of the acronyms. A majority of military speak is done in acronyms. The terms ACU, MWR, CYS, PT, PCS, MP, BAH, and PX are just a handful of terms that are likely to be used in the course of a day. In fact, I often forget when I am talking to civilian friends and family that they might not understand these terms. Army acronyms have really become an important part of our family vernacular. Unfortunately many of the Navy's acronyms are different, which means that in addition to learning Italian, I am learning "Navy".

The Navy's ranks are very different than the Army's. For example, a Navy Chief is enlisted (E7 or above) and an Army Chief is an officer. When we were attending the mandatory week long AOR (area orientation), the Captain of the Naval Support Site came to speak to all of us newbies. For the life of me I couldn't understand why a Captain was in command of the whole Support Site. Finally, (my) Chief informed me that in the Navy a Captain is the equivalent of a full-bird Colonel. In the Army a Captain is an O3 and usually in charge of a company.

Another thing that I noticed upon arrival at the Navy base was the variety of uniforms they wear. I have counted at least 5 different uniforms. For the life of me I can't figure out a pattern to who wears what uniform; just that they are all dressed differently. On an Army installation you are likely to only see one uniform, maybe 2 on the rare occasion. For some reason it was comforting to know that everyone was dressed the same.

Really I must say that adjusting to life with the Navy is not so much of a nuisance, but just one more thing to add to the laundry list of adjustments that must be made. Number 284 on the list to be exact! In fact, I have found Navy life to be much more family friendly. All in all, change has been good for us, and if you're going to change one thing you might as well change it all!

Ciao, for now!

Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest flyers peppered JFC (the NATO base) when we first arrived here in Naples. Our interest was piqued not only by the colorful flyers showing people in traditional German costumes drinking beer, but also by a bouncy house! It just doesn't get much better than that for our little family of 3.

A few days later Chief happily reported to me that he bought our tickets and beer steins in advance. He explained that Oktoberfest is considered a work event after all. Since he works in an office with people from a multitude of nations, it was our duty to show up to Oktoberfest.

I was disappointed that it started raining a couple of hours before we were scheduled to arrive at Oktoberfest. Chief assured me that there were tents we could find shelter under, but I was more concerned about the affect the rain would have on the bouncy house. Spoken like a true mother, huh?

In the end everything worked out: the rain stopped, the food was great (coming from a former vegetarian), the beer was excellent, and most importantly the company was amazing! Good food, good beer, good times. What more can you ask for?

Chief had the mega stein. I'm pretty sure it weighed more than AC when full!

My stein was more appropriately sized (for me at least)!

AC loved the pretzels.

Ciao, for now!

Venturing Out

We have been residents of Naples for 2 weeks now, and this weekend we were chomping at the bit to get out and explore our new hometown. That, and we really needed to get out of our hotel room for a while. Since our first couple weekends were filled with the business aspect of moving (finding a house, getting a car, etc.), we knew that we wanted to spend the weekend doing things that AC would enjoy. Low-key and easy were the keywords in planning our outings.


There isn't a shortage of volcanoes here in the Campania region of Italy. Perhaps you have heard of Mt. Vesuvius. In the true spirit of a Neapolitan, we have decided we won't be intimidated by these guys! Last weekend we visited military run Carney Park, which is a recreation area inside an extinct volcano. This weekend we stepped it up and ventured to Sulfatara, a dormant volcano in Campi Flegrei (Phelegrean Fields). I figure we'll just work our way up to Mount Vesuvius.


Solfatara is in every sense of the word overshadowed by it's bigger, stronger, more famous relative. Perhaps the "middle child" of this lovely volcanic region, but no less impressive to me. Then again, maybe I have a soft spot for middle children!


Upon entering the town of Pozzouli, Solfatara announces it's presence with the smell of sulfuric fumes. I was worried that the smell would be obnoxious and overwhelming, but was quite surprised by how pleasant and comforting the smell was once we were inside the crater. Really it should come as no surprise since people have travelled far and wide since the Middle Ages to inhale these sulfuric fumes that were once thought to cure respiratory illnesses. Also the mineral water found inside Sulfatara was once thought to have miraculous powers, such as curing ulcers and sterility (among other things).

The sulphuric vapor inhalation chambers. 

Today Solfatara's visitors don't come expecting miraculous cures. In fact most come to see the fumaroles, which are openings in the ground that emit sulfurous gases. It really is interesting to see plumes of gas simply emerging from the Earth! Many people also come to Sulfatara to see the bubbling mud pit, which wasn't bubbling at all when we were there. The mud pit is fenced off, as temperatures of the mud reach up to 160°C (300°F). 

Fumaroles

and more fumaroles!

Bocca Grande is the largest of the fumaroles.

No bubbling mud for us!

We spent only about an hour inside the cratere, which was plenty of time to see everything. We were excited to find a coffee shop (they are everywhere) and a playground at the end of the walking path. We bought AC her first gelato which she consumed with great enthusiasm. We then headed to the playground and found a merry-go-round. You'll be hard-pressed to find one an American playground these days, and we ALL revelled in this antiquated albeit unsafe piece of equipment!

Gelato and a playground are the ticket for this little girl.

Upon arriving in Naples, all newcomers must listen to a litany of horror stories and harsh realities from the "veterans" of the city. Most of the stories have to do with muggings or other criminal activities (that occur in every large city). So, when we decided it was time to explore the city we left our nice watches at home the hotel and minimized the belongings in our wallets.

We took the metro in from JFC (the NATO base), and after a wrong turn (or two) we made it right down to the Bay. The Naples Aquarium was our first destination, but along the way we passed through a market where everything from fresh mozzarella di buffala and wine to cheap toys and trinkets were being peddled. European markets certainly are different than anything I've encountered in the States! Many families would simply buy loaves of bread, some mozzarella cheese, and even some wine and spread a blanket in the park grass and spend the day relaxing. 

The Naples aquarium is supposedly the oldest aquarium in Europe. If that really is the case, I'm quite sure they haven't remodeled since it opened. The aquarium is housed in a beautiful, antique building that looks quite promising from the outside. After we paid our €1,50 (about $2.14) admission (for the whole family) I realized that I shouldn't have judged the book by its cover. There were about 30 small tanks in the aquarium, with a limited number of fauna from the Bay of Naples being represented. Though I was a bit miffed by the Naples Aquarium, AC experienced nothing short of adoration for the place. In the end, I would have payed much more to see my daughter that happy!

It sure looks promising!

On Sunday mornings the street right outside of the aquarium and parallel to the Bay is closed off to cars.  Instead of the crazy Neapolitan driving, we saw fathers teaching their young daughters to rollerblade, young boys playing soccer football, families pedaling go carts together, and young lovers out for a stroll. We leisurely strolled down the street, trying to fit in as much as possible while looking for a place to eat lunch.

Sunday lunch is a big deal in Italy, and usually the WHOLE family gathers. Luckily we got to our intended restaurant when the lunch crowd was still sparse, but when we walked through the door we couldn't help feeling like every eye in the place was on us. We simply look American, which causes others to take notice of us. We were seated right next to a family that had a daughter close in age to AC. The tables were spaced so tightly that at times I felt as if we were actually eating with this family. Seeing that meals are enjoyed at an extremely slow pace, Italians are more lenient in the expectations of children's behavior. When the young girl at the table next to us got restless one of the adults took her to buy some toys at a street vendor. She came back with a sack of plastic horses, and promptly gave not one, not two, but three of them to AC. Her father told us, "She wanting to give her a present. Her first present from Neapolitan girl." We were so touched by their generosity. I may have even blinked back a tear or two.

AC kissed her new horses for 5 minutes!

All in all, our first impression of the Bay of Naples was indeed a positive one. The sights are absolutely stunning. We can't believe that this place is ours to call home. We didn't even get mugged; just given toy horses as a gift. You better bet that this story will make it into my "realities of Italian life" when I talk to future newcomers.

Ciao, for now!