Sights, Sounds, and Smells - Oh My!

Troy met me at the airport with flowers in hand!  I was certainly ready for a big hug and to relieve myself of over 100 lbs. of baggage, including our portable canine "Lily" who needed to potty and stretch!  The familiar Naples airport was full of the sounds of the Italian language, and the hustle-bustle of travelers from all over Europe.  I knew where the car would be parked (at least this time we HAD a car as Troy had been here for a couple of months already) and I prepared myself for Neopolitan driving..... what I hadn't prepared for was my husband's evolved driving techniques which could rank him as number one in the sport of Neopolitan driving.   It never ceases to amaze me that Neoplitans are in no hurry for much of anything, they walk slowly, they meander about in no rush at all, and their philosophy in life is "no worries - will do it damani (tomorrow)" UNTIL they get behind the wheel of a car, or what's worse, a vespa!  Then, it's a raceway of the unimaginable, and my husband of 29 years showed no fear as he drove with determination and familiarity to our hotel, in the heart of the downtown acropolis, near the main port and bay of Naples.   I looked at him and said "Who are you?" and we both laughed.

All along the way, I could smell the familiar fish stands, the fumes of the cars, trash burning, and my senses were heightened and alert.  Very alert.  Did that person just walk right in front of the car?  And that vespa..... had I forgotten the chaotic rhythm of this driving and the unwritten rule:  Don't run into me, and I won't run into you!  I gasped a few times and was certainly fearful of making it to our destination without a bump or dent, and I'm sure was no assistance whatsover to my patient driver who had this driving down pat.  The ancient roads criss-crossed over and over again, the aged pavers were slick and shiny by hundreds of years of use.  Smooth sailing was not in the Neopolitan driving vocabulary, and the bumping and jolting and turning along gave way for my eyes to explore this ancient city of miraculous wonder.  We passed a castle, an ancient archway built by one of the Bourbon Kings, piazzas with large monuments erected by the conquerer of a particular war, trash piles, graffiti, vegetable stands, women walking hand in hand studying the contents of the fashion windows, all the while the vespas, the smartcars, the polizia, the sounds of ambulance and buses and honking from all sides filled my senses full to bursting!  This was Naples alright.  Nothing had changed in five years.  Five years?  This city was founded by the Greeks so long ago, it was so steeped in the layering of civilizations and history, that the term "antiquity" didn't really even do it justice.  We were back.  I could smell the ancient history here.  Every day would bring a multitude of sights, sounds, and smells along with it.  I was exhausted and energized all at the same time, and the day had just begun....