Leaning Tower and Ship Wrecks

Last week, my mom flew in to town. It was truly wonderful to have her visit.

Mom is a flight attendent, and her schedule is hectic, so for her to find a couple days to spend with me was simply awesome. She's done the whole Rome thing and had her heart set on something a little more unique.

The Costa Concordia. For those who don't remember what the Costa Concordia is- it is the Cruise Ship that sailed by an island off the coast of Tuscany, hit the reef, and fell on it's side. Fortunately the ship was SO close to land and a port that a lot of help was available. Unfortunately over 30 people died. The Captain evacutated the ship while passengers and crew members were still onboard. Very uncool. This happened on January 13, 2012- almost a full year later and the ship is still there, being worked on so it can be towed away.

Pisa was also on Mom's hit list. I haven't been yet, so I was excited to go there as well.

Mom flew in Tuesday, hung out Wednesday around Naples, and then we caught a train to Pisa (via Roma) that afternoon. I've taken the train a couple times now, I will post below my thoughts and tips for train travel. We arrived in Pisa about 5-6 hours later, walked one block to our hotel (Hotel La Pace- SUPER GREAT PLACE TO STAY), checked in and then went exploring.

The front desk clerk- Regina, speaks excellent English, and directed us to a local restaruant that was super quaint and traditional, Risorante Lo Schiaccianoci. We walked in and to our left was a very large family eating dinner together- something you see in the movies. I tried gnocchi for the first time, and it was pretty good! It is pretty much tiny potatoe like dough balls served in cream or red sauce, and whatever toppings. It's very heavy on the stomach, but hey! We're in Pisa!

After dinner, Mom and I walked through town, making our way to the Leaning Tower. It was a 20 minute walk, through clean streets, precious shops, and over a large river. Before we knew it, we had arrived. Seeing the tower at night is a MUST! So glad we did that first. There were maybe 4 other people at the tower when we arrived. Taking pictures and admiring its' beauty. The towers' white marble against the dark night sky is a stunner. By far the most beautiful and crisp historical building I have seen.

We came back the next morning to take pictures. I was compelled to take a picture to make it look like I was supporting the tower with my hand. I felt very original! Haha! A friend on Facebook told me to go and give high fives, so I saw a young girl posing with her hand out to "support the tower" I ran up to her and gave her a high five. I must admit, it was pretty funny!

The tower leans 3.99 degrees today. Pictures really don't do justice to show how much it really leans. It used to lean 5.5 degrees and was deamed unsafe to the public. So after years of counterweights, and shifting dirt around, the tower has been reopened and is claimed to be safe for the next 200 years. I really wanted to climb the steps inside- I hear you get some pretty crazy vertigo, or drunk feeling. I didn't climb the 290+ steps, because I decided to wait until Marito cameout with me, something we can experience together.

There are a bunch of tents and vendors along the streets in Pisa, so plenty of touristy knick knacks and keychains to look at. I lately have been a sucker for magnets. I can't help but to want to buy them ever since I moved to Italy!






We caught the train and made our way back towards Roma. Instead of getting off in Rome though, we got off at the Orbetello Monte Argentario station. Walked outside and caught the first city bus to Porto Santo Stefano. This is the port where Mom and I caught the ferry that took us to Giglio Island. Our hotel (Hotel Alfiero) was 2 blocks away from bus stop and ferry, so it worked out great.

Porto Santo Stefano and Giglio Island are not big tourist attractions by any means. Infact, because the cruise ship sunk there is the only reason why I know about it. Many people have gone to take pictures of the ship, but they come in go within the same day- not doing much to boost the economy.

We caught the 0730 ferry to the island. It was an hour long ferry ride, and the water was a bit choppy, but we stayed warm inside with a cappuccino in hand. As we approached the island, you can see the ship. It's length of 950 feet was fully exposed as was the gash that was ripped into the hull. It was a very cool thing to see, but it is so hard to be excited over seeing it because it was such a tragic event. The Italians are not proud of this, and don't want this to be the reason why people come to Giglio. But it is what it is.

The ferry pulls up so close to the ship, we were maybe 100 feet away. Being the only two tourist on the boat, we stuck out like a sore thumb taking pictures. But this is the reason why we came. Mom and I wanted pictures with the Costa Concordia because who else has pictures with it? Everyone has pictures with the Statue of Liberty, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, but out of our friends and other world travelers not many people have been to this shipwreck. So again, kinda cool but still very tragic.

We docked about two football fields away, and hailed a taxi. For 15 euros the taxi driver drove us up the rocky coast, and stopped so we could jump out and take pictures peering down at the ship. Five minutes later he drove us back. We had spent less than 30 minutes on the island. Round trip ferry tickets, and a taxi, it's an expensive trip for 30 minutes and some pictures- but it's something that we can say that we have been to. Mom's friend wanted to make the trip with us but couldn't, so to lighten the mood we cut out a picture of her and brought her with us.

This wrapped up our whirl wind trip. We hopped back on the next train to Roma, mom went to the airport and I headed home. I'm sure that 3 days with your mom may not be ideal, but the relationship mom and I have, 3 days was perfect. She doesn't want me to tote her around, and go out of my way to be super hospitable to her. She knows that she will be back more often than anyone else, so little doses at a time is perfect.



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TRAIN TIPS

• Catching a train from Downtown Naples can be pricey.
• Catch the train from Villa Literno- 15 minute drive from Lago Patria
• From here to Roma you pay 10 euros!
• Have a friend drop you off and pick you up to avoid parking
• Visit TrenItalia.com enter Villa Literno and wherever your desitiantion is.
• We spent roughly 40 euros to Pisa, 20 euros to Orbetello from Pisa, and from Orbetello to Roma was 10 Euros.
• I say don't bother with buying 1st class. It's not a huge difference, unless you are on a train for endless hours- then it may be worth looking into.
• Make sure you validate your ticket before boarding the train.

• Look for a yellow box on the wall or a TrenItalia green box.
• When you enter your ticket into the slot, it will punch a hole. Congratulations your ticket has been validated.
• If you don't validate your ticket- it can cost you an additional 50 Euros!

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Getting to The Costa Concordia

• Visit the website TrenItalia
• I travel from Villa Literno to Orbetello-Monte with a stop in Roma Termini
• When you arrive in Orbetello, catch the local city bus to Porto Santo Stefano (the bus will say so on the digital display at the top) and when you see the boats you know you are where you are suppose to be.
• The city bus is 2 Euros a person (Taxi is 30 Euros)
• We walked about 2 blocks down the road to get to our hotel.
• Buy your ferry ticket across the street from the ferries
• There are only two ferries to get to Giglio Island- Torremar or Maregiglio.
• View their ferry time tables here
• It costs us 10,30 euros a person there, and 9,30 to get back
• The ferry is an hour each way, and give yourself time to catch the city bus to get back to the train station.

Here is a good website for Giglio Island

Doing Rome the Right Way

This past weekend my sister in law and niece flew in to Naples for a quick visit. One of the issues about living in a foreign country is that MUST SEE AND DO list.

When Marito and I arrived, we quickly went to Rome, saw the Coliseum, the Trevi Fountain, visited Pompeii and all that jazz.. Well, now that we have done these things, we kinda don't want to do them again. Does that make us bad hosts?

Fortunately this trip worked out great for us. Marito had to work a few days the ladies were here, so while he was working, us girls went out and did the things Marito didn't want to do again.

I took them to Pompeii first. I had only been once, where as Marito has been twice already, so I didn't mind going again. Pompeii is so big, so there is plenty of things I missed out on seeing the first time I went. We had a blast, my niece kept saying that every room was a bed room, a bathroom, a jail cell, or it was a bakery. To her, some of these buildings had 4 bathrooms side by side! Silly kid! She was definitely entertaining us with her teenage imagination- made the trip super funny!

We showed the family what our favorite Italian meals are. If you are ever in Lago Patria, the rotisserie place on Via Staffetta is to die for! You can't eat until 7 PM at the earliest, but the chicken is sooo tasty, it is totally worth the wait. And they put the french fries under the chicken as it cooks and gets the drippings on them. OH EM GEE YUMMO! Don't forget the fritatina pasta- friend mac n cheese!

Saturday morning we had a friend drop us off at the Villa Literno Train Station where we caught a train to Roma for 10 Euros each!!! It was a two hour train ride, not too shabby! You are going to pay 20 euros in tolls each way if you drive to Roma, and this way we didn't have to worry about gas or parking.

When we got to Roma, we checked into our hotel, dropped off our book bags (don't want to carry luggage around in Roma the day we check out), then we headed off to the Vatican.

When you first arrive at the Train Station in Roma, if you want to buy Roma Passes (30 euros) go to platform 24 and find the information desk. If you want the Omni Vatican Pass (85 euros) go to Platform 1. We were going to get the Vatican pass because it seems like the best deal, be we decided not to.

Roma has two train lines, the A train which is the orange line on the map, and the B train which is blue. Both of which intersect at the main Train Station. Super easy to travel on, and find your way. I learned at a young age how to make my way on a metro. My mom taught me in London when I was 13 and I mastered it in DC where she lives. I remember one trip where I ran away from a hotel and went to the Airport in London- boy did that plan back fire! That is another story, for a different blog, but thanks mom for teaching me the ropes.

Quick lesson in metro riding- you want to take the train with the end destination that will pass your stop. For example, the metro runs from A-Z and you are at stop S and want to get to stop M you need to get on the train headed to A. Does that make sense? I sure hope so!

Back to the Vatican! We arrive at the Vatican and get approached by tour guides, they are offering a 2 hour tour through the Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel and ending in St Peter's Church. The Line to get in was a 2 hour wait, and the price was 35 Euros. So we paid it, waited for the group to get larger for almost an hour. I was getting super ansty! The guide was cool. He told us what to look for in the Sistine Chapel, what each picture meant and who painted it. It was totally worth the 35 Euros. We received head sets so we could hear our guide talking in a microphone, which was nice so we could hang back a bit and not worry about not hearing him.

When we got into the Sistine Chapel, we left the tour group. I wanted to spend more time in there admiring the masterpieces. The tour guide exited stage right and we exited stage left. Stage left took us to the rest of the Vatican Museum. After walking for a bit I turned around and said "I just really want to see Mary holding Jesus." I was then informed that because I left the group I would have to go back and wait in line. WHAT?! So we turned around, went back to the Sistine Chapel and then exited Stage Right (tour groups only). We snuck through this door and pretended to catch up with our group and found ourselves at the entrance to St. Peter's Basilica.

We walked into this massive, beautiful church, and I remember a conversation from the day before where someone told me that you will hear "Oh My God" or "Holy Sh*t" in many different languages from people's first impression of this church. And it is pretty true- that was what my first impression was. of course I thought it, and didn't say it!

To the right was a crowd, and naturally I go to it. Low and behold is the statue of Mary holding the body of Jesus. My mother warned me about this beautiful, realistic statue. The compassion, and love resonating from it touched my heart. I cried. Never in my life did I think I would cry over a statue, but being in this church, staring at the piece of art- I was caught in the moment.

As we left the church, the Swiss Guards were changing, we stopped and watched- it was very uneventful. The best changing of the guards ceremony I've seen is in Athens, Greece- they are entertaining to watch!

The SIL and I maid a postcard home from the Vatican- it's 1.60 Euros for a stamp. Then we headed off to the Trevi Fountain.

When Marito and I went in August the Trevi was under construction (half of it was) and I was shocked to see that the scaffolding was removed! Just 2 or 3 weeks ago it was still up from what I saw from my Enterprise friends who visited in port.

My niece took her one coin and made a wish to come back to Roma. We made our way to the Coliseum, walked around it, and found a great restaurant. I wish I had grabbed the name of it, but we went there before and found our way back, so I know we will return next time.

The next day we got up and headed back to the Coliseum to go inside and check it out. Tickets were 12 Euros, and the wait wasn't too bad. It had started to rain, so all of the street vendors were selling crappy umbrellas for 5 euros. I talked them down to 4 and bought two, just in case it started to pour.

The Coliseum is pretty cool, the stairs a pretty steep, and like a dummy, I wore boots with heals, didn't bring a change of shoes and my feet were KILLING me both days. So naturally, I want to find some new shoes. After the Coliseum we made our way to the Spanish Steps- the widest staircase in Europe. Directly across the street is the high end designer section of Roma.

We went to Prada, Gucci, LV, Versace, Jimmy Choo. It was a girl's dream come true- if only we had a ton of money to blow.

My niece had just turned 14 on her trip out here, so we wanted to spoil her a bit and went into the stores. She had a great time looking at bridal jewelry in Cartier, trying on 600 Euro fur scarfs in Gucci, and then we went to Jimmy Choo and the sales consultant went and grabbed 4 pairs of shoes for her to try on, JUST FOR FUN!

The rain picked up so we left Roma 2 hours early. Amazingly we didn't buy anything to take back with us!

Their last day in Italy, Marito had to work, so I took the girls to Mt. Vesuvius and let them climb it. I have already climbed Vesuvius twice, and I didn't want to pay 8 Euros for a work out, so I stayed in my car and read a book while they had a good time. Afterwards we went to Compania Mall and bought a bunch of accessories, and shirts. That mall has 181 stores!

Before they caught their flight the next day, we went to Auchan to pick up a ton of candy and other goodies for them to take back to the states.

It sucks to see them leave, but I know they had a great time here, and I look forward to my next visitor. Mom wants to come out and go see the Costa Concordia (the cruise ship that bottomed out and is off the coast). Should be fun to take pictures there!

Money and Expenses In Italy

Now that Marito and I have moved out of the Hotel (TLA), I decided it would be a good idea to keep track of our expenses. What we have spent on gas, electric, water and even home improvements- like hanging shelves and etc.

Having stayed in TLA for the maximum amount of time was really nice. The Navy pays $123 per diem a day if you stay in a hotel room with no kitchen (unless you have more than one dependent), so you do the math. Every ten days, you turn in your hotel receipt, the Navy pays for your hotel room plus ten days worth of per diem- and you normally get it the next week (not having to wait until pay day). It's a really nice deal if you think about it.

I strongly advise you to save as much money as possible. It is so easy to spend money on touristy things, and shopping. A lot of people don't know how much money they need to save before they PCS overseas, well I am about to give you an inside look so you can judge for yourself.

We moved into our home on October 10th. Had to buy gas because our tank was 25% full- you NEED gas for hot showers, cleaning your dishes, washing your clothes, running your radiator, and cooking on the gas stove. That was $400 bucks for 400 liters. Before you finish at the contract signing you have to make a security deposit that is equivalent to first months rent. BAM! 1400 Euro ($1850) then you also have to transfer money into your landlords bank account within the week you sign your contract- another 1400 Euros. On top of that you have to apply for electricity, internet, potable water delivery and anything else you need from Residential Services- where again you have to pay security deposits.

By the end of the day, you need to apply for MIHA (Move In Housing Allowance) and DLA (Dislocation Allowance), both of which are allowances and do not need to be paid back. As of right now MIHA is worth 902 Euros ($1,200) and DLA is worth $2,011 as well as OHA (Overseas Housing Allowance) which for an E-5 is 1,400 Euros (with dependents).

A month into our rental agreement and we have just now received our 50 and 60 day TLA payment (apparently the last two take some time to get). But we have not received MIHA, DLA, Octobers' OHA and Utilites nor Novembers' OHA and Utilities. If you do the math we have paid two months rent, a months rent worth in security deposits plus the cost of gas and all that fun stuff. We are owed $9,000 from the Navy. You know as well as I do that when it comes to you owing the military they will take their money in 5 seconds, but when they owe you they will take their time.

Fortunately, Marito and I are good with money, and are ok in the mean time.

We have not received a meter reading for our electricty yet, but we are being so frugal with our appliances. We unlug everything! The TV, our cellphone charges, the microwave. EVERYTHING but the fridge and stove.

Electricty is so expensive here in Italy. Our power here is bought from France, so it's costs a pretty penny to draw power from so far away. If I am not mistaken it is 0.14-0.15 euro per kilowatt hour. And the way the power comapany works, is they will estimate your power usage for a month or two at a time (normally guessing low, making your payment low) and then six or eight months later you get a massive catch up bill. A friend of ours had an 800 euro bill! So keep track of your meter. Read it monthly, multiply the kilowatts used by 15 cents and that is how much your bill should be. If your bill is lower- put the money aside to help pay for your catch up bill.

This is why we are being so frugal with our electricty. I'd rather pay 40 euros because I open my shutters instead of using lights, or keep the heat off in the rooms I am not using, instead of paying 200 euros. Electricity IS cheaper at night, between 7pm and 7 am.

You can't pocket your OHA money, but you can be frugal and pocket your left over Utilities Allowance.

I advise anyone coming to Europe to save at least $5,000 before the move, and to keep saving with the TLA money. The longer you stay in TLA the more money you can profit.

 

Of course you can always live on base and pay pretty much for just your cellphone and internet, since OHA and Utilites are automatically withdrawn from your paycheck. We all have different reasons to choosing where we want to live, and if this post helps you determine what is best for you and your family, I am just glad that I can help!

Soccer, Futbol... Same Thing to Me

I have never been a big fan of soccer. I used to play it when I was younger, but once I noticed cramps under my ribs from running I threw in the towel. NOPE! Not the sport for me! I think that is where my love for the sport stopped, or at least my lack of caring started.

My HS crush, and Jr. Prom date!

During high school I loved going to the boys soccer games, mainly because I was crushing really hard on one player in particular. Anything to spend more time with a crush right? What was the best part was the fact that I was the Athletic Trainer, so I got to sit on the sidelines and enjoy the sport from the bench. Being in the stadium doesn't compare to sitting on the sidelines.

Anyways, soccer, I mean futbol is a huge deal in Europe. Did I say huge deal? I meant HUGE DEAL. Living in Naples if you are not a Napoli futbol fan you better not be a fan of anyone! You will read why in a moment.

Last night, Marito and I went to our first futbol match. The hotel we are so fond of, took the liberty to get tickets and a bus and a group of 25 went to the game together. Fortunately, this game wasn't a big deal. The team we played was ranked 18th and Napoli is ranked 2nd.

During the game I payed more attention to the crowd than to the teams. The fans bring HUGE banderas (flags) and wave them around throughout the entire game. I would think it is obnoxious if I was sitting where the flags were! Next thing I know, the fans are chanting and jumping up and down, but only in particular sections. I hear that each section has loyal fans and they do their own thing. It made me feel like I was at a college football or basketball game. The passion these fans have is intense!

Before I know it there is a cloud of smoke coming from the crowds on both ends where the goals are, and the fans are igniting flares! One of the guys with me said to wait until they set off Sulfur Bombs. Oh dear lord!

Across the way from my seats was an area caged off. This is where the visitors sit. They have to sit in a cage because the fans will throw bottles, trash, and debris at them. Security is tight around the visitors because the passion is so extreme the fans will hurt fans of the other team.

Italy used to issuse license plates to citizens with the first two letters being the first two letters of what town that person lives in (ie: Naples- NA, Milan- MI). When rival teams like Milan play in Naples, if you have MI on your license plate you would be attacked! Therefore they stopped doing lisence plates this way.

If you go to a game, which the stadium is right down the road from JFC in Agano, make sure you do your research. DO NOT wear the opposing team colors! You might regret it later.

The next big game is November 17th. Naples vs Milan! I am sure the game will sell out, and the crowd will be uncontrollable, but the college student inside me cannot wait to go to the game! To feel the energy and excitement of such a rival game, it is going to be surreal.

Check out the Flags and the flares in the video.






PS- For the ladies! If you go to a game, please bring tissues. The toilets are little holes in the floor and if you don't have any tissue, you will either hold your bladder or drip dry!

Moving In and House Guests

The past two weeks have been exhausting but exhillerating.

Marito and I finally moved into our new home on October 10th. We had our Household Goods set up to arrive that day, as well as our Full Time Temporary Furniture (washer, dryer, stove, wardrobes etc.). I had also gone to the NEX to get some new furniture that we bought to be delivered that same day.

It was a little chaotic to have all three moving trucks arriving at our house at the same time, but it worked out to the HHG movers advantage. Our King and Queen size beds were difficult to carry up the stairs so they used the other movers to relay our matresses and boxsprings through the patio doors from one floor to another.

By the time the movers were almost done unloading our boxes I felt bad for them and just told them to put the rest of the boxes in the garage. I also told them not to unpack anything. Too many wives tales about the movers telling the Mafia or Gypsies what is in my house and us getting robbed. Thanks but no thanks, whether that is true or not, I will unpack my own stuff.

I didn't have any food for the movers, but I had plenty of bottled water. Good thing too becuase it was a very warm day for them to move 6 crates of boxes and furniture.

Marito with some of his buddies from the Enterprise

Our drunk friend in the pool

Not even a full week later I had a line of people to pick up from the airport because the USS Enterprise was pulling into Naples. I did a TON of driving back an forth, picking people up, dropping them off and basically being a tour guided taxi service. It was exhausting but made me feel so good to help. I was able to help two wives reunite on the pier, help a boyfriend surprise his girlfriend and then watch a proposal. Marito and I also picked up a few of his buddies from his former command and take them around town, grab some drinks and free wifi.One of the guys had a good enough time that he jumped into the pool (freezing) and paid a Hotel Guest at the Agora 50 euros to jump in too! When I wasn't with my house guests, I was at the Exchange sending sailors to get free wifi so they could FaceTime and connect with home.

I love helping people. I hopped on FaceBook and posted a few pictures of some random Sailors I met, and it happened to be a couple of guys that are husbands to some wives I know! I also saw a New dad from our last command and emailed his wife a picture. You just don't know how much joy it is for me to make other people happy, especially wives who haven't seen their husbands in 7 months.

With all of the driving I did, I learned a lot about downtown Naples, where the Liberty Boats pull in and that I hate driving on the Toll Roads!

Now that my friends are gone, it's back to getting the house organized and the last of the boxes unpacked. Getting ready for the next round of house guests coming next month!

Getting a House In Naples

The housing process, where do I even begin?

When Marito and I first arrived in Naples, we were fortunate enough to meet a realtor that same day. A couple days later we were out looking at houses. We NEVER went through Housing to go on the trips to see homes out in town. They don't mind if you go through a realtor as long as he/she is listed with Housing and they know the procedure. Which was nice, I didn't have to worry about going on day trips to see houses when I have already found the home I want to move into.

We found our house on the fourth day of being here in Napoli. Awesome, we are going to be ahead of the game! After picking a house, I had to meet with my Landlord at Housing to make an appointment for the Landlord to bring in documents to prove his house was built legally. This was an extra step we had to go through because our Landlord hasn't rented to Americans in quite a while, and the appointment was about a week later.

Starting out I had heard many rumors about having to sign wavier if you decide to live in certain areas of Naples. This is true, at least it was. For instance, Lago Patria used to have high(er) crime rates, but over the years the area has cleaned up and the rates have dropped. The waiver is for your knowledge that you choose to live in this particular area. I am moving into Lago Patria, and have been in a hotel here for two months- if you look in the Panorama Newspaper you can keep an eye on what happens and where (break ins, robbery, car accidents etc). I haven't seen anything that has made me second guess our decision to live here. We are away from the valley where the smoke and smog like to collect, far enough away from base to leave work behind, and close to the water to get a great breeze through our windows.

Back to the paper work. Our Landlord brought in the documents showing our house was legal, but he was missing one paper or number and had to make yet another appointment for the following week. This was going to put us behind so I met the Landlord the NEXT day at Housing and asked to been seen. It wasn't a problem. Some people may have issues, but I did not.

After this we set an appointment to go into a pre-contract. When that day came, the owner and his two daughters (whoever is an owner must attend) met up at Housing and we went through the steps of signing a pre-contract. Here we discussed what the negotiations are. For us we wanted electric front gates, electric garage door, a couple extra AC units, wall paper removed, and new kitchen cabinets. Some people ask for maid services, yard service, even elevators to be installed. It all depends on how much money you are eligable for with your rank. I could live in the same house as a Commander, I just wouldn't be able to negotiate anywhere near as much as the Commander could, because the Commander makes more OHA (Overseas Housing Allowance). Once everyone is in an agreement, the pre-contract is signed and an Inspection date is set.

Our Landlord postponed the Inspection by a couple of days, which again put us behind schedule. Fortunately the inspection passed the first time! Some/most Landlords do not start working on your negotiations until the pre-contract is signed, which is why my Landlord pushed it back a few days, so he could have more time.

After you find out your house passed inspection, I advise you to go book your Contract appointment immediately. Delaying this can delay you from getting this appointment by a matter of a week or more some times. Which means you are in your hotel for even longer!

So now it is Contract signing time! Yay! Dedicate two hours for this because you will need an hour for the actual contract, and another hour to drop off a security deposit (Full month's rent worth), go to Residential Services and turn on Electricity, schedule your household good  (HHG) shipment and then go back to Housing to drop off a receipt.

You should get your keys the same day as your contract signing. Yippee!! But wait! It can take up to five working days before you get electricity, which mean you don't want you HHG to be delivered before hand- you won't be able to set your security alarm! Just something to keep in mind.

A few of my girlfriends from the hotel have already moved in, so I have been helping them clean before their furniture comes in, and then helping them unpack all of those boxes! It surely is a chore!

Since our Landlord took a few extra days, and had an extra hoop to go through, marito and I are now in a Short Term Lease with the hotel. This simply means we are now paying a reduced price with our OHA and Utilities Allowance to pay for the few extra nights here. To get Short Term Lease, you need to make sure the hotel has the extra room for you first!! Then you go to housing to make and appointment, then a couple days later go to the appointment to file for the money.

Housing seems like a broken process, but I would much rather go through their hassle with going in to make an appointment, wishing I could just be a walk in, than to have the Polizia come knocking at my door giving me an hours notice to get out of my house- all because it was illegally built. Keep an open mind through out the process and just enjoy being here, in Italy!

The Hotel Agora

Not too long ago I had written briefly about The Hotel Agora, where marito and I reside until our big move in day. I was taken aback when the owners had been forwarded my blog and they were so happy to hear my opinion about my home away from home. Now that our time is running short here I wanted to give Hotel Agora a real brag.

Two short months ago, marito and I were dropped off here not knowing a single soul, or where we even were. After a couple of weeks being cramped in a small room (which we purposely chose to not upgrade) marito and I were at each others neck. I learned that I needed to escape the hotel room. Out on the patio I met a fellow Facebook Friend Nicole, and her two children. After finding someone to connect with I started to make more connections. I learned the hotel staffs' names- Alfredo, Alessio, Alessandro, Bianca, Johnny, Johnny, and Raphaella, as well as the hotel regulars. Instead of learning the Italian language in my room on the computer, I started to practice it with the staff. I soon then met Christian and Jennifers (The Owners) and their family and really got to know everyone in the hotel.



Me, Christian, and Melissa

The atmosphere here is so relaxed, and happy. Now, not bouncing off the walls happy but very content happy. Every Friday during the summer the hotel cooks a BBQ, which I have talked about before. It's just very nice to know that come next summer we have a place to go to on Friday Nights to relive the good memories we have recently created.

On top of Friday nights, we took part in other activities such as Grilling on Tuesdays. One of the hotel regulars started to grill every Tuesday and it soon became a tradition. Which is nice when you are tired of eating from the same two restraunts and just want to have home cooked food. We dined on steaks, brats, pork, tender tips, kebobs, corn, beans, asparagus, fresh salsa and chips. You name it, we cooked it.

Wednesday nights are notorious for being Man's Night. The men all gather at 7 PM, buy round for each other and just have a night with out the women. There were times when Marito didn't come home until 2 AM because the men were having such a good time. This inevitably led into the creation of Ladies Night.

A couple weeks ago, two friends and myself decided it was time for the ladies to enjoy themselves. I remember the bartender bring out a round of Limoncello shots and saying "I love Ladies Night!" We had a great time! Every week we have had a couple more ladies come out, so hopefully we can keep the tradition going. We did just change it to Friday nights until the BBQ is back on this summer.

Speaking of BBQ, the last Friday in September is the last BBQ. This year the BBQ was themed Prom Night. The hotel had a Queens Tribute Band entertain us, as well as a DJ. With over 200 people in attendance, let's just say it was a ball! The hotel guest got to come for free, and those who weren't guest paid a cover charge that was donated to a couple of good causes: Animals Without Limits and Local Volunteers TNR. With other ways to fundraise money, almost $1,400 was raised to help spay, neuter, and provide basic veterinary care to the stray animals in Naples.

So, not only was the hotel involved in a great cause, they also gave us a great excuse to dress up! It was so nice to see the guys and girls dressed in their finest. We danced the Cupid Shuffle, the Cha Cha Slide, and of course the Macarana. It wouldn't have been a party with out grooving up on the chairs, so I did. That was how much fun I was having! Mind you, I wasn't dancing like it was my job!

All in all, I am looking forward to moving out of the hotel and finally getting my own place with marito. It saddens me to know that I can't just walk out onto the patio to get my entertainment while marito works, but I'll be right around the corner, I'm sure I will be stopping by quite often!

Italian Driving

For the past month and a half I have become an expert at back seat driving. I haven't been able to drive since the day we moved to Italy, because all of the cars here are manuals and I just simply haven't learned yet. I do plan on learning and marito says he will teach me, I'm just not comfortable yet to learn on these roads at the moment. Now that my vehicle is here, it has been so nice to hop in the car and take off, not having to wait for a ride or burden someone else. My car is my independence.

I want to share a few things that I have noticed that is different here than back home in the states, and in no means am I bashing the Italians and their lifestyle, just pointing out differences.

First off, drive in the right hand lane, unless you are passing someone. If you are in the left lane and someone approaches you quickly and you are slowing them down, expect to see them flashing their lights at you telling you to move over. They may even honk at you to let you know that they are behind you.

Tailgating is very common here, mostly because I feel there is a lack of patience for the driver in front to move over. The locals will get up on your bumper and zig zag in between cars with the bare minimum amount of space. Take a breath, they know what they are doing- this is their lifestyle. Don't brake check the person behind you to send a message. There is no road rage here, so don't get mad when they speed up onto your back bumper and flash their lights or honk a horn at ya!

One of the first things to annoy me is that they wait until the last second to pull off onto an exit ramp. Why wait? Do as I do and get over into the exit lane right away, thus allowing others to know you are exiting, right? Nah, they don't do that. Don't get frustrated, just start getting used to it! You can't change their ways.

I have seen a couple of times in the two months I have been here, that if an Italian misses their exit they won't go to the next exit and turn around. NOPE! They will back up on the Autostrade (Interstate/Highway) and make their exit! So please be mindful of cars on the shoulder- they may be in reverse!

The policia don't care if you speed. End of story. Cars fly by doing 50 kilometers per hour faster than the policia and no one gets a ticket. In fact, I haven't seen any cars pulled over by police on the Autostrade, BUT! I have seen cars pulled over and men peeing on the side of the road. Honey Badgers don't give a sh*t (To understand this reference please watch this hilarious YouTube Video).

Speaking of speeding. Certain roads have a TUTOR system, which takes pictures of your car and calculates your average speed over a length of highway. If you speed, you will get a ticket a couple months later. There are also camera boxes that capture your speed at a certain moment and not the average over a distance. So sorta like a Red Light camera. Be careful. There are signs to warn you so you can slow down, and I just don't want you to waste your money.

Honking. In Europe everyone honks their horn. Doesn't mean they are mad at you like it does in the States. There are varieties as to when and where to understand honking.

• If you slow down to make a turn and you hear a honk- hurry up
• You allow someone in the opposite direction to come by in a tight area and they honk- Thank you
• Lanes are merging and you don't let them in and you hear a horn- LET ME IN!
• There are honks for being too close to my car
• Big vehicle coming around the corner, it will blow their horn to let the person on the other side of the corner know to prevent collision in a blind turn.
• Red light just turns green, they will honk if you aren't on the pedal within the first second.

It has taken me some time to determine which honk means what. I thought we were just bad at driving- but it is kinda like having a baby and learning which cries mean food, sleep, etc.

I also want to inform you that when lanes merge into one, the Italians will be four wide in two lanes, trying to squeeze into line. Drives me nuts, but it is what it is. Reminds me of NASCAR races, when everyone is leaving the race and it is a mad rush to get out of the parking lot.

You definitely have to be a defensive driver here. Beware of scooters. They come out of nowhere and zip in between cars to get to where they are going. They will pass you on the left, even while you are making a left hand turn. You really have to be looking behind you more so than in front of you.

Get good insurance, because they will hit you and keep going. Insurance is already very steep here in Italy, but for good reason. The majority of the cars here have Naples kisses and I can already tell you that my car doesn't stand a chance. It is a risk I was willing to take.

Don't leave ANY valuables in your car. Take the face plate off of your after market CD player, unplug your GPS and CLOSE YOUR CIGARETTE LIGHTER! If it is open, it tells onlookers that it is probably used for a GPS which might be in your glove box. The economy is poor and people are looking for a quick buck. So protect yourself.

Don't be afraid to drive while you are here. I can't imagine three years without a vehicle of my own. I do plan on investing in a bicycle so I can go to the market around the corner and pick up a few things without parking my big ole car.

Invest in a GPS. The roads are confusing, and most of them do not have signs. If there are street signs they are on a building, not over the street. They sell GPS' at the NEX for around $200. Some more, some less. They come with Europe maps already loaded as well as US maps. So you can take the GPS back to the States and use it without buying an extra download for maps. I have a Garmin, but I hear the Tom Tom is the way to go (I guess it is better in certain areas- I can't compare).

I do look forward to driving back in the states. I miss the 4-way stops. Round Abouts are intimidating to me, and they are everywhere. I'm sure I will get used to them, and will love them when our time here is up. I will have to learn how to stop again because Napolians don't stop at stop signs. They slow down and that is it. But only in Naples from what I hear. Napolians are a breed of their own when it comes to driving, so don't be alarmed if you go North and it is much more calm.

I hope these tips help you to understand the driving lifestyle here. If you want to add to the list, post a comment below to help others.

POV Pick Up, Amalfi Coast, & Shoe Alley

So I feel like I want to start every blog update with "Another exciting day today," but I can't help but to feel that everyday is exciting here in Italy.

Friday, I checked WhereIsMyPOV.com and saw that my SUV was delivered, marito got off work, picked me up grabbed our documents, and ran to go get my baby.

To pick up your POV you need to go register your vehicle at the Navy Lodge (2nd floor) at CMRVO, and to have a smooth and quick registration you must have certain documents.

• Military ID
• Power of Attorney (if needed)
• Insurance Information
• Money (sometimes- I'll return to this)
• Inspection Form/ DD788

After signing a few documents, and calling the insurance company to email the registration office your new insurance card you will recieve your lisence plates. We had already bought a car while waiting for my car to arrive, therefore we had to go through an extra step and switch the other car from a primary to secondary. IF/WHEN you register a second vehicle you will have to pay Naples Road Tax on it. For our Alfa Romeo it costs us I want to say 23 euros a month, less than 300 euros a year. Now you can pay this tax monthly or 4 months at a time, your full term whatever. But keep in mind, that if you pay for let's say a year, and 3 month from now you total your car.. you don't get your money back. It's not refundable. We didn't want to fork out 300 euros just yet, so we'll do a few months at a time.

After leaving registration we went to pick up my vehicle which is in the lot back behind the Autoport. Did the walk around my car, signed some papers saying I know how to file a claim, put the lisence plates on and drove off. A very easy, 2 hour experience. My fuel was below E which I found odd, considereing it had 1/4 tank when I dropped it off, and it had 4 additional miles on it. Not sure if that is normal. Anyone else have that issue? Anyways there is a gas station across the highway from SS.


SATURDAY! Marito and I got up bright and early and went to the Amalfi Coast. It was a gorgeous end of summer trip. In August, the Amalfi Coast is packed full of tourist and buses. The locals have to alternate days of driving it is so packed. And let me tell you, it is a VERY narrow road. There were times a bus was rounding a corner and traffic jammed up because people would try to squeeze by and the bus couldn't go anywhere without hitting them.

Coming from Naples, we drove down towards Sorento, cut through town and started in Positano. Marito and I stopped at a small cafe on the cliffs, had the most delicious capochinos and bruchetta, with a spectacular view. It was nice, just marito and I at the restraunt, no other toursits- it was OUR seculded spot.



Digging in on some scrumptious bruchetta

After lunch, we got back on the winding road, pulled over a few times to take pictures, and talked about how this is something from the movies. It warmed my heart, holding my loves' hand and being somewhere straight from the pages of National Geographics.



Fabulous Ceramic Wall Along The Coast

We got to the town of Vietri and stopped to walk around. There are a TON of ceramic stores there. One building was a few stories tall stuffed with a large variety of plates, decor, etc. all made from ceramic.

Fortunately we had finished our day there and the Autostrade begins there, so the ride home was quick. It is 30 miles from Naples but took us almost 2 hours to get there cutting through town, and I rather cut through town at the begining of the trip and not the end!

Dined on my favorite Four Cheese Pizza (Quattro Fromaggi) from Il Chamade, across the street from the Chicken Shack on Via Stuffetta in Lago Patria. It was the the perfect end to the perfect day.

Sunday, Marito and I went to Shoe Alley. That's right, an area full of shoe vendors, selling amazing European shoes for a great price. It is located down the street from Cappo Base, not Downtown Naples like I had previously thought. I did think that Shoe Alley was an alley/street, but it really isn't. You walk down a street and it opens up behind a fence and there are a bunch of vendors set up like a market. And there were a LOT of vendors. It was very enjoyable to browse among the shoes, clothes, kitchen goods, and even fabric vendors.

 

Marito bought a pair of Europeanesque shoes to wear to prom night- oh yeah, the Hotel Agora is having their last BBQ this Friday and it's themed Prom Night, even including a Queen cover band! I am in seraching of some Hot Pink Glitter Heels to wear to Prom, which I found the perfect pair at Shoe Alley, but they weren't my size. Sad Face. I did end up buying a great pair of heels from the NEX that was on it's third round of clearence (saved $60), so I was a happy girl.

Here is a video of what Shoe Alley is like on a September day.

 

 

If you go to Shoe Alley, this purple building marks the right street. There are "White Caps" that help you find parking- they want 1.50 Euros, or you can park around the corner in a parking garage for 1.5 an hour. You will see a bunch of people on the street selling iPhone covers, fake purses and all sorts. The market is just beyond them.

 Shoe Alley is open from Friday- Monday from 8 am to 2 pm I believe.



Tomorrow the girls in the hotel and I are going to hit up Scarpe Scarpe (Shoes Shoes), so it should be a fantastic day tomorrow =]

Drink the Wine, Not the Water

Before the move to Naples, after delivering the news to friends and family, I can't tell you how many people told me to drink the wine while I am here. Well Duh! Italy is know for the UH MAZ ZING food and SUPERB wine.

After griping in a previous blog, a fellow military wife (N) invited me to get out of the hotel and go stomp some grapes on a Fleet and Family (FFSC) vineyard tour. Having never met her, I took a chance and went with my gut. All of the wives who have reached out to me and that I have met have been nothing shy of wonderful. We are a small community out of our element and we help each other because we know what it is like to not know anyone, where we are, or who we can rely on. 

N picked myself and Secret Squierls' wife up from the hotel and we took a road trip north to the Porto di Mola Vineyard. With our handy GPS loaded with the coordinates we were on our way. Well, so we thought. Our GPS and the other drivers' GPS ended up having different coordinates. After making a couple wrong turns, almost going down a goat trail, we got back on track and made our way. The coordinates took us through a vineyard, on a tractor trail. How the GPS picked up this road, is beyond me, but it was interesting to say the least.

We made it, and shortly after arriving it was time. YEP! Time to stomp some grapes! I was the first person to hop int he barrel and get my feet a squishin! First I thought stepping on the stems would be rough, but there were so many juicy grapes all you feel is little pops under your feet and then juice in between your toes. I could have stomped grapes all day, but I had to share with the other people there.

Following the fun we toured the factory, learning many things:

1. All wine is white wine, until dyed by the grape skin.
2. The long the juice is in contact with the skin, the darker and richer the color.
3. Red wine ages better than white.
4. White wine is good for about 2 years (I believe that was what was translated)
5. Wine that can be kept for years have a real cork, not a silicone cork
6. Real Corks must have holes in the foil on top, and should be shelved on it's side to prevent dry rot
7. Italian Law prohibits adding sugar to wine (to increase alcohol) the grapes must be picked at the right time of year to get the sugar quality needed
8. The sun enhances sugar growth, the longer the grapes grow and are exposed to the sun, the stickier they get, the more sugar they have.

After the tour, we walked to a home where 40 of us sat down for lunch. Three older ladies cooked us an amazing Italian lunch. I don't know over half of what I ate, but I was enjoying the experience. Each table had four different bottles of wine to split. I know our table had at least two bottles of the first kind, and maybe two of the last kind which makes six bottles amongst one table of ten people. We chatted and dined over fresh mozzarella, proscuito, olives, friedn sardines, penne pasta, ravioli, some sort of steak and sausage. I was in Italian Vineyard Heaven!

We finished lunch and made our way back to the main building to purchase a bottle or twelve of wine.

I am a wine novice, and don't get caught up in the "Wino" phase, but I must say, I was intuigued to buy a couple bottles of wine! I tend to stick with Moscato di Asti, but since that wasn't available I adventured out and bought a couple different white wines, and a bottle of Champagne.

Over all I bought 4 bottles of wine and paid for lunch all for 33 Euros. Not a bad day at the Vineyard I must say.

I left caring a bit more about the process of making wine, and as well as feeling closer to my mother. Next time I go, I'll make sure to bring her along!

Also, Happy Birthday to Shannon. Her and one of our closest Girl Friend's, Kim, went to  Williamsburg Winery to celebrate, and so I was with them in spirit at another Vineyard, which made me feel close to home.

If you ever get the chance to go to a Vineyard I highly recommend it. At Porto di Mola we paid 10 euros for lunch and whatever wine we bought. The wine tasting wasn't limited to X amount of ounces, and they were happy to let us try something if they didn't have it out, like the Grappa!

I found the Italian Laws very interesting, how strict they are about making wine, but without those laws Italian Wine wouldn't be what it is today. They do what they can to maintain the integrity of TRUE italian wine. I also learned that it is bad luck to pour your own wine, so never let a friend pour their own glass.

And to that, I say "Cheers!"

Welcome Coffee and Market Playce

What an exciting week! I was asked to be a vendor at the Naples Overseas Spouse Club (NOSC) Welcome Coffee on Wednesday, since they found out I sell Pampered Chef. I was very honored that I was asked but I didn't have any of my supplies to sell or show case. I immediately put in an order to purchase all of the 40 new products Pampered Chef has released this month, and started planning in my head how I wanted to go about my table (I've never done a vendor show before).

Fortunately for me, all of my supplies arrived in time, as well as our express shipment which had my catalogs and business card etc. Marito and I went through every piece of PC inventory and organized it into boxes, and bags. I cataloged them, so I knew what I did have, how many I had and what box it can be found in. I was very proud of myself for being so organized while living in a hotel!



Click on the picture to get a FREE Recipe!

I get to the Support Site with products in hand, help the ladies set up the vendor tables, and other small projects. I donated a couple of prizes, and held a drawing for a Large Pizza Stone giveaway. I had about 50 people enter the drawing and lucky lady Emily won! In fact I just dropped off her stone today. It was a fantastic way to meet people and I hope I got my name out there.


Friday there was the Market Playce at the Community Center on Support Site, I stopped by to meet a few people, say hi to some of the vendors I had just previously met, and I also got to meet another Pampered Chef Consultant. there are 4 of us in the community, one is about to deliver a baby, so she might be putting the business on the back burner. It was good to know that these ladies rotate events, so no one has a monopoly here! Later in the evening the Support Site had a Pizza Fest, I didn't go to it, but it's good to know that there are activites to do when you get here!

I also met up with our future landlord, signed a pre-contract and got an inspection date for our home. We hope to move into our house by Oct. 7th- That is when our TLA is up, and if not we have to go into a short term lease with the Hotel Agora. I have a couple of girl friends flying out the following week, so I am desperately trying to get into our house on time!

Looking forward to upcoming week, going to make some wine, my car comes in, and my girlfriend's husband is flying home from deployment, making a pit stop in Naples. The time is being good to us, and things are going smooth. I try not to cry over spilt milk, and make the best of things, even in rough situations.