CPH - Inverno 2021

STHLM

Stockholm in bw

Italy - Snaps

A few snippets that never made the cut, because they were taken with a go pro. 

But they are cute and I would give an arm for a bit of summer. Maybe not an arm, but all the chocolate in my cupboard?

Naples

Naples. So much to say and I can say nothing what I say will be enough. I've told you that my first impression of Naples was nothing short of disappointing. Looking back I believe it was very circumstantial. My flight was delayed, I spent the whole day at the airport and by the time I got to Naples it was late, dark, and I was beyond tired. Pretty much like a child.  

The following morning we decided to head to Sorrento as soon as we could because by then I just wanted to lay under the sun. 

But when we came back to catch our flight home we got the chance to spend about 24h in Naples that were the perfect ending to our Italian summer. 

We ate, and ate, and ate, and sang aloud, and walked, and ate some more. There was a moment in time me and M. decided to part ways, and each of us walked their own way, exploring the city as we wanted. I remember wandering through Castel dell'Ovo, next to the water, looking at Vesuvius and keep on going with no destination, listening to Lana Del Rey and feeling so grateful for feeling such happiness, and to be able to take that from such simple, little things as food, a nice view and the ocean breeze. 

Italia made so happy and appreciated I can't put into words. And Napoli being our last stop, I feel like much of that happiness was consolidated there. Piazza del Plebiscito at dusk,  almost no one there, the cute little neighbourhoods and its residents, living their daily lives, kind of pulling you into their routines. The fruit stands, Galeria Umberto I, all the ice cream, pizza at da Michelle and Nino Sorbillo, the street markets along those narrow streets, where M. bought me a lovely turquoise necklace. The Aperol Spritz, a late night drink in a shabby setting next to a trailer selling spirits next to the bay and our last walk home. Our hide and seek game in the law department of the Università deli study di Napoli Federico II. We settled for breakfast at Gran Caffè Gambrinus the following morning, before heading home. The cakes look to die for. Honestly, everything there looks like that. And the ambience is so.. Italian? It feels just magical... But we overslept, in which I believe to have been a conscious choice ahah

Not that I regret that, to be honest, because I do want to come back to Napoli soon. There was so much left to see, I feel, and Gran Caffè Gambrinus if the first thing on my to do list. 

Vesuvius + Pompei

Pompei was hot. Pompei was too hot to be honest. Open sky, not a single tree offering a shadow as an escape. 

We took the Circumvesuviana train in the morning from Piano straight to Pompeii Villa of the Mysteries. That is the name of the station. You can easily reach the vulcano if you stop at Ercolano Scavi too. We decided to climb Vesuvius first, to avoid the midday sun. But honestly, that didn't make a difference. I believe that from the moment the sun rises until the moment the sun sets it's going to be unbearably hot up there. So bring a water bottle and get ready to get your clothes dirty and dusty. 

There are many touristic companies that provide the bus ride all the way through the vulcano hill, but you can only reach the peak if you walk. So the bus leaves you at a strategic point and then you just walk.  It's not a long walk, not too steep either, but can be quite tiring under the burning sun. 

Lovely views from above as you go around the vulcano, you can even see Naples bay from one of the sides of the hill! I guess I was hoping the experience to be more impactful overall, but I stood on a Vulcano and that's rather amazing to me!

It's very hard to get a picture of the whole cratera on your camera, because it is so wide!!! Probably that's what I was not expecting. I mean, I was expecting it to be big, but on the internet you can always see the whole thing in one picture, you know? ahah

And then, back down, walking first, bus next, until we were back in Pompeii. I was just so tiring, and dehydrated and hot and uncomfortable I didn't really enjoyed. I regret not having a guide or something/someone to guide me through Pompeii because I feel like I missed out on so much interesting information that could totally have changed my experience! So if you can, absolutely do that!

I think we were done by 3pm and honestly I just wanted to go home, take a nice shower and lay on my bed. From all days and thing we have done, if I had to exclude one, this would be it.  But looking back I am also very happy that I did it. 

On a side note, Lana Del Rey played incessantly on my earphones during this trip and here I am, reviving such lovely moments with Lana playing in the background once again.

It's been almost an year now... feels like yesterday to me.