Nathan Goes Kayaking

While I was in Istanbul in June, Nathan decided to take our heavy, sit-on-top, plastic, tandem kayak out for it's maiden voyage in Italy. Below is the email I received from him:

[After a rough start to his morning, he] "set about putting the kayak dolly together. 

What a pain. It was like a Chinese puzzle - straps and extra pieces - a total disaster.  First, it took me an hour just to locate the parts in the garage closet (btw, everything is soaking wet and covered with slimy, fetid funk),  so the garage now looks like a band of gypsies sacked the place [editor's note: this is not a prejudicial comment, but rather a reference to some specific bands of gypsies who live here in Naples and are responsible for a great deal of pickpocketing and car break-ins at shopping centers]. 

Off I go down the crowded (i.e. beach trafficked) streets of Lucrino whilst dragging a 17-ft kayak (twice as long as most of the cars on the road). Imagine the stares! 

I get to the beach access point and am accosted by some schmuck who thinks it's his job to control who/what gets through. There are poles set up across the pathway under the tracks to prevent cars (and kayaks?) from getting through. However, [not so] remarkably, the tunnel is crowded with scooters.  He looks at my insanely huge kayak and simply shakes his head in the "no" direction. Pretending to not understand the Italian (and international) "no" gesture, I turned the boat on edge and shimmied through the poles and perilously past the line of incredulous ragazzi perched, smoking and/or making out, atop their scooters in the tunnel to the second set of barricades, on the beach-side of the tracks. This guy obliges and removes them since it's clear I am not going to acquiesce to their self-aggrandized sense of import. I'm in. 

But now I am faced with a sea of humanity positioned menacingly between me and the actual sea. There is no way I am going to get this boat in the water without crushing at least 143 Italians in the process. Add the awkwardness of 184,000 people who seemed to hush and stare as though I just landed on Earth aboard my 17-ft pointy orange spaceship.  If I could peel my humanoid face off and expose a reptilian countenance, I may have had better luck by scaring them off with a flick of my forked tongue and the jaundiced gaze of my lizard eyes. 

I dragged the ark to the far end of the public beach and found the narrowest part of the beach where I had to interrupt only one young couple's make-out session in order to put to sea. Lots of yelling and reluctant movements, but I was in the water. I hurriedly paddled off amidst what seemed like the ire of the entire Italian population and briefly considered paddling back to the States. 

So, there I was finally with some peace. Naturally, I immediately started wondering how I was going to get this boat out of the water. I resolved to paddle until the start of the Italy vs. Spain soccer match that was to air in roughly 5 hours. This was the impetus for my decision to paddle to Miseno - about 5 times further than was my intent when I [ahem] "planned" this odyssey. 

Notably, Italians in boats are much more civilized than Italians in cars. Maybe they were too taken aback by this unpowered, extraterrestrial craft and just elected to maintain a safe distance. Nevertheless, their conduct presented itself as courteous and respectful - ironically very alien itself, in this part of the universe. 

I paddled straight to the Baia castle and then hugged the coast all the way to Miseno (about 2 hours). Lots of people on the shore and scattered about the various breakwaters in Baia, Baccoli, etc.  Lots of quiet anchorages with people splashing around, making out, and lazing in the sun. Very nice paddle but for the constant staring, pointing, and general disbelief among the natives of this strange land I have only begun to explore.

I explored some coastal caves, lingered and eventually stopped on a beach in the Miseno harbor (next to the Guardia Finanza marina), ate an energy bar, and then headed back. The wind shifted and made for a long, hard paddle through the mussel farms (about 2 hours). 

Upon reaching the Lucrino beach, my fears were assuaged, and I found a spot to land and drag the boat up. My suspicion was at least partially correct and the beach was roughly 30% as crowded as when I left. Now, I had to field a multitude of questions about the boat, its wheels and why I do these things. The answer to how far I went was invariably received with a stout "MAMMA MIA!" and a horrified look upon their realizing that I may have actually come from another planet since I am capable of propelling my craft at least as far as Miseno. 

Getting up to the house was no big deal, I think because most people were home getting ready to watch the soccer match - still an hour away. 

I parked the boat in the garage, poured myself a deserved beer, and watched the natives in their second favorite activity - second just after making out on the beach."

Nathan's post

We had a great day today, and I plan to post lots of pics...maybe after I get my second wind tonight. For now, here is Nathan's Facebook post (for those of you who are not on FB or are not FB friends with him):

Diario Italiano (11th Sept - Noi Arriviamo)
by Nathaniel Straub on Saturday, September 11, 2010 at 9:51pm

Well, three months later, here I am with entry number two. I am really sorry, but the commitment was never really there - if you read the inaugural post. the fact that I have returned - or arrived as it were - is testimony already to this incredible place. So let's begin.

That I write this note on 11 Sept is part coincidence and part [i don't know what]. The fact remains that as much as I love and am going to love living here, I cherish my home country, America, her people, and her way. So this paragraph is a nod to my home, friends, and family. We love you and will always keep you close - no matter how far we have traveled.

We have arrived! Arriviamo!!! After "much ado," there is a great deal more than "about nothing." For starters, we have sold everything except the two cars (boat, home, ... the big stuff). We are in Naples, living in a temporary apartment on the Navy base. We get the skinny on living conditions next week. More about that as things develop. Let's just hope that they do... develop.

I spent my 36th birthday on the road and in the air and arrived on the continent on Wednesday (9/8). Jet lag and endless briefings/presentations threatened to ruin any excitement, BUT NAY! We would not be deterred. We spent the day today - our first free day - on the town. We really did get lost on the grid of endless alleys and by-ways, but it was not an accident. You see, Stephanie and I subscribe to a travel philosophy that requires one to fully abandon any plan or agenda - to lose one's self in a place. We stepped off of the bus (we don't yet have a car = good thing?) and into the heart of bella Napoli. We wandered - sometimes past a spot familiar to me from the last visit but by accident - with the intent of discovery. Discover we did. We had a guidebook, and with its help, we learned a little and enjoyed a lot. Alleys, pizza, caffe, gelato. It was all there aplenty. At one point we looked up and realized that we needed to get back to the bus before it turned into a pumpkin.

The key advantage we gain with this lack of planning an a city so vast is that we can get off of the same bus on a different day, walk in almost the same direction, and see a different place - experience a different world - than we did this time. Naples is bombastic, vibrant, joyful, and thrilling. We just love it. We are excited to be here, and I am just as excited to share it with you.

Maybe this is a further commitment to this series. To say we have arrived stretches far beyond Stephanie and me. Welcome to your tour of Naples, Italy, and Europe.

Nathan's Pics

Here are a few pictures from Nathan's trip to Naples last week. His favorite area of Pozzuoli is not included. I'll add one from that batch later as those pics are on a different computer that I don't feel like turning on right now.


This is a view from Monte de Procida of the islands of Procida (foreground) and Ischia.


In downtown Naples


In Capri


More Capri

by Nathan

This is the first entry of a public log to chronicle my first trip to Italy. I may or may not be all that disciplined as to write every day, and I may or may not resume once we have moved here for good. But that seems to fall into perfect line with the Italian way of life - a way in which nothing is linear for that matter. So Andiamo!

After arriving yesterday (19th June), I checked in and did the typical routine with rental car, hotel, etc. After a short party at the home of a prospective coworker, I set about the task of defeating jetlag. I dare say that I was successful in the first day thanks to the cafe and ... well, more cafe.

Today, was all the more productive for those efforts. After a short run this AM (and some cafe), I hit the road in my little car to see the towns of Vomero, Posillipo, and Pozzuoli. Vomero was nice but a bit too urban. Posilipo was exactly what we want if not a bit hard to access. In Pozzuoli, we have a winner. the town is surreal and the people are incredible. the sea is everywhere (and everything) in this little enclave with its cobbled alleys, cafetterias, seafood, and pizza.

Drama was unavoidable as the predictably unthinkable happened - I hit a pothole and blew a tire. Whilst changing the tire in the rain, I thought about this little metaphor: the best Italian phrase in the language is "Va bene." "It's fine." You can say anything you want in basic Italian, but chances are you will get something else. Knowing you are struggling, they try to please and hand you their best guess as to what you want and ask, "Va bene?" Just say, "Va bene!" Enjoy whatever it is, learn your lesson, and move on.

Va bene.

(If you know me, then you recognize that this is a life-changing epiphany. Feel free to applaud now.)

After returning my "guide" (i.e. the guy whose position I will assume in Sept) to his car, I went back to my room, exhausted and unmotivated, to head out into a rainy if not otherwise peaceful Neapolitan Sunday afternoon. Italians typically "roll up the streets" on Sundays - days for church and for family. Most of the businesses are closed everyday at mid-afternoon, and on Sunday, it's hard to find any sign of activity. But this is not just any Sunday. Italy is playing New Zealand in the soccer World Cup. I just can't bring myself to stay in, so I drive back to Pozzuoli for the match.

I make it to Pozzuoli in time for the second half whereupon a passing thunderstorm interrupts the TV signal. No worry however, as the Italians are as much fun to watch as the game. In fact, when Italy are playing badly (as was the case in this match) it was just as well to turn my attention to the fans. During the frequent TV outages, the fans kept me entertained all the same.

After the match, a 1-1 draw to otherwise hapless New Zealand, I set out on foot to see the parts of Pozzuoli I missed in the car. Though there are no car-free zones anywhere (including sidewalks), it's easier to take it in on foot. If you come to visit, be prepared to walk.

The Pozzuoli harbor is my favorite so far. The rain kept many away, but I was joined in the streets by quite a few locals looking for a distraction from the memory of an underwhelming performance on the soccer pitch. I chatted in 4- to 5-syllable Italian phrases (my limit) with a few people at a coffee bar. The staff there knew no English, but I imagine that if Bon Jovi were to come up, then they'd learn - they accompanied him flawlessly as he sang "Always" on the radio. A dopio (double) cafe went down wonderfully, and I bid arrivaderci to my new friends.

The trip was a total success in teaching me that there are a great many beautiful things about this place that too many are reticent to share amidst all the bad-news stories of crime, drugs, and burglary. The Neapolitans enjoy life. They love to smile, and I think they really love it when you smile back at them.

Va bene!

Ciao, Nathan