Originally posted on July 9, 2012 by Canicus

Transfer Day: Naples to Rome

Today was another transfer day. I checked out of the hotel in Naples and caught a morning train to Rome, arriving shortly after noon. I had considered spending the afternoon at one of the museums near here. I had visited both previously and enjoyed them. The big deal is I could buy a pass for the Forum, Coliseum, Palatine and some other places without having to stand for hours in the sun. But, alas, the museums were closed. I should have known better. In fact, the design of the trip was to make Mondays travel days precisely because many attractions are closed on Mondays.

So I stopped by the nearby post office to buy a box in which to ship a bunch of stuff back home – probably on Friday. It will contain mostly travel guides and maps (with some clothes as filler – all stuff easily replaced in the U.S. if the package goes astray. It does seem that the contents of luggage seems to grow as the days accumulate. Part of it is doubtless due to souvenirs, like books on Herculaneum and Pompeii. But even without that it grows. I remember learning in high school Latin, reading Caesar that the Latin word for baggage was impedimenta – which it certainly is.

I am getting by with one pair of convertible pants and a white polo shirt for churches, a couple of pair of cargo shorts and polo shirts for everything else. All of these are lightweight, wicking and quick dry fabrics. I can rinse them out in the evening, hang them in the shower and they will be dry in less than 24 hours. I did bring a light rain jacket which I will send back with the books. I’ve not needed it and, the truth is, even if I get caught in the rain these clothes will quickly dry.

The hotel is across the street from where I stayed last year. It is really odd; there are three or four hotels all in the same building. Mine is on the 2nd (and maybe other) floors. Here the 2nd floor is what we would call the 3rd floor. Fortunately there is an elevator that is slightly larger than a telephone booth (for those who remember what a telephone booth looks like). The room is about 7 feet wide and about three times as long (including the bath). Unlike the hotel I was in last year there is a table and a chair. And I can actually access WiFi from my room. Last year I had to go to the lobby; in Naples I had to go to the room where they serve breakfast. I can’t say whether it is cheaper or more expensive than last year. Last year it was 1 euro per hour; this hotel charges 5 euros per 24 hours.

The bed in Naples was awful. It was a “full size” bed that seemed to be constructed of two twin mattresses, but with nothing to fill the gap between them. They were laid on a spring frame (like camp cots). The bed here in Rome is the size of a camp cot, but seems far more comfortable.

I’ll not do a photo journal today, I think I took only three pictures, none of which are particularly interesting.

I’m not sure, but I think they have removed that awful statue of Pope John Paul that “graced” the plaza in front of the Termini railroad station – or else they built a plywood box around it.

Canicus Modius