The real thieves of Naples...

When I said I was going to Naples, I had a number of warnings about being careful to avoid getting mugged, robbed or pickpocketed while I was there. I am happy to announce that none of these things happened to me during my stay...that's not to say I didn't leave with a bit of a dent in my pocket. It wasn't through being robbed, it was through willingly handing my money over the counter to the numerous 'tourist' activities. Almost everything has a price attached to it which is understandable but when the average entrance price is €10, the amounts soon add up.

I think the biggest money earner of them all is travelling to the top of Mount Vesuvius, you get charged €10 to get taken to the car park then a further €10 to walk from the car park to the top. Although, I think I got my money's worth out of the trip just through entertainment value alone. It all started with what was probably a very stupid decision but it worked out in the end so that's all that matters...right? Anyway I had just visited the remains of the City of Ercolane, also known as Heculaneum with four other people from my hostel and we were walking up to the top of the hill to get the Vesuvio Express, the company recommended to us by our hostel owner. On the way we get stopped by a man called Salvatore, he was a taxi driver who said he would take us to the top of the mountain, well the car park, wait for us then bring us back down to the bottom again. We should have said no straight away but there was something about him that made us think this would be a good idea to go with him. It was the energy he had that was drawing me to say yes, the other part that drew me to say yes was the fact he would be leaving when we wanted and the other thing that was drawing me to say yes was he was offering a good price. Whatever the eventual reason was, we said yes and we all climbed into his taxi, it was a big white people carrier that had about 10 seats and no seat belts...a good start I would say. Within seconds of us getting into his car Salvatore demonstrated what his horn for going around the corners would be. It was the tune of 'Just One Cornetto' and this basically set up the basis for the rest of the journey. He talked non-stop, again showing off the energy that drew me to say yes and when we were about ten minutes into the journey he says do you like music? We all said yes and what a good decision that was...well it wasn't good for our ear drums as it was being played at full volume but it was great for entertainment. It was a mixture of Italian pop, drum & bass, house and a couple of songs by Psy so it was a real mixture. Salvatore's dance moves didn't change however, it was always the same; one hand on the wheel (most of the time) and the other hand moving to the beat either pointing out of the window or rocking from left to right at shoulder height. I'm fairly sure he was trying to get the whole taxi doing his dance moves and as I was sat in the front right next to him, I thought 'what the hey' so there was me and Salvatore dancing along to the music that was blarring out of the taxi as we're going round the tight corners up the mountain. The music was occasionally interspersed with 'Just One Cornetto' as we came to the very tight corners but that just added to the crazy situation that I was in, it was when he took his eyes off the road and hands off the wheel that it became a bit hairy but all in all it was a very fun journey. When we got to the car park he dropped us off and gave us a time to be return to him so we trudged up the mountain, paid our extra €10 to walk to the top, looked around then trudged back down the mountain. I was quite surprised we didn't get charged again to walk down but that part was free and when we got back to Salvatore it was time for another journey similar to the one on the way up. The only slight difference was that he gave us each a postcard from Napoli/Vesuvius as a thank you for choosing him. The way down started with music and at every restaurant or shop we passed he would beep the horn to try and get them dancing too. A couple of them joined in although the majority of people just looked in utter confusion at this sight of a big white people carrier literally rocking with music and absolutely awful dance moves...and lets not forget 'Just One Cornetto'. All in all, what was probably a ridiculously idiotic decision to go with Salvatore turned out to be one of the highlights of the day and the trip so far. We paid Salvatore and said bye to him before going to get what was probably the worst meal I've ever eaten, I didn't think the Italians could get Spaghetti Carbonara wrong but when its presented on a plastic plate swimming in butter with chunks of un beaten egg in the middle, they can get it pretty hideously wrong.

Overall my time in Naples was a very successful one, especially looking at the warnings I was given before I went. Although one thing I will say is to be careful about where you eat, go to the right place and its stunning, go to the wrong place and you'll be paying over the odds for pasta swimming in butter or a panini that's eitherburnt or raw. Pizza is good though, they know how to do good pizza. The title of this piece refers not to the muggers, robbers and pickpockets but to the restaurants that charge stupid amounts for quite simply awful food with worse service and to the countless of museums that charge a high entrance fee to only supply one or two rooms filled with a couple of fairly ropey pictures and sculptures. I would definitely recommend going to Naples but I would advise you to check out the restaurants or museums before you go in...also be wary about your personal safety, just because it didn't happen to me might just be because I had some pure dumb luck...I definitely did on the way up to Mount Vesuvius.

Anything is possible...

From my month of travelling, I've learnt how to survive in social situations on my own; I've learnt how to navigate foreign public transport systems, some of them far more complicated than they need to be and I've also learnt how to adapt to whatever situation is put in front of me. The occasion I'm referring to relates to my time in Innsbruck. On arrival I was told there was a fully working kitchen and when I'd passed through the kitchen, I saw there was some electric hobs. On seeing the hobs, I just guessed there would be a main oven as well...a guess that would prove to be incorrect but by the time I found this out, I had already bought a 'cook at home' pizza. I know the meal wasn't very Austrian but I had had Weiner Snitzel on three occasions and I wanted some cheap and easy food. So I buy my pizza, take it back to the hostel, go into the kitchen and see no main oven; I went to reception and asked if there was anywhere else in the hostel that would have a main oven. Their response was predictable but disappointing, basically they said all they had were the hobs so I now have a pizza I can't cook and no way of buying more food as the nearest supermarket was at least a half hour walk away. I weigh up my options and think I could head out for food but again this would be a half hour walk or I could try and make do with what I have, so that's exactly what I did. I had an uncooked pizza, an electric hob and a combination of saucepans and frying pans. I decide my best option is to try frying the pizza because I think it will be easier to use than a saucepan because of the low sides. The result was surprisingly successful. I wasn't expecting much, to say the least, and what I had as a result was a tasty and nicely cooked, to a point, pizza. The way I did it was to cut the pizza into quarters and put two of the pieces into the pan base down. I felt there was no need for oil or anything like that because the bread shouldn't stick...and it didn't. I left it cooking base down on the highest temperature until the cheese started to melt on top...actually it was as the base started to smoke that I thought it would be done, a quick tap of the base confirmed it was crispy. I quickly flip the pizza over for literally 5-10 seconds then onto the plate. The flip gave the toppings a quick blast although the downside was using a spoon to collect the toppings from the frying pan again but if you do it quick enough they come away easily enough. I do the same with the other quarter in the pan, eat those two pieces then cook and eat the other half of the pizza and pleased with my efforts I go to wash up the pan and utensils I'd used. While I'm washing I hear a strange ticking sound somewhere above the hobs, I look to where the ticking is coming from and I find a mini microwave oven that has settings for standard, non microwave cooking. I stood looking in shock for a couple of seconds and can only laugh that I'd gone through the hassle of frying my pizza when a closer inspection of the kitchen would have shown me an easy and productive way of cooking my dinner. Although had I done the easy way, I wouldn't have found out how easy it is to fry a pizza. I'm not saying I will adopt the method for all of my pizzas but it is always good to know.

The other thing I've found out while travelling is how easy it is to have a conversation or even spend the best part of two days with a person without knowing their name. When meeting someone travelling, the first question isn't 'Hi, what's your name?' It is usually 'Hi, how long have you been *insert place name*, how long have you been travelling? Where are you going next? etc.' It is easy to forget such trivialities as names when you're heading out of the room to find some food with a person when you're hungry after travelling. The name part usually comes as part of a slightly embarrassed conversation from either side or if you're able to overhear it. Other than that you're left with generalisations such as mate or just accepting the fact that you may never know this person's name...that is unless you become facebook friends, in which case you hand over your phone, tell them to write their name in and voila, one name and one new friend request waiting on your account. Everyone wins! Although chances are you may never speak to that person again and eventually you'll end up deleting them but for the short term: Everybody wins!

And its Goodnight Vienna...

Vienna ... I'd heard so many things about it before I went there. I heard it was the City of romance, the City of elegance, art, sophistication ... something I wasn't told was how boring it would be! Truth be told, visiting Vienna probably came at the wrong time of my trip. I am now one month into my travels and for that entire time I've pretty much jumped from mainland European City to mainland European City and after a while they all end up merging into one and trying to distinguish between them can be very tricky. Don't get me wrong, each City has it's own nuances and each is unique in it's own way but all of the places I've been to so far have an Old Town that was bombed in the war and then reconstructed in one way or another, tall buildings and lots of history that dates back hundreds of years. Finding out about the history of a place is fascinating but when its your eleventh City without a break, it gets a bit tiresome. Had Vienna come at the start of my trip, I probably would have loved it and thought it was great but it came just after I'd been to two excellent cities in Prague and Budapest. The latter being the place of the trip so far. There are a number of reasons for this, some of which I will come onto later. One thing that Vienna did allow me to do was it showed me that I am bored of mainland European cities, I need a change and that change has started with my trip to Salzburg, where I am now. Instead of there being high rise buildings all around me, there are mountains and trees and grass. I've been here for two days now and I haven't once felt the need to go into the City centre aka the Old Town. It is far more fun to climb the hills and enjoy the views over the top of the City.

As I said, my trip to Vienna came just after I'd been to Prague which is very picturesque and beautiful, although it claims to have a Castle that isn't a Castle...its more a cathedral surrounded by lots of building. It's very nice to visit and to look at but it isn't a Castle from what I could see. I'd also just been to Budapest which for me is a stunning City, nice surroundings, nice people and a very good atmosphere although the latter might have been the people I was with, something else I've found out is a place is made by the people you're with. Also in Budapest I found a hidden gem of a place called Cafe Jubilee. It is a Pub/Restaurant just down the road from Budapest Nygati Train Station and is part of a chain that can also be found in Malta. I spent most of my time in Cafe Jubilee with the friends I met on the train from Prague to Budapest and we had a great time. The place is run by Aldo Mercieca, an enterprising man who currently oversees the running of 8 Pubs, a newly renovated Holiday home in Gozo and is planning to have 5 properties under his belt over the next two years. Aldo and his staff worked around the clock to ensure all of the guests to their establishment were treated like royalty as they were served some of the best food and drinks I've ever had. On one of the nights there I was even invited to join the staff for their midsummer party which was a fantastic experience and one I would hope to have again. I would recomend Cafe Jubilee to anyone and if ever you're in Budapest then I suggest you seek it out because you won't be disappointed.

Great customer service isn't something I've been treated to everywhere though, there was one awkward incident when I stayed in Krakow that left a lot to be desired in terms of quality. I arrived at my hostel and checked in, the receptionist at the time didn't seem to know what she was doing but she just about bumbled through and showed me to my room. Anna was already in the room and she had just been checked in by the same receptionist and we agreed she had no idea. Anyway, we had both booked to stay three nights in this hostel, whereas most of the other people in the room were leaving after two nights. After the second night most of the beds were empty once again because everyone else had checked out and Anna and I decided to head into the centre of Krakow to explore the city. We were out of the hostel for a good few hours and returned some time in the afternoon. What greeted us was a bit of a shock, we went into our room and noticed that all of our stuff had gone. There wasn't a trace of anything, no bags, no bed linen, no towels, everything that we had in the room had been taken. We instantly went up to the reception and demanded an explanation as to where our stuff was; we were told we were supposed to check out earlier in the day. We argued that we had booked for three nights and when they re-checked the system, they realised they had made a mistake and tried to cover it by saying we just needed to change rooms. Something they said we should have been told at check in. Whether it was the truth or not, we weren't told and we were still in a position of having no stuff. We were assured that all of our stuff was safe and waiting in the staff area but when asked the question how they knew what was and wasn't our stuff, they went a bit sheepish. Their only attempt at compensation was to offer us a 6 Person dorm instead of an 8 Person dorm, a difference of about two pound fifty. Hardly compensation, especially when the day after this incident my backpack broke and I had to buy a new one. I'm not saying the staff at the hostel did anything to damage my bag but it is a bit of a coincidence that a day after my bag is moved without my permission, it breaks. I can only hope that for the rest of my trip I'm treated to the type of customer service I received at Cafe Jubilee in Budapest and less like the customer service at the hostel in Krakow. Unfortunately I have a feeling the Cafe Jubilee and it's customer service skills might be a rarity, one thing I've found on my trip so far is that travellers are treated with a similar disdain at times to that of students...the only difference being, you don't get any discounts for being a traveller!