Travel Diary: The National Archaeological Museum of Naples (SNSFW)*

Salone della meridiana

While Pompeii & Herculaneum are pretty incredible to explore in person, visiting the museum in Naples provides a fuller experience because that's where a majority of art and artifacts wound up after excavation. Thus you can get a better sense of who those people were.

Each of these faces pretty much sums up how I feel in 90 degree weather.

In the museum you have your standard paintings, frescoes, statues, relics and, my favorite, the mosaics. But the most memorable gallery by far is what is officially known as the secret room, or perhaps more appropriately the sex chamber.

That piece on the left is a good indicator of what's inside.

Upon entering the secret room, the first thing you see are giant stone phalluses. And from there it only gets weirder. There are frescoes depicting couples having sex in various positions, sculptures capturing acts of bestiality, and mysterious humanoid figurines. Don't believe me? Take a look.

I was going to get this as a postcard for a friend, but in the end chose a more tasteful one.

Poor goat.

If you're thinking they're just standing on one leg...they're not.

Who knew Romans were so kinky?

*SNSFW = sort of not safe for work

Travel Diary: Naples

I was warned not to go to Naples at all by friends who were concerned about my safety. After all, the city does have some of the highest crime and unemployment in the country. You can even sense it when wandering the streets - no wait, the restlessness is probably just due to the uncomfortable heat of summer.

But it is pretty after dark. Especially down by the water.

In truth Naples is fine within the confines of the tourist area, which is basically the triangle between the train station in the east, the Archaeological Museum in the west and the Royal Palace in the south. Even so there's a bit of a gritty feel to it; the one time I was out alone after dark I was a bit paranoid but I kept to the busy main streets. Having just arrived in Rome last night the contrast is quite stark. (Polizia! Everywhere! As compared to not a single one seen in Naples).

The view down via Mezzocannone.

Honestly I didn't spend a whole lot of time in Naples; my first day I went out to visit the famed sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum, and the second was spent on a boat circling the island of Capri. But it was definitely worth wandering the city's historical center, which has amazing classical architecture, beautiful churches and lots of cool (albeit touristy) shops. Oh, and the pizza! Naples is the birthplace of pizza so I made sure to try out a few different restaurants.

Inside Gesù Nuovo.

Every time I've moved in the past several years, I find the local drivers to be increasingly worse and more ruthless than the last. (I've previously lived in the Bay Area, New York, and now Paris). But Italy takes the cake on aggressive drivers with no regard for pedestrians. To cross the street one pretty much has to stay on the heels of a local, otherwise risk being stranded on the sidewalk for a very long time. If there aren't any around, though, you just have to take a deep breath, step out onto the street and stare down whatever car or scooter is speeding unrelentingly toward you.

If you do go Naples, use Hostel of the Sun as your home base. The staff are incredibly friendly and knowledgeable, and you're sure to meet some cool people who can become your new friends and travel buddies.

Food Diary: Burgers in Paris, Part Deux

Les nomz

Just when I was starting to get used to living in a French atmosphere I went away to Scandinavia, where everyone speaks nearly flawless English. In some ways it was almost like being at home, except that they use strange currencies and everyone is very blonde and blue-eyed...

Okay, so I guess it was more like being in an alternate universe, but the point is that I could communicate with people without wildly gesticulating and looking like an idiot. And then I returned to Paris, where my brain now struggles to form simple sentences in French. 

If you asked me during my first week here whether I would ever want go to back home, the answer would probably be no. But now that the blinders have come off a bit I'll definitely be ready to leave by next summer. There's no denying that Paris is a beautiful city, but one tends to spend most of the time looking down at the ground avoiding piles of dog poop - seriously, it's worse than Manhattan.

Le camion. Probably easier to spot by the long line that forms at lunch time.

For these reasons and more I've been feeling a little homesick, which is why I decided it was time to seek out Le camion qui fume - one of only two burger-grilling mobile food joints in Paris. Whereas Cantine California focuses more on...California/Mexican-influenced street food, Le camion qui fume is all about straight up burgers. Oh, and their fries are better than In-n-Out's.

Yes, I went there. Come to Paris and prove me wrong.

For more objective assessment on the cultural significance of food trucks in Paris, I suggest you read this NYT article.

Paris Plage

Each summer for about a month or so the city of Paris brings the beach to the Right Bank of the Seine, importing god knows how much sand and dozens of palm trees. (Note: these have nothin' on Stanford's Palm Drive). You can't swim in the Seine so it isn't quite like a real beach, but that doesn't stop bikini-clad girls from tanning and precocious toddlers from playing in the sand. It's popular enough that one should bring her own towel to sit on rather than banking on snagging a beach chair (even with a majority of Parisians away on holiday!)

If and when you do get a seat, it's a great place to relax and people watch. Vendors are on hand selling gelato, hot dogs, fries and ice cold drinks. Or if you want to be a little more active, there are foosball tables and organized exercise classes. Beyond the boundaries of the beach, toward the Louvre, a group of men and women have set up of stools offering free 10 minute massages.

For those who can't actually get out of the city, it's a nice afternoon escape. (And did I mention it's free?)

Travel Diary: Copenhagen

It's hard to pick one favorite thing about Copenhagen, which is easily my favorite city on the Scandinavian tour. From the quaint bike-friendliness and hip college-town vibe to the deep sense of history and national pride manifest in the preponderance of beautifully maintained castles and churches, Copenhagen manages to feel both cosmopolitan and traditional. And whereas other cities felt as though we had exhausted all the major attractions within less than two days, I would love to stay here longer. (Or, alternatively, come back real soon).



We got our royal family fix at Christianborg Palace, Amalienborg Castle and Rosenborg Castle, but outside the city proper are even more regal residences. Because apparently it was a thing for newly anointed kings to build their own castles rather than inheriting the one from his predecessor. I especially liked Rosenborg because the surrounding gardens reminded me a lot of Central Park.



The Rosenborg grounds are located just a bit inland from The Little Mermaid, which honestly was a little underwhelming up close; the sheer volume of tourists detracted from the experience. South of the statue, at Ofelia Beach, the Copenhagen Sandsculpture Festival displays impressive works by artists from all over the world. Their medium is a mixture of sand and clay, which is then periodically sprayed with water to prevent drying out. The exhibit has been going on since the end of May so, sadly, some of the sculptures looked as though they were beginning to decay.



Copenhagen has a plethora of museums, but after visiting all those castles we were feeling a little burnt out on looking at old things. Even so, we still enjoyed Thorvaldsen's Museum and the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek - both sculpture museums. The latter is also renowned for its architecture, with an inner courtyard that's like a greenhouse.



For similar reasons I also tend to get bored of visiting churches but the Church of Our Savior, a baroque masterpiece, is not to be missed. The interior and altarpiece are quite intricate, but the real reason for going is the 90 meter corkscrew spire. And maybe I just have a thing for heights (I've realized through writing that a majority of places I choose to visit tend to be up high), but the view from the top is unbelievable. Another tower we visited was the Rundetårn, or observatory. While not quite as tall as the spire it's equally interesting structurally.



There are also lots of little things that I like about Copenhagen; small details that I tried to capture in photos. Like the way that locals congregate near the water - either on the wharf or in private boats - soaking up the sunshine and each other's company, perhaps drinking a bottle of wine or sharing some ice cream. Or sitting at a café on the sidewalk watching people go by (Copenhagen is much cleaner than Paris so it makes for a more enjoyable outdoor dining experience).



On our last night we visited Tivoli, the world's second-oldest amusement park and supposedly the inspiration for Disneyland. Secluded by trees in the heart of the city center, once the sun had set and the park lit up, it truly felt like a magical place to relive childhoods long gone.

Drink Diary: Ruby, Copenhagen

"Classic drinking, forward thinking."

Thus reads the inside of the leather-bound cocktail menu at Copenhagen's hidden gem Ruby. Behind an unmarked door just opposite the canal from the Thorvaldson Museum sits this unassuming but elegant bar. In fact, if it weren't for the bottles lining the far wall of the front room, one could easily be tricked into thinking she accidentally stumbled into some emeritus professor's flat.

Leather chairs and velvet footstools are artfully arranged in secluded enclaves, lit by flickering candles and antique light fixtures. Vintage liquor posters, photos and trophies accentuate the khaki and tan striped wallpaper while jazz classics from the likes of Billie Holiday and Duke Ellington play softly in the background. Not to mention the attentive servers who, clad in suspenders and horn-rimmed glasses, strongly bring to mind that one cute film studies TA...

Aside from a handful of classics-with-a-twist, much of the menu is seasonal. My Berry Club Fizz of strawberries, Hennessy, absinthe, and soda with a touch of citrus was like a tangy lemonade - a refreshing end to a hot day.

After a full afternoon of sightseeing neither of us was feeling up to braving blaring music or overcrowded dance floors. (Also it was Sunday, so probably not the ideal going out night anyway). Ruby was the perfect alternative because, thanks to its strong but well-crafted drinks and intellectual ambience, it's highly conducive for sinking back and having a good conversation.

Travel Diary: Tallinn

A 90 minute ferry ride away from Helsinki sits the Estonian capital where even the Finns go to have fun. (Or so a tour guide told us, but judging from the list of things to do in Helsinki I don't think she was wrong). After disembarking at the pier, beaching Tallinn's rough, industrial exterior immediately gives way to the rustic and quaint Old Town, where one could easily spend several days getting lost in its winding cobblestone streets full of specialty shops, cafés and ancient churches. We only had the better part of an afternoon, so we tried to make the most of it.



For 2 euros, St. Olaf's Church provides a bird's eye view of Old Town from the top of its immense spire, which at one point was the tallest in the world. The view from up top is well worth the price of admission, but the climb up the uneven stone hewn steps is not to be underestimated; let's just say it reminded us of how out of shape we are after a month of making and tasting pastries.

 

Afterward we rewarded ourselves at the nearby Beer House's happy hour, where one can find 0.5 L portions of select drafts for 3 euros and generous plates of German delicacies for 8-12. Tasty, but it's a good thing I'm not vegetarian any more. Just a few steps down the road is the town square, whose market makes for good souvenir shopping.



Following some more aimless wandering we made our way over to the Hotel Viru, which houses the world's first and only KGB museum. I'm not usually much of a museum person (looking at old things tends to lose its novelty real fast), but this was easily the best guided tour I've ever been on. I mean, come on, it's the KGB! How often do you get a chance to look at some of the original equipment they used to spy on people?



On a more serious note, though, having been indoctrinated via an American public education that communism is bad, it was fascinating to get a more nuanced perspective on what life was like under Soviet rule. Our guide, an Estonian native, didn't leave us with any doubt that her country is quite happy being independent, but she did have some pretty incredible anecdotes about how things were before independence.

Bottom line: When in Scandinavia, go to Tallinn.