Arriving in Naples and an Adventure

There’s a bit of a tale to tell tonight, one that I’m sure I’ll dine on for a while to come.

So…this morning Tull and I set off for Naples. Chris had spent the days before we left telling us about the dangers of Naples.

A nice train ride and then a 10 min or so walk to our hotel. But this walk was through a very seedy area, as is the case around train station in most cities.

But Naples really is a fairly grotty area. So off we set and what happened is really hard to describe. Tull in front of me by a couple os paces. Unbeknown to me she had put her handbag in her little day pack on her back.

We were both lugging cases and then I caught sight of someone moving away from Tull. I didn’t see him do anything but for some reason I thought something was wrong and I moved towards him and held him by the arm. I looked up and Tull’s day pack was wide open so I realised what had happened (almost as a kind of transient illusion) and I started to yell at him. Someone next to him said something and he turned around and handed me Tull’s handbag with all her worldly goods inside including passport, money, cards etc etc. According to Tull I turned into a complete banshee and started yelling at him in a mixture of languages and he slunk away glaring at me.

The long and the short of it was that we retrieved Tull’s worldly goods and all was well but it was the closest call I have ever had and I still don’t know why I reacted so decisively when I didn’t really fathom what had happened.
As soon as we got to the hotel Chris rang and blythely asked if we had been robbed yet. I think our story has made her day if not her month. She couldn’t believe it and ‘it all worked out OK’!!!!

Amazing story really. But we then went out and walked around Naples. I think the area around the train station is particularly seedy, the rest of Naples is, I think, lovely. It is decayed, a bit seedy but alive, dynamic and interesting. I’m looking forward to our time here. the people seem lovely and helpful (when they aren’t trying to rob you). There’s so much to do I think it will be a busy time. We’re staying in a very plush hotel in the middle of the sleaziest area. We have a smallish twin room and Tull has busied herself getting our beds as far apart as possible…a little reminiscent of Rose!!!!

More adventures tomorrow but rest assured everything of value is now in the hotel safe!!