A masterpiece so beautiful it made me cry ....

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Geo: 41.7425, 16.0275

Breakfast on the ferry wasn't too bad. Cold cuts, cheese, bread, jam, and the other usual stuff. Guiseppe gave me more tips - he's a really good guy. We went to the train station to store our things, then he bought me a coffee. We sat for awhile - I planned the next phase of my trip. I possibly could fit in Malta and Tunisia, but would it be worthwhile? I need to do some more research and decide later.

Guiseppe gave me a bit of a tour of Bari. The castle - looked a little interesting but we didn't go in. I probably only say that it looked interesting because it was a little different from others I've seen.

I wanted to go to the old town but Guiseppe told me it would be too dangerous. Scary! We hung out in the park - I bought Guiseppe a beer as payback for the coffee. I had a prosciutto sandwich .... ahhh ... it's been awhile, my old friend!

There are lots of street vendors selling knock-off items (all minorities). Guiseppe talked of the difficulty of running his computer shop ... the Chinese are taking over by somehow illegally importing goods tax-free. He can't compete.

Also, he sells Playstation games for 50 euros each. The street vendor outside sells a pirated version for 5 euros. Of course it's illegal, but the cops figure it's better to allow them to do this rather than turn to more serious crime.

Guiseppe figures they have a pretty good living. No taxes, no overhead ... and they sit in a busy park all day (probably the best location in town) and look at the pretty Italian women. The only price of doing business? The odd item that they "give" to the cops. Going with the Euro has been hard on Italians, apparently. Overnight, prices effectively doubled. You can tell that Guiseppe is a bit disenchanted with how things are in Italy right now.

Bari isn't too bad .. but only for a few hours. Went to the bus station - the bus driver was the stereo-typical Italian you see in movies. Greased-back hair, hairy chest w/ bling hanging out of his open shirt, sleeves rolled up, chewing on a cigarette ... I know that I shouldn't laugh as there's also all types of stereo-types of Chinese people, but this guy was almost like something out of "The Simpsons"!

As the bus got close to Naples Guiseppe pointed out Vesuvius. I asked him if this was the reason for the poor air quality (smelled almost like a campfire at times). Nope - it's industrial pollution! I have never seen pollution like this before ... compared to this, even Los Angeles air is like refreshing alpine.

Naples is a dump. The hostel is in a terrible area near the train station. But I must admit that I knew this beforehand - I thought it would be convenient as a base for day trips. The area is like a war zone - trash everywhere and it's pretty scary crossing the streets. Total culture shock!

My lungs hurt ... it's like breathing cigarette smoke. Got to the hostel - nothing special. At least there is free internet. Dropped off my stuff and went off to sample the famous Napoli pizza. For once, I found something that lived up to its hype. I splurged on the eight flavoured pizza. Like a celestial pinwheel of heavenly goodness ... little strands of dough divided it into eight sections. Segregated ... yet integrated ... like our planet Earth.

Before eating I had a moment of silence ... I had been sad all day about leaving Emilie and Aude behind. The pizza helped me forget, if only for a few moments of pure, unadulterated bliss. The crust was incredibly crisp but still had a soft and chewy interior.

Ham - good. Margherita - incredibly chewy cheese (probably the best section). Another cheese one - possibly pecorino. Goat cheese - light, fluffy, and creamy - like eating cheese-flavoured clouds! Anchovies - overpowering. The olives didn't help the taste, either - this was by far the worst section. Roasted peppers - a nice contrast to the richness of the other sections. Sausage - only OK.

The individual flavours were good, but together ... it was symphonic and harmonious! It cheered me up. It was a masterpiece on a dough canvas ... on par with Da Vinci's Mona Lisa, Rodin's The Thinker, or Michelangelo's David. The sheer beauty of it ... it makes me so emotional ... sob sob ...

Caught up a little bit on my journal. I fell way behind in Croatia because of the good company I had. I am not complaining, though! Back to the hostel. Chatted with a Korean girl and Peter (Slovenian guy). Hard to sleep ... hot, noisy, and disgustingly humid due to the pollution (and maybe the greenhouse effect?). Also, the UK girl in the room kept touching my head with her feet. The head of my bed was at the foot of hers ... maybe she had an afro fetish and like the way it tickled her feet???

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Photos

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There was some neat architecture in Bari. But not much else.