northampton, ma

Have had a bit of a whirlwind last couple weeks, hence not having the time (nor energy really) to write. On the 7th I flew to London to meet up with some friends I made last summer in Argentina. We promptly headed out to Aberystwyth, a small city on the west coast of Wales, to have a 30th birthday party for one of the girls. One of the group's family owns a small cottage there, with the requisite sheep grazing all around it and nice rolling green hills. It was a wonderful time, the weather was so good that I actually got sunburnt. Which, for Wales I am told, is something that doesn't happen so often. Then after we returned to London, spent a few days there, had many bellyfulls of curry, and on the 14th I flew back to Italy, to Naples.

So chronology aside, again I realized that I am simply not the biggest fan of London. It's a bit weird, considering many of the reasons that I like Naples are things that I dislike about London. London is packed full of people, mostly impatient people. The streets of Naples are swarming with people too, though mostly walking about in a typical Italian mosey. Both are really noisy, both sometimes make it hard to find someplace lacking the sound of cars or bikes. It just seems like Naples has so much character, something that London really lacks. London feels very sterile sometimes, especially on the day I went around Notting Hill or in the center. I don't know London like a local, but nevertheless the city just doesn't excite me. There is so much to see or do there but nothing really ignites my imagination, except that is for the Indian food. I miss it already.

Naples I really enjoy. This is one of the most polarizing, love or hate places on Earth I think and I am firmly in the love category. The place is a giant maze, streets rarely go straight for more than a couple blocks without curving or coming to a T or an end. The food tastes delicious, the women look delicious (and probably taste it, haven't been so fortunate yet), and this is one Italian city that lives for itself and not for tourists. Florence it is not. The people here have almost universally been very friendly, which is good since the place is such a warren that you often have to stop and ask for directions. So it's been a good time so far, a couple nights ago me and a guy from the hostel met a group of people out at a bar and we ended up spending that night, and last night, hanging out with them. That's something that wouldn't happen in Rome or in Florence, simply because so many tourists show up there. Less of us foreigners show up here so I imagine the locals are more receptive to hanging out with us. So they took us along to some of the big hangouts and we got to talk about Napoli and enjoy the city at night. I really love walking about a city after dark and experiencing it in the quiet, and considering how noisy Naples is during the day this is especially true here.

Tomorrow is the big big night, the US plays Italy in the World Cup. I'll be rooting for the US, but won't be too upset if they lose. I root also for the Italian team and they have a much better chance of progressing deep into the tournament. I definitely want them to do well because the country will go nuts and it'll be a hell of a time. I really never followed soccer much even while I was studying here, but I have made a point to get to know the teams and the players this time around because everyone is really into it and it's a blast to go to bars packed full of shouting, swearing fans and join in on the fun. My appreciation for the game has really escalated, I like most Americans used to think of soccer as being rather dull. It certainly can be at times, just like any other sport, but the World Cup is exciting as all hell.