Ti amo Ariel! Drama on the Circumvesuviana Train

Ti amo Ariel, Drama on the Circumvesuviana Train
Jan 22 2014
Who every Ariel is she sure is liked.  At three consecutive trains stations there was graffiti that said, "Ti amo Ariel!" I love you Ariel.
There was a little drama on the train this morning. My bad.  Hey I'm an American I don't know the lay of the land.  It went something like this.
A scruffy man said down beside me and the lady across of him made the sign of the cross.  I figure some kind of hoodlum kind of trouble was coming
our way.  Then this other dude came over to me and he said to me "Italian stuff and more stuff etc".  People turned and looked. He pointed up. He was
pointing at my luggage with was about to fall on the hoodlum's head. I said, "I'll take that down" he replied in English, "There is a policy about
large things up there they can fall down and hurt someone". The train was packed solid and I could barely stand and I stretch up and
yanked the thing out and knocked the ceiling light loose. So now the lamp is loose and it's swinging and hanging partly down. Then I sat down with a two large pieces

of luggage on my lap.  Stacked up they went above my head. The lady across from, not the sign of the cross one another lady, came to my rescue and put the larger of

the two down between our legs. We were sitting facing each other. I was a bit frazzled from almost killing the hoodlum and for breaking the train. I let out a loud
sigh and people smiled.  It seemed they were saying, "Chill dude. We are in Naples. This is nothing for us."  Indeed 5 minutes later, the light was still hanging
down the bulb feel out, but no one seemed to give it a second thought.  Caio!

   

Pompeii II, Additional photos

 I'm back at Hotel Isabella in Taormina.  This is the first time I've had WiFi so I can post photos out of my good camera here.
Here is some  background info I typed up on the train...
Pompeii Jan 20 2014 South of Naples Italy
I'm sitting at the Naples train station waiting for my train to Taormina.  I believe we make a stop in Palermo.
Yesteray I visited Pompeii.  It rained almost continuously and I didn't have a umbrella.
A little about the photography:
I took 145 photos, most of them carefully composed.  My skills from large format view cameras came in handy.  I have new Photoshop CS6 at home.
I can corrected for converging diagnols with that.  Many of the images will require that adjustment.
No tripods are permitted so they took mine from me at the entrance.  The lighting changed alot so was often asjusting ASA and F stops
and focus because I needed as much depth of field without the camera shake.  I could rest my arm against a wall or on the metal gates.
It was easy to compose for form and volumes on the LCD display. It was very similar to my view cameras.  It was helpful using the LCD display because
I could see things converted to two dimensions (versus looking through the optical viewfinder like you'd have on Leice M3).
The camera was getting wet. It's a new Fuji X110s. When it rained hard I kept it under my coat or staying under a few of the buildings that had overhangs.


  

 I was very lucky it was raining.  It makes the photos much better. When I get home I'll look them all over on my large monitor and make prints of the "maybe's"
I can picture the millions of photos all the tourists have taken.  Most of them in ordinary sunny day light. The range of illumination is far narrower on a rainy day.  So there might be less distraction from the high contrast like on a sunny day. The drawback is you could to use a tripod in order to get that  everything if focus view camera look. No tripods allowed here.

 Below is a photo of a water trough for your horse.   On the left is a row of stables.

Forza D Agro, The Godfather, Taormina Sicily

I rented a scooter from Luigi at California Rental today.  He said he was hesitant to rent a scooter to an American, they often damage them.  I convinced him that I have a lot of scooter experience.
He gave me the key to his shop.  He wants me to park the scooter in the shop at night so it doesn't get stolen.  I think he said its is son's business.  Photo: On the road to Forza d Agro Sicily

You might recognize this photo. Young Vito was hiding in a cart pulled by a mule past the bad guys that were on these steps, "Anyone found hiding Vito will pay. If you turn him over to us so and so will be very grateful".  For years I've wanted to see this town in person The Godfather movies are some of my favorites.

More photos of Forza d Agro
Many of the building have fallen in on the interior but they have stabilize them with posts and straps an concrete reinforcement so the exteriors don't fall.

 This is the view of the roadway and the fortress leading to Forza D Agro. 

Back to Taormina
This is a manned torpedo. Two fellows sit on in to steer it. Hopefully they bail out before impact.  Location: Main Park Taormina

 I believe this is a structure from several hundred years ago.  It's about 5 levels. The entire thing
is in bad condition. I was perhaps a place to lounge around.  All open.  I had my face up against a steel fence around the corner looking at a old fountain and I think an oven or two and I looked to the left and low and behold there were two parrots watching from 2 feet away.  No photo of that.

I ha

Pompeii

Nothing prepare me for this place. I felt like I almost literally went back in time 2000 years.



That's ashes stuck to that door.


On the train from Sorrento to the Pompeii station. The train station is almost entirely dedicated to to ancient site even though the train that serves it is intra city Naples metro.

Sitting Still

I noticed you see more when you stand still. I've been walking for 2 hours in Massa Lubrense. It's. 3 o'clock Saturday and the stores just reopened. So I'm on my second coffee and I just if finished my formaggio pizza at a cool (stylish ) outdoor cafe. Actually it was a double espresso. Doppio. I joked with the waiter. I saw the bike racers and Sportster rider zoom by. Old Vespas and Fiats. 2 stroke PIAGGIO Apes. A man walking across the street with his arm around his daughter. Today I drove south along the coast and shot a ton of photos most after dark along the shore. This is from my cell phone - no internet in me room.


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Pillow, blanket, Luigi

We are waiting to take off. The fellow sitting next to me is Luigi. Maybe I can practice some expressions. Non Parlo Italiano for example.



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Big Aluminum Tube

I just finished my turkey and swiss. Waiting for the big aluminum tube #US718 to Rome.
It was only $7.29 at that Au Bon Pain (The Good Bread) in the photo. I was thinking about how I like to engage servers like the one at ABP. I joke with them or ask about the picture that's painted on their finger nail. The purpose is to be present enough to enjoy my life now. There isn't space to explain that here so I started a new chapter in my book about it. The book is called Enlightenment for Engineers. I'm cranking out the chapters as things come to me.


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