2016 Vancouver and Napoli trips

20 days without blogging and not missing it a bit... you guys better hope I won't get too used to this.

I've been busy travelling and doing things and just now I'm finding the time for this post, mostly thanks to the fact that on the other half of the screen I'm watching the WSL Big Wave Tour contest in Puerto Escondito (on demand, of course). Great show, too bad they got the forecast horribly wrong and didn't run the whole event on the first day that was much bigger. If it happens to the pros, you guys will understand how difficult of a game wave forecasting is and forgive me if and when I'll do some bad calls myself.

This post is a collection of photos taken with my phone camera. They are quite random and unlinked, but hopefully entertaining nonetheless for someone.

As planned, I left Maui on June 7 and I spent the day after in Vancouver with my buddy Glenn. I did the same already 2 years ago and we went again for a hike at Cypress Mountain because it's not as busy as the many other ones that can be found just outside town. This time it was also drizzling on and off and that meant that there was pretty much nobody around. Just plenty beautiful nature and wildlife.

A remarkable moment of the hike was when we got to this beautiful lake and the only noise we could hear was the sound of the thin rain drops hitting the surface of it.
We are so used to all the artificial sounds our modern society surrounds us with, that it felt almost uncomfortable not to hear anything but nature.
That's just a little example of how much "progress" and technology screwed up our lives.

 

We kind of lost the trail at one point and had to go through some challenging passes. To be honest, the photo makes it look much more radical than it was.

 



Living in Maui, I'm not used anymore to seeing this amount of people all packed up inside a subway train (and not smiling to each other). City life is not for me anymore. Fortunately for them, the Vancouver citizens can easily escape into the beautiful nature that surrounds their city.

 

 

From a beautiful city to another, my home town Napoli sure does not lack in good looks. Below a gallery of them.

 

 

 

 

Here's a series of Vesuvio shots.

 

 

 

Pretty but far from perfect. Napoli's worse aspect in my opinion: the citizens' lack of respect for the others.

This sign was in the elevator of the building where my parents live (and where I grew up), which - supposedly - is in one of the best neighborhoods. It says:
"The tenants are kindly requested not to throw any objects or cigarette butts from their windows and balconies."
Imagine what happens in the less educated ones.

 

 

There we go, I promise this is the only garbage shot I'll post. A very moderate one.

 

Random shot of the leftovers of one of the many big family lunches/dinners. Expensive champagne bottle on the left, 2 euros unlabeled underground straight from the farmer Falanghina white wine on the right. Without a doubt, the latter would be my pick any time.

Food was unreal as usual. I enjoy experiencing once a year all those amazing flavors that used to be a normal daily thing. Sometimes I even run into something I forgot the taste of. Love it.

My folks are 82 and 85 and they are the main reason why I go back to Italy every single year. The Moet/Falanghina combo made dad have a good old time!


My brother got himself a used Porsche and even though cars might as well be at the very bottom of my material things preferences, it was sure fun to drive it.


He used to have one of those when he was 18... love the racks!


Eating apricots straight from the tree. Priceless.

 

Coffee is another special taste of Napoli. At least we claim so.

Napolitans are extremely superstitious, and those things are supposed to bring good luck.
You might think it's only tourist souvenirs, but it's not.

My niece had a small photo exhibition outside of this small wine and food shop in the middle of one of the most historical parts of the town. Unfortunately my phone camera sucks at night.

It was right in front of a building called Palazzo dello Spagnolo inside which there is this famous staircase.

 

 

That staircase has been featured in a bunch of Italian movies and also in a John Turturro's one in a beautiful dance scene that you can admire in this video starting at minute 6.40. 

PALAZZO DELLO SPAGNOLO - i luoghi di Napoli nel Cinema from Napoli nel Cinema on Vimeo.

Gonna end with the usual ad billboard contest. These two tied for first place.

 

PS. I'm posting from Bali where I arrived a few days ago. Not sure when next post will be, but I promise that there will be waves.