8 Little Humans in Europe

Day 1-2 Naples Here We Come!

Travel days are especially long when traveling with 6 people, four of them minors, but everyone did wonderful! Work calls on the way to the airport made us a little later than planned, so we were hustling it through the airport. We had just enough time to grab Panera Bread (a must for Will!) and walk onto the plane. 10 hours later we landed in Paris. Some of us (not me!) slept on the plane and some of us played musical chairs with children (me!), but we all arrived in good humor. 

Charles de Gaulle airport did not disappoint with fresh, chocolate croissants and miniature chocolate filled sugar sprinkled donuts. Most of us took a power nap as we waited SIX hours for our connection. There was a bit of relief when we boarded our plane. Ellie and I were asleep before we took off and we woke when we landed. (Mum was so tired!-Brookie)

Then the fun began. We took a taxi to the train station and walked in circles looking for the correct train. Many helpful Italians sent us to the wrong places, even a port police, but a group of teenagers finally got us where we needed to go. Thank goodness for the kindness of very excited, futbol-loving Italian teenagers who took time out of their day to direct us to the right location. 

Once we arrived at the correct train station, we began our 8 pm walk to our AirBNB. Uphill. On cobblestone roads. Dragging too many pieces of luggage. We might have passed our AirBNB - reaching the top of the hill before we realized it. Then I took another 10 minute excursion to the top of some long staircases (the luggage and other humans remaining at the bottom), before we realized we had passed it. 

Once we arrived at ourAirBNB, our landlord was supposed to remote open the doors. This did not happen, as there was much internet interference from the HUGE futbol match between the Naples team and their rival just a few blocks from our place. 30 LONG minutes later, we heard a very loud click and our door sprang open! It’s amazing how little sounds and little moments can bring weary travelers such joy. 

Bill and I shepherded darling, tired travelers into the cute little apartment, with our WAY too many pieces of luggage, and immediately left to go find Caleb, who had flown into Rome and then bussed to Naples.  One slightly less confusing train ride back to Naples Piazza Garibaldi station from Naples Piazza Cavour station, and we walked miles trying to find Caleb. Literally miles. 😭😂

He was exactly where we told him to be and exactly opposite of where we THOUGHT we told him to be. 😂 And so I laughed at our miscommunication and we began our now-familiar train ride back to our cute little corner of Naples. We arrived at our “home” station (Napoli Piazza Cavour) at 10:30 pm starving and determined to find sustenance for our family. F to the Y to the I, there are very few places open at 10:30 pm, even when a rival futbol game is going on! 

Thankfully, we came across Pizza Vera, an amazing and traditional pizzeria on our way to the apartment. Bill and Caleb walked back to get the littles (no longer quite so little 😭❤️), and I reserved us a table. Had I not done so, we would have been eating gold fish crackers and airplane peanuts for dinner. The kind people of Pizza Vera stayed open 45 minutes past closing specifically to feed a weary and “slightly” disheveled American family. The world is full of good people.  

Before we could order, though, the futbol game ended, and thus began an hour of a beautiful, but incredibly loud, fireworks show, followed by cars and scooters driving by, honking their horns and squeezing air horns, celebrating their 2-0 win over Cagliari. The kind server tried valiantly to take our order, but even 1 foot away, could not hear me screaming my order over the cacophony of celebrations. It was really that loud. 

I finally motioned “four” with my fingers and pointed to the Margarita Pizza. He comically shook his head at me and counted out all seven of us at the table. He said, “No! Seven people, seven pizzas! My mouth dropped open and I said, “Too much!” He shook his head and muttered something I couldn’t hear, but suspect was, “Ignorant Americans,” 😂  and brought four pizzas back less than 10 minutes later. He lifted his hands up in a,” What will you do now,” sort of way, and I started laughing. The pizzas were HUGE. How Napolians eat one pizza a piece is unbelievable ! 😂 We ate three between 7 starving souls and were completely full. Our waiter was disgusted (jokingly) that we didn’t lick our plates clean. I promised him we would “next time.”

But seriously, eat at Pizza Vera. Centrally located by the Piazza Cavour, clean and a well-oiled machine, AND full of kind and fun wait staff. Also, willing to deal with 8 Little Humans visiting from America!

We got back to our apartment at 11:50 pm, spent and full of good pizza, and ready for a full night sleep. The beds were so comfortable that I was out the minute my head hit the pillow. But to be honest, I could have been laying on concrete and I still would have immediately fallen asleep, I was so tired. Apparently my kids were tired, too, bc our house was tucked in and asleep by 12:30 am. 

There were many unexpected twists and turns in our travel adventures, but my family handled them with aplomb. I could not ask for a better group to get lost with - er, to travel with! I have to add, though, that had I taken one more wrong turn at the train station, my fellow travelers were prepared to elect a new leader. I had already lost a bit of their confidence (and respect 😂) when I laid on the floor of the airport, and took a very short nap! (In my defense, I was getting seriously anxious from a significant lack of sleep, due to getting everyone ready for this momentous and once-in-a-lifetime trip, and I was ready to crawl out of my skin. It was find a way to catch 20 minutes of sleep or have a full-blown panic attack. It really was the lesser of two evils. 🤷🏻‍♀️) So, anyway, here’s to 33 more days of fun-filled memory making, and hopefully easier days together, on the beautiful continent of Europe! 

(I’m still tired-Brookie)

Photos to come!