Posts
I want to preface this post with a short commentary. Over the last six years I have been criticized and called out by many people who read my blog and Facebook page for talking about politics in Mexico and how the situation has become critical. Daily, tourists, rvers, and transport are being held up on Mexican highways by organized crime and police at all levels. I know many people who have been robbed along the border and on toll highways as well as threatened with kidnapping or worse. However, most people are embarrassed to talk about it openly for some unknown reason other than the adage "I told you so" by friends and fellow travelers.
Now the shoe is on the other foot. Americans and Canadians are up in arms over the U.S. administration. Keep in mind, be it good or bad, 77,000,000 Americans voted for Trump. Of that number, 54% of the Hispanic vote went to the Trump side.
I will say, with the bad comes the good. Since the demands were placed on Mexico by the U.S. administration, there are no illegals gathering along the border, Mexico has extradited 29 cartel leaders, putting 10,000 Mexican soldiers along the border, shutting down 289 meth/fentonyl labs, confiscated millions of dollars in illegally imported Chinese goods, and exposed the illegal importation of fuels to and from the U.S.
On our way to Naples we stopped in the town of Atri, not far from the Adriatic Sea. It was founded in 282 BCE and is famous for copper coins and pottery.
A small town and very quiet. It seems like we never find many people around when we visit these towns or villages. This is the town square. Some nice shops, a cathedral and small grocery stores where people pick up items on a daily basis.
A simple but beautiful cathedral Assumption of the Virgin Mary, with a long history. It dates back to 1225 and was built over an existing church.
The palace in Atri now houses the Carbinieri police and their offices. It has a beautiful courtyard.
Rodolfo Acquaviva was an Italian Jesuit missionary who served in India in the 1500s. He was the son of the 10th duke of Atri. He served under Akbar the Great who conquered and ruled the northern territories of India. Akbar didn't believe in monogamy and that didn't sit well with the Jesuit. He later tried his hand at converting Indians in Goa but had his throat slit while he was in prayer. Rough place to be. The statue of Rodolfo sits in the courtyard.
For starters, we arrived home last Wednesday. It was a long trip. 12 hours waiting in the Rome airport and a 12 hour flight to Mexico City. After, we were able to get an earlier flight to Monterrey where we took a tour bus into town and a taxi from there. Ubers are no longer allowed in Mexican airports although you can walk outside the airport but there is still a risk the driver will get harassed. It wasn't the best trip coming home. I can usually sleep in the airport and on the plane but it never happened. I think I had Mexican food on my mind!
In Naples the Airbnb owner was a dweeb. He promised us a parking spot under the building and as time went on it no longer existed. I text battled with him for two hours and then just shut him off. I didn't give him a review either and he sent an evaluation on us which I haven't read. He even had the huevos to ask us to give him five stars to help his business. If I already covered this, sorry about that but it is a bone of contention.
Walking toward the Duomo de Napoli, Cathedral Assumption of Mary.
The city is very nice and we were in a great location. The Duomo de Naples was four blocks away as well as the metro station. It was difficult to take a picture of the front as the street is very narrow and there was road work happening.
The cathedral was built in the latter part of the 1200s. It was commissioned by King Charles I of Anjou the younger brother of Louis IX. That's another interesting history study. The ancestary of all the European royalty and the relationships between them.
The famous Duomo en Milan has a fee of $30 just to walk through. In Naples there is no charge and the cathedral is phenomenal.
As in most cathedrals, each bishop or cardinal had built their own nave. In this cathedral, there is a nave dedicated to the monstrances used to transport the consecrated host or in this case house the relic of saints and hierarchy of the church.
The altar is majestic in all senses of the word. It appears as though it was made for kings and queens. It is difficult to imagine that this is the same altar that mass has been said for over 700 years. As I get older, the thought of religion seems to escape me.
The miracle of Saint Januarius is celebrated three times a year. A vial containing his blood is brought out on display along with a procession and mass. If the blood liquifies, things will be good for Naples. If it doesn't, expect major problems such as volcanic eruptions.
The blood does liquify at some of the events. The liquefaction is not a miracle. The process uses a thixotropic gel which was made with materials well-known to medieval chemists back in the day.
I still have more to share but I have been busy with family events and parties since we've been home. We will be heading to San Miguel de Allende for the month of May entertaining friends from Arkansas. I took a couple of videos I need to upload to YouTube and hope to get that done in the next week or two.
