On narrow European streets, smaller is better, so Poldi rented a Fiat 500 for our visit to Naples. She paid extra so that we could both be drivers. I was pleased that the seat could accommodate my long legs, and I looked forward to driving a manual transmission again. Normally, I drive, she navigates, but as I attempted to pull out of the rental car lot, it became apparent that something was wrong. I could not feather the clutch, and hitting the brake pedal caused the engine to rev. My feet were too big to fit in the well, and my shoes were interfering with the side wall and the other pedals. I could not drive this car!
Poldi came to the rescue. Her dainty size-9 feet were compatible with the assumptions made by Fiat’s engineers, and she was able to drive to our accommodations. I don’t measure up to her navigator skills, so I’m wondering if maybe all I need is a pair of fine Italian shoes to drive this car.
Driving the city streets in Italian traffic is harrowing. Poldi is still getting accustomed to the Fiat’s clutch and gearbox, and I am on my learning curve as a navigator. I am constantly annoyed at the “forward is up” dynamic orientation used by Apple Maps on my phone GPS display (why can’t I just set a preference for “north is up?”). Somehow, we got through the Napoli traffic without incident, despite the best efforts of motorcycles weaving around cars and pedestrians. I don’t see why there aren’t more collisions.
When we get past the city traffic and narrow winding streets, the roads remain narrow and winding, and in mountainous terrain sometimes with curves so tight they place large mirrors to provide a glimpse of approaching cars, uphill or downhill.
We marvel at the busses that require both lanes to make the turn. Poldi encountered one. The bus stopped. Poldi stopped. It was up to her to reverse and go up the road she was descending to provide clearance for the bus. Unfortunately, the car slipped out of gear as she tried. After several such false efforts and repeated slips, she had finally backed up enough for the bus to pass.
This album includes a photo of the little Fiat, and some pictures of the funky hostel where we stayed for a week. It was as you might envision: young people finding the most economical way to travel through foreign lands, engaging with each other as they prepare meals in the communal kitchen and philosophising over beer at night. We were the old hippies in the group, enjoying the virtual trip back to the sixties.
