I consider myself a traveler. Not a tourist. And I like that!
Hotel Piazza Bellini in Napoli center
Many of you will say that “of course you can be a Traveller, because you have soooo much time”, but it is not the time that makes a person a Traveller, it is the personality I guess.
Example: as a tourist, you get a haircut before you go on a trip, you bring your most comfortable clothes, you have maps downloaded or in paper, you have an itinerary. A tourist wants to see all the sights and takes photos of famous stuff. The word tourist comes from “tour”, a planned, organized trip with the goal to have no surprises or changes happening.
We arrived here in Napoli 2 nights ago and yesterday morning I left the hotel to check out an art supply store across the street, I got a haircut around the corner from an Italian guy who didn’t speak a word of English or German, and my Italian is pretty much limited to restaurants and train stations. But we managed and half an hour later he knows the age of my children, my preference of wine, that I teach fashion classes online and that Ted and I travel through Europe for 8 months. I know that he has a son who could translate everything if he’d be here, that Covid was bad for his tiny salon, that he likes cats and not dogs and his mom used to cook the best pasta in the whole world. So much for that! When I packed for this trip I packed my favorite white linen clothes, my best fitting blue outfits and matched everything with hot pink accessories: glasses, sunglasses, purse, shoes, and of course a scarf. Everything in hot pink. I dress for comfort AND style, not like I just came out of a REI store. I trust my instincts when floating through a city. Napoli at night? No problem. I go where the people go, not through a dark alley (because my GPS tells me so). That is the best way to experience the location, the city, the people. Never ever would we have found this music bar with edgy alternative punk music, a hole in the wall with nothing in it but a DJ and speakers the size of a fridge! Outside are the people, they drink beer or wine, smoke and talk. I loved the music! A tourist sticks out, you can tell! Here in Napoli the local women are dressed classic, chic, comfortable – and modest. Napoli is only 236 km away and the catholic dress code is definitely present. Female tourists are dressed with half of the clothing; everything seems too short, too exposed. Or they look like they’re going to run a half marathon in an hour. Athleisure wear is an American thing, here in Europe people don’t do that, except they do plan on running a marathon. Today, not in 3 months!
