There is a really nice article in today's New York Times on line edition relating to Naples and its gentle side. Since I am extremely partial to Naples, it makes me feel good.

Napoli is a city of extremes. It was this city where I was targeted, unsuccessfully, as a pickpocket prey in a city bus.

It was also a city where we enjoyed coffee at Caffè Gambrinus mentioned in the NYT article with heavenly sfogliatella.

On the way to the Caffè Gambrinus, my wife fell on the sidewalk and suddenly three adults came and helped me get my wife on her feet. One lady was a salesperson from a nearby shop. No, they were not pickpockets.

On the same trip, we were traveling with a group. In a group was a lady who freaked out because of the garbage on the streets in Napoli. She was hurling obscenities why we were visiting such a dirty city. Obviously, she has not studied about Napoli with its ongoing battles between the city and the garbage collectors.

This is the kind of moments when traveling into foreign cultures offers. It causes us to ask hard questions, whichever answer is relevant to each of us, which would be more offensive to you, the physical filth of the city with caring people in time of need or physically clean people with derogatory mentality regarding others not meeting all their tick marks.

Naples is my favorite city in Europe. More than Paris, and that's saying a lot!!

You said a mouthful, W.

Thanks, Ira.