My last day in Napoli

9/21/2012 Anno Domini:  Wake up and grab some breakfast at Capo landing on the way to the FIAT service center in Pozzuoli  to pick up the technician at 0800 who will recode my Panda for the new ignition key and remote. Fortunately, I had been there on Wednesday to purchase the key (former key went missing). , so knew the way because the center is not easy to find.  On the way, coffee spills and my Telepass device drowns.  Before leaving FIAT, asks the tech to grab jumper cables as car has been sitting in garage for several weeks.  Drive to Capo is stop and go, and I am sensitive to riding clutch because on Wednesday rental car clutch popped while on Tangenziale which is another story and one that I was fortunate to walk away from.  Somewhere around Vomero car slips back a few inches and nudges Polizia who just motors on...

Get tech on base through security and proceeds to synch key with car using his laptop.  Turns out battery in car is fine, but battery in laptop is not. After a few tries, the key and car are properly coded.  Drive tech back to Pozzuoli pay the 100 Euro service charge, then return back to the Capo base...

Stop at Vodafone to give them my Iphone which had a new SIM installed Wednesday but did not work.  (Note alternative was some sort of three month process to terminate phone service.) This was the second time, I had been to Vodafone with the same problem and so wanted my money (approx $50) back.  Clerk informs me that “this is not the way we do things in Italy.”  ...

Drop by the JAG office to get POA so Lenny can sell Panda after I leave.  Getting POA is a priority as will be difficult if done long distance.  Sign says be back in five minutes, after 15 I leave. Check in on Lenny but he is not in (my old) office.  Drop by Security, another priority, but they closed at 1100.  Participate in a much appreciated farewell lunch with Lenny and Kirsty. Strategized on how they could maintain the momentum gained in the last couple of years...

Drive to Support Site for 1300 meeting in housing. Landlord did agree to sign release form so that deposit could be returned minus some sort of year end 700 Euro charge for gas.  Did not dispute, but wonder why service would not be terminated if bill had not been paid in eight months, but apparently this is not the way they do things in Italy.  Got my deposit from cashier at support site in cash (largest note they had was 100 Euro). Remember that for a long time 500 Euro note could not be tendered in Naples because the notes were generally considered counterfeit. Go to NEX to terminate Telepass and phone.  End up paying about $50 for last bill which I am being told will be reconciled with a final final phone bill in about six months...

Drive back to Capo and JAG office.  Great that both Lenny and Notary are there, because this is a two part process where you have to go to motor vehicle office (fortunately in same building) to fill out form and then to JAG for notary.  Completed just before 1530 closing. Over to Security (open on a Friday afternoon!)  to sign some forms and do what they needed to do.  Next stop: Vodaphone. SIM and phone now working, but considering I leave Italy in less than 12 hours phone is not as useful as it could have been the day before when coordinating pack out and appliance pick up from the apartment in Marechiaro...

Go to Capo NEX to exchange NATO gas coupons for gift card. Kept one coupon to fill rental. Next, clean out Panda which is still on base. Car was best memory of Italy, but no opportunity to drive this trip to Italy.  Drive downtown to see if I cannot get a leather briefcase that I had bought and then had to return for repairs when the handle broke.  I had been back to the store at least a half dozen times, but they were always closed.  Stop on way to top off rental using gas coupon. Unbelievably store is open and clerk remembers me and DOES have the briefcase, but instead of repair, it is replaced with a different color briefcase.  I wanted my money back, but remembered that this is not the way they do things in Italy. Traffic congestion so bad that it took more than an hour to drive back to Capo and so had to top off car at Esso station near Hertz.  Suspicion attendant took my 15 Euro and never filled car, but needle may have needed more time to sense fuel level.  Return car to Hertz without incident. Nice stroll back to Capo, as I have made the same walk while in the rain with suitcases etc. ...

It’s now about 2100 and I have a beer and special order pizza at the Capo landing.  Both are good. Italian bartender starts talking about how locals can't be trusted, and as an example he tells me that each year he gets a surcharge from the gas company for about 700 Euro when the gas company figures out that their pension plans have been underfunded for the year.  Now, this is THE way they do things in Italy!