Firming Up Plans

This whole trip thing, which up until now has almost seemed like a somewhat frightening dream, is beginning to take shape. As a result, it is becoming much more real to me. I'm finding that as we make some concrete plans, I am a wee bit less nervous about the trip. We have made arrangements for a car, paid for with today's dollars (which are steadily getting worse). It is a small convertible (important to my husband) with a diesel engine that offers great gas mileage. This is critical as gas prices are horrendous in Europe. The high prices, however, are a bit less startling as prices in the US rise. We also have arranged for an apartment for the month of July just outside of Certaldo, a hill town in Tuscany, a few miles from San Gimignano. As you can see from the photos, it is a lovely location, and I am already dreaming of making fine dinners and sitting on my balcony with a glass of vino rosso and enjoying my delightful view of the surrounding hill towns.

Time Out

My husband and I took a time out (a fairly long one) from our adventure-planning to help organize and witness our son's wedding in February. He and his fiance had planned on marrying when we returned from our European vacation; however, late last year they moved the wedding up to February. It was a joyous and blessed event.

no speaka the language

Thanks to a gift from my former employer upon my retirement, my husband and I have been preparing for our upcoming trip by attempting to learn Italian. We purchased the Rosetta Stone language curriculum that is done via the internet. We are both dutifully studying Italian for a half hour or so a day. We finished the first level recently, and were both horrified when we did the final exam to discover that we apparently had learned virtually nothing! Oh my. Now among all my worries about our upcoming trip, I must include the knowledge that I almost certainly will not be able to speak relatively good Italian when we settle there for two months this summer. While I was able to get by with only knowing how to ask for a glass of house red wine and order my daily pasta in our previous travels, I had hoped to be a bit more conversational this time. I won't give up. Perhaps it gets easier as you study more. After all, little Italian one-year-olds learn the language!

Getting Ready

We have been planning this trip to Europe for five years. For four of the five years, I was excited and eager, right along with my husband. For the past year, as we got closer and closer to actually leaving on our big adventure, I have gotten increasingly nervous. Reluctant, you might say. Not resistent. Sleeping in unfamiliar beds for an unspecified period of time. Not being able to walk to my refrigerator to pull out a can of soda. Eating unfamiliar food in unfamiliar settings. Most of all, not seeing my dear family. My husband doesn't seem to share my concerns. I am hoping to gain his confidence through osmosis.