Flight Plans

Here we go!

And it's Roma! We went and picked up our tickets the other day and now are all set. We fly out on April 15th from Tampa - hit Atlanta for just over an hour and then go directly to Rome. We'll pick up a car and head directly to the water. Like so many other moves that we have had, one of our first trips or sights to see the water. So we'll be off to the Mediterranean Sea as our first sights. Apparently, Fiumicino is the aeroporto that we fly into. It, by the look on the map, is very close to the Sea, which means we'll go there first before heading into Roma to catch a few sights, and then up to Firenze. 

The second deal, besides the airplane tickets and the car, is that we picked up a rail pass for the first three months that we're there. It will allow us to travel to any of the 31 available countries in Europe on any day. So we plan to work and travel on the train for a bit so that we can see as much as possible in as little time.

My suggestion to all travelers - AAA. We, like you I'm sure, thought that they were going to be very expensive. We were pleasantly surprised at the deals and all the service that are now available to us. We would certainly recommend them to anyone traveling aboard.

So now all we have to do is sell all of David's artwork, all of our furniture and go. YES!!! The excitement is starting to build. Sleep is becoming difficult because we're both thinking of things that have to be done or that we need to remember. The good news - we're just 3 weeks away.

Thanks for stopping in - there is more to come! =) 

Via - Italia

                                                                                                          Florence

Hey Everyone -

Welcome to our new blog, and our adventure to Italy.

Let's begin with an understanding that both David and I have been wanting to visit and actually live in Italy, well before we met 10 years ago. Like most couples, we have spoken many times about going. Sharing our dreams with each other and helping to add to those dreams.

Amalfi Coast

This particular idea to live in Italy was actually pushed along by two of our most favorite couples. Anne and Lee, who have, it seems, lived everywhere and have amazing stories to share about all the incredible placed that they parked their boat, 5th Wheeler and RV. Also, Rosemary and Bob, who actually took their dream, our dream, and made it a reality. The two packed up their possessions,  placed them in storage and spent the next three years traveling the Italian landscape.

From these two amazing couples came the needed kick in the pants to make our own dream... our own reality come true.

The Plan - 
                                                                                                                                                       Rome
After much research and conversations with our travel mentors, we found that Florence (Firenze) would be our starting point. It is one of the two large train hubs in Italy, Rome being the other. It is a very walkable city, as many of you know we both love to walk. And, it is the center for art. Since David is an artist and I'm a huge art lover, it makes perfect sense to start there. Florence also has a large literature community, which means that my own work, Breaking Rules Publishing, will fit right in.
                                                                                                           
So we have a destination. Now we needed a time/date. This major life decision was made in late August, early September of 2018. My birthday, March 19th became the date of choice. That gave us seven months to get our proverbial shit together. With that, the language apps started to appear on our phones, tickets, B & B, areas of the city and visas were all researched. The date continued to get closer, and not until New Year's Eve did we actually say to each other - 'we just have under three months left.'

Tickets soon became the issue and we really dug in. It didn't take long to find out that April was the better month to travel. The new and final date is April 15th.

And here we are, March 14th, one month away. Tickets are purchased. B&B reserved. And a new revelation, we are purchasing a rail package that will offer us unlimited travel to 31 different European countries for three months. WHAT A DEAL!!!

Rapallo

Now comes the purging of our stuff, the giving of personal items and figuring out our baggage situation.

We are both very excited about this journey and look forward to sharing this experience with you all. So join us as we go and see the world together.

                                         Florence Here We Come