I love you more with every breath, truly madly deeply do

Annika

I want to stand with you on a mountain

I want to bathe with you in the sea

I want to lay like this forever
until the sky falls down on me…

Our neighbors in Amalfi played some Savage Garden every day. The evening before we left, as we were packing our bags, we did it to the sound of Truly Madly Deeply.

Somehow it seemed so fitting.

We came back to a Sweden that is getting ready for fall. The leaves are slowly yellowing, the rain is pouring and the temperature is steady at 12 degrees.

My skin and hair loved the humid heat in Amalfi, and my soul was peaceful and relaxed, finally feeling at home.
Happy.

- We hate it there, the Positanese say.
- There’s nothing there, only touristy commerce, basically only one street through town and nothing more. I hear there are people living in Amalfi but I’ve never seen them, they say.

That’s about as true as thinking that once you’ve made it from the beach to the church you’ve seen all of Positano. I still have so much left to see and do in Amalfi, every day I discovered something new.

And there are indeed people living there. We found them one night, when we followed the music.

- Buona sera, I heard from an old woman coming down a flight of steps.
- Buona sera, I said, then looked up the stairs. C’è musica!
- Sì, sì, c’è musica, she smiled back at me. There will be music through all of August!

We walked up the stairs and found a hidden piazza where there was music and lots of people, but no tourist in sight. We sat down, and for half an hour I felt like part of the community, rather than merely a visitor and spectator.

I am a bad tourist. I don’t buy into the whole tourist thing, I stay away from sightseeing buses and guided tours, and a sign promoting “Local Typical Food” puts me off.

I don’t want to see signs and menus in English when I go to Italy. I don’t want an overpriced ”tourist menu”. I don’t want an eternal vacation, I want real day-to-day life. I want to live and work there. I want to be one of the locals, I don’t want to have them as servants. It felt like a victory every time someone addressed me in Italian, and to be greeted in the streets warmed my heart.

- Wow, how come you know so much? Do you live here? a Canadian couple asked me when I guided them on the bus from Vietri sul Mare, stopping them from getting off in Maiori instead of Amalfi. 

In a way, that was what this trip was all about. To differ from the tourist masses. To pretend that I lived there for real. To find out if it would leave me wanting for more, or if I would leave feeling satisfied and ready to move on.

I want more.

I want to take my husband and our house and bring them back, back to Italy, back to stay.

… all that you need will surely come.

pain

Annika

>>>clicca qui<<<

As much as I miss my husband and our house
as much as I miss being productive and useful
as much as I miss having my things around me

leaving Amalfi this morning was torture.

over the rainbow

Annika

There really is no better feeling than the adrenaline rush and intense happiness that grows to unearthly proportions as the engines roar louder and the plane accelerates.
It is my favorite moment, so filled with promises and adventure, with everything still ahead.
It is the moment when it all begins.

We have flown through clouds, along a rainbow, under the sun, over several rainbow circles.

We are in Pisa now

and I am so happy.

when reality slaps you in the face and refuses to let you hide anymore

Annika

OK. It’s vacation time. The one you’ve dreamed about, diligently planned, researched, endlessly talked about. The one where your husband is thinking, “If she mentions that damn leaning tower one more time, it’s divorce court the minute we get back”. The tickets are purchased, reservations are made and you’ve checked with Granny to make sure she can stay with the kids. You’re good to go. You breathe a sigh or relief when all of a sudden you realize - MY GOD, WE’VE GOT TO PACK!

http://www.slowtrav.com/europe/packing.htm

Toothpaste aloe vera gel antibacterial wet tissues bug spray cooling balm allergy meds foldable toothbrushes fruit sunblock bikinis flip flops sunflower seeds ibuprofen elastic bandage printouts tickets shorts sunglasses conditioner timetables battery chargers headphones books water bottles DVDs tweezers sanity lip balm phone numbers vouchers cute dresses I need to pack all these things I have bought all these things

so far I have packed Giovanna’s coffee and Alexander’s passport. That’s a start.

We’re leaving tomorrow!!!!!

sleepless in Sweden

Annika

Italy is sleeping and the skies are pitch black, but here it’s broad daylight. It’s 04.48 and I’ve been awake for almost two hours - it’s not that I’m not tired, I just can’t relax enough to fall asleep. There hasn’t been a day for the last week that I haven’t woken up at dawn, and it has been very difficult to go back to sleep.

I know why. I have been totally stressed out for the last couple of years, and I am beginning to get both anxious and excited about our trip. I haven’t packed (but who in their right mind would be packed and ready to go three days in advance?!) but I think I need to start

holy crap I’m going to Italy in just a few days!

I think it just started to sink in, the reality of this trip. It’s actually going to happen, it’s real and it’s here!

Well, I don’t have to go to work today. It’s better that I don’t sleep now than later in the week, I want to be  nimble and fresh for our travels. Today I’ll start preparing for real: pack, print reservations and timetables, backup the computer, take out the never used suitcase.

As I write this, the sky over  Positano has gone from the blackest of black to a deep navy blue. Morning is breaking.

I’ll sleep tonight.

breathtaking

Annika

Positano by night. Simply breathtakingly beautiful.

I remember how we strolled along the beach and watched the town light up as the sky darkened. Positano is stunning at every moment of every day, but it is truly magical at night. I cannot imagine ever growing tired of that view, and I was very pleased to find that there are late buses from Positano to Amalfi so that I can experience it first hand again - this time it won’t be on a romantic anniversary dinner with my husband, but I feel truly blessed knowing that I have the chance to give our son precious memories.

almost there

Annika

We had a few things on our list that had to be checked off before the trip: Pack, move and unpack, Alexander’s birthday, clean the apartment.

Two weeks ago we moved, yesterday was Alexander’s birthday, and today we emptied and cleaned the apartment. That apartment was good to us for five years, but it is a relief to finally be able to put it off my mind. It is spotless now and we only have a few boxes left in the storage room. It is not our home anymore.

Three days remain to unpack some more, get the house in order and get ready for travel.

you know me too well

Annika

Delina asked:

Are you making a cake?

You know me too well by now Of course I’m making a cake!

inconceivable

Annika

The webcam images of Positano and Amalfi are mesmerizing this morning.  Sunny, perfect weather. 27.6 degrees at 7.30 in the morning.

I look out the window. 15 degrees and the same cloudy sky and ruthless wind as the last weeks. Four more days. I find it surreal and terribly difficult to understand. I’m not even in that pre-trip excitement state yet, I’m just… confused. Are we really going?!

No more work for four weeks. This is my first real summer holiday in 11 years.

Today my son turns 8. Eight!!!! I can’t believe I have a child that is eight years old, I still remember my 8th birthday. Now he is 8. How old does that make me?! 

We’re all going on a summer holiday
no more working for a week or two
Fun and laughter on a summer holiday
no more worries for me or you
for a week or two

Cliff Richard - Summer Holiday

I’m going to Italy next week!

Annika

I’ve been wanting to say that and mean it ever since this post, and now I can.

I’m going to Italy next week! Woohoo!

And that’s all for today, folks. Thank you, and good night.