Toscana
radiantbaby has hinted at it, and I suppose I haven’t actually said anything about it. I probably should. I’m really ridiculously excited about it.
Several months ago, my father decided that he wanted to have his upcoming sixtieth birthday in Tuscany. This isn’t too far out of the way for him since he’s living in England these days. He figured he’d invite family along even though he knew many of us wouldn’t be able to afford it. radiantbaby and I decided to splurge and go despite the airfare price.
So tomorrow afternoon, radiantbaby and I are boarding a British Airways (It was actually cheaper than Delta, surprisingly) flight to London-Gatwick, where we have a several‐hour layover before finishing up our trip into Rome. There we’ll meet for the first time with him and his new wife (who seems awesome on the phone), and hang out for a bit, eventually (maybe that day, maybe the next) driving up to a charming little townhouse in Monterchi.
Monterchi is a small town-just one main street and a couple of alleys from the look of it-just barely on the Tuscan side of the Umbria border. It’s a half‐hour drive from Arezzo, and Arezzo has train service to everywhere, notably including Florence. It’s from our rented townhouse there we will base a whole week of touristic sorties. Details are very loose; we’re playing this almost entirely by ear. We fly back into Hartsfield on the 31st with many pictures and memories.
I’ve actually been to Tuscany before. Around eleven years ago, I toured there with my college choir. Our schedule was a little too busy for my taste, but it was nonetheless an amazing and wonderful experience. I really fell in love with the region when I went, and I’ve missed it horribly ever since. I’m so excited to be going back as an adult.
So my passport is ready. I have Monopoly money in my wallet (though I hear ATM access is much better now than it was eleven years ago). My electrical devices are all charged up, and I have adapters and converters to plug them into the Italian grid safely. I have 5 or 6 GB of SD cards for my camera, though I might maybe be able to find some Internet access there to upload my pictures early. And this time tomorrow I’ll be packing up my car to drive down to the airport. This time Saturday I’ll be landing in Rome.
I’m so excited. I’m literally nearly in tears thinking about it. :-)
(LJ Spellchecker Genius of the Day: Arezzo -> Orzo)
Several months ago, my father decided that he wanted to have his upcoming sixtieth birthday in Tuscany. This isn’t too far out of the way for him since he’s living in England these days. He figured he’d invite family along even though he knew many of us wouldn’t be able to afford it. radiantbaby and I decided to splurge and go despite the airfare price.
So tomorrow afternoon, radiantbaby and I are boarding a British Airways (It was actually cheaper than Delta, surprisingly) flight to London-Gatwick, where we have a several‐hour layover before finishing up our trip into Rome. There we’ll meet for the first time with him and his new wife (who seems awesome on the phone), and hang out for a bit, eventually (maybe that day, maybe the next) driving up to a charming little townhouse in Monterchi.
Monterchi is a small town-just one main street and a couple of alleys from the look of it-just barely on the Tuscan side of the Umbria border. It’s a half‐hour drive from Arezzo, and Arezzo has train service to everywhere, notably including Florence. It’s from our rented townhouse there we will base a whole week of touristic sorties. Details are very loose; we’re playing this almost entirely by ear. We fly back into Hartsfield on the 31st with many pictures and memories.
I’ve actually been to Tuscany before. Around eleven years ago, I toured there with my college choir. Our schedule was a little too busy for my taste, but it was nonetheless an amazing and wonderful experience. I really fell in love with the region when I went, and I’ve missed it horribly ever since. I’m so excited to be going back as an adult.
So my passport is ready. I have Monopoly money in my wallet (though I hear ATM access is much better now than it was eleven years ago). My electrical devices are all charged up, and I have adapters and converters to plug them into the Italian grid safely. I have 5 or 6 GB of SD cards for my camera, though I might maybe be able to find some Internet access there to upload my pictures early. And this time tomorrow I’ll be packing up my car to drive down to the airport. This time Saturday I’ll be landing in Rome.
I’m so excited. I’m literally nearly in tears thinking about it. :-)
(LJ Spellchecker Genius of the Day: Arezzo -> Orzo)