After the chaos of the lost passport/Visa situation, Ben and I were relieved to have our details in order and officially prepare for our move to Naples. We said goodbye to family and friends and left on March 23rd. Considering that our Bali honeymoon journey took over 24 hours+ the18 hour trip to Naples was nothing! With 10 pieces of luggage total (and yes, you all know how I pack), Athena, and each other, we flew from San Diego to Chicago, connected from Chicago to Munich and then connected again from Munich to Naples.
Fortunately, our seatmates on all of our flights were fine with a 5 lb Chihuahua sitting on my lap and the trip was nice and smooth. No turbulence either. I would take a ten hour delay any day over being stuck on a turbulent flight, thank you very much. We walked out of the airport with 9 pieces of luggage- after hearing horror stories from friends who've studied in Europe and had their bags delayed we were actually pleasantly surprised that we didn't lose more!
I had always heard that Italians talk with their hands so I wasn't surprised when I put Athena down on the grass outside the airport, an Italian version of a chihuahua took after her, and the owner did a little dance in front of me gesturing and saying "Don't worry" loudly over and over again. I guess the dogs are just as passionate as the owners because it looked to me like their 10 lb Italian "chihuahua" wanted to eat mine for dinner when it was really just trying to say hello.
We made it to the base and settled in to our two bedroom, two bath temporary lodging which feels like a mansion compared to our former 620 square foot San Diego apartment. It's funny, I don't even know what to do with all of this space! The things we take for granted growing up...
The apartment style villas contain all amenities. Washer/dryer, fully furnished, gas stove/oven, plates/cooking utensils, even a microwave and toaster! The only thing missing is a dishwasher which is no biggie when you have someone who washes dishes as well as Ben. :) I cook and do laundry, he hand washes the dishes, we're a great team. It's funny though, I have yet to learn how to use the washer/dryer because the writing is all in Italian and it took me about twenty minutes to figure out this toaster situation! Apparently, you pull the little sleeves out, pop the bread in, and then start the timer. Who would've thought? It sounds simple, but trust me, little details like this when you are jetlagged and working with foreign appliances make you feel not so smart!Ben and I made our way to the Navy Exchange and Commissary to explore what they had to offer. I think people probably thought we had never been to a grocery store before because we literally went through every single aisle, no cart or basket or anything, staring in awe at the US products they offer and exclaiming, "Wow! They have this!!" with our mouths hanging open. Everyone else was merely trying to buy their groceries or manage their five kids under the age of three which seems to be a standard that every family on this base seems to follow. Which, by the way, we don't have a problem with, it just ain't for us! Anyhow, the most heavenly moment for me was when I walked down the Oriental food aisle and located my beloved Sriracha sauce, low sodium soy sauce, white Nishiki rice, and best of all Nori Maki rice crackers! It may not seem like a big deal but for those of you who really know me, you know that I couldn't survive without my Asian food and exactly how much I spent at the Ranch 99 Asian market before shipping all of our "essential items" to Italy. Ben pretends like he is indifferent to these Asian products but secretly I know he was just as relieved as I was. After all, who do you think cooks his meals? :)
After cooking our first Italian dinner, steak and salad (very authentic, I know) we finally passed out at 10 pm. Our dog/child who still looked and walked like a drunken sailor after being partially sedated on the last leg of the flight passed out with us. Here we are on day two bushy tailed and bright eyed at 5 AM ready to take on our new lives! Stay tuned...
