I am rich; I am very, very rich!

No, I am not channelling Donald Trump (thank goodness!). However, I am also not referring to monetary wealth that we usually think of when we use the word "rich" but of life's riches you gain by traveling, meeting new people and experiencing new places.  The first one on this trip was meeting the guy sitting next to me on my flight from YVR to LHR.  Unlike many flights where you sort of grunt at your "seat mate" and really never say more than that, this guy was wonderful, interesting, witty and reflective - and he had lots to talk about as he recently widowed and is now a single dad to his 6 year old daughter.  As a bit of a "small world" moment during our chat (I only watched one movie on this nearly 9 hour flight which says something about how interesting he was!), I found out he knows my next door neighbour, Scott, having had a business meeting with him about medical software about 5 years ago.  By the end of my flight I felt truly lucky to have chatted with this guy who is determined to ensure his daughter loves life, remembers her mother and has every opportunity available.  So, he enriched me with his attitude to moving on with his next chapter.  Interestingly, he was from Glasgow and given that my ex-husband was from there, it was never of interest to me; this guy shifted that perspective.  Second, there was the unexpected gift of a rather surreal moment on my flight from Heathrow to Munich when I discovered our Lufthansa pilot had a quirky sense of humour.  When he came on to make announcements as we were approaching our destination, the first was to say "you might have noticed we are descending rapidly.  The reason for this is that we are now 10 minutes from Munich airport and, because Munich is on the ground, we have to lower our altitude" (ha-ha). His final announcement was to tell us to "please stow your toys and "devices", drink your coffee quickly so you can put your trays back, and please restore your seats to their upright and most uncomfortable positions."  So, who knew a German pilot could embark on airline humour - somewhat dark but understated.  Finally, and this was the best, today I met Nawal at Naples airport, we connected with our driver, and drove to Praiano where we will spend the next week.  The road was very busy along this iconic coastline and it took us a couple of hours for a trip that, without traffic, should have taken about 1/2 hour.  However, at the end of it we were rewarded with views and scenery that are priceless.  You cannot measure that in dollars, Euros or anything!  Once we'd settled into our apartment, we walked to the local "alimentari" to get groceries (another unexpected bonus is that the grocery store is owned by the property manager's mother so he delivered our purchases while we were at dinner).  Then, we proceeded to Ristorante La Dolce Vista for Prosecco and dinner.  Our terrace table overlooked the Mediterranean and from it we had views of Positano about 11 km along the coast.  As the day drew to a close, we could see more and more lights coming on and the breathtaking scenery took on a magical, twinkling aura.  So, we sat sipping our Prosecco commenting on how it is not at all lost on us how rich our lives are!  

Below are some photos from this evening:

View of Positano from Tremonto d'Or Ristorante

Prosecco Time!

Amalfi Coast Evening



Evening View of Positano

  

It's a Long Way to Tipparary . . .

And, apparently, also to Naples from Victoria!  I am sitting in the airport in Victoria waiting for my flight to Vancouver.  Then, there will be the much longer flight to London Heathrow where midafternoon on Friday I will catch a connecting flight to Munich.  I get tired just thinking about all that.  I could have continued on from there to arrive in Naples around 10 p.m. that evening.  However, having never been to Naples airport and somewhat believing all the posts I read about pickpockets, dodgy cab drivers and not so nice airport hotels there, I decided to stay overnight near the Munich airport before flying on.  And, the journey doesn't end there.  I will meet Nawal midday Saturday when we have arranged for a driver to take us on the 2 hour drive to the little village of Praiano on the Amalfi Coast where we will spend our first week.  Hopefully, all our plans will go smoothly and by Saturday evening we will be sipping Prosecco at the edge of the Mediterranean.  It might have to be under a canopy, however, as the forecast is for showers.  Oh well, it will still be by the Mediterranean.  It all seems a bit surreal and daunting at the moment, however.  Oh, if you are thinking I could have got there easier if I'd flown through Toronto to Rome and to Naples, you are probably right.  I just hate flying through Toronto so I will endure almost anything to avoid it!  They say a journey of 1000 miles begins with a single stop but this one has begun, not with a single step but, rather, with four flights!  So, please stay tuned. Thanks.