In Country - the Beginning

Wow, some of you have been following my Facebook comments this week and will know what I am talking about. It has been an interesting week: missed flight connection in Paris, long airport lines, lost luggage, hotel A/C that doesn't work, move to an apartment, two days spent going through Italian Immigration, a day house hunting, and finally a couple days of good sleep and peace. What a whirlwind! But we are here now and doing ok.

Johnnie is Business Class

 

 

 

 

Castel Del'Ovo (The Egg Castle)



























Bay of Naples - where the ships come in

• We have done a bit of exploring the neighborhood around our Palazzo and located some key landmarks like the grocery, a few restaurants, the Anglican church (only English speaking congregation we can find except perhaps on the Naval base),  Sunday flea market, a hair salon, the local pub, a wonderful walking area, and best of all the Tabacchi shop which operates kind of like a convenience store and sells everything from stamps to super glue and you pay your utility bills there and buy cell phone minutes there too.

We continue to revel in the wonder of this lovely apartment we have for temporary living. God is so good to us! We don't count our own ingenuity for anything but rather the kindness of many other expatriates and Italians alike, and the blessing of the Lord that has put us here for a time. It is terrific and something we absolutely could not afford on our own but we will enjoy it while we are here!

Here is an interesting tidbit about parking at the new apartment

The Next Phase of the Adventure - Moving to Italy

The twenty four hour countdown in progress and I am feeling overwhelmed by the number of details to take care of. The good news is, we have our temporary apartment in Naples secured for next week and that means only a few days in a  hotel and then we can go to the apartment. That gives us private living space, our own kitchen, washer, and a gorgeous view of the Naples waterfront. Check out these photos!

5th story deck

We feel so blessed with the opportunity to stay in this lovely apartment so close to all the sites in Naples. It is a great location to get oriented to the area. Within walking distance are all the shop: butchers, bakery, cheese shop, produce, etc. The apartment faces a large city park that goes along the waterfront and is a meeting/gathering place for all generations of Neopolitans. It is one of the nicest neighborhoods in downtown Naples. I could be happy here for the two years but since Johnnie is not a city guy, we will look for a permanent place out a ways from the city.

Johnnie will have no lack of outdoor living space here! This deck actually wraps around the back of the apartment as well. There is room for a hot tub or even a small swimming pool. Maybe we'll host a square dance while we are here....

The apartment is located in a large, ancient Palazzo (not sure what that means) built in the 1400s as I understand it. It has been passed down in this family for many generations. I only happened to hear of this apartment by chance (except nothing is by chance when our Lord is in control, is it?) and was able to see it when I was there in July. The owners are delightful people and I just know our stay will be awesome.

 I just love the open airy feeling of this apartment. Lots of light and a nice breeze to cool things off on those hot summer evenings. God you are so good to me! I am also thankful that the landlord has been patient to hold the apartment for me until my return. She could have easily rented it to someone else in the last month.

In Italy, the Tobachi shop (I think that is how you spell it - Tobacco shop) is where you buy stamps, super glue, pay your utilities, buy batteries and any number of other things. It plays the role of a convenience store in the US.  There is a Tobachi shop nearby.

What a blessing it is to be going this wonderful place!

Next week I process through Immigration in Italy. Boeing has hired a local to go with me and translate. It is apparently an arduous process with tons of documentation and waiting in line. Woe to you if you don't have all your papers in order! I have been warned this will be a long day and to be patient. After we finish at one place -- the Sportello Unico -- then we go to the post office for the next phase. Lord, help me through these steps!