So... we've got a puppy, a new little, beautiful being who put colors into our everyday life. Full of joy, wheezing and walks at all hours of the day. Right now I finally have some space, with time to update you all on life here at Villa Rosita - it's been a long time since the last time! The newborn father Per and the boy, Lille Snø, have passed out in bed while Killa keeps me company. She was operated yesterday, under general anesthesia, and is completely knocked out. Fortunately, progress is slowly but surely being made. So now she's had a homemade burger and some leftover chicken and is sleeping as a puppy.
And this time to I say that I had forgotten how much attention a puppy requires. How important it is to teach the puppy to take a time out when both we and the puppy need it. Just like children, they get into a high gear. Everything is so incredibly exciting and you can always find a small ant that needs to be eaten, a ball of yarn that needs to be explored or some grass that needs to be tasted. The TV has many foreign voices and where are these voices coming from? Stairs must be climbed, first in sliding mode, a day later flying over two and two steps. One day the first landing is climbed - the next day he has control over the whole house! Nowhere to hide because he always finds you. And if he doesn't find you, he howls the most piercing howl you can imagine - because he is LONELY!!!!!
But he also has the world's best puppy breath, the best kisses you can imagine, a tiny snore and loves to cuddle. He dances his way through meals with strange movements and when he has to pee, he gets tremors in his body as a warning. The breeder has potty trained him so he only misses when his hind legs are outside the pee mat. He can sit on command and comes running like a wildman when we call his name. Thank you SNØ for enriching our everyday life!
A QUICK TRIP TO NAPLES - right?
Per has wanted to take a trip to Naples for a long time and we had to do it before the puppy arrived. With a new puppy in the house, we knew it would be a while before we could travel to the big city again. So we packed the Alfa (our red Stelvio), booked B&B with the world's nicest host (more info to come) and drove down towards Naples and the famous Amalfi Coast. I have never been south of Rome and Per had taken a quick trip through the area many, many years ago.
The destination was Castellammare de Stabbia, where both Sorrento, the Amalfi Coast, Naples and Pompei were just around the corner. I had found a very cozy apartment on Airbnb hosted by Alessia and her family. We had received good driving instructions to find our way and we were prepared that the road up to the house would be narrow. But not THAT narrow (the photo is directly above the house and WE had not been able ta drive that pice of the road). Thank goodness it was Per who drove, he is an excellent driver with his eyes on the target. Once there, we were welcomed with orange juice from the house's garden, some small snacks and a tour of the spacious apartment with a fully equipped kitchen and a view of the volcano Vesuvius. The next morning we woke up to glorious sunshine, freshly baked pastries from the local baker that Alessia's husband had been and bought since it was his day off. With the coffee, we got a lots of tips for local restaurants and places to visit.
Even though this was low season they advised us to avoid the Amalfi Coast on a Saturday. So we took a strall on the seafront in Castellammare and then a fantastic trip up to Monte Faito with the 70-year-old cable car up to the top of the mountain. What a view!
We found an outdoor restaurant with a view to Capri, the ocean, Pompei and Naples. Per had a beer and we listened to sweet Italian music in the sunshine. Damn, didn't I see a little tear in the corner of his eye when Per said: This is Italy - and we live here!
A couple of days later we were going to take a tour of the Amalfi Coast - something I was really looking forward to. Was it as expected? NO! For several reasons. The Amalfi Coast is endlessly beautiful, but when you arrive by car you only see a tiny bit of the landscape. In addition, the road is not built for tourism and on large parts of the winding road only has room for one car. So both driver and passenger spend most of the time wat the road. In addition, it is simply impossible to find a parking space, so you also don't get to visit the small, picturesque towns that lie like pearls on a string along the coast. Next time we do a boat trip, for sure. Park at Alessia, take a bus to the coast and sail from there. As far as I can understand, Amalfi must be seen from the sea, at a leisurely pace, outside the tourist season. And I didn't get to take a single photo.... that'll be next time.
But I took a lot of photos in Pompeii, the city by the volcano that was exposed to eruptions several times, the last time in 79 BC Where large parts of the city were buried in 6 meter high ash and which they began to dig out in the 17th century. Today, parts of the city have been excavated again and the excavation work is still continuing. Parts of the city are still as they were over 2,000 years ago. After almost 7 hours on foot in the beautiful city, I can only say that I will be back and next time I will have two days at my disposal not one. Otherwise, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.
