Getting Ready

Preparations for our departure are beginning to take on a frantic feel. All the major issues (transportation, accommodations, etc.) have been resolved, just leaving the niggling little details to deal with. I am trying to maintain a deliberately low key approach to what I’ve discovered could be a frantic, panic-attack inducing psychological trauma. Early on it was clear I could easily be the weak link in our trip plans, never knowing when my less than perfect knee joints might bring all sightseeing efforts to an unexpected halt. With this in mind, we decided to approach our trip as an opportunity to spend some “quality time” in a few places, rather than undertaking a headlong dash down the boot of Italy, ducking into every museum and gift shop along the way. Opting to be in control of our time and activities, rather than turning all the planning and logistics over to a commercial tour operator was one of those difficult decisions we had to make as we first began to plan. Only time will tell whether this was really the right choice, but I bet we have a good time, anyway. After all, I’m going to the land of amore and exotic Italian food with my lovely child bride. What more could a fellow ask for?