Life throws curveballs. Even in Italy.
Its 7:30am on the first Sunday of August 2017.
And so the story of Italy goes like this. We hop in the 15km tunnel in the French alps and hop out on the other side into one of my favorite countries. The language is magical, the street signs are different. The roads are narrow. The drivers absolutely insane and apparently do not pay attention to rules of the road. New territory for sure.
We follow signs for Genoa, go through tunnel after tunnel, see cute castle on a hill after castle on a hill, I freak out with every car that barely grazes ours as we drive 140km/hr around another turn. Tiny barriers keeping us safe from falling off the cliffs.
Our destination is a campground off the coast. We keep driving and swerving and follow the GPS. The water is to our right. Its stunning. Dreams of pitching the tent at a campsite along the ocean dance in our heads. Visions of enjoying cappuccinos while listening to the waves crash along the sands induce excitement.
Google maps says "turn left". Keep going left. up a hill, another left turn, another motorcycle zooms past, another fiat speeds in the opposite direction.
Up farther, another left. Another curve. A cliff to right, motorcycles zoom past. GPS says we've reached our destination. That little dot was right on the coast on our phone, but nowhere did google maps say we we'd be high up in the freakin hills. A sign indicates the beach to the right. The steep stairs wind and wind for what seems like miles.
This isn't what we had in mind for our perfect night at a campground on the border of Italy. Brandon and I get out of the car, stretch our legs and he mentally prepares to do the same journey in reverse. We light up cigarettes and puff through the anxiety. Lets try again.
More small streets, sharp curves, I'm freaking out and we decide to stop before we get in a bigger fight. This might be the night we find a hotel instead of pitch the tent. We've worked hard, we can splurge. We call around, receptionists laugh that we're looking for a room at 6pm on a Saturday. Ah yes...the rest of the world is doing this exact same thing. First weekend in August, everyone is on the Mediterranean. Bien sur.
We cant find anywhere to stay. Its 7pm now, the sun is still high in the sky but I know it will be setting behind those mountains soon. And I start to realize I'm getting hungry. Awesome. Hungry and impatient - fabulous combo.
Brandon reminds me that it always works out. How, where, when, we do not know. But it does. We've been in this situation so many times, and it always works out. Alrighty lets focus on the positive.
ARG.
We get back on the main road and drive a little further south. The first right turn that looks like our car could may actually fit and a few signs for hotels point in a direction give us hope. Take a right and head down. Sharp curves and busses and motorcycles and big families stress me out as we descend, but palm trees and the sounds of the waves keep us doing. We circle the worlds smallest parking lot. Its 8pm now. All hotels are booked, no place to stay, we're ready to just sleep in the car or illegally pitch the tent somewhere. whatever. I just want to swim under the sun and eat some freakin pizza.
I call one more hotel. I use my rehearsed "do you have a room?" (in Italian) and he speaks English! There's one room left! Its a "suite" with a view of the water! YAAAAS! Pack up the essentials, leave the car in the tiny space we miraculously squeezed into and wander the streets for our new hotel room.
Camogli is perfection. Our room has the most stunning views I have ever seen. We get our bathing suits on, jump giddily to the beautiful beach only steps away from the hotel's front door and rush into the water as the giant pink sun sets behind the mountains.
It always freakin works out.
Next on the list: wine, pizza and gelato. We get 2 mageritta pizzas to-go and I get chocolate & peach ice cream. 50% because I adore these flavors and 50% because they're the only words I could read on the menu. We pass out at midnight to the sounds of the waves through the window.
I wake up to beach chairs being set up, seagulls calling and the sounds of the ocean at around 7am and head to the dining room with my laptop. I'm greeted sweetly by an Italian man wearing a bow tie. at 7am. The 90s American classics on the radio (Christina Aguilera, Toto) and the echos of "ciao! Arrivedercci! grazie!" bounce on the walls. Loud laughter, booming conversation and music hammer at my hangover but and I cant help but smile.
I set up the computer, input the magical characters that connect my laptop to the world of internet and order a cappuccino. My coffee on the coast. Brandon joins me. Sweet bow-tie man gracefully presents him with his cafe latte. "Buongiornio!!!" We cheers our caffeinated beverages and laugh. Here's to our current reality, our insane expectations met. To this little adventure.
xx, LrM
