Being here for a month on your own, is definitely not the same as a week’s vacation!
I’ve had a few things happen that have challenged my idea that I am an intrepid adventurer.

I do have so much free time here, it’s ridiculous. My only responsibilities are the 2 fur babies and watering the garden. I sleep in, feed the pets, enjoy my coffee, add salve to all the new mosquito bites and take up the trash. There’s usually a walk down to the beach, or if I’m lazy or it’s too hot, just a walk to the grocer up the street. then a nap in the pm, restoring my energy to prepare dinner.

Positano trash requirements alter my idea of a simple life

Wrong way – again!

But the first time down to the beach, I took a wrong turn coming back up the (500-600) stairs, increasing my stair time. The second time down, I decided to return the same way I went down.
Yep, another wrong turn, and I’ve done this probably more than 20 times during previous visits!
So now I’ve made maps! Yes, the lady that used to make maps in a previous lifetime made maps for fun! And to prevent more wrong turns!

Map showing top of my 130 stairs relative to grocery, etc.

Map showing Villa Franca and dashed lines indicate STAIRS to beach. It’s more complicated in person, trust me.

Delays and a message

Even when I know where I’m going, things seem to purposely make me do more stairs. For instance, I went up to get groceries and a SIM card for a phone. First time up, got to the top, and it started sprinkling. It hasn’t rained here in months, so I was worried it might be a downpour, so back down the stairs to get an umbrella. By the time I got home, it had stopped. So back up, first stop was the SIM card. Kate TOLD me more than once that I needed my passport to get one.
Of course I forgot that. So I got groceries, brought them home and went back up and got the card.

Funny story about that phone. I got the card so I could text people in Europe, and not use my regular phone. The first time I tried texting, it worked once, then stopped. (I did buy a 5gb plan)
Next I tried calling a friend, only to get a voice message in Italian, and I never bothered to learn more Italian than prego, bongiorno, and ciao. As a super nerd, I used google translate and the mike to auto translate the Italian message. And here’s what it said: (I swear, I am not making this up!)
“If I can’t get my company can you come get a couple of my f*cking time I don’t like about it”
So, back to the store, where I let them listen to the message (in Italian, of course!) and they informed me I did not have a “plan”. I thought that’s what the gb thing was, so 5€ later, I had a working cell phone. Perfecto!

After posting this, I will get back to sketching to relax!