from the beginning

So.
We were in the airport in Tuvalu with hours to spare.
We ate terrible pizza and drank beer.




Please note the SSSS's on our boarding passes and be advised that this does NOT mean you are special and going to be bumped to business class.
Oh no.
This means you are 'special' and are going to be laboriously felt up and have all your belongings wiped with some Stridex Pad looking things and checked for gunpowder.
I think the security people were amused when we thanked them for doing their jobs so well.




Look! It's a wedding dress being hand carried to Naples.



This guy was TERRIBLY important. In his own mind. He made a thousand phone calls and ordered people around. In Italian. I know I can't understand a word of Italian but I knew he was some kind of film guy.
Sure enough, moments later, he snagged a bunch of travelling kids and showed them a rock video on his laptop.
They were suitably impressed.
Fortunately for us, he found an empty row on the plane and slept.
His aura might have kept me awake.




For some, this would appear to be cheese. Who can tell with these miniature meals?
It was triangular and wrapped in foil and had a cow on the front. No label.
So, K unwrapped it and ate it.
IT WAS BUTTER.
But it was good for preparing him for the meals ahead, getting his arteries ready.




My little seat-back television updated this information during the whole trip.
I'm not sure I WANTED to know our airspeed or altitude - and the temperature certainly made me reach for my wrap.



This screen was easier to watch.
Unintelligible.

So - blah blah blah, eat, drink wine (free!) and sleep in odd positions for a long time.
Land.
Meet my darling Paola and my new boyfriend Brizio and drag them to the supermarket.



The fact that Mount Vesuvius is visible from the supermarket should prepare tourists for what they are about to see in Positano.



In truth, nothing can prepare you.



The view inside was nearly as beautiful...



Sundeck on the top of the tower, bedroom in the middle, and down a long long winding stairway, the lav.

Across a tiny patio is the annex -



which contains another lav, a sitting room and a small but charming kitchen.
And windows I loved.



The perfect color for our front door here at home.

The view from my favorite window (which I did not get a photo of) is better still -
especially at night.





Look - I'm getting all Bossy on your ass with the photoshop!



This is the stairway to Paola's side of town.
I would have needed fortification to tackle it.
At one point I didn't even WEAR MY SHOES.

As it was, by the time I made it to the wifi spot in town I was PARCHED and needed acqua. That laptop gets as heavy as lead after a few hundred steps.



This is the ceiling of the wifi spot. It took me several visits to realize that we could look up people's skirts. There's a sign that says photos are not permitted.

Just outside the wifi place was a great shop with lots of wonderful linen clothing.
I bought a dress/tunic thing.



And this guy lives there -



I forget his name, but Brizio knows him. Brizio knows EVERYONE.



If I did this in Tuvalu it would look terrible.
In Italy, it was perfect.



I might have tried on some of these - but, to tell the truth: who needs more shoes?
Besides, the ballet slippers at the other end of the street intrigued me more.



I've only just noticed the birds on the ceiling of this little alley.
We bought a magic book for Youngest here, from a wonderful friendly guy.

I think that's all for today...

The espresso pot is working out beautifully. We bought the 12 cup and each have a double shot with milk. K has two...

Dinner last night was a good first attempt - it needed more of everything, but tasted delicious.