Le Luce Di Natale II

Corso Garibaldi

Yesterday we decided we'd like to see the Christmas lights

in Agropoli. Nowhere near as extravagant as those

in Salerno, but being able to look down on

Corso Garibaldi from the top of the steps

in Centro Storico did make for some 

breathtaking moments...

A view from on high

Time for a passeggiata

I like to ride my bicycle

Via Piave

And the main feature - the tree!

Mine At Last

Illy have been e-mailing me for weeks about this year's

coveted Art Collection cups.

I have even stood in the Illy store at the

Campania Centro Commerciale & pouted

my best pout, all to no avail....

But today, finally, at the Fashion Bar in Agropoli, 

hubby gave in and I now have an early Christmas present.

I will, however, be good & wait until

Christmas morning to christen them.

Follow Your Heart

I found this on Google yesterday & it struck a chord...

If we'd truly thought about this instead of 

following our hearts, we wouldn't be

living in Italy, about to celebrate our

fourth Christmas here.

If we'd listened to the In-Laws' objections, we

certainly wouldn't be here. 

But you only get one chance at life

(that we're aware of) and chasing 

dreams is something we should all do

occasionally.

So if you're pondering something life changing,

listen to your heart - ignore that voice in

your head & just 'go for it'.

Le Luce Di Natale I

Immediately after lunch on Thursday, we set off for Salerno to see
the Christmas lights - yes, I know they wouldn't be on

when we arrived at about 3pm, but when we

last went on New Year's Eve's Eve 2011,

it took us over 2 hours to get there & another 

45 minutes to find somewhere to park.

So we thought we'd go while there was less traffic

about, grab a coffee once we'd parked up & then

wander round the Centro Storico to take some

'before' pics until dusk settled.

This building is derelict behind the façade

The tree is pretty spectacular 24/7

Corso Vittorio Emanuele

The theme of the lights is Il Giardino Incantato, & when they are 

switched on, it truly is enchanting.....

A magical tree

Tunnel of stars

Stunning piece of art

Il Giardino Inverno

Flowers

Stars & planets

The tree is just stunning

It's easy to see why thousands of visitors flock here 

every Christmas & New Year

The Twelve Days Pre-Christmas - A Tale Of My Trip To The UK

On the first day pre-Christmas I got to Naples Airport &

suddenly realised I'd left my phone charger at home. 

Needless to say, my phone decided to switch 

itself on during the flight & the battery was almost

dead by the time I got to my Dad's house.

Sunrise as viewed from my childhood bedroom 

On the second day pre-Christmas I was greeted by a

beautiful sunrise, which compensated for the

sleepless night. My insomnia doesn't improve any

even after 9 hours of travelling. That evening I
went to see our grandchildren and Alfie greeted me with his
usual beaming smile & a chorus of "Ali, Ali, Ali"
(I am known as Nanali & hubby is Grumps).

On the third day pre-Christmas I spent the day in the office

ordering Christmas hampers for customers from 

Melton's renowned Ye Olde Pork Pie Shoppe.

On the fourth day pre-Christmas it was our son's birthday - 

was it really 34 years since my 'Blue Peter baby' made
his grand entrance into the world?
It was also the day I had a fab lunch at
Carluccio's in Leicester with our Princess Flik -
Arancini, Lobster Lasagna & Sicani Bianco,
all absolutely divine!

On the fifth day pre-Christmas I spent most of the day
reading the Sunday Times before walking round to our
son's house to help out with the bedtime routine for
Megan & Alfie.

On the sixth day pre-Christmas it was another day in the
office followed by an evening with our son & his family.
More of the same followed on the seventh day,
& then on the eighth day I was finally able to go pick up the
company pool Golf. Yay! I had wheels at last!

On the ninth day pre-Christmas my euphoria at finally
having wheels of my own was short-lived -
one of the guys in the office needed to go see a
customer & wanted the car overnight. My
plans of going to see one of my friends who lives out
in the sticks were quashed.

The tenth day pre-Christmas was Friday the 13th -
the day the Coca Cola Christmas Truck was in
Leicester.  I'd been so excited when I'd read on Twitter
that it would be in the Highcross whilst I was back in the UK.
I snuck off from work at lunchtime to see it.
That evening was our office Christmas meal at
Barceloneta, a very popular tapas bar & restaurant.

Eleventh day pre-Christmas & I could do as I pleased; chance to
get the final round of Christmas shopping done, have another lunch
at Carluccio's (albeit solo this time), plus call in
on some friends on the way back from town.

Wild Mushroom Ravioli with Parmesan Foam & Truffle Essence

And the twelfth day pre-Christmas was spent in a frenzy of
gift wrapping before meeting the In-Laws for lunch at their
usual Sunday haunt, the Grey Lady, where I managed to
'mix it' by having an Italian main course followed
by Christmas Pudding with Brandy Sauce & Ice Cream...
it was delicious!

Happy Anniversary To Me

So, I'm sitting here in cold grey Melton Mowbray,

just having eaten a bacon cob smothered in brown sauce,

when I should really be eating cake & popping open a bottle 

of 'fizz', or at least some Rosé to celebrate......

Because today is 3 years exactly since I flew out to Naples

to start my new life in Italy.

It seems strange not being at home to celebrate

this anniversary - funnily enough, I was in the

UK for last year's anniversary too.

Oh well, the celebrations'll have to wait until

next Tuesday

Arrivederci Novembre

Early morning clouds, 1st December

So we bid goodbye to November - it blew out in a grand finale

of gale force winds overnight, but was not

accompanied by the torrential rain that had been forecast.

It's been a mixed month weatherwise - we've had picnics on 

the beach - hubby has even swum in the sea at Ascea on a Sunday 

afternoon - & days when we've not been able to open all of the 

shutters because we didn't want them to blow off their catches. 

Stormy skies off Punta Licosa

We've been to Punta Licosa on the wildest of days, just to

stand in awe at the untamed sea as Mother Nature

does her worst & we've walked on

Pozzillo  beach in brilliant sunshine with

not a breath of breeze & relatively calm seas.

Spiaggia Pozzillo 

We had 48 hours of storms last weekend, when the

rains did lots of damage to local properties & 

washed away the end of our driveway.

We've also had more rainbows in a month than I 

can ever recall in our almost 3 years here.

Rainbow, 20th November

In all, I think this November has reverted to form in 

being the 'wet' month of the year &

hopefully this will mean a less harsh Winter.

But my abiding memory of November 2013 

will be of some of the most spectacular sunsets ever....

Sunset on 7th November