I'm sitting in my Air B&B in Positano, Italy while I write this.
Here is my view. 😳
Insane right?
Never in a million years did I think I would be able to tackle small Italian costal towns totally inaccessible to the handicap; no end of stairs in sight with luggage in tow.
This is what it took:
Two flights.
A 10 hour layover in Dublin. We stored our luggage at the airport and went to explore. Here are some photos.
Yes, we did the 10:00 AM Pub thing even though both of us hate beer. Hopefully the lads next to us finished off our full glasses.
The details in Dublin make everything look so darn cute.
Okay, where were we?
Two flights.
A 10 hour layover in Dublin.
One more flight to Rome.
One train.
One bus.
Boom. We've landed at our Air B&B. (It was adorable.)
& it totally helped that the man who checked us in was the most beautiful man Katie and I have ever seen in real life. Holy hell.
Out like a light.
Up the next morning to see some sights.
Here are some views out our window.
We intended on seeing Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps and the Colosseum.
We woke up, graced the world with our presence and were off to find the ticket station so we could book a fast train to Positano for later in the day.
At that point we were so exhausted we decided to leave Rome earlier than anticipated and skip the later two attractions and get out of dodge.
Maybe a good choice for us because this happened.
Boom.
An explosion.
Gasps.
Everybody around the fountain just stared at one another.
What the hell was that.
Then it came.
The big cloud of black smoke engulfing the area.
Crap.
We have to get out of here.
Was that a bomb?
A parade of people trying to exit one of the main tourist destinations in Rome.
What the?
Is this really happening?
Scatter.
Run.
Luckily there was a very nice cab driver close to us and loaded us up and got us back to our Air B&B.
He told us it was a bus on fire.
We ended up seeing the Spanish Steps and the Colosseum from the taxi, so that's a plus! Ha!
Our Air B&B host let us hang out until our train left and off we went.
Here is the crazy.
The bus was their 10th bus to catch fire this year.
While it wasn't the same bus we were on 15 minutes prior, it was the bus stop we were let off at.
& it exploded.
I've never had a sound other than music give me goosebumps.
But holy goosebumps everywhere.
I'm so thankful it wasn't our bus.
I'm so thankful the driver was able to save every passenger and lead them to safety.
There was one person hurt. A woman who owned the shop it caught fire in front of. She was treated for minor burns last I knew.
If only you could have seen the terror on everybody's face at the fountain that day.
It's so sad to think that everybody's mind went to exactly the same place.
An unsafe world.
Ok, enough of that.
Here is an article.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/rome-bus-explosions-fire-italy-city-mayor-virginia-raggi-public-transport-a8342716.html
Off to Positano.
Let's backtrack a bit.
Two flights.
A 10 hour layover in Dublin.
One more flight to Rome.
One train.
One bus.
Boom. We've landed at our Air B&B.
One bus (that thankfully didn't explode).
One taxi.
One fast train from Rome to Salerno.
Two buses (on what we would consider a one way road in the US along the coast of Italy - I will never forget this).
One taxi (with the cutest old couple of life who were on both buses with us too).
A few hundred stairs.
We have landed in our Air B&B in Positano, Italy.
I will never get over the views.
Ever.
Enjoy.
Balcony Dreams.
View from the beach. The stacked buildings are something else.
Some photos from the cutest little restaurant there ever could be, Casa Bottega in Positano, Italy.
It really wasn't too difficult finding options for my sensitive digestive system. Although, I am done with olive oil as my salad dressing for awhile.
The best restaurant vibe ever.
Their food prep stations were so well thought out and everything was so fresh!
Beautiful smoothie bowls, chickpea croquettes, oat pancakes, smoothies and juices, raw pesto with zucchini noodles. They had many great options.
I also had the best pizza of my entire life in Positano (I've been to Italy before) at a restaurant called Capricci at the beach. Go there if you can! Yes, I have to do pizza without cheese. (#dairyallergy) It's still delicious. Don't knock it until you try it. Also, they made us heart pizzas. Cay-utee!
It's now many days later and I'm no longer in Italy.
I'm in a new country.
A new adventure.
But I have some thoughts to share with you.
A year ago, this wasn't an option.
I was crippled by the thoughts of never being able to see our beautiful world.
I remember taking our yearly Mexico trip and everything about it being so hard.
I just wanted to be home.
My illnesses were slowly taking everything I loved and enjoyed away from me.
Everything.
What was next.
My husband?
My family?
None of it, thankfully.
I opened up.
I started being honest about how hard things were.
I asked for help.
I searched for answers.
I found incredible humans to care for me.
I learned how to treat my body and give it the care it needs.
& my life turned around.
Drastically.
I don't know how to fully express how thankful I am to have been able to do this.
This was a pretty good hoorah to kicking chronic illness out of the park if you ask me.
I am proud of me.
I did it.
Here are some photos of Capri too. It was even more beautiful than I ever could have imagined.
How cute was our Air B&B?
Epic views out these picturesque windows!
The cutest kitchen.
Katie and I dedicated some time picking out sea glass on this beach.
Fascinated by the range of greenery that grows over here.
We stayed at the top of those stairs. Felt like walking to a castle.
My favorite places are where the land meets the sea.
There is something about narrow roads that I love.
We rented a boat one of the days we were in Capri and got to boat around the whole island. It was incredible. A must do if you are in the area. You will never forget it.
As stated in a Facebook post, this day made me feel like George Clooney. Complete with a beautiful piece of young ass. Sorry Mom, or whoever is reading this and is cringing. But, it's the truth. & also, who is my father? Like father, like daughter. Enough said.
This has not been edited. The water really was that color.
Also, not an edit. This was the little Blue Grotto. Unfortunately, we couldn't see the big one as the water level was too high that day.
& lastly, we hopped on a ferry and took a day trip to Sorrento. Such a cute town. Some place I really wish to go back to someday. I foresee it being a great main location to visit all these beautiful coastal towns again.
We sat down at a little cafe in a narrow alley and chatted with a couple originally from Scotland, now residing in Northern England for over two hours. It's always fun to hear about peoples lives and what lead them to become who they are.
Moral of this story. Slow down. Enjoy your life. Don't let those little thoughts that play in your brain constantly run your life. We should. They should. I need. Don't let them be anything more than static passing through your brain. Don't label them. Just let them pass right through. In a couple hours they won't matter anyway. Enjoy your moments and be thankful for them. Don't feel guilty for experiencing life and our world.
Beautiful Sorrento.
Completely obsessed with fruit and veg stands on every corner here in Europe. It will never get old. & I will never stop photographing them.
I hope you enjoyed this LONG blogpost.
If you wish, I hope you make it here to fulfill your dreams too.
It is truly incredible.
Keep on keeping on, my friends.
Do things that scare you.
Try something new everyday.
Or every week.
Just keep it fresh.
Blow the timid right off your back and out of your mind.
Chase your dreams.
xoxo
Kirsten
TIPS ON VISITING POSITANO
If you are interested in visiting Positano I recommend getting fit.
This isn't a joke.
The whole lower half of the town where everything is, is only accessible by foot. Which means 500 stairs up and down. The main pathway with all the shops is an incline with fewer stairs but they still exist. Think about kids and strollers. Be warned.
The main "street" has a couple hotels up and down the hills that don't require taking stairs. However, if you want to get to the beach be ready for those 500 stairs or that long incline.
& if you are like us and want to stay higher up for those Instagram worthy photos, add on another 500 stairs.
If you take a ferry to Positano and want to get to your hotel located on the main "street", understand you will be walking the stairs up or choosing the incline. There are porters at the dock who will take your luggage to your hotel or Air B&B for a fee.
If you plan to stay on the main street and want to avoid the stairs when you get there, take a taxi or bus. You will be let off in a descent area.
Our porter's did not show up upon departure and we didn't know about them on arrival.
So, yes. We lugged our suitcases up and down all the stairs. Slowly, but we managed.
Thank you triceps.
If you are reading this and you have POTS that is not under control. Skip Positano.
If you are under 60 and thriving. Go before it gets too hard.
If you are planning on adding kids to your family soon. Go! I recommend enjoying Positano kidless. Unless you plan to carry them everywhere.
If you are in a wheelchair, I don't have the answer for you. I only saw one person using a wheelchair and it was along the beach. Which means she may have made a day trip on the ferry and stayed low. It was a pretty high tech wheelchair device so it could possibly climb stairs. Something like I've never seen before.
*Capri definitely had a lot of stairs too, but was more accessible with more options for those who need it.