Travel, Technology and Driving in Italy

Here we are near some of the most ancient cities of the world and we are driven to make modern technology work.  Of course, we couldn't travel without our computers, ipad, iphones, GPS, etc.  It's hard to leave the stress of everyday life behind when you bring it with you.  Yet how could we survive without it?

Not very well, I'm afraid.  First hassle was being without a cell phone in the airport and trying to find each other.  It took a while, but we did it.  Great minds think alike.  Or at least minds that have lived together 46 years.  I went to the Lufthansa ticket counter and Ron went to the Al Italia one.  We bumped into each other in line and were good to go.  Next problem:  getting a GPS to work in our rental car.  Hertz agent did everything possible to help.  Finally she printed a google map to our destination and we took off.  After dark.  No GPS to guide us.  First time driving on Italian roads.  Oh, and Ron didn't have his new contacts in.  Very scary!  We forged ahead until we reached the first toll road, then realized we had no Italian currency.  They gave us a ticket to pay later and we kept going.  After what seemed like hours in traffic (it was only 1 1/2) we found our hotel.

The rest of the story includes getting everything plugged in only to blow a fuse in the room.  They charged our phones at the desk in the lobby and we finally crashed.  Next day went better.  GPS worked, but with no sound. That caused us to miss a few exits which always resulted in getting back on the toll road.  At least we have Euros now to throw in the machine.   Calls to Garmin in the states got that fixed.  Now computers and phones are operating as planned.  Downloaded Rick Steves' guide to Pompeii which worked great on our phones.

We each stay on our computers while in the room researching what to do when we leave the room.  It works well for us.  Now if we only had our smart car that does the thinking for us to keep us from having wrecks.  Right now, I don't know how we will avoid having one eventually.    There are soooo many cars traveling so fast with so little room to move.  They say you have to be an aggressive driver and no one would argue that that's what Ron is.  So I'll say a little prayer and depend on the Lord to protect us in the absence of a smart car.

On the other hand, it is so worth it to be here and see the beauty of this place.  The view from our balcony is indescribable.  That's the city of Sorrento on the Bay of Naples with the Isle of Capri in the distance.  And I used the panorama app on my iphone to capture it all at once.  This really is where two world meet -- ancient and modern.