Leaving Marina Today 6.1.06

The last word. I promise. Just to let you know, the check came, we met Peppe and went to the bank where it took an inordinate amount of time and we learned that we will have a fee to pay (possibly 100 euros) for the privilege of cashing it, paid Peppe and went home to finish packing.

We had a lovely dinner last night with Elio and Giovanna in Modica and had one last look at a very gorgeous Ragusa Ibla at night before a very tearful goodbye. We will miss these wonderful people who have become dear friends.

So now this truly is our last day in Marina di Ragusa. It’s a little rainy and grey, which goes along with our feelings about leaving. It’s been difficult to get too excited about what comes next because we really are so sad to leave Sicily. We promise to return in the future and hope we can keep this promise.

We will pack the car this afternoon and drive to Messina, put out car on the ferry and spend the night in a cabin, arriving at Salerno in the morning. Nigel (expats will know this name) is meeting us to show us a possible apartment for after Verona and we are excited at the opportunity to preview it, as we have not had this chance with each of the other places we have so far chosen. Not that it has turned out badly. To the contrary, each so far as been more than we had hoped for. But as we are passing right through the area on our way north, we thought it would be a good idea.

We will be staying at a friends house in Massa Martana, not far from Perugia, so we can visit friends in the area before heading further north to Verona. Our plan is to arrive by June 7.

If all goes well we might even be able to attend the ExPats get-together on the 3rd but we aren’t counting on it just yet. There is much to do in these next two days!

Allora, now I must sign off for now and get our things together. We want to take a final walk on the beach, and say our last goodbyes to the “guys” here in Marina.

I’ll write soon to let you know how it all went.

Baci baci baci,
Rosemary e Robert