Yep. That's the plan.
Or maybe I should say that it's the goal.
Yes, goal sounds and feels better, so let's go with that.
And what a beautifully exciting and grandiose goal it is. Lion and I decided to pull the trigger and have booked the first leg of our year-long worldwide journey.
First stop: Italia!
With Jah's guidance, just before Amore's 2nd birthday, we will head to the land of Zack's ancestors and spend the Spring of 2023 in the Province of Cosenza, in Calabria. Actually, the home that we've rented is quite close to Belsito, the very town where Chapo's great-great grandfather was born. So we'll be exploring the region with much intention. Since we're staying for 3 months, we're also going to head to Sicily, Puglia and maybe even Amalfi for old time's sake.
In preparation, we are all learning to speak Italian. I'm using the Babbel app, Lyss and Chapo are doing Duolingo, Lion is mostly on Youtube and Amore Luci has me as her primary teacher. I'm hoping to be fluent by the time we get there. Il tempo lo dirà.
After Southern Italy, we're gonna head over to the land of Zack's other ancestors; Ireland. We'll be there for ~2 months, starting at the end of June. I haven't fixed my mind much on this part of the trip yet. I need to go slow with the planning, lest I become overwhelmed.
An overwhelmed Bird is not a fun one, so I'm tempering myself.
I do know that July is the month of music festivals in Ireland. And I know that Lyss loves music festivals. So I'm thinking this portion of the trip might be her favorite. Also, Zion will be turning 6 and Lion will be turning 40 during our time there...so it's sure to be memorable.
Next up will be Portugal.
Again, I haven't yet dived into the details. I have, however, dived into the details of my homegirl's trip there and I was able to find some good and valuable nuggets (check it out at: https://www.catchmeonflight.com/travel/travel-guide-lisbon-portugal). We'll be in Portugal for ~2 months, through the tail end of October.
And thennnnnnn, back to Italia!
But this time we'll be in Northern Italy for ~3 months, spending Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years there. I have no idea what that's going to be like. Again, Il tempo lo dirà.
To finish off the trip, we're going to head back over to the western hemisphere and spend our last ~2 months of travel in the land of my ancestors; Puerto Rico babyyyyyyyy! Wepa!
I'm so hyped about this part. I think it's the perfect ending to such an amazing life experience. It'll be warm, familiar, and relaxing. Puerto Rico is the perfect place for slow living. The vibes of the island will help us to unwind and recalibrate, while still allowing the option for exploration and adventure. I'll be turning 39 and Lyss will be turning 20 while we're there. No better place for a party, right?
So yeah. Big things poppin' for us.
I'll follow up with another post detailing how we're making all of this happen; between Lion and I still having to work throughout the duration of the trip. Us not having a car in Europe. Zion being of compulsory school age. And having a whole house in Florida that's unfortunately not paying for itself. Stay tuned for that.
But more importantly, I want to extend an invite to any of our family/friends who may be reading this. If you'd like to meet up with us on one of our stops, send me a message/email/text or whatever so that we can coordinate a rendezvous. We'd love to be able to share experiences and make memories with you.
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