Embrace the Journey: Pivot and Redirect

Thinking positive in Civitaveccia 

Sometimes, you just have to pivot and go a different direction. Bad Karma had followed us from Lyon to our Mediterranean Cruise. Proof of vaccination, which is what we thought was all we needed, wouldn't do. We had to produce a Negative Covid test before embarking on the cruise ship. Donnie still had a sore throat. Could this be Covid? We used the self test kits we brought and sure enough he tested positive. Testing again at the port, he still tested positive. So, instead of cruising the Mediterranean, we were exiled to Civitaveccia. 

We ate well for breakfast

He was feeling bad and sure he would continue testing positive indefinitely. “Donnie, think positive about testing Negative. The norm is seven days for going Negative and it's not even been two days. Plus, we have the freedom of “self quarantine". I’d go crazy locked up in a Covid positive hotel. Civitaveccia is a port city, maybe like Wilmington. ”

We were numb and discombobulated when we arrived at the Hotel de la Ville. Only one night here, then we were on our own. First priority was to get in touch with Ramona, our travel agent. We needed help coordinating this reverse pivot.

Donnie in Lobby of Hotel de la Ville

Our first impression of Hotel de la Ville was good. It faced main street with the Mediterranean Sea visible in the distance. The lobby spoke of history and money. We had an undetermined number of nights looming, but only one here. Quietly, I said, “Donnie, see if we can get more nights here.”

The older man checking us in was crusty and spoke limited English. On the issue of booking more nights, he said emphatically, “No, all rooms are full. This is the beginning of a holiday week.” He did offer suggestions for a restaurant and pharmacy.

The Fort we viewed from our balcony

Our room was located one level up a wide, elegant, red carpeted staircase. The bedroom was classic style with high ceilings, floor to ceiling heavy drapes and jewel tone color scheme. The drapes pulled back to reveal a balcony with two chairs. I loved it!

On the balcony, we could see cruise ships and something that looked like a fort across the way. Main street and a wide sidewalk paralleled the beach.  “I hope we can stay here several nights.”

Wide promenade

As I was getting unpacked for the night, it hit me, “Donnie, we don't have what we need! I brought cruise clothes that I won't use and we don't have an adapter for the outlets. We can't charge any of our devices. We'll have to buy water too.” 

That comment fell on deaf ears. Donnie's focus was finding a pharmacy to get tested. His priority was to test negative so we could go home. We were caught in a temporary ban on flying into the US unless you tested Negative.

We had this one night to make a plan. I had been thinking about that. Over a leisurely dinner, I pitched my idea. “Let’s do a ‘land cruise’.  We’ll never be back here, right? We can rent a car and drive up the Amalfi Coast. I’ve heard it’s stunning. I’ll look at a map tonight to see if that’s even feasible.”

Happy at end of the day

Our first night in exile was enchanting. We had a wonderful dinner under an awning outside with twinkling lights all around. After dinner, we walked up and down the promenade. We loved the Italian people, so happy, friendly and helpful.

We bought an adapter and water. The same crusty desk clerk was still on duty when we got back. We asked again about two more nights and this time, he fixed us up, in the same room. Maybe Good Karma was back.

We slept well with the knowledge that at least two more nights were secured. Tomorrow, we would focus on the pivot plan and solidify our Italy land cruise. First, there were secrets to discover in Civitaveccia.