So… it seems like our roadtrip will happen for real. I work through July 22, then we (Myself, André, Alexander and our friend Lasse) take off early in the morning of the 23rd. The plan is as follows:
Day 1: Gävle – Vittsjö. Appx 611 km. Stay the night at my dad’s house.
Day 2: Vittsjö – somewhere in Germany, probably around Osnabrück (you all know where that is right?). Appx 658 km. Stay the night in the cheapest hotel we can find.
Day 3: Osnabrück (or wherever) – Metz. Appx 451 km. In Metz we meet up with Roberta, Lasse’s girlfriend, who is there for her nephew’s baptism.
Day 4: Metz
Day 5: Metz – Milan. Appx 715 km.
And that’s it. There will be five of us in the car on the way back north since Roberta is joining us, and we have to be back home again on the 9th of August. What we are going to do in the meantime, nobody knows and nobody but me wants to think about it before we go either. I guess we won’t know if we’ll be up for traveling even further south before we’ve actually made it through those first days in the car. I know what I would do if this was my trip, but I’m not alone this time. Milan – Positano is another 821 km in the car, or a day by train.
In any event this trip has worked rather well as a carrot on my journey towards that driver’s license you’ve heard me talking about for years and years now. I’m telling ya, it’s just around the corner now, I’m doing the written exam on Thursday. Of course with this being super safe Sweden and all, I also have to take a few risk handling courses, the first on Tuesday which is on a slippery track so that I will know how to handle the car on icy winter roads, and the second on Wednesday which is a discussion about drugs, alcohol and driving.
An intense week is coming up.
There used to be an overnight train from Milan to Naples which we took years ago, but I can’t find it. But there’s one from Torino (a few hours longer) which leaves close to midnight and arrives Naples at midday. You can load your car then sleep on the train.
http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=c854122a807da110VgnVCM1000003f16f90aRCRD
details here:
http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=5b7b09296b85a110VgnVCM10000080a3e90aRCRD
It doesn’t show prices though…
Found the prices for the car. You’ll be in high season. Take out petrol and tolls and it won’t be much more but you need to buy your tickets too.
http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=bae6b29fa29da110VgnVCM1000003f16f90aRCRD
If we take the train we won’t bother with the car, but leave it in Milan with Lasse (it’s his car anyway). The overnight train sounds like a good option – more expensive than daytime trains, but then again it saves us a night at a hotel. I’ll have to present the idea to my loved ones and hear what they have to say about it!
Wow! This is great news for you, your family and friends. We won’t be going to Italy this Summer so please think of us when you are eating the wonderful pizza and having a limoncello! Have a safe and happy time.
How fabulous! I just knew that you would make it happen! As for the driving test-you”ll pass, for sure! I just read an article yesterday in the NY Times about the brand new high speed train from Milan to Rome-you can probably find the article on line. It’s only 3 hours I think, then you can catch the next train to Naples.
Ha! Everytime I come to check out the updates on your blog, you’re either planning, leaving or just returning from a trip to Italy! Just move here already! ;-D
Have a safe trip!
Wahoo!!!! Good for you, Annika, I knew you could make it happen!
Good luck on the written exam, I am keeping my fingers crossed for you 