Ready or not, here I go!

  I’m barely more than 24 hours away from boarding my Delta flight to JFK – and then on to London.

  I have not posted much this past month, which has flown by much more quickly than I wanted.

  I went into the month with little to distract me form the remaining planning tasks – then the phone started to ring. In the past month, I’ve finished rewrite on a huge website for a client, conducted 5 whiskey or wine tastings for private parties, conducted a charity art auction and written 9 weekly e-mail newsletters for clients to go out while I’m away.

  Oh, we’ve also been dealing with a mysterious invitation of flying ants and last week – the air conditioner failed.

  Despite frayed nerves and “why me?,” life goes on – and so does our inaugural European vacation.

  We begin in London, where I will meet up with fellow Chief Chowzters from around the world for the annual Chowzter Tastiest Fast Feasts on Earth Awards. One of my subjects – red velvet cake from Marandy’s One Bite Delight in Savannah – is among six finalists competing in the bakery category.

  The folks behind the scenes at the Chowzter app and website are awesome hosts and have lined up quite a smorgasbord during my stay. I am really looking forward to the steak symposium being led by author Mark Schatzker, author of “Beef: One Man’s Search for the World’s Tastiest Piece of Beef.” This event will be held at London’s Flat Iron Steak.

  The awards are Sunday night – and Ms. TJ will be at my side during the event--- held at L’Anima Italian restaurant.

  I arrive very early Friday morning, and have decided to have some adventure before I check into my hotel in the afternoon. I'll explore by Tube, and have planned lunch at a Samuel Smith pub,Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese Pub, a recommendation from the US importer of Samuel Smith ales -- counted among my favorite beers of all time.

  Monday morning, we load out bright and early to catch a flight from Stansted Airport to Pisa to begin the first leg of our journey into Italy.

  To help your planning, here are some updates to our process. When we return, I’ll be able to fill in the gaps to make your next trip to Italy even easier.

• Transportation in London still eludes me doing much pre-planning. I decided to let this dog sleep until I get there. The plan is to enlist the aid of The Hoxton concierge to help me find a way to get TJ from Heathrow to the hotel late Friday night. I had planned to take the Tube back to get her – but London’s Underground stops running before we would get to the hotel. Also, Stansted Airport is much further from London than Heathrow – and we need to get there on time that early Monday morning. I should have a better feel for solutions when I’m “on the ground.”
• As you can see, I’m packed. I had to do a significant downsizing of my camera bag – the other did not comply with the carry-on guidelines for the two European regional airlines I’m flying – Ryanair and Vueling. I also had to get a slightly smaller suitcase. We’re both packed in our carry-on luggage at 20 lbs. I’m very proud of TJ – she doesn’t pack this light to go to work every day!
• What’s in my bag? Two pair of convertible cargo pants, 7 underwear, 3 Oxford shirts, 5 black t-shirts, lightweight running shoes, 6 pair socks, hooded windbreaker in its own pouch, toiletries (Ziploc bag of toothbrush, toothpaste, and deodorant.) I’ll score a disposable razor there. On day 6, we will have access to laundry facilities.
• And the camera bag? Nikon D500 with 18-200, f/3.5, iPad, Windows tablet (I will post newsletters from there – and the iPad does not like my third party e-mail application), 2 electrical adapters, ear buds, chargers for everything (including a car charger for my phone), a mini-mouse, business cards, journal, pens. This sailcloth from Tamrac Apache bag fits under the airplane seat, has Velcro interior dividers and that handy zipper sleeve to allow carrying over the pull up handle of my spinner luggage.
• I’m wearing the “heavy stuff.” Leather walking shoes, jeans, a tweed wool-blend sports jacket with plenty of interior pockets. I hate getting chilled, so I’m happy to layer another t-shirt or mock turtle and another Oxford-style cotton shirt.
• What’s still undecided? We have not booked our second leg in Florence, but our host the first leg has assured us she will help out – she has been an awesome support “team” in Florence. We remain to secure transport for TJ from Florence lodging to the airport for her return flight. I have reserved my room in London for my flight back – and will have plenty of time to deal with transport between Gatwick Airport and the hotel when I land back in London.
• Finances…nearly a topic of its own. We’ve notified our credit card companies that we will be traveling. Most companies allowed us to do this online without having to navigate a frustrating telephone system. SunTrust Bank also allows this online; Wells Fargo does not. I secured some British Pound Sterling notes for us to carry so we would have currency upon landing in England. Wells Fargo has an international teller in Savannah who did the transaction on the spot. Wells Fargo claims they do not charge a fee – and they don’t. What they do is upcharge the conversion – by about 10 cents on the dollar. It is unclear whether I will have to secure a rental car deposit on a credit card. I have pre-paid the rental and bought the Collision Damage Waiver. I have confirmed with American Express that they will honor a high limit deposit.
• Speaking of credit cards: Be prepared to handle some glitches. Even with travel notifications, each card company explained that they could not guarantee that there would not be refused charges. They offer collect call, 24/7 phone numbers to call to handle these issues. I transferred all of my credit card info, including the phone numbers, to an easy-to-read file that I have put on “the cloud” that I can access from my smartphone.
• Smartphone: Sweet segue, eh? I don’t usually have a screen lock on my phone, but because accessing the phone would also grant access to my cloud storage, I’ve put a PIN code on my screen lock. If my phone is lost or stolen, it will present a real challenge to anyone trying to use it.
• We’ve decided to wing it in Italy, letting the mood and the road take us on unplanned adventures in our rented Smart Car. Other than Florence, we’re very much in a rural area of Tuscany, staying on the Agritourismo of Brancatelli Vineyard just north of the small town of Riotorto.

  Enough already! I have one more contact number to plug into a lengthy spreadsheet we’re leaving for my aunt Phyllis, who is house/dog-sitting for us. I have to finalize a few household tasks – then off to pour wine tonight for a charity tasting at Savannah Wine Cellar. Then, home for sleep that will no doubt be be restless with anticipation. Get planning on your own trip!

  Follow along our journey through #tntitaly, or through any of my social media sites -- my personal Facebook page and the Savannahfoodie.com Facebook page. Ditto for Instagram and Twitter. And if you don’t get my newsletter on food and drink – now is the time to subscribe!