What do you do when you have been a responsible woman your whole life, raised a large family single handedly, held down a job and never been allowed to have a mid life crisis because your too damn busy? Answer...... call your lifelong mate who has been through the same experience and take off on an adventure for six months to the other side of the world.
Once the decision was made the little seed of enthusiasm was watered every day for months with possible destinations and by January 2009 tiny shoots were popping up and by early April two flowers bid tearful farewells and headed for Spain.
I had heard about a walk on the Camino Trail in the north so we headed to Leon in northern Spain and to our absolute delight, after sixteen days of nonstop walking an announcement was made at the pilgrim service in the magnificent Santiago De Compostela Cathedral that two Australians had made their pilgrimage of 325 kilometres.  Tears of happiness fell freely down our cheeks as we sat side by side in a pew at the back of the Cathedral knowing our first challenge had been met.
It was time to pack away the well worn boots and head for the Italian Riveria.  Before the end of last year San Remo was as remote a place as Jupiter but at least we had heard of the planet.
After driving across north Spain to Barcelona we hopped across to Nice by plane and were hustled off to Ventimiglia by train. At this point we had no idea if we were in Italy or France. One thing was certain we didn’t care.  The Mediterranean was sparkling with diamonds and the sun was a golden orb shining upon us as the train trundled us into San Remo.
Our boots and walking pants were replaced with heels and frocks as we tottered our way down the Garibaldi Promenade as the full white moon lay a path on the sea and to our delight we ate wonderful pizza under the stars and ate gelato on the walk back home.
Around day ten, due to unforeseen circumstances, Jill had to return to Sydney for a week which left me as a non Italian speaking tourist and a call for help came from Anne Nathan from Liguria Properties, San Remo who had rented us the villa. She came the very next day laden with English speaking DVD’s and offers for a full social weekend. I was whisked up to Cuisicano in the mountains for a twelve course lunch where the food was superb and the local wine copious and to top it off the company was charming including an expat from Nigeria and her parents from Namibia.  Friendships formed and upon Jill’s return we were off to lunch in Imperia with a couple from San Francisco prior to stopping in to the Artist’s Village in Bussana  where one could only imagine what life must have been like before the earthquake. Over the next few days we visited the thermal pools in Pigna and ate well in Dolce Aqua after meandering through the cobbled streets of the ancient town. (This is where we met The Riviera Woman team)
One of the highlights was a weekend in a beautiful provincial house on the outskirts of Cannes where we visited Grasse with it exquisite church and it was just our luck that the local rose exhibition was on show the very day we visited. Of course, how could we possibly be so close and not go into Cannes. We wandered through the aftermath of the Film Festival delighting in the glamour and buying up big at the local market.
In Monte Carlo a myriad of text messages were transmitted to our sons as we drank in the intoxicating sound of the whizzing of racing cars at the trials of the Grand Prix with returned messages from back home  in a language so colourful, in true Australian form, that I am afraid is not fit for this article.
Ambling, gambling, brilliant pizza, gelato, coffee and excellent vino is how I would describe San Remo.  Older couple’s gracefully wandering arm in arm and young lovers kissing with abandonment in the sunshine and at dusk are apparent, harmonious everyday occurrences. The slow pace is catching and now after seven heavenly weeks of excellent food and rock solid sleep we sense that we have been decoded and San Remo and all the towns east and west will stay locked in a very special place in our hearts for many years to come. So to all of those who have chosen to live in this little chunk of heaven “Well done you”!
In just over a week we set out again, this time to Croatia and once again that little worm of excitement is beginning to work its way in for our ongoing adventure.
By Jen Tomasetti