Day 0 – Travel to Rome

Well, international travel is a bit like a bank robbery.  No matter how much you prepare, when it actually comes to the event, you have to realize that you’re not the one in control and attitude is everything. (editor’s note – For those of you with too much White Collar experience… that’s preparing for a robbery as a banker, not the criminal).

 This will almost certainly be the neatest that this luggage will be over the next month.

 

The day dawned chilly & drizzly, but we made it to worship service where the children noticed the analogy of a pilot asking the passengers to flap & carry the plane the last 1% after he’d done the first 99%.  Doodlebug asked, “Mom, can that really happen?”  I think the comparison to Christ paying all of salvation may have been lost on her at that moment as she commented that her arms weren’t very strong to carry a plane in the air.  Oh well, spiritual truths will have to come later.  We still made it to the airport on time, through TSA security without incident (or full body x-rays) and had plenty of time for a snack before boarding.  It wasn’t the same Auntie Anne’s pretzels like last time, but still hit the spot.

Interlude - Our first reflection on the difference that a few short years can make. Did we really pack fewer bags this year? (oh... yeah... the kids have changed too).

First flight boarded on time, but was delayed 45 minutes on the tarmac … was bumpy, but, in end, uneventful (as all good flights are).  Our 90 min layover was now cut in half, though.  Thankfully, the Lord takes care of even things like layovers & boarding terminals as we exited A24 only to find that we needed to be at A23.  No sweat.

 

The second flight was going to be lots longer, so the kids got settled in sitting 4 across the middle of the A330.  Airlines have truly capitalized on the newest opiate of the masses b/c each seat has its own tv with controls for GPS (they no longer announce how long you’ve been flying, how high you’ve been flying, etc), electronic games (yea for Sudoku), first run movies, lots of other movies, tv shows, and on and on.  Each passenger receives a free set of headphones (that are worth every penny) and can tune in to whatever their hearts desire.

Dinner was the best airplane food I’ve had (and you may read that however you like), although noticeably small in portion.  That was okay b/c it was now 8pm and we needed the kids to get some sleep as we were landing in 6 hrs or so. 

Unfortunately, sleeping on a plane is like sleeping in a hospital.  YOU want to sleep, the STAFF wants you to sleep, but between other people, bells, beeps, carts and 100 other things, you’re not going to get much sleep and that which you get is going to be poor.  But how else are you going to see the Alps as the dawn is just coming over the horizon?
 

Time and tides wait for no man, so that morning view eventually arrived and breakfast did not disappoint.  With an hour left on the flight each child chose a drink to go with their cinnamon topped banana muffin top (did you know they can now make just the tops?).  Boo Boo wanted another muffin, especially since he said, “Mom, the coffee is terrible.”  I just laughed b/c while he drinks a cup about once a week, I think he has more sugar & creamer in it than coffee.  Still, it woke us all up and we were in Italy.