The travel gods have blessed Jim and I. Planes, trains (commuter and 'bullet'), cars (speed demonized Italian drivers sitting a paint coat away from the rear of our car!), minivans, and boats (from sardine can vaporetti to romantic gondolas). We have traveled them all and are now safely home. Mother Nature also looked kindly upon us. Florence gifted (?) us with one day of rain - torrential, but sporadic - nothing to ruin our day. Tuscany finally provided us with two thunderstorms, the likes of which we have never experienced, but they made their appearance at nighttime. Rather than being a hindrance, they provided a grandiose and exciting show of light and noise - Mother Nature's power. Perhaps, her warning that we must never ignore her! Sunshine and warm temperatures prevailed for the remainder of our entire trip. More frequently than not, the sky was blue without a cloud to be seen. Although my feet and quads may beg to differ, the health gods watched out for us. No stomach upsets, no colds, no injuries. Tuesday morning, sitting in the lounge at Fumincino, we watched an American woman being wheeled in in a wheel chair. She suffered a horrendous fall, underwent major surgery in Italy on her badly broken leg and was now on her way home. Air Canada's executive class pods were deemed her best mode of transportation for the long almost 10-hour trans-Atlantic. From Toronto she was scheduled to head home to Chicago. As I watched her struggle to the plane's washroom on crutches, all I could think was, "There but for the grace of god......"
We had barely begun to unpack, when one of our neighbours asked us what the highlight of our trip was. Funny thing, on our last night in Rome over a farewell dinner, Jim and I asked ourselves that very question. We then began to list magical moments, favourite locations, etc. Due to the non-stop, ever increasing list that we kept adding to over a half hour, we laughed and ceased the insanity of even attempting to create such a summary. Truthfully, this has been the trip of a lifteime. We both acknowledge that. Our first trip to Italia gave us a taste of this remarkable country. We knew that we must return! Our return has allowed us to vistit so many unforgettable historic sites, works of art, vistas, etc. that all we can do is wrap ourselves in memories of bella Italia and smile. It has all been the best! Italy - you have left your footprint on our hearts!
As I booked our journey, I nursed small misgivings about its length - 5 weeks! It is a long time to be living out of a suitcase. Not once, though, did we feel homesick. Small twinges of homesickness teased me when Michelle, our daughter-in-law, posted pictures of Morgan and Zachary apple picking. However, by this morning, packed and ready to go, I just wanted to GO HOME. Preparing to board, I glanced out of the large windows of Fumincino and there she was. That glorious red maple leaf on the tailwing of our Air Canada flight. No matter where we travel, when I see that symbol, my heart sings. For me, that symbol says, "home has come to get you!" and I love it!
Our trip home flew us over Corsica, Monaco, France and then, instead of taking the standard trans Atlantic route over Labrador, dipped us down over the Atlantic to avoid bad weather over Newfoundland. We did fly over Halifax (hi, George and Mary) and Peterborough (hi, Jo and Pete). And then we were home. Oh Canada!!!!!
So this is it for my blog! Next trip - most likely France. But for now - that's all folks!
Arriverderci! Ciao!
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