From Rome to Home!!

I was wide awake at 6:50am. Maybe I'm just a little excited to go home?!? Or, wait, maybe it's because one of us had a great sleep and one of us did not!?

We got our suitcases reorganized for air travel and then headed down to breakfast. Can I just say that we didn't think breakfast could get any better than Villa Mary ... but ... we were wrong!!

The breakfast at Rome Airport Inn was even better. It was unequivocally "the best ever"!! We enjoyed red orange juice. There were hot croissants and fresh fruit and yogurt and fesh salad drizzled with scrumptious olive oil. There was cereal and breadsticks and nuts and then they offered us omelets with ham, cheese and mushrooms!  Oh and the capuccino was so dark and delicious. Oh ... and fresh ground salt AND fresh ground pepper! Pepper has been a hard commodity to find during our time in Italy.  Dare I say ... I've missed it! So ... what a treat to grasp a grinder at breakfast!

We had an hour before the shuttle would take us to the airport, so we wandered down to the sea. I am a bit embarrassed to admit that I thought Rome was more inland ... like Florence. Nope. Right on the water!  It was only 15°C, but it felt like 23°C. I would love to know why the same temperatures feel so much warmer in Italy? 🤔

All that said, I must make a plug for the Rome Airport Inn. At first I was a bit grumbly that check-in was only between 4:30pm and 10:00pm. I learned that this is because but they are a wonderfully, hospitable family run business. Mom, Dad and daughter.

They need a break between check outs and check ins. If you are ever in Rome and need a place near the sirport ... gift yourself with this Bed & Breakfast. The little yard even has ping-pong snd Foosball tables!

A short shuttle ride brought us to the airport. I am delighted to share we were through the bag drop,  security and customs within 45 minutes!! No hiccups at all! Given all the lineups and chaos that is Rome airport, it felt like a miracle.

We actually boarded an hour early and took off a little ahead of schedule!  I was still waiting for a shoe to drop!! Maybe we'll get stalled on the tarmac? Rerouted in mid air? My sear mate might have body odor? Nope. None of that. I honestly can't recall a trip where everything went so smoothly!

I was regretting that I didn't book premium economy for flight home because we enjoyed it so much on the way to Rome, but ... it wasn't horrible. It was just so long ... 10 hours plus one extra for boeading early. I didn't want to sleep much because I want to be able to go to bed when we got home.

One of the best parts of this stress-free trip home is that my dear friend Robin has offered to drive us home! It's such a gift because otherwise, we would have another night in Calgary and another day waiting for the Red Arrow Bus which departs at 5:15pm  and takes an extra hour to get to Lethbridge! Her kindness and generosity saved us both time and money, We will got home more than 24 hours sooner than we expected!

Mother Nature welcomed us home with the first snowfall of the season. We slept like logs and I am enjoying my morning solitude ... in the flicker of my candle lights reflecting on the utter gloriousness of this trip.

All in all, this trip has been filled with so many gifts that we will treasure in the years to come. It felt like everything just went right. Little magical moments dotted our journey and I got to surrender the weight of being the tour guide. And, the Universe )along with oodles of good spirited and kind-hearted people) filled in for me.

I can't recall if I said this here or not, but this trip rates right up there as one of my favorite trips of all time!! If you are ever inclined to see Italy on foot, please consider Walk About Italy! It is a real gem!! In addition to the two two tours we did (Amalfi Coast and Cinque Terra), they offer tours in Sicily, the Dolomites, the Northern Lakes (Como etc), Tuscany, Umbria. They create them to avoid the tourists and maximize pleasure!

And, with all of that said, I am still so tickled to be home! Although my routine was the same this loaning, it feels different ... because I'm different.

Travel shifts your molecules on the inside. I'm carrying all the light and love of the awe-inspiring sights we beheld, the wonders we captured (both in heart and with photos!) and ... more than anything else ... the universal kindness of humanity anlong with the benevolence of the Universe! I can'tcapture this feeling with words, but our time away has grown my sppreciation for the marvels and miracles tgat await all of us ... if we can open our hearts and dare to invite it all in..

I will be looking up my long-lost cousin in Kelowna. I'm meeting two other of my cousins soon! Who knows what lies ahead, but I'm going to welcome it all. It is, after all, the final quarter and I want to savor every moment. 💞

Thanks for sharing our journey with us. I'm looking forward to getting this blog made into a hard cover book so we can revisit all the rich moments we enjoyed from the comfort of our home!!

With deepest gratitude,
❤️ k&j ❤️Baca lagi