Amici! Home at last with a few tales to tell…guess maybe I’ll drag it out… in installments?
Leaving Portland at the end of May we checked the Louis Bunce mural of 1956 in the airport, once so controversial…now just plain beautiful…
had our last American coffee
and then jumped onto the plane where we were folded tightly, like living origami cranes, and inserted into our tiny economy seats. The new feature this year is that everybody has their own tv screen…AND they have cameras all over the plane (yes…a bit unsettling in case of loss of an engine or something…) so here was our take-off
after which there were snacks (thinking here of Mr. Hawkinson…)
movies, meals, pain, suffering…half way there
Eventually the first tortuous leg of the journey was completed and we arrived in Frankfurt airport getting to our gate only to discover the pilot had a nosebleed and our flight was cancelled…oh. We felt a little like theses guys…we’d been left hanging
but Florence found some hideous coffee from a machine
and we changed gates a few times
Chaos reigned
By the time we got on the plane to Bologna…wait! Weren’t we going to Firenze??? We began to hallucinate and see faces
but after planes and buses and 34 hours we finally arrived late at night for a mid-night supper and then a quick view of the beautiful Val di Chiana from Cortona…AHHH
On The Way 
Ahhh. indeed. Welcome home and looking forward to the installments. Just started preparations for our Italy trip, that is reading lots about Italy starting with Tim Parks Italian Neighbors and Eleanor Herman Mistress of the Vatican. Ahhhh
So glad you are back! What a drag about that flight and the aftermath. Can’t wait to see how the rest of the trip went.
Buon Giorno, so happy you are home safe and sound! Love your take on traveling as living origami, exactly how I felt the last time I flew overseas….
Glad you’re home safely. Surely the air travel was worth it in the end. Will look forward to future installments.
Ditto all of the above comments! I was in B. Blog withdrawal… so great to begin again seeing your posts!
I have missed you! Welcome back.. Looking forward to more!
That cup a coffee looked really ugly!
Sounds like a harrowing journey, but at least you got there!
Nothing quite like being On The Way, is there? Staying tuned.
Benvenuti a casa!
Long distance travel is often a nosebleed, we have found….
Welcome home! Looking forward to seeing you and hearing about the trip. In the meantime, I’ll just read the posts.