Italy, Day 1: LAX to Rome

About 15 years ago, I took a trip to the UK using Trafalgar. We had such a great time, and it was decided that we would use Trafalgar again on our next trip. If I ever decide to take a tour again, I will be sure to ask specifically for the tour guide we had this time. I can't say enough about Paolo. He is a fountain of knowledge, and has a great sense of humor. He made the trip memorable and so much more. I actually meant to have these bits posted up the week after we came home, but I was so sick and recovering from mosquito bites (I've never reacted to them before, and don't know why I did then). And then I relapsed, but I'm 100% better now.

You will probably notice that the posts are in different tenses. That's because I wrote them at different times. Anyway, here is Day 1:

Day 1: From LAX to Rome

LAX-Chicago

From the wing.

The day has been quite long. I hate leaving things
to the last minute, so I was packed a week in advance, but I cannot say the same for my travel companions. After some drama, I was finally able to head for bed around midnight. Mind you, the shuttle was coming at about 4:15am. But sleep was not in the cards for me because someone decided to blare the TV. At about 3am I had started dozing, just to be loudly woken up. I don’t think I’ve mentioned this before, but when I am jolted awake my heart goes all out of whack, and it can take up to an hour before it calms down. Anyway, I wash up and the waiting game begins. The shuttle arrived on time, and we headed off to LAX. For any of you not familiar, it is a busy airport pretty much any time you’re there. AM, PM, it matters not. We arrive at the gate, are told to go to a premier check in (or something like that), just to be told we were sent to the wrong area. You know how this day is starting, right? We make it to security, and (luckily) passed through without incident. We get to the gate with time to spare, so the rest of my group grabbed a bite to eat while I had a Lärabar. My innards have been a bit dodgy, and of course one of the worst things that can happen before a flight did. Yes, you guessed it: “Montezuma’s Revenge”. So here I am having to go back and forth to the restroom. That might be a bit TMI, but it happens to the best of us. Luckily our flight was delayed for (what was supposed to be) a few minutes. We boarded about 30 minutes late because the captain hadn’t arrived. We got on the plane, and he still wasn’t there. . .our flight was delayed about an hour and fifteen minutes! The stewardesses tried to get them to suspend boarding, but that didn’t happen. Finally the captain boards and informs us that he was late due to a late call to come in and traffic (OC to LA is awful, especially during rush hour periods). As I type this we are en-route to Chicago, where we are hoping to meet our connecting flight. Once we are there it’s off to Rome we go! When we arrive in Rome the day will just be starting. We have some time before the welcome dinner, so hopefully we will be able to see something.

Here’s something I often think about. When people live in an area, especially one with a rich history, they often overlook the wonder that surrounds them. I mean if walls could talk, can you imagine what they’d say? Places that date back hundreds or thousands of years and still look new fascinate me, and yet those who live with that go un-phased. Jean-Claude and Christo were a famous duo in the art world for wrapping buildings and creating other magnificent installations. It was meant to draw the attention of citizens and passersby who took their surroundings for granted. You may not notice that 300-year-old complex, but wrap it up in a white sheet, and you will.

The US is so new in comparison to other countries, and we tend to tear down old structures to make room for new, modern facilities, with rare exception. That being said, I have noticed how tourists react to places like Disneyland, Hollywood & Highland, and other famous venues. They are in awe just as we are when we go to a foreign country. Since we live with and are surrounded by these places, we never think about it from a tourist’s perspective. Maybe if we did we would learn to appreciate everything we do have, and everything we have that is accessible. There may be a lot of s**t going on, but there is still beauty in this diverse world.

Chicago-Rome

We will arrive in Rome (Roma) at approximately 9:30am their time, and it is supposed to be raining. Just in case, I packed an umbrella. Better to be prepared than not, eh? Especially since we have the better part of the day to explore.

So we are in the air. There is more turbulence than I expected. That aside, it has been a nice flight thus far. I always take a water bottle with a filter. A word of caution: I don’t know why I didn’t think to do this this time, but the first leg of the flight I twisted the cap off to relieve the pressure inside. Of course, I didn’t just now, and water went everywhere. I’m just glad (and lucky) that the water didn’t get all over my laptop. I read reviews about others doing that as well. Avoid the mess and twist the cap off. You may also want to shake the straw to release water water is in it. Okay, back to the story.

What else could possibly happen today? Let’s talk a little bit about periods. I’m going to go on a bit of a rant, so please hang in there. I can’t, for the life of me, understand why there is such a stigma around bodily functions. Maybe if we were more open about them, we wouldn’t be so embarrassed when accidents happen. Luckily, for me, an accident was avoided. Sometime between leaving the house this morning and now, I started. I used to be very much against period cups, and rarely (if ever) use tampons, which left me with pads. You can read about my first experience with period cups here. At home it’s fine because the restroom is at my disposal, but traveling is a different story. The first 1-3 days are very heavy, and I would have to change every 20-30 minutes with pads...sometimes more frequently than that. Recently, I tried a different brand of period cup. I am so glad I did! I found a Diva Cup, but that didn’t work. Then I tried Sckooncup after my best friend recommended it to me. It is my new favorite thing. It is perfect for traveling. Here I sit on a long flight, not really having to worry about leaking. I should note that I have a heavy enough flow that I do have to change it out about every 3-4 hours the first day or two. Found that out the hard way. If I know I am not going to be able to get to a toilet for hours on end I will use an ultra thin pad (regular) for added protection, and a long ultra thin pad at night. For the rest of the time I use liners. It helps when traveling AND it makes it easier on the pocketbook. I don’t spend nearly as much money on feminine hygiene products as I used to. The up side: At least I started at the beginning of this trip instead of on the way home.

*TIP: If you purchase your products at Target and don’t have Cartwheel, download that app. There are always percentages off of their Up & Up products the occasional brand-named items. I actually prefer their pads to others because they have a stronger adhesive. My favorite brand of liners is U by Kotex. Now that that’s over...

Dinner

Breakfast. Sorry it's tilted!

We have just flown over Niagara Falls, but with all of the cloud cover we couldn’t see it. At least there is Ride Along 2. Admittedly I love Ice Cube and Kevin Hart. I think they are hilarious, especially together (I secretly hope for a Friday movie with the addition of Kevin Hart). I am about what I hope to see. One thing I am interested in, and it may seem odd, is what our hotel room holds. Every country is different; therefore, they have different standards. I will continue this when we get to the hotel.

We have arrived! Our hotel is very new, or at least it looks that way. To enter, you wave the key in front of this pad, and push on the door. Apparently when you ask for two beds, they always come pushed together. At least, that’s how this room is. There is a bidet and lighted mirror. I do hate that we have a shared door, but oh well. There is a speaker in the restroom, and a cord. Have to remember not to pull it, otherwise an alarm will go off, and someone will think I need assistance. There is a bidet, and the toiletries include emery boards, personal wash, and cotton face pads, along with the usual shampoo/conditioner and soap.

Traffic...there's no escape!

Of course you have
to have pizza when you arrive.

An assortment. Crispy, hot, and delicious.
Mushroom was my favorite.

The first of many gelato. This is Nutella.

The cutest little delivery truck.

Part of The Forum

The room key is needed to
activate the electricity.

The room.

Since this is the first day we had time to walk around and relax prior to the dinner that was planned to welcome us. We walked down to the Forum to see the ruins. It’s so amazing to think that these items were built without any of the modern tools and have lasted this long. They have outlasted wars, natural disasters, and even repurposing. We had pizza (see photos above) at this little place around the corner from the hotel, which was followed by gelato. The pizza, believe it or not, tastes completely different despite it looking relatively the same to the kind you get in The States. The cheese and crust were crispy, and the freshness of the ingredients is incomparable. Our welcome dinner consisted of; you guessed it, more pizza. There was also a variety of bruschetta, herb salad with Roma tomatoes, and desserts. Everything was delicious. We sat with some of the other people on the tour, which made for good company and conversation. After eating it was back to the hotel since we had an early start. Oh, every single day is an early day, but it’s all good. How many times will any of us be able to come back? Since this is a “once in a lifetime” opportunity for most of us, there are several optional excursions that the majority are going on.