The older I get, the simpler, and yet, more confusing travel becomes. I am now familiar and comfortable with the rules and the procedures of international air travel. It’s really not that big an issue if I can’t bring my Costco sized containers of shampoo and foot cream. You would be amazed how much you can squeeze into a quart sized clear zippy bag. And, this seems to be news to a lot of folks but they have stores in other countries… I actually enjoy the crazy traffic and tiny twisting country roads of Italy. I know how to order coffee and get gas for the car and I know how to buy groceries without offending anyone. The paradox is, I have a harder time leaving home. It has all turned backwards. The questions and anxieties of finding myself up to my eyeballs in the unfamiliar has flipped to; do I have everything ? Did I turn off the light in the basement? Did I check the burners on the stove? Did I feed the cat? The cat! Hun?, did you actually SEE the cat before we left? Do I have enough socks? Did I accidentally close the cat in the sock drawer?

It is odd, to be sure

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But none the less, here we go, back to our adopted Italian home town for the something-teenth time and I can’t wait to get there. (Must remember to email the cat sitter to check the sock drawer).

We upgraded our seats this time to something, very suspiciously called “Comfort Plus”. It added about 1/2% to the price of each ticket but promised more leg room, a wee bit wider seat, free adult beverages, designated overhead bin space… and perhaps most attractively, being only 4 rows back from the exit when we arrive in Rome. Well, in contrast to my normal cynical attitude towards the airlines, I must say that the extra money was well spent for the extra space… not that I was able to sleep mind you, but I was far more comfortable in my misery.

So eight hours and 27 minutes after leaving the ground in Detroit, we descend into the eternal city.

Ah, Rome. It’s good to be back. Except we’re just here to grab a rental car and bug out for Tuscany. No BMW or Alpha Romeo this time ( sad face). This time it’s a Renault Scenic. I can almost here you all gasping with envy. It’s a comfortable car with plenty of room, good visability and it’s the first automatic transmission I’ve had in 13 or so trips. It’s kinda nice. It also has a GPS. More on that in a little bit.

So, straight to Cortona to settle in at Casa Chilenne. Ah, feels like home. We get there early afternoon and go for a leisurely wander about, a couple of slices of pizza sitting on the steps in the piazza Republica and a good bit of just watching the people come and go. Dinner at Panne e Vino (Donna and I had the Tagliolini con ragù bianco di Faraona e Tartufo Bianco … Noodles with white truffles and guineafowl in a white sauce. YUM!

Then off to bed… it has been a loooooong day.