To be honest, the idea of traveling internationally right now has come with more than a small amount of anxiety, but now that we are here, fear is banished and we let the wine and cheese and Italian sunshine take it’s place.

It has been 3 years and this trip has been canceled/postponed twice, but world wide germ be damned we’re going to Italy now.

This was supposed to be a trip with two of our regular traveling companions Jack and Lynn, but at the last minute the germ got to them and they had to cancel just 36 hours before take-off time. Missing you for sure Jack and Lynn!

So, May 7, 11:57am eastern, we push back from the jetway at GRR bound for Atlanta and our connection to Milan! As I said, it has been 3 years and I have missed being in Italy terribly. BUT, what I have NOT missed is international air travel. We (at least I) am getting older and creakier so we usually spring for the ‘comfort +’ main cabin seats which are better than main cabin steerage seats but still feel like riding in the back seat of a stroller for twins.

After the 2 hour hop to Atlanta, we grab a sandwich (how are airport food prices legal? Seriously I want to know) and set up camp at gate E36 in the world’s busiest airport. 3 hours and a bit later it’s wheels up, Bellagio here we come!!

If you fly Delta, and don’t take out a mortgage for those big fully reclining pods with real wine glasses and real silverware, up front, I would heartily recommend going a couple of hundred bucks crazy and getting the ‘premium select’ seats in main cabin. You know these are special because there are only 24 of them.

I mean, there is nearly 10 inches of space between the seat in front of me and my knees! It’s like being home on the sofa. Of course this doesn’t make eating on an airplane any more dignified. Every time I get served food that requires a knife and fork on a plane I think, “this could be a Japanese game show.”

Oh… and as nice and comfortable as the premium select seats are for reading and watching movies, at least as far as my body is concerned, sleep, not gonna happen.

So the first day doesn’t really count as vacation unless you think fun and relaxing is navigating passport control, car rental office in Italy (special experience every time) and then finding your way out of the airport and onto the highway going the direction you want to go without accidentally heading into the center of one of the biggest, busiest cities in Italy.

We didn’t get the small car I ordered but they did have “a nicer one that I could have for only a few more Euro per day.” Whatever, looks good, gimme the key lady. Well, it is nicer, which is nice. It is also bigger, which can make things a little more of a challenge on the mountain roads and when looking for parking, but whatever, I’ve driven bigger.

I quick learn how to drive in Italy again with remarkably little protest from the locals (not none, but not as much as could have been) and we’re off to Bellagio and Lake Como.

We revert to our handy paper map road (that Donna can not travel without, her trust in GPS apps not yet absolute, thank goodness) as I was not able to configure my phone correctly for Waze, or Google Maps directions. (I fixed this once we got to the apartment)

Only a couple of loopyloops around a couple of villages, a quick stop for a few necessities when we spot a grocery near the highway, eggs, milk, bread, coffee, pasta… wine, cheese salami, prosciutto… and one stop for mimed directions form a lady on the side of the road, we finally find Ca’ Maria, our home until Thursday.

I haven’t been this tired in years. 23 hours from our door to the door of our apartment in Bellagio with maybe an hour of sleep. Good Night!