Leaving on a Jet Plane

So we left JFK at 5:40PM (or a little after) on Saturday evening, October 15th, 2011.  We flew Alitatlia and were not too pleased with the experience (really horrible food and the service that was even worse) although for me the most important thing is freedom from turbulence and landing safely so that was a big plus.  Bob went up to business class when, after several requests, the flight attendants did nothing to fix his malfunctioning video screen.  Eventually the flight attendant in business class noticed a new occupant and she promptly and  miraculously was able to repair Bob's malfunctioning video screen.   Once again I found him sitting next to me in economy.   The flight was over 8 hours and it seemed like an eternity to me although the flight back home was even longer (something to do with the way the winds are blowing).   On the way home it seemed like the air got so heavy you could hardly breath and half the people in the plane were up and roaming the isles looking for somewhere to go.   A very pleasant and talkative gentleman sat on the other side of me on the way home and it helped us pass the time a little more easily.   Seems he owns a winery out on Long Island so now we have a new place to visit sometime. 

We landed in Rome somewhere around 8AM Sunday (it is 6 hours later than in NY ).  I did not sleep a wink on the plane but it was morning in Italy and the sun was shinning.  I searched high and low for the Airport Chapel as it was Sunday and I would have loved to have been able to attend Mass, but the signs led me in circles and I finally had to give up my quest.  We waited for well over an hour for our Globus Tour bus to arrive at the airport and on our way to our first hotel, the Ludovisi Palace, we met a few people on our tour.  I felt a little "out of it" as I don't do well without sleep so I don't remember if we had any type of conversation.  It is a bit of a ride from the airport into center of Rome (40 minutes or more) but I enjoyed taking in the sights and was excited to realize that we had made it and were finally actually here in the "Eternal City".  This was Bob's first visit to Rome.  I had been to Rome once before in 1966. That time I was 21 and for 6 weeks I was traveling throughout Europe with three dear friends from Nursing School - Mary Jane, Eleanor and Sue.    In 1966 I threw a coin in the Trevi Fountain.  Legend says that if you throw a coin in the fountain, you will one day return again to Rome.  I guess it worked.   This time I saw no need to throw a coin in the fountain.
The 1st photo is the Ludovisi Palace, our hotel in Rome. The 2nd & 3rd photos are of course, the Colosseum.