Big, mutha lemons that is….
Oh Italy, where can I begin? Alluraa… It was such a mixture of emotions. Wows and "you’ve got to be kidding me’s", buzzes and soberiety, heat and chills, health and sickness all with not one stitch of my knitting done.
It all started with the two our delay on the tarmac at JFK airport. Something BA called, "evening out the gas tanks". This delay caused a domino effect that wouldn’t end for the next two weeks… Our connecting flight out of Heathrow did not think it best to wait for the 53 passengers that were on our flight. Instead, re-booking 53 (46 teenagers mind you) on 3 different flights seemed to work best for them. I happened to be on a flight that didn’t leave Heathrow until 10 hours later…
Once in Rome, 29 of the 53 people in my group did not receive their luggage. One of which was me. If you’ve ever lived in Italy or are familiar with Italian customer service then perhaps knowing that I didn’t get my luggage until a week later wouldn’t be a surprise to you. All others, yes the shock hit me hard too. Though, if you were to talk to my parents and boyfriend and friends you would know that I had the best possible attitude ever. I mean how could I be any less in front of 17 year old girls who were also waiting for their luggage and they were the ones who paid for the trip. I was just the hired chaperone. I needed to be the positive reinforcer! I washed clothes in the sinks of my hotel bathrooms and dried them with their handy automatic hair dryer.
I must not say though that the entire trip was spoiled due to this because it truly wasn’t… Italy is stunningly gorgeous and no words can truly express how I was moved by the sights we saw… I cannot wait to return there and I solidifed that with the coin over my left shoulder at the Trevi Fountian. But for now, the photos – just a few of the hundreds I took.
the Vatican – Sistine Chapel, oops, i didn’t think my camera was on 😉
St. Peter and St. Paul’s Church. Simply wow.
some interesting "street signs" in Pompeii
Beautiful Capri
Amalfi
At the Four Corners in Old Palermo, Sicily
Me and the ladybugs on Mt. Etna, Sicily
No lost piece of Luggage was gonna bring me down! A little bit of that lemoncello does help though as does the many glasses of local vino I drank.
It just feels so good to be home – to blow the dust and dirt off my knitting needles and to do my own thing.
Ciao Italia. Can’t wait until next time.
Way to make the best of an frustrating situation in a beautiful place. Your photos are gorgeous!
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Great pictures!! Sorry to hear about the luggage, I’m glad the trip was good, even if the traveling was rough.
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Welcome Home! So sorry you had troubles, but lemoncello is a fave of mine!
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are you there and back already? bummer about your luggage, but your photos are beautiful! good thing your camera wasn’t in there!
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Hooray you’re back!! I can’t imagine how stressful the chaperoning part of the trip must have been…but you sound like you made it through with flying colors–tanti auguri!!
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Beautiful photos! I’m glad you were still able to enjoy the trip with all the travel frustrations. I hope you got to wear your shrug at some point.
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how frustrating! but it looks like you made the best of it and had an amazing time!
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What a trip! You covered a lot of ground, and the pictures are all beautiful. So sorry about your luggage, but limoncello does seem to make many things better (dinner with the in-laws, for instance)…
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Welcome home. So sorry to hear about your luggage issues–what a drag. But Italy looks SO beautiful. I really need to go. Your pictures are stunning.
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Despite the wardrobe issues, it looks like ana amazing trip! makes me want to go and see all those places again (with some extra clothes in my carry-on)
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Absolutely beautiful. Oh, I want to go…
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Ah, the first paragraph sounded like a marriage! Glad you kept up your spirits and made the best of it. The photos are lovely (as always) and I am sure that your positive attitude did more for the girls than you will ever know (says she who is anxiously awaiting the return of her daughters from Germany). Welcome home!
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Oh, oh, oh! Mr. Frick and I honeymooned in Positano, Tuscany, and Rome. Sigh. Sorry about the luggage, but good for you for being a great role model!
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Happy to hear you had a great time despite the luggage drama. Terribly jealous over here!!
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Beautiful pictures. I never check any luggage – ever. I have spent 3 weeks overseas with just carry on luggage!
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Welcome back! And thanks for sharing your photos. I NEED to go to Italy. Now would be good, but I guess I can wait… 😉
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Amazing photos!! Glad you had such a super trip (despite the setbacks).
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Oh! the pictures! the stories! I felt like I was right there 🙂 great photography too!
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Gorgeous Pics, thank you for sharing.
Makes me want to go.
So, did you get to the yarn shop?
I spent 10 days without luggage, without even having had the foresight to pack a carry-on (DUH)several years ago when on a bare-boat charter sailing trip in the Grenadines. They don’t make clothes there to fit American women. I spent 10 days in mens gym shorts and a couple of airport tourist shop T’s.
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