Going Home by the Light of the Silvery Moon

On the last days of our trip I must admit to longing for Mr. G, free toilets, copious water not from a plastic bottle and my own bed. I believe I will never in my long life take any of these for granted again. I solemnly swear to bring a steel water bottle whenever I travel to avoid the incredible waste that is being perpetrated by the water companies convincing people that the water [in Italy] is not drinkable from the tap. I am living proof that it is and only bought water when it was 100 degrees and frozen. That's an incredible luxury. I know this is not true in many places on the globe but in all of the developed countries why all of the plastic? Hmmm, could be money's involved.

Back in Rome and this time Sal and I scored a grand room, one so big that we decided to have a "Salon" prior to our good bye dinner [where expectations were low due to the mediocre quality of the group dinners]. It was fun getting together with all of the folks that we had grown to know and love over our 16 day trip and everyone brought incredible snacks and wine [probably for the same reason that I just expressed]. My thinking was not perfect, as I stated many posts prior to this one, I'm not a very good drinker. If I have more than 3 glasses of wine I tend to be awake in the middle of the night. Just one of the gifts from Menopause. So, thinking "who cares if I'm awake in the middle of the night, that should be about perfect for the alarm going off at 3:45AM."  What I didn't count on was being awake at 2 AM and not being able to get back to sleep. This is when I practice my "cheaters" form of meditation and lay there recalling scenes of the trip and the blankness and calm that ensues. On to the bus at 4:20 and eventually on the plane, I had a great seat on the flight home, a window seat and by none other than Chris again. I said, "I'm just so grateful that it's you and I didn't get stuck with the gentleman with failing capacities." He said, "I hear you, though you know computers tend to go for the same seating sometimes." Still, I felt lucky, although I'm not so sure Chris did when I accidentally spilled a cup of water on him when  he was asleep. He said, "at least it's not red wine." See, gracious of him.

Home Is Where the Heart Is

I have darling nieces. Witness the niece: L who rescued our credit cards from a Xerox machine and drove them to the airport in time for Sal and I to have a bit of lunch before the flight. Kudos! Then the other niece, K who picked us up and drove me to the park and ride where I met Mr. G, another darling, for the ride home.  It was a sunny but cool 70 degrees and I cherish the cool of the NW.

Home is indescribably delicious, out on our deck with my cat, Mr. G, taking in all the colors of the garden with an iced beverage, ahhhh. Nothing like it. Good to be singing 'home sweet home' after leaving Rome.

Go thy way, eat thy breat with joy and drink thy wine with a merry heart.
Ecclesiastes  9:7

O we did make merry and here are the tips that I promised, none of which will shock you but might aid you on any trip.

1. Start enjoying the trip even before you purchase you ticket. Love that you world is about to expand.
2. Have plenty of reading materials. Had Sal not loaned me The Last Child I would have been without a book because I finished the first one I had in record time.
3. Don't put a chocolate bar in your pack in hot weather. I realize this is obvious to most, too bad it wasn't to me. Desire over ruled logic again.
4. Make sure you take "skinny" clothes when traveling in a hot climate. Sal and I were able to wash out all of our clothes and I never had the shame of dirty underwear. The thrift stores are loaded with cotton/poly blends that dry in a snap.
5. Say 'yes' to most experiences, even the less than desirable ones [the city of Trivoli] can have benefits for someone besides yourself. Be generous, we have so much.
6. Go with your gut, if something feels forced, beg off [still glad I left Venice when I did].
7. If you see something in a shop and then you think long and hard about it when you leave, it means that you are supposed to purchase it.
8. A big hat is an asset, find one you love.
9. I shopped for the sandals that I wore almost every day two months prior to the trip to make triple sure they were OK. They were great.
10. Pack light is almost nagged into all of us and yet it's great advice. I had plenty of room for the things that I bought en route and the only thing that I didn't wear was a pair of Nikes. Who knew? 
11. Be smart enough to bring either an Ipad or up grade your phone for keeping in touch with those you love. I stewed about not talking to my husband until I bought that phone card.
12. Be kind, open, loving and express your gratitude to anyone in your path. It pays dividends.

Finally, thanks to anyone who is reading, this has been quite a delightful several posts to publish. Love to you all.

magicfeather copyright 2011 Susan R. Grout all rights reserved.