It Is six thirty a.m. at home, but 12:30 Italy time. We are somewhere over the Atlantic. Technical difficulties which delayed our flights for a couple of hours! We have folded ourselves up into these teeny tiny spaces for passengers and I feel like a Jack-in-the-Box about to burst out of here. Other than that, the flight has been very nice. I slept (not sure how) and I think Della and Kayla did too. But it’s day light now and I feel somewhat rested. Anticipating Venice!

Finally off the plane, we rush out to catch our bags and find the shuttle to the train station. The bus ride goes quickly and as I stand with my bags, holding on for dear life, I am staring out the window at a whole new world!  Tile roof tops, vineyards, shops and houses look so different. We arrive a short distance from the train station and walk out onto the street in Venice.

Venice is glorious!  I am tripping all over the place, juggling my luggage and camera because I cannot get enough photos. The Gondolas! The canals! The smell of the water and the beautiful breeze and sunshine.  There is color everywhere.  It is just exactly like the pictures. Unbelievable! I want to stay and sit out by the Grand Canal and watch the boats go by, but we snap a few pictures and head to the train to Florence. Sweet Venice – I will come back.

Off on the train to Florence! We pass through Padua, the birthplace of St, Anthony. How many times he has answered my prayers when I lose something! Hello dear Saint Anthony! On to Bologna! More red tile roof tops on stucco buildings, vineyards  and farm fields. We are not in Kansas anymore!

At last we arrive in Florence. There are no words to describe the beauty of this ancient city. It is breathtaking – absolutely breathtaking!  We get a cab (yes, another ride in a vehicle), and zip through the narrow winding streets filled with pedestrians, bicycles, medieval structures and beautiful shops.  The cab driver turns down an alley way, dark stone, hilly and curved. We pass beneath a small bridge and he stops abruptly just outside of it. We are here.

The Hermitage, where we are staying, is right next to the Pontevechhio – an historic bridge built in Roman times and rebuilt in medieval times. The streets are alive with music and people. There is a cafe right outside our hotel door with gelato! It looks amazing. I can’t wait to try some. We head up a flight of stone steps off the ancient alley way and into the first floor of our hotel. We are welcomed and given our keys and instructions on the elevator operation. Then up to our rooms. We open the shuttered windows, without screens, and let in the smells and sounds of the city. We are in heaven?  Yes!

Out into the street we go – walking. Taking it all in. We decide to eat at a little outdoor cafe and finally get some “real food”. We were not dissapointed. Italian specialties – lasagna, canaloni, homemade pasta with seafood and a little wine, of course. I feel like I am in a movie, but it’s one I haven’t seen before. It is happening scene by scene as I experience it. What an amazing journey this will be – and this is just the beginning. Reggio, I am coming!