1am came way too early today. We were up and on the road to LAX by 2am. This was the plan because traffic is so terrible the rest of the day. We made it to the airport by 3am, which was a little early, but oh well. So Paul and I sat there until the gates opened at 4:30 and we could check our bags. Then it was a quick trip through security (another reason to arrive stupid-early), and more sitting. But we got to sit in the Delta lounge, because Paul flies enough that he gets the important treatment 😂

It was really nice, with a decent breakfast buffet, a quiet and calm area, and unlimited orange juice 🍊😋 We finally boarded around 5:45am and then it was a 5 hour flight to New York. Once in JFK Airport in NY, we found an Irish pub for lunch and then sat for hours in the Delta Lounge. They had cookies, drinks, and phone charging ports, so it could have been worse. And by worse, I mean boring-er 😂 But finally it was time to board, which we get to do first as Paul is a SkyMiles points-hoarder, but we were also in the next to last row (44) so we sat on the plane for another 45 minutes. 😞

Another 8 1/2 hrs of flight, and we landed in Venice. It was now noon local time, 5 am Kansas time. On Wednesday. But I will be time-lost for a week or so 😂 After forever in the customs line, and the rental car line, and the traffic, we made it to our AirBnB near Bassano del Grappa. You can check out our exact AirBnB here.

It’s amazing here, cheaper than a hotel, and definitely much more relaxing. We’ll be here three weeks, then move to a different apartment in a nearby town, for the last two weeks. Paul is working the 10a-10p shift at work, 5-6 days a week, so I’m on my own for lunch and dinner. But that is the great thing about an apartment…groceries and a kitchen! More on the daily life of Italians, coming soon. 👋

Word of the Day: Ciao

Like aloha, it is an informal greeting meaning hello and goodbye.

Pronounced ‘chow’