Being Back

WHOA! I'm home...how did that happen???

The flight(s) were actually pretty smooth. Being the [lovable] OCD control freak that I am, I got to the airport at 9...and couldn't check my bags until 2 hours before my noon flight left. So, I dragged my heavy - but not so heavy that I had to pay extra fees! - luggage to the cafe and had a goodbye cappuccino. Well, maybe more of an until-next-time cappuccino.

I hate traveling. Ironic, considering how often I do it, but I always love being in the place I'm heading to - it's the getting there that causes my blood pressure to rise to dangerous levels. You walk up to the attendant at the desk to check your baggage and hold your breath as she weighs them, praying that they are under the limit. Then you have to get in line for security. Ah, security. My favorite part.

You hand over your passport and ticket to that security agent. More breath-holding ensues as he looks from your passport photo to your face - "I swear that's me, I was just having a bad hair day!" One time they must have been doubtful and asked me what my name was. Now, for a 13-year-old, my immediate reaction was "are you blind? did you not just look at my ticket? who hires these people????" And this is just the beginning.

Now you have to carefully place all your belongings in specific places and hope that you didn't forget to throw that tube of lip gloss in your Ziploc baggie. If you're lucky, you step up, calmly place your laptop in one of those plastic bins, shrug off your jacket and step through to the other side. If you're me, you get out your 2 cell phones in preparation of putting the with your computer, one falls to the floor and the battery and flimsy piece of plastic that holds it in scatter on the floor, your jacket is still hanging off one arm, you're frantically looking for that Ziploc baggie that you thought you had put in the most accessible part of your purse, and you're struggling to get your laptop out of its velcro case and into that stupid bin before the security agent ushering everyone through ups his voice one decibel louder. Forget gyms - airport security is the ultimate workout.

Once I got to the gate, breakfast was thoroughly burned off and I reached for my treat. My last Casa del Vino panino.

Prosciutto, pecorino, love.

I think I am going to start a 'Restaurant Reviews' page as well and include Florence - just because Sergios & CdV are not to be missed!

An earlier flight to Frankfurt was canceled, which made me nervous, but my flight to Munich left on time with no problems, thankfully. Once I got through customs there, I deemed it snack time and found...

Fresh fruit juice!!! I have no idea what this was, but I'm thinking strawberry-raspberry-citrus something. Yes, specific, but give me a break - I had already been up and going for 6 hours. I was not exactly a pretty sight ;)

My layover wasn't long at all, a comfortable hour-and-a-half or so - thanks to my very good travel agent, a.k.a dad. The flight itself was alright, the food was blah but I got to watch "It's Complicated", "Did You Hear About the Morgans", and the pilot episode of Glee which, of course, I loved. I am a huge Broadway geek, so this show was made for peeps like me, but I didn't want to get attached to a TV show and then go off to school so I waited. And then I discovered the magic of watching TV on the computer...and, well, let's just say  I'm planning some major catch-up sessions this summer ;)

I apologize for being MIA - I woke up Sunday with the worst case of flu I can remember. Every inch of me was in pain, running fever...oy. Welcome home?

All worth it though, just to see this:

It's good to be back.

~Namaste~