Well, I'm thrilled to be able to say that we did indeed have our vacation. It was amazing. And I thought up until the last moment that something was going to arise to prevent the fulfillment of the dream of this trip. In fact, one hour before we were to be picked up to go to the airport, Xena ran around a corner, slipped and yelped and turned out to have pulled off a rear toenail. I tried to doctor it myself but the nerve was exposed and she wouldn't let me touch it. So off to the vet, with me promising Dave as we walked out the door that I would leave her there if waiting for treatment would have made me late for our ride. The vet bandaged the foot, gave me a course of antibiotics to have her take twice daily for a week, I called the housesitter to give her the lowdown, and off to the airport we went, right on time.
The first flight was delayed and we had to run when we hit the Charlotte airport to get on our airbus to ride to Rome. It was one hell of a stressful day, but we did make it, and although our flight crew was quite unpleasant and our fellow passengers loud and obnoxious, proving that the "airbus" is aptly named, we did arrive the next morning in Rome, finding our charming deco-era hotel a block up Via Cavour, across from the station, in the heart of wonderful central Rome. Arriving too early for our room to be ready, the hotel treated us to a round of drinks in the roof garden bar where we could gaze from our Pallatine hill vantage point out on the Collosium and domes and spires all over Rome.
Back at work today, I'm dealing with medical issues concerning my mother in between patients. She's been back in the hospital since last Monday, one week, so the vacation is truly over. I'm very glad we came home in time for me to rest a bit before returning to work, even if I have had to spend much time on the phone dealing with this situation.
I'll try to continue to record some remembrances of the trip each day. I wanted to keep a journal of the journey, but I often find while traveling that I'm way too busy being there to allow time to write about it. Will upload some of the pix we took as well. Can't wait for the next time! I had no idea just how badly I needed that vacation.
The first flight was delayed and we had to run when we hit the Charlotte airport to get on our airbus to ride to Rome. It was one hell of a stressful day, but we did make it, and although our flight crew was quite unpleasant and our fellow passengers loud and obnoxious, proving that the "airbus" is aptly named, we did arrive the next morning in Rome, finding our charming deco-era hotel a block up Via Cavour, across from the station, in the heart of wonderful central Rome. Arriving too early for our room to be ready, the hotel treated us to a round of drinks in the roof garden bar where we could gaze from our Pallatine hill vantage point out on the Collosium and domes and spires all over Rome.
Back at work today, I'm dealing with medical issues concerning my mother in between patients. She's been back in the hospital since last Monday, one week, so the vacation is truly over. I'm very glad we came home in time for me to rest a bit before returning to work, even if I have had to spend much time on the phone dealing with this situation.
I'll try to continue to record some remembrances of the trip each day. I wanted to keep a journal of the journey, but I often find while traveling that I'm way too busy being there to allow time to write about it. Will upload some of the pix we took as well. Can't wait for the next time! I had no idea just how badly I needed that vacation.
