Sunday - "It's like déjà vu all over again"

It would be late Saturday night when we boarded Swiss Air to begin our journey to Rome. As usual, Tom had us at the airport long before departure. Between the airport being empty and having TSA Pre-Check, we breezed through our check-in arriving at the gate hours before the scheduled departure. What now? Luckily across from our gate we saw an all-time favorite place to hang - Vino Volvo!

We boarded our Swiss Air flight and took off on time at 8:20 headed for Zurich. We would clear the EU Entry Exit System (EES) in Switzerland before heading to Rome. In our last few adventures to Europe, we have discovered the later the departure, the more sleep we get crossing the pond. After a surprisingly wonderful hot meal we both drifted off to sleep as we flew east at 565 mph.

Before our departure we heard horror stories about the new EES requirements, and with this concern we headed for passport control. The Swiss have always been known for their efficiency and diligence, and we were pleased to see it carried over to the roll out of the mandated entry requirement. From the time we walked up to cattle gate until we had cleared and entered the airport was an amazing 8 minutes!

The transfer to our next Air Baltic flight was quick and before we knew it, we were in Rome. As in a past trip to Italy, we opted to stay in Fiumicino, a small fishing town about 15 minutes from the airport. Pleased our luggage had arrived on the first go around on the baggage carousel, we headed to the taxi line for our short trip to the hotel. Reaching the front of the line, the taxi dispatcher told us this line was for Rome only and pointed across the street to another waiting area. After waiting for a while, it was apparent this location was not correct, and Tom tried to hail a taxi to Fiumicino. Receiving repetitive no headshakes, we were directed to go back to the original taxi line. We crossed the street as one taxi driver stopped to help us and said he would take us. Go stand in line, he said and I will wait. As we turned to get in line the automatic gate for the cueing of drivers came crashing down on Tom’s head. A loud boing could be heard and few choice words were uttered, but no damage was done. Lucky it did not hit anything important! The driver did as he had promised and waited for us for our short ride to the hotel.

We have stayed at the Hotel Tiber before and once again it did not disappoint. Located on the river which bears the same name, it provides excellent views to watch the fishing boats as they enter the town with their catch. Now late in the afternoon hunger was beginning to set in as we walked along the wharf.

We grabbed a late afternoon snack at the same place we had visited five years ago. The calamari and shrimp were excellent, and the focaccia bread melted in our mouths. Life is good! The food we enjoyed was fresh from the sea and with each bite we listened to the cling and clang of the boats’ rigging. Tom even splurged and enjoyed a Negroni!

Wandering around Fiumicino, the sights, sounds, and smells told us that we were no longer in Virginia. When this wall of flowers appeared, a fragrant aroma took over the entire street. The vine is in the Jasmine family, and Janet has been babying one like it at home for two years, but nothing like this!

After a long walk we grabbed a lite dinner. Once again, at a restaurant we had eaten before, and as before it was outstanding. The day became night and our travels had caught up with us. It was time for bed because in the morning we would meet our fellow pilgrims at the airport and our journey would begin. Today had been as the NY Yankees catcher Yogi Berra once said after back-to-back homeruns by Mantle and Maris - "It's like déjà vu all over again"

Good Night!

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"The journey is essential to the dream."  St. Francis of Assisi

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