I’ve been very fortunate to have traveled to many beautiful places around the world in my life. One of the things I’ve regretted is that I didn’t keep a journal of my travels. Of course, I haven’t forgotten the sites and images, but I have forgotten the details of the day–what I thought, what we ate, every day images that might have paled in comparison to “the” thing we came to see.

Unexpected at the time, years (or age) have whittled away at many details, leaving only the most vivid of memories in tact.

So, this time, I’m going to do my best to write a few details like thoughts, conversations, some little thing that stood out to me each day. In the years (or, if I’m lucky, the decades) to follow, I can go back and capture moments I might otherwise forget.

9/29/24 – This was our travel day. I left Cleveland Hopkins Airport at 11:00 a.m. It always feels good to finally get to the airport after months and weeks of planning and days of packing. It seems once I get to the airport, all of my concerns about what I might have forgotten to do or what I forgot to bring dissipate, because by then, it’s too late, and que cera, cera!

I arrived in Dallas with 7 hours to wait before I’d meet up with my writer friends from Arkansas. I read, I blogged, I walked, I people watched, I ate, I drank wine, I listened to podcasts. I tried to listen to the Cleveland Browns football game, but soon learned I don’t know football well enough to listen to it without the visuals.

Anyway, I looked forward to seeing my friends, but I also tried to appreciate all that “free” time, something that even in retirement, seems rare.

What I learned: All of the worrying about my friends’ possible flight delay from Arkansas causing them to be too late to catch the DFW-LHR flight was for naught. Just one more example of how often worrying about something in the future is often wasted energy.

Flight details: Linda and I sat together and were fortunate to have an empty seat between us–plenty of room to lay out any “junk” we’d need on the 8+ hour flight. I watched a rather mediocre movie called “Longing” (I like the star actor, Richard Gere, but I’d give the movie 2.5 out of 5 stars) and “Inside Out,” mostly because I wanted to watch it from the point of view of the scientific advisor, Dacher Keltner, mentioned in my blog, “Awe-someness.” For dinner, I had chicken and rice. I drifted in and out of sleep, especially after a glass of wine. Unfortunately, my seat did not recline. 🙁

We arrived in Heathrow with 2 hours between connection to Pisa. Plenty of time, right? But we spent almost every minute of that two hours working the maze of getting from Terminal 3 to Terminal 5–walking, taking a bus, going through security again, finding the gate. Nothing like getting to the security gate, scanning my boarding pass (after my other three friends have already gotten through security) just to have the machine tell me I need to see a British Airways attendant. Instant panic, but fortunately, it was just a matter of reprinting a boarding pass at a kiosk. I have to admit, I wondered briefly if someone sits behind a hidden camera and laughs at the expressions of travelers when something like that happens and we run around like chickens with our heads cut off! 🙂

The flight from Heathrow to Pisa was uneventful except for my moment of awe for the day:

I’ve read more than one essay about people who have traveled into space and had their perspective on the Earth changed when they see our whole planet at once. Looking at the vastness of the sky, the way the sunset colored the clouds below, I can only imagine what it would be like to see the whole planet at once.

At last, we arrived in Pisa, Italy! Only one more hurdle left–getting through security. As we approached the security line, we pulled out our passports . . . all except Linda. When I saw her eyes widen as she frantically searched each bag, each pocket, I panicked with her. The other three of us stood around her asking, “Did you check your pockets? When did you last see it? Could it be on the airplane?”

I’m sure all of our “help” only served to panic Linda more.

Within minutes, a kind, (and might I say, very handsome) security officer asked (with, of course, a lovely Italian accent) if everything was okay. Linda explained that she couldn’t find her passport and that she must have left it on the airplane.

He radioed the crew on the plane and within minutes, had located her passport. Linda, as you might imagine, was relieved and presented her “knight in shining armor” with one of many thank-you cards she presents to flight attendants and anyone else who assists on her journey. I can only imagine what a nice feeling that brings to those who serve us, and who must so often have to deal with grumbly passengers. Karma had shined on Linda.

A thirty-minute ride later, we pulled into a driveway “guarded” by a large, lighted stone gate (sorry, didn’t get a photo this time, but I will!) declaring our arrival to Poggio al Casone. All of us ooh’d and ahh’d as the gate opened and we drove the quarter-mile up the winding, Italian Cypress-lined drive. I imagined riding next to Cary Grant, driving up in a convertible with my scarf flying in the wind.

We were greeted at our apartment by Michele (that’s Italian for Michael, not Michelle). I was a little embarrassed that I couldn’t pronounce his name as beautifully as he said it when he introduced himself. As I stumbled over my syllables, he said, “You can call me Michael.” (I should have spent more time with Mr. Babel!)

The apartment is lovely. Two bedroom, a kitchen and living area, with an outdoor patio overlooking a valley. I can’t wait to get out and walk around.

So, here’s to new adventures and lots of memories to be made!