Monday, March 28 – Another transition day, knew it would be the worst day of the trip except for the day we leave.

Was not assisted by the fact that the bed in our Rome hotel room clearly did previous service as a slab in the local morgue and the pillows were hewn rather than sewn–is there a quarry in New England missing some granite? We found it!

Up early to get the train to the airport, the plane to Sicily and then the shuttle bus to Cartegena…er, I mean Palermo. Tried European budget airline Ryanair for the first time. Had all the Old World elegance of People’s Express circa 1984 (except, Jill Johnson, our flight was not canceled 3 times). My control freak brain nearly exploded before we finally boarded.

The shuttle bus experience was similar, you will all be pleased to know I did not end up in a Sicilian jail for strangling a woman…I am working on my patience (it clearly needs more effort).

Regardless, we have had a few hours to explore and a great dinner and equilibrium has been recovered. However, not many photos today.

Looking forward to our first full day and the start of our tour tomorrow.