Arriving at SeaTac airport at 11:45 Monday morning via the Stanwood I-5 shuttle, we cleared security in no time and made it to the gate to discover our flight to Frankfurt was delayed 45 minutes.  It wasn’t long before we found ourselves onboard the Lufhansa 747 aircraft and the four of us settled in for long comfortable flight.  After a dinner meal and about three hours, the flight attendants closed all the window shades and turned the cabin lights off to allow people to sleep in mostly darkness.  There was an hour or two of fitful sleep on the flight at best, then breakfast, and soon thereafter we touched down in Frankfurt Germany and deplaned.  Following the airport maze to reach the correct concourse for our flight to Rome, had us passing many hot dog stands set up along the airport hallways.  I am not hungry but is it possible to pass all of these frankfurter stands in Frankfurt Germany without stopping to sample their wares?  If you ask the other three Wagnersons, the answer to that question is obviously yes.  But not for me, so I stopped.  So many choices but after answering four separate questions for my hotdog order, I found myself walking away eating a legendary hotdog.  Mighty tasty!  Now onto Rome.

Our flight to Rome was quick and uneventful.  Our shuttle from the Rome airport into the city was a little more interesting.  The address of the hotel where we would be staying was provided to the shuttle service when arrangements were made last month to pick us up at the airport and take us to the hotel.  The shuttle people were waiting for us with a sign with our name on it when we exited the airport.  We followed the two ladies who were our apparent shuttle drivers (do we look like we need 2 persons to drive us?) back to their vehicle and we climb in with them.  It is about a 40-minute drive, but traffic was pretty stacked up and so it took us a bit longer.  As we pull off the main road onto the narrow windy alley ways in the Navona District, it seemed like we were going in circles.  When we passed one particular place at least three times, we got our first clue that they were having trouble finding it.  When the driver, who spoke very little English turned to me and asked whether this was the right way to our hotel, I knew we could be in trouble.  (Seriously?  She’s asking me?)  I smiled and nodded my assurance to her, just so she wouldn’t stop and insist we all get out.  She asked again for the address and I again stated the address out loud to her.  I started repeating the address over and over, sort of like our new mantra we were employing in order to arrive unscathed at our destination.  The power of positive thinking….or something like that.  Lo and behold after a bit, it worked and we were soon enough dumped out at our destination.  Check in was a breeze and we all hit our rooms for a nap.  A few hours later, a very tired foursome found a place for dinner and afterwards we returned to our respective rooms to turn in.  It is Tuesday night.  One very long travel day over the course of two days, but we’re in Italy.