I do need a vacation…

June 19th, 2007 · No Comments

Sorry folks, but I have been too busy to keep up with the posts. Between making sure all my current work projects get done, getting trained on the “new at&t” processes, and getting ready for the our trip, I’m feeling pretty exhausted at the moment. I’m very fortunate and thankful for Gerald and Carolyn’s help (my American parents) right now. I don’t think I could have pulled this off without them taking taking care of the kids.

Ashley has been in Cortona for about a week now, and the program routine is beginning to take shape. Our apartment is apparently very nice and cozy, and the school campus has also been recently remodeled. By again, this is Italy, and one must always be prepared for that “curve ball”. The kids and I are flying in to Rome the day after tomorrow, 06/21, and Ashley was planning to meet us at the airport. However, here is the email I receive this evening…

“Subject: Adventure #1562 in less then 2 weeks…

So I went to the tourist information office today to
get my bus and train tickets to pick you up at the
Rome airport and for 4 return tickets back from Rome.
Simple enough, the hostess issues me my tickets and
good news! The tickets for the kids are free!  WOW! So
I confirm with her that the tickets are ok for
Friday..." Oh yes yes, the tickets are fine for
Friday"...which the other hostess overheard and
suddenly they started speaking quite upset like to
each other in Italian and waving my tickets around.
With lots of long pauses.  They go to their calender
and both stare at it and then come back to me and say,
"You can not go to Rome or come from Rome on
Friday...They are having a train strike."  I just
started laughing and finally got out a very small and
very weak, "what?".
So after about 45 minutes of phone calls, ideas and
schedule checking as it stands for now:
I am supposed to leave here by bus at 5:45am to go to
Arezzo and then pick up a high speed train to the Rome
Termini and then can get the little comuter to the
airport.  I think the kids are still free but I'll
have to go back tomorrow to pick it all up so
everything might change.   We are supposed to make it
back to Arezzo and take a bus back to Cortona.  It's
about 30 minutes away so taxi would get expensive. But
we live close to the bus stop so that part is easy.
Plan on a lot of waiting and confusion.[...]"

Aaahhhhh!!! I feel at home already!