Best news! We have arrived.
We spent the weekend in Fredericksburg, VA celebrating Justin Deters and Emma Schmidt’s wedding. From there we went back to Dulles and stayed at a Marriott right by the airport. I did some laundry for us as we are now gone for about 10 days.
Our flight to Rome departed at 5:30 p.m. and arrived at about 8:30 a.m. We then had a 4 or 5 hour layover in Rome. The flight to Rome had been about 9 hours. It’s definitely a time to have grace with one another and work extra hard at being kind because we are all tired. But everyone did great.
It turns out our driver from Reggio to Pizzo was the brother of the actual driver. When he got to Pizzo, he stopped several times asking for directions. Finally the hotel staff came and collected us from the street and walked us in the rest of the way. I LOVE the Piccolo Grand Hotel.
My sister Laura and I stayed here almost exactly 5 years ago. The view from the balcony is incredible and even more so when it’s not cloudy. The sunsets are breath taking. Maybe we will see that tomorrow. Here is a view from Joe’s room.
We settled into our room and then headed back to the square to find some supper. We were told at the front desk that most places do not open for supper until 6:30 p.m.; some even as late as 8:00 p.m. but Joe used Google and found one that was just opening at 6:30 p.m. and it was perfect.
We were able to buy some still water and get some photos before we headed off to bed. It felt great to be in bed – not gonna lie.
For the last two years we have had William and Crystal with us on our trips. This year Crystal just successfully defended her dissertation AND received her doctorate. AND William asked her to get married (wedding in Jan 2025). They did not join us in Italy, but we may all go to Portugal next year. Congratulations to William and Crystal!
Arriverdeci until tomorrow.
