Monday, Apr 20: Arrivederci!

I couldn't sleep on Monday morning. I was excited to leave Rome. And dreading the trip back. Our flight left at 2pm and arrived in New Jersey around 6pm (with a 6 hour time change). The next flight left around 9:30pm and arrived in Nebraska at 11:40pm. Then we had a 2 hour drive to Deb & Allen's house. We could get to sleep at 9am, Rome time.

I was ready to get home. If we had spent the last portion of our trip in a smaller, calmer place like Assisi or Cinque Terre, then you would have to drag me away. I was ready to leave the chaos of Rome.

We ate our instant cappuccino mix and our hot dog buns with Nutella. Then we wished farewell to Mr. Andrea and waited for the elevator. You could fit one person and two suitcases in the tiny thing. Todd and I opted for the stairs. We dragged our bag to the train station to catch a cab. Then we remembered people we had to get souvenirs for. I hope you guys enjoy what we found last minute. :-)

I read in the Rick Steves book that there is an agreed upon price that a taxi from anywhere in central Rome to the airport costs 40 euro. If we took the express train it would cost us 44 euro. So we found a nice looking older cabbie and hopped in. My dad had told me that you not only get a taxi ride, you get a commentary on everything. Not true with this guy. Our driver spoke very little English. I tried to ask him the name of the trees that were all over Rome. "Es Via Cristoforo Colombo." I know that was the street name. I gave up on asking again. Anybody know what these trees are called? The skinny, vertical ones in front, and the tall ones in the back with the leaf canopy at the very top?

We drove along on the Great Ring Road toward the airport. Then we smelled a burning rubber smell. The cabbie gestured at his nose and pulled over. He had a flat tire. Todd and Allen helped him change it, while Deb and I stood on the side of the highway. I was giggling. Did this really have to go wrong? We had plenty of time so I wasn't too worried. We got back in the car and continued on our way.

At the airport, the cab meter read 56 euro. It was ticking the whole time during the tire change. The cabbie said, "You pay 50." I looked at him and said my memorized Italian phrase, "40 is the law!" He mumbled back something about the Termini and who knows what else. Allen paid him the 50. Grrrrr. Todd and Allen both felt ticked off later that we didn't fight the cabbie more. He should have paid us for helping with the tire! I didn't get his license plate in the photo, but if you recognize this guy the next time you are in Rome, report him to the police!

The Rome airport was a maze of shuttles, empty rooms and more shuttles. We finally got to our gate. We had carefully planned our cash so we wouldn't take home hundreds of euros. Thanks to the cabbie, we had 2 euro left. Grazie to the clerk who gave Allen a 2.15 Coke to him for 2.

The plane took off on time to New Jersey. Sitting 1 and 2 rows in front of Deb & Allen were Jim and family, the ones we had met in Siena. They only paid 40 euro for the cab ride. Todd and I sat in a row where the sound didn't work for 2 cycles of the movies. That was annoying. I had seen Yes Man before, so I talked for them in my head. Then I made up words for Marley & Me. The sound worked for the last cycle, (they mentioned the Kzoo Gazette in Marley & Me!) but then they cut it short because it was close to landing time.

Speaking of landing time, MOLTO MALE! There was a storm in New Jersey, so flights were backing up. We had to circle around and around and around. I have already described the rest of the flight here. The passengers gave thunderous applause when we finally landed.

Our flight to Omaha was cancelled that night. We were put up in a hotel by the airline. My stomach was feeling very uneasy still, but when we walked in the door of the hotel you could smell steaks from the restaurant. THAT WAS WONDERFUL! How I missed beef! Todd, Allen and I had hamburgers before we crashed into bed.