A Room in Rome: Sunday, May 29th, 2011

Sitting at the airport, again, only today we are flying Lufthansa to Munich and then USAir to Philadelphia. We hope! Jackie says it feels like the movie Groundhog Day. I buy a salad for lunch on the second plane, because I did not or could not order a vegetarian meal that we ordered for the original flight home two days ago. And there is almost no time between the two flights to buy anything.

Of course, my salad is Salat Caprese: (buffalo) mozzarella and tomato & lettuce with olive oil. I find out later that Buffalo does not mean a large piece of cheese, as I thought, but rather cheese made from buffalo milk! (My recipe for Salat Caprese was posted on July 12th in  Kitchen Nutrition with Recipes.) This is a classic item on Italian menus and one I really love: simple ingredients, but delicious when the tomatoes are ripe, the lettuce crisp and the cheese creamy.

Our plane takes off on time. Of course, the Germans are prompt! We have to go to a different terminal for USAir in Frankfurt. Plane is already loaded but we make it in time. Nine hours of flying with a screaming kid about three rows in front of us. I watch a movie, TV show, listen to music and chat with the young woman next to me who just became engaged in Paris at the Eiffel tower. Ah, love!

Arrive home about 5 pm., which is actually 11 pm for our bodies, so I bathe and am ready for sleep. We had a really diverse trip with many adventures and many memories to keep and to share. Italy has many faces and my favorite was the Amalfi Coast. But still happy to be home—safe & sound!

Below is my love poem to Italy with additional photos:

To Italy with Love
(With a nod to Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz)

We flew by jet to Italy
And landed on time in Rome.
Now weâ€re flying back to PA,
Because thereâ€s no place like home!

Italy’s capital is a fascinating city;
We went to St. Peterâ€s Dome.
Saw the Pieta, the Coliseum & Moses
But still, thereâ€s no place like home.

Roman Ruins near the Coliseum

The Amalfi Coast is breathtaking!
The boat ride to Capri stirred up the foam.
Towns “hanging” on the coast are amazing;
Yet, thereâ€s really no place like home.

Flowers near the shops in Anacapri on the Isle of Capri on the Amalfi Coast

Florence is filled with history
From Michelangelo’s David to nearby Pisa you can roam.
The streets are narrow and tourist-filled,
Yet I’m beginning to think of home.

Leaning Tower of Pisa

Venice is unique, a city of canals
With narrow streets of shops to comb.
The music, the masks & the glass are magical.
Still l’m almost ready to be back home.

(Murano) Glass Flamingos in a Venice shop

Padua was an unexpected “bonus city”
A place where we bought a pome;*
Our last day of touring ends like a treat.
Now we’re all eager to be back home.

We bought this bronzed pear in Padua. *A pome is a botanical name for fruits like pears & apples.

Our trip to Italy was a great adventure—-
Venice, Florence, Amalfi, Padua, & Rome.
Photos & memories to keep & to treasure
But, thereâ€s no place like our own bed at home.

Back home to our own bedroom!