Home

Breakfast was early as we wanted to get on the first shuttle to the airport. I was ready to go and my OCD nature wanted to be there first to get through the security and not have to wait.

After a quick breakfast we loaded our luggage into the airport shuttle which dropped us off at the US Airways international terminal. We were the first ones there and at the first sign of the ticketing agent’s appearance at the desk we queued up in line, first and second. It was not long before the line became very long.

Checking in required our pre-printed ticket and our passport. Our luggage was taken (minus our carry-on bags) and processed and we were on our way to security.

Passing through security meant scanning our bags, opening our laptops and cameras, removing our shoes, belts, watches and any metal in our possession, and walking through the x-ray scanner. Once through, we proceeded to our gate for departure. We had about a two hour wait before boarding, so we shopped at some duty-free stores to get some souvenirs and to pass some time.

When the crew came to get on the plane, one of the flight attendants noticed that we were twins and carried on a short conversation with us. And then it was time for us to board. We descended an escalator down to the boarding area and before we knew it we were on the plane. Nothing could dampen my spirits except for the fact that I was leaving a country that I had grown to love and respect. But my only concern and my main thoughts and emotions were that I was going to see my wife that I had missed so very much.

The plane was much nicer than the one coming and this flight back had separate movies that could be selected for viewing at each seat. Additionally, it had a GPS tracking system at each seat that would allow you to see the progress of the trip. We each watched a movie of our choosing on the way back and we were treated very nicely by the flight attendant who had befriended us in the airport terminal.

Our flight back was very long; longer it seemed than the flight coming to Italy. But it was during the day and when we finally were across the ocean the excitement was even more apparent. Seeing the coastline of Nova Scotia and New Foundland in Canada was great, and in a while we saw Boston and New York City. Our destination, Philadelphia was looming ahead very soon.

Landing in Philadelphia was a welcome event; that is until we had to go through customs. What a mess! We were herded down a long hallway to a series of lines where all International flyers were required to go through. It was a mass of humanity and given the fact that there were about a dozen screeners, the line moved very slowly.

We passed through different screeners that check your passport, ask you questions about what you purchased and brought back into the country, and processed your paperwork. When we were both through, we were herded to the baggage claim which was jammed with travelers coming into the country looking for their bags. We finally found ours and proceeded to the baggage check line for our trip to Raleigh/Durham airport. This line went quickly as there were waiting planes for passengers that were rushing to get through. They did not even weigh the bags. Then we had to go to our check-in counter to get our tickets processed. Following check-in, we were sent to security to process our carry-on bags and scan our bodies.

Finally, we were in the terminal where our plane would depart. The gate was very crowded and when the time came for us to start boarding, a heavy rain started. But the plane was changed due to mechanical problems (I commented that if there was anywhere that a plane would originate that would suffer mechanical problems, it would likely be Philadelphia). We were sent to another gate at the other end of the terminal for a replacement flight, but the plane had not even arrived that we were going to take to RDU. We were already an hour late in taking off before the new plane arrived.

While waiting in the terminal, the new flight crew arrived. We talked to the pilot of the plane and politely mentioned that we were heading home from a trip to Rome. When it had de-boarded the previous passengers and the new flight crew had boarded, we were finally allowed on our plane. Sitting next to the window, I could see the bags being loaded onto the conveyor belt to load onto our plane. I saw my largest suitcase thrown from about ten feet away onto the belt. All I could think about is there goes all the wine and fragile items I was bringing back.

We finally got in the air and we were on our last leg to getting home. It was an uncomfortable flight for me because the man in front of me reclined his seat back and there was no room for me to stretch my legs after the long international flight. As we were getting ready to land in Raleigh, the pilot thanked everyone for their patience and understanding with the delay. He then wished all on board a good evening, and especially the folks on board traveling all the way from Rome.

We arrived in Raleigh and proceeded to the area where family could greet their loved ones as they left the terminal. Susan had brought her best friend, Sandra with her and they were there to greet us. Seeing Susan was the best sight I had ever seen in my life, even better than anything I had seen in Italy. I had missed her so much that I could not let her go. Tears filled my eyes and I was so glad to be home and in her arms.

Retrieving our bags was the next, and last, big obstacle to overcome on this journey. I fully expected to have a wine-soaked suitcase, and when I was able to find it on the conveyor belt, the first thing I did was unzip it and reach my hand inside to see if it was wet. It came through unscathed. I guess packing my wine bottles inside several layers of socks was a smart thing to do.

Once all of our bags were accounted for, we proceeded to the parking lot. Our journey was essentially over. My heart was home with my love, but a large part of my mind and my spirit were left behind in Italy. I decided that when I was recovered and had the time, I was going to write my impressions of our Italian adventure that I had with Mark on this journey in addition to this blog and make it an epilogue.

We arrived home, tired and worn out, but happy to be back where we belong. Sleep was still tough for me. My first night back was filled with dreams of Rome, being in the Colosseum, and it was restless. But I was laying in my bed with my wife next to me. The journey was wonderful, but not near as wonderful as being with the love of my life!