Home bound!

The morning of our departure Judy and I woke up exceedingly early (4am) to pull our suitcases together and shuttle to the airport.  Sleepy-eyed and excited to go home, we hopped in the long line to check our bags and get our boarding passes upon arrival at the airport.  Our hotel had thoughtfully packed us a little sack breakfast, so we snacked as we waited in line.  

so ready to be home!!

After getting through security (much more lax than in the U.S.), we found our boarding gate and used some free Internet time to update our respective social media sites.  The plane ride to Madrid was only a couple of hours, but I didn’t get much sleep on the plane, as usual.  Upon arriving in the Madrid airport, we had to shuttle to a different terminal, and go through security again to reach our boarding gate.  After a quick snack and bathroom break, we hopped in line to board our behemoth 9.5 hour flight to Chicago.  The boarding took forever since the plane was so big, and we ended up departing late.  

waiting in the Madrid airport

Over the course of the flight I was happy to find that my Spanish was still strong from my time in Valencia.  It was actually a relief to speak a language I knew since in France and Italy I was rather lost.  Across the aisle there was a family with two little boys- and you guessed it, I made friends with the toddler named Daniel!  He was completely adorable and I had fun talking to him in Spanish.  Upon our late arrival in Chicago, Judy and I ran off the plane and grabbed our priority slips to be rushed through customs.  We only had 20 minutes to take the tram to another terminal, grab our checked bags, go through security, and go through customs before our next, and final flight, departed.  That’s the second (and hopefully last) time I’ve had to run through the Chicago O’Hare airport.  We made our flight, and I sat down to try and calm my poor little lungs down before take off.  In no time at all we were beginning the descent into Sioux Falls!  It was wonderful to see my family and spend time relaxing at home my first night back in the U.S.  Though I loved my time abroad, nothing beat lying down in my own bed that first night at home! 

A big thank you to everyone who followed me through this once in a lifetime journey- I couldn't have done it without your support and prayers! Once I'm a little more settled in, I plan to write a handful of miscellaneous blog posts about packing, travel tips, things that surprised me/I wish I would have known, etc. Hopefully these upcoming posts will provide a little insight for future travelers! :)

Love,
Maggie

The beginning of the end

It's hard to believe that today is my last official day in Europe! This morning Judy and I both slept in since we didn’t have any major sightseeing plans.  Once we got ourselves moving, we packed up our suitcases to move from our little apartment to a hotel for our last night in Europe.  We navigated the metro (a feat to be recognized with all our luggage, trust me) and quickly checked into our hotel.  We then set out in search of a pizzeria for lunch- Pizzeria O’Masto.  Judy found them online, and they had rave reviews for their pizza.  After an interesting journey that involved hopping a metal fence and walking along the interstate, we found our destination.  Thus far in Italy, Judy and I have been rather unimpressed by pizza, so this was our last chance to be wowed.  O’Masto did the job!  I had a simple, yet tasty gluten free margherita pizza and Judy had a thick crust one with sausage.  I finished almost all of mine, but Judy only got through about half- so much food!  

With full bellies we waited for a bus to take us to the nearest metro stop (not “near” at all by the way).  We took the metro towards the Trevi fountain to get more gelato (when in Rome?) and do a little shopping.  We were also on the hunt for some WiFi since internet has been so scarce in Rome.  Judy found some great braided sandals shopping, and I ate gelato twice today!  All in all a successful afternoon in my book.  We slowly made our way back to the hotel, grabbed internet access codes, and paid an arm and a leg for a hotel taxi to take us to the airport at 5am. 

Vatican City!

Today Judy and I woke up, got ready, and grabbed our frozen water bottles anticipating the heat as we made our way to Vatican City.  We immediately hopped in the ticket line for the Vatican Museum, which (only) took us 2.5 hours to get through.  

With tickets in hand, we explored some of the artwork, but mainly focused on making our way to the Sistine Chapel.  I didn’t even try for a contraband photo because I was so in awe!!!!  Michaelangelo definitely did it justice.  

After finishing up our time in the Vatican Museums’ gift shop, we headed to St. Peter’s Square/Basilica.  Judy and I sat down by some pillars for a few minutes to give our feet a break, and then began the pictures!  It is so unreal to think that only a few months ago I was watching Pope Francis’ presentation to the world, and now I’m standing in the very square where it happened!  It definitely hasn’t sunk in yet.  

Judy and I hopped into the security line (which was mercifully quicker than the Vatican Museum line), and started to explore the Basilica.  We found the listing for Mass times, and it matched the one I found online.  Judy and I decided to sit out on the steps for a couple hours until Mass relaxing, taking in the beauty, and of course doing a little people-watching!  We made friends with a security guard who asked about where we were from and such.  A little bit later he came by and said he could show us a better place to sit- we followed him towards the entrance of the Dome climb, and sat on some nice benches near a fountain.  After a while, we decided to wander into the Basilica to see if we could sit down for Mass yet.  Though we ran into some translation difficulties with some of the ushers, we eventually figured out you just had to ask to go past the barriers for Mass.  Unfortunately the first pew on the right side was already taken (thanks for the habit, Daddy), but we commandeered the second one.  I said a rosary with my new beads from the Vatican Museum, and waited for Mass to begin.  I was a bit lost since parts of the Mass were in Italian, and the other parts were in Latin, but it was such a wonderful experience that the language didn’t even make a difference!  Judy and I both went up for a blessing during Communion since I can’t eat the bread.  After Mass it felt like I was floating on cloud nine- Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica definitely tops Mass in the Sagrada Familia!  I’m so blessed to have been able to attend Masses in such world-renowned churches.  Our bellies starving, Judy and I were on a mission to find the gluten free pizzeria she found online.  After a little bit of a false start, we found it, and we were the first customers of the evening!  

Our waiter was cute and said the chef’s special was lasagna, so that’s what we both ordered (mine, gluten free of course).  Our appetizer was fresh sliced ham and mozzarella with bread pizza (butter goodness with a hint of rosemary).  We chowed down and anxiously anticipated our main course.  BEST LASAGNA OF MY LIFE (sorry, Mom).  Even though I was stuffed from my huge piece, Judy and I both ordered tiramisu, another of the chef’s specialties.  Also, fabulously delicious!  

Feeling overly stuffed Judy and I slowly made our way back to the apartment.  Tomorrow we pack up and check into our hotel for our last night in Rome!  How crazy is that?! 

Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon (just a casual day in the life)

Though I did not sleep well at all last night, Judy and I made an early morning and headed for the Colosseum.  We grabbed the nearest metro to the Termini train station where we bought our Roma Passes- good for free transpo for 3 days, 2 free sight entrances, and discounts on all other entry fees.  We took another metro right to the Colosseum.  Our Roma Passes sped us through the entrance, and soon we were standing in the Colosseum’s glory.  

Judy and I made our way around the lower level (where royalty sat and viewed the spectacles), and then up to the mid level where people of noble birth could watch the gore unfold.  The nosebleed seat even farther up are nearly destroyed, so that’s as far as we got.  After getting all the pictures we wanted, Judy and I listened to the Rick Steves audio tour while sitting on some steps in the shade.  It was cheesy, but fun and informative as well.  We then made our way out looking for a higher vantage point to take more photos.  

After all the necessary photos were taken, we hopped on the metro back to our apartment for some lunch.  Unfortunately, the Internet was not being cooperative enough for both Judy and I to access it, so after getting all my photos onto my computer I decided to do some more reading on my Nook.  I’m worried that I’m going to finish my book and be devastated for the rest of the trip (the third book in the trilogy doesn’t come out until this fall).  Judy took a little nap while I finished up my book.  After a little snack we got ready to head to the Trevi fountain.  A short metro ride and about a 10-minute walk later, we found it!  Just as beautiful as in the movies!  

We decided to then head for the Pantheon, but got a little lost on the way- we actually made a circle around the Pantheon without even realizing it!  Street signs are not particularly common in Rome.  With pictures to prove our success, we sought out one of the gluten free restaurants nearby that Judy had found online.  Unfortunately when we arrived, they were closed down.  This meant we chose a back up restaurant near the Termini train station on top of a hotel (I know it sounds fancy, but our food was only mediocre).  Judy and I both wanted to go back to the Trevi fountain to get some pretty night pictures, so we backtracked to do so.  

I grabbed so gelato afterwards while we wandered our way back to the metro, and then back to the apartment. Tomorrow we take on Vatican City!