Christmas Eve

What a long day of travel! We're now settled in at the hotel in Rome, but hours later than we'd planned. The flight to Rome was scheduled to depart Paris at 7:05 a.m. We got a wake-up call for 4 a.m. and a van scheduled for a 4:30 pick-up. For the past three days, it has snowed and rained in Paris, causing havoc for the airlines, and the ripple effect was apparent this morning. The airport was packed. We stood for an hour to check in, and during that time, learned that the flight de3parture time was pushed back to 10:50, which was okay with me---time for some coffee! The crew was late, so we didn't board until 11:30. By 12:15, we were sitting in the Air Italia on the tarmac having the wings de-iced. Finally, after hours of delay, it roared down the runway and practically straight up into the sky to shoot past the cloud cover. By 2:05, we were sitting on the tarmac in Rome...waiting. Twenty minutes later, a bus arrived to convey us to the airport building. We waited in the crowds at baggage claim for the one bag we had checked. It never arrived, not surprisingly, with the chaos at the Paris airport. But this meant having to stand in line for another hour to file a claim. Possibly the bag will arrive here at the hotel before we leave. Next, we walked to the train station, which is attached to the airport, and took a train, not a subway, into the main terminal in Rome. Liberto had studied the maps carefully before we left, and had figured out how we would get to the hotel from the airport. From the terminal, the hotel was a few blocks' walk. Although it was "only" 6 p.m., it was pitch black and pouring rain. We were overjoyed to finally reach the hotel and settle in. As I was writing this, Carlos called on skype, which meant I had to abort the process so Liberto could talk to him. Therefore, I started this on Christmas Eve and am finishing on Christmas morning. I fell asleep at 9 p.m. and slept straight through until 8 a.m. I wish I could add pictures, but somehow, but every time I try, it cuts me off from the blog. I have so much more to say about the time in Paris, but we're on the run all the time, and exhausted by evening, so writing opportunities are limited.