Idaho to DC to Venice
I made it! All the way to Venice, Italy. Finally! It feels amazing to be here and I am so grateful. This is the view out my window this morning. Notice the overly curious seagull on the rooftop across from me.
Monday: Stress, Stress, and more Stress. That's about all I did all day. I worked on packing my things a day early because Tuesday I had several commitments to fulfill outside of the home, so I knew that Monday was the better day to focus on getting ready.
The stress came in the form of 2 things mainly: trying to figure out where and how and how much to get a Covid test before flying out and in the correct time frame; and what pieces of luggage to use, knowing I would have to haul them all over Europe.
Deep in the middle of my stress over how and where to set up a Covid test, I had a prompting to stop and say a prayer. So I did. I asked my Heavenly Father to help me to find the answers I was looking for in the most efficient way possible so that I could move on to several other important tasks. (I had already spent hours researching this one thing) As soon as I finished my prayer, and typed my query into Google Search, I found the US Embassy website, which had not ever come up in my results previously. I clicked on it, chose Portugal as my destination country (because that's the first country I'd be landing in and the one that had the stiffest requirements - the airline I was using was Tap Air Portugal). Immediately, I had 100% of my answers. In one click. Amazing. Thank you Heavenly Father for caring so much about the things that matter to me.
The problem I was having was figuring out when to get the test: do I take it more than 72 hours ahead of the flight so that I have enough time to get the results back? How long is too long before the flight? And do I need the 72 hour window to count down to when I board the plane? Or do the 72 hours need to be for when I would I arrive in Portugal?
The other issue was where to get the test and not have it cost me an arm and a leg. The cheapest one was in Idaho Falls at $55. The tests, if I waited until I got to Washington DC, were around $139 - $204. Some places professed to perform the test for "free", but really they just don't charge you anything up front and will later bill your medical insurance. The problem is that my military health insurance won't cover the test unless it's actually for medical reasons, so the bill would eventually land in my lap.
The answers I got on the US Embassy website were these: get a PCR test AT LEAST 72 hours before BOARDING the flight, OR get a rapid antigen test WITHIN 48 hours of boarding my flight. Wow. See how simple it all is when you get simple and effective answers? The rat race before I said a prayer took me to way too many websites, many of them too vague, or several with conflicting information. All I wanted was succinct and simple information. It took a sincere and simple prayer to get what I needed. :)
Later that evening, Scott helped me consolidate my luggage in the simplest way possible: one larger suitcase, plus the carry-on size soft suitcase that I can wear on my back. This would also hold my day-pack inside, until I would need it later. It helped tremendously to get this figured out. I was hung up on Rick Steves' suggestion to only bring a small carry-on bag and a back pack. My things didn't even remotely fit into those perimeters, even though I had slimmed down everything to the barest of bare bones essentials. It's hard to be a girl and to need make-up, hair products, lotions, a curling iron, as well as all my vitamins and medications. My clothes were minimal, with only 2 pairs of shoes (shocker!), undergarments, and a couple of light jackets. I didn't want to have to haul a bigger suitcase all over Europe, getting on and off the trains every day, and having to lift a big suitcase up onto the storage shelves above my seat on the train. But at this point, I really didn't have much of a choice. I was deflated and disappointed. I wanted to be so minimalistic in my approach, but it just didn't work out like I thought it would. Scott tried to make me feel better. It helped.
Amber sent this precious picture of Gwen, who had fallen asleep while Amber was working on her computer. Oh, how little ones are just so darn cute!
Tuesday: I took my friend Amanda to the temple in the morning. She hadn't been to the temple in over a year, and as a new member of the church she had only been to the temple once so far! I picked her up and we went to the 10:00 a.m. session together. It was lovely. :)
Later that evening, when I was supposed to go get my Covid test in Idaho Falls at the Sterling Urgent Care, they informed me that they had just run out of tests the night before!! (This was the place that only charged $55) I hurried and checked around to see where else I could get it done before I left, but no such luck. Either it was too expensive, or the place had closed for the night. Even Walgreens, who professes to test for free, couldn't do a test until the next business day. And they, like so many others, don't charge you up front, but instead send it to your insurance. The bill would eventually be $128 for the test if I went to Walgreens.
I decided to just keep my testing appointment for Thursday at 1:00 in Washington DC that Jacob had already set up for me as a backup. CVS Pharmacy charges $139 - after they bill your insurance first.
I was miraculously able to crawl into bed at a reasonable time, after skipping out on attending young women's that night. It was a group activity and I wasn't in charge, so it made it easier to just stay home and finish getting ready.
Wednesday: I got up at 5:00 a.m. and was ready by 5:30 a.m. to have Scott drive me to the Idaho Falls Airport. I look like a hoodlum below because not only am I wearing a lot of black, but I put a hat on (because I didn't shower) and I also had a black face mask on. Ha ha
Video of the downpour as I waited for Hannah: (12 seconds)
When I got back to their place, Jack was just waking up from his nap. He was a little out of sorts to see me in his groggy state, and it even made him cry for a second or two. But soon enough, he warmed up to me and we were buddies from that time forward.
Here he was, a short time later, having fun in his exercise chair: (25 seconds)
I got to feed him a bottle soon after that, which he was very grateful for. We snuggled in his minky blanket and were very content. :)
Short video of Jack doing "Superman": (15 seconds)
Thursday: I helped take care of Jack while Jacob was doing his online work for the Feds, and while Hannah was away at her new job. She is using her Special Ed degree to work part time (M-F from 7:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.) at a local public school. Jack is young enough and a cheerful enough baby that Jacob comfortably takes care of him in the mornings until Hannah gets home. Jacob said that he is still able to work while he tends Jack, saving the more intense project work for when his wife is home. It was nice, too, that I could play with Jack and feed him while they worked. Hannah came home so tired on Thursday, that when Jack went down for a nap, she laid down to take a nap at the same time. She ended up sleeping for about 3 hours! She couldn't believe she had slept that long. I told her she must have needed it, and that I was happy she got to do it. :)
When she woke up, we went into DC to see the National Portrait Gallery and the American Art Museum that were housed together downtown.
Jack was a trooper riding on the Metro subway with us.
The artwork in the Gallery and Museum was incredible. I wish we had had more time to see it all.
It says: Historical Landmark: Surratt Boarding House. "...is said to have been where the conspirators plotted the abduction of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln in 1865."
https://photos.app.goo.gl/tYEGiafnaN7uMhcS7
Gwen happily ate several strawberries during our conversation.
Amber showed me her recent haircut. It's such a cute length for her!
And Gwen, being her usual spunky self, gave me lots of expressions to have fun taking screenshots of.
Once Jacob was done working for the day, we went out for one last adventure before my flight was due to leave later that night. We chose to go visit Alexandria, Virginia (about 15 minutes south of where they live in Arlington) and to see the waterfront area. It was really cool! Steeped with history, there's a huge area downtown called "Old Town".
Below: Historical home that used to belong to Elisha Cullen Dick (1750-1825). It says: "Was consulting physician in Washington's last illness. At the moment of Washington's death, he stopped the bedroom clock, which can be seen in Alexandria Washington Lodge, and conducted the Masonic funeral at his grave."
Friday: I took a much-needed walk in the early afternoon and talked to Amber for about 1.5 hours while I walked. Eventually, I sat down on the steps of Jacob and Hannah's apartment building to rest, while I continued chatting away with Amber and Gwen. (Abby was at school)
The waterfront park was huge, with docks, trails, and a whole lot of people on a Friday after work. :)
Jack turns into one curious little boy when he's in his stroller. He is very observant of everything going on around him, to the extent that he will skip a needed nap, and maybe even ignore the fact that he's hungry.
Scott had texted me a couple times over the last couple of days saying something like: "It's not too late to abort your plans." I think it means he's missing me already and would prefer to not miss me even more. :) But no, I cannot abort my plans. A) I would regret that immensely. B) I would lose a lot of $$ by canceling. It's better to just go and have all the adventures, and then catch up on being apart for a month when I get back. :)
After I got through security and found my gate, I called him to chat for a few minutes before I got on my plane.
Saturday: My flight went pretty fast. It got into Lisbon, Portugal about 30 minutes early (10:20 a.m. local time), which was nice. It was just under 7 hours from DC to Lisbon. I didn't sleep a wink the entire night, though. First of all, it's hard to sleep when you're vertical and on a plane. Second, the older lady behind me did NOT have any clue as to what passenger etiquette is. Everything she did while seated behind me was over the top frustrating. If she needed to move or stand up, she'd grab the seat with all her might, like she was wrestling a bear. If she needed to get something out of the seat pocket, it was like she was trying to grab an elephant out of a kitchen cupboard or something. When latching the tray table back into place, it was like she was trying to slam the world's biggest tailgate on the world's largest truck. I peeked around my seat at one point, just to see what she was doing, and saw that she was trying to get comfy by pulling her knees up and shoving them into my back. Every movement was over-the-top ridiculous. The weirdest thing of all was that she appeared to be about 70 years old!! You'd think she would be more aware of herself and have more thoughtful manners. There was no way I would be sleeping during that flight. I watched "Oceans 8" with Sandra Bullock (always a good time), and the rest of the night I just tried to close my eyes and conserve energy, even if I wasn't technically asleep.
It took a while to go through customs in the Lisbon Airport. (Maybe 45 minutes?) There were a lot of people, but it went as efficiently as possible, I suppose.
They wanted to see my passport and my negative Covid-19 test results. I also had to fill out an online form ahead of my flight, called a Passenger Locator Form. It wanted to know my date of arrival, which airline, what seat was I in, my contact information, etc. I guess they want to keep track of everyone if a passenger tests positive for Covid.
Eventually I was able to find a bathroom and some food to eat. Then I sat down to wait for another 90 minutes or so to discover where my gate would be for my flight to Venice. I think that's a thing in Europe, to only announce your gate one hour before your flight leaves. I'm not sure why that's a thing though . . .
But I found a lounge area next to the information screens and I think I fell asleep hard, leaning on my suitcase next to me, for about 30 minutes. It was amazing. Even though my mouth tasted disgusting from not brushing my teeth since the day before, and even though I was still super tired, I still wanted to continue on, ha ha.
Soon enough, we arrived in Venice, with all its beauty from the air.
While I waited in line, I visited a little bit with an Italian lady next to me. I used Google Translate on my phone to help us communicate. What a little miracle that app is! I just type in what I'm trying to say, and then she can read it in her own language. :)
On the ferry, I chose to sit by the window to get some fresh air and to have an opportunity to take some pictures.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/pKfhKd73s4tSRbwU6
Here is a short video of me walking along the dock from the boat stop: (14 seconds)
I didn't have to go very far at all down the alley. Everything in Venice is an alley, pretty much. It had decent lighting as well, which was nice. All except for the door where my lodging was. All I could see was the blue keypad for punching in the security code. (!)
But once the door opened, it was very well lit within the lobby inside. Next, I followed the instructions to get my keys out of the lock-box on the wall.
I hefted my suitcase up a flight of stairs . . .
And finally I arrived at my home-sweet-home for 2 nights. :)
I called Scott to let him know where I was and that I had made it, and then I set out in search of something for dinner so that I could go to bed. At 9:00 p.m., it hit me that it had been quite a while since I had last gotten some good shut-eye.
At the McDonald's, I used a kiosk to order my food, choosing English as my language, of course. Then I waited about 5-6 minutes and happily walked out with my Oreo blizzard and a grilled chicken sandwich with arugula and fresh herbs.
Venice is a hopping place late into the night. There were a LOT of people out and about - eating, visiting, walking, etc.
Below: Back to my home base for the night. Marveling at all the "oldness" along the way. The AirBnB that I'm staying in happens to be a 16th century building. Amazing.
After I finished eating and got into my pajamas, I noticed just how swollen my ankles were from all the traveling and sitting, along with a lack of hydration.
It felt so good to wash my face, floss and brush my teeth, and get freshened up to get into bed. Oh, the simple things in life . . .
Sunday: The internet is not that great in Venice tonight due to the rainstorms. It's really struggling to upload ANY of my photos from today into Google Photos so I can use them in this post. I will share one last photo that I took early this morning, and the rest will have to wait until I get better internet. Perhaps when I get to Florence tomorrow . . .
The views of the island of Murano at night were spectacular. It's a small island, but this is where the famous Murano glass is made. Murano was where the first couple of stops were, before we got to my stop in Venice: Fondamente Nove. (NW edge of Venice) It took about 45-50 minutes to get from the airport to my stop.
Murano:
The AirBnB host gave me excellent instructions. Turn right and follow the dock until you get to the petrol station. Then turn left onto Calle Longa S. Caterina.
Even though the AirBnB host had given me a few suggestions for dinner nearby, I didn't want anything I had to sit down and order and then wait for. I felt like I could just tip over from exhaustion. When I saw there was a McDonald's within a 6 minute walk, I decided that was the place for me! I haven't eaten at a McDonald's in forever, because it's just not my favorite. Now I know that I didn't fly all the way to Venice to eat at a McDonald's. But it never looked so good to me in my entire life!
On my short walk, I saw the first of many bridges over the canals. Even though it was dark, it was peaceful and calm. I did not feel afraid at all as I walked along. There were several other people out walking too. And even a few other women walking alone.
Below: Some local varieties of Italian pasta that I saw in a storefront window this morning. So sad I can't eat pasta. (carbs) I will probably give in at least once while I'm here. I'm just being honest.
FANTASTIC!! My photos caught up by uploading into Google Photos! I will quickly take you on ONE LAST ADVENTURE in photos from today. I went on a 4 hour walk all over Venice. My pedometer logged 11, 338 steps in 4 hours.
Here are the highlights of my walk. (Before the rains came)
Italian kids playing soccer as they walked home from church.
As I continued on my "lost" journey, I found a shop that sells gelato. There are several gelato shops, but this one was off the beaten path, so I knew I'd get a good price. I chose Sicilian Pistachio and boy was it good! It was only 2 euros, too! Gelato is the BEST! Way better than ice cream. I'll need to eat gelato every day while I'm in Italy. Gotta get my fill while I'm here!
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