Sunday, December 06, 2015

travel Sunday

An afternoon departure means that there is no rush. I visit with the cheepers, I visit with Isie boy. There is a light mist, but I take photos of the beloved farmhouse anyway. It looks grand no matter what weather come our way. Breakfast is late, leisurely, lovely.

I even have time to do a Sunday farmhouse cleaning. Packing is straightforward. I have no important meetings during my trip. I don't have to worry about dressing with care. I throw in a bit of laundry detergent -- it allows me to pack really lightly.

Ed hangs around the farmhouse and as always, I am feeling wistful -- to stay, to enjoy our days here -- shouldn't that be the plan for this month? These years? I love my days so much! Why leave?

But I know the answer. I know what drives me.

I also know that it's time to go, to be driven to the airport. And I'm getting a tiny hint of travel wrinkles. The first flight is late. Well, no matter -- in international connections, I give myself plenty of time. Still -- I know I'll not have the leisurely layover in Detroit. Post now, in Madison, or forget it.

Then my Lightroom photo editing program crashes. I lose the day's photos. Oh, you can imagine the cheepers, the farmhouse, a congenial Ed at the breakfast table in the front room! You know them so well, right? Still, am I going to have computer issues on this trip? No, please not that.

Mustn't worry. Think ahead to all that is good, easy and smooth. The weather! I'm heading to a climate that is not warm, but nor is it freezing. Perhaps a few good walks are ahead of me?

And just exactly where am I going? Well, I'm flying through Paris to Milan and there, I'm catching the train to a city affectionately called (by Italians) La Bella Addormentata. The Sleeping Beauty. Why? Because not many tourists make their way there.

It's a small city -- fewer than 50,000 people. But it has been selected as the cultural capital of Italy for 2016. And in 2017 it will be the European capital of gastronomy (along with a few other Lombardian neighboring cities). If you're a fan of Romeo and Juliet, you will have heard of it -- Mantova.

I'll write from there next. Have a most wonderful Sunday!