June 2019

The narrow road to town When this trip first came on the radar, I had one thought: opera. After considerable research, it came down to two words that go together SO well: Lucca, Puccini. SO, it was on and today, Monday was the day.My morning began with a run down the hill into town and around. Two things about this were important. 1) The town is cute with maximum charm… Read More »A Trip to Italy (and maybe some runs) Part 5, Lucca and Puccini

The Villa My non-international experience got the best of me this morning. I awoke at 5:45, pretty normal for me. I made my way to the living room (which was the wifi room as no other rom provided a very strong connection) and waited for Blane. Our loose plan (although it seemed pretty tight to me) was to go for a morning run together. So, I waited. I paced a… Read More »A Trip to Italy (and maybe some runs) Part 4, Who’s Lost?

Piazza del Popolo Somehow when you jump time zones, time disappears. And somehow, I lost Friday. I’m sure it was a good day, I just feel kind of bad that I have no recollection of it (unfortunately, that may become a more “normal” happening  as age creeps in).So upon awakening at what we will describe as “my normal time,” I am off to take on a real run in Rome.… Read More »A Trip to Italy (and maybe some runs) Part 3, Rome is For Runners

Thursday June 6, 2019 New York skyline from JFK Up and at ‘em bright and early. The morning prep went without incident and we were bright eyed and in the lobby for our shuttle to the airport. Upon arriving, the baggage check line was LONG! Halfway through it, a nice lady checked our tickets and advised that we re-check in as we needed to have our passport “documented.” I suppose… Read More »A Trip to Italy (and maybe some runs): Part 2, Alex Gets Me to Rome

Wednesday June 5. Ready to go? Finally, all the details have been completed. Finally, the last trip to WalMart, Marshalls, anywhere.  Really, other than the messy detail surrounding the reissuing of tickets, most of the process has been pretty smooth. I was lucky enough to sneak in a run before leaving, so that was a bonus. We took an Uber to the airport. Our driver was a fantastic guy named… Read More »A Trip to Italy (and maybe some runs) Part 1: Finally Leaving