My Trip to Europe

As requested by some of my friends, I will start posting a day by day of my trip to Europe.
Thursday October 20:
Got up early (You all know how I hate morning) and helped drag suitcases to the car. Off to the airport. Oh joy, 23 hours in three planes and same amount of airports. Flights to Dallas and NYC were eventless (thought the flight out of NY was late one hour). Now the trip from NYC to Italy was a nightmare. The plane was filled with a sports card company taking their employeres to Europe for a week (all young male yuppies). Over 90% of them drank their way to Europe. They were loud and rude to the poor steward. Asking every thirty minutes what the score was in the ball game. They were from Texas. We landed in Milan, Italy and made a mad dash to catch a scheduled train (the train station is below the airport) for a two hour ride to Venice. We got there one minute before train left. When they say it leaves at seven a.m., believe it. Europe is seven hours ahead of us here in New Orleans. So what would be two in the morning here, was nine a.m. in Venice. The city was alive and bustling...awake. My luggage was not the only thing dragging the cobbled streets. The Hotel Continental was only two blocks away from the train station, thank God. Hubby and I booked this hotel because it was one of very few who had a lift (elevator). We walked into the marble lobby. Only way I can describe it is I think they carved that room out of a very large block of marble and cut out window space. Whew. Beautiful, but geesh, a bit over-done. Turns out it was built a few centuries ago as a home. Anyway, the bellman took us to the lift, we got off and walked to our left, then to our right, up four steps, turned left, down fours steps, down a long hall, two more steps. Okay, getting out of there without a map was hard that first day. Anyway. The bellman flung open the windows, then the shutters. OMG We are on the Canal. Gondolas passing by, men singing, some yelling. Know what? I didn't care. I crashed and didn't wake up until four the next morning.