Barcelona/Rome 2012
Got up early to head back home. I had it easy compared to Alicia-- she had a brutal series of flights home. My two flights looked easy by comparison, even if I had to go through ridiculous levels of security at Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport (they have a special high-security terminal dedicated to flights to the USA and Israel!).
10 hours in economy class later on a United 767-300 with the chintzy 5" personal TVs later and I was back in the USA. Washington-Dulles looks the same as it did ten years ago, and I think I ate at the same lousy "Mexican" place I had a few years previous. On the plus side, the wait was comfortable enough, and the 777-200 on the flight to LAX had the same lousy TVs, but they at least worked better...
t'was quite a trip. Lots of fun, but also pretty tiring. Well worth it-- especially Ancient Rome and the Vatican-- truly amazing!