Traveling to Italy

What a long day! I arrived in Venice, Italy this morning and cannot believe all that has happened since I left Purdue at noon on Friday. In this blog post, I will be recounting the events of my travels from campus to Venice.

               Leaving Purdue Friday at noon in the Lafayette Limo, I was looking forward to my trip to Italy, but was tired from a week full of exams. On the approximately two-and-a-half-hour bus ride, I edited my presentation and worked on course readings. I am very appreciative of our driver, because I do not enjoy maneuvering through Chicago traffic, but he handled it well. Arriving at O’Hare, we broke into two groups based on the airlines we were flying. Next, we got our passports checked and went through security, an annoying but necessary process. Once through, we had two hours until our plane boarded so my travel buddy Kate and I looked at the various shops in the airport, finally deciding to get Jamba Juice and McDonald’s. Thinking ahead, we used the restroom before boarding, and were surprised by a new advancement in toilet technology. The women’s restroom in the Chicago airport had automatic toilet seat covers that changed themselves! I had never seen these before, but was immediately pleased and impressed by their presence.

               Boarding the plane soon after, I was happily surprised by the quality of the airline. Not only were there two levels on our ginormous plane, but each person was given a blanket, pillow, and headphones.

There was a wide selection of movies to choose from, including some new releases, and we were able to see unique views of below and in front of the plane on our personal screens. Additionally, the airline catered to my dietary allergies. On the long flight, I enjoyed my window seat and was able to watch the sun set and rise.

               Arriving in Germany, I was intrigued by the physical arrangement of houses in cities/towns. Houses were set-up in large groups, similar to in Indiana, but they did not exhibit a thinning out of houses into a more rural area or an increased concentration of houses moving into a more urbanized setting.

I was puzzled by the distance between the multiple groups; they were far enough apart to not be considered one community, but close enough together that they are not considered distant entities. This led me to infer that Germans must live in small towns that are all relatively close to one another.

               Switching from the first flight to the second, we had to go through customs in Frankfurt, Germany where I got the first stamp in my passport! This was a very exciting event for me that encourages me to make plans to travel more. Departing from Germany promptly after customs, I was awarded with the breath-taking site of the Alps.

They emanated strong and lasting power that caused me to respectfully observe their beauty in contemplative silence. Seeming to stretch on endlessly, these incredible landmarks were the highlight of my flight.

               Safely arriving in Venice, Italy one hour later, we were glad to stretch our legs and explore. Overall, traveling is certainly exhausting, but I have greatly enjoyed my experience in Italy so far. I hope you had fun hearing about my travels! For a more in-depth examination of the effect this traveling has had on me so far and photos of my first day in Italy, please read my second “Italy Imagined” blog post.