Wonderful memories make moments of frustration fleeting

We’ve all had them. Those “Hmmm, I wonder if all this is worth it” moments.

Travel these days and I guarantee you’ll have those moments. So many of them, they may even add up to an hour. Or two.

We had planned a trip to Italy in 2021, but of course COVID changed that. We postponed it until March into April this year knowing that masks and shots and having a cotton swab tickling your brain would all be over by now.

We were wrong, but we jumped through all the hoops of getting a health card, being tested no more than 72 hours before boarding a plane, etc. Our friends and neighbors, Paula and Gary Weber, took us to the airport.

A mere 15 hours later we were in Florence renting a car and still wearing our masks.

We hadn’t been in the land of pasta and pizza an hour before discovering a passport had been lost and a driver’s license was about to expire. We got in the car and headed to the place we rented.

Things were going all right until the navigator (me) told the driver (my dear husband) to turn left because the other way looked like a driveway. Wrong. In a matter of minutes we were lost in the hills. The scenery was great, but a little sleep on a nice bed sounded better than sightseeing.

Thanks to Matteo, our new friend who was at the villa, we finally found our home for the next three weeks. It was even better than the photos we had seen online and the people who owned it were the most gracious hosts you’d ever hope to find.

It’s true not knowing the language can be frustrating. We finally figured out the parking meters and the self-service train ticket machines. As a matter of fact I helped an Italian woman with the parking meter machine the day before we left. I was so proud.

We spent two days in Florence before coming home. Parts of the city were very crowded and it was so different than being up in the hills. But I lucked out when I found a great hotel on the Arno River where we celebrated Dick’s birthday.

We had to get up at zero-dark-thirty to get to the airport to come home. Caught that plane to Munich, caught the next plane to Chicago. Piece of cake.

Got to Chicago at the same time another, or maybe two, huge planes arrived. We had to go through customs. Note to self: Everyone now has TSA pass.

There we were in the longest line I’ve ever been in. This line made the Disneyland Matterhorn line look like nothing.

You know how the airport line snakes around, walking and walking, stopping and stopping? Well, there were so many people they had us snaking in all areas and a wide hallway. I looked behind us and could not see the end of the line.

When we rounded the last corner and had eight people to go before it was our turn, a young man in front of us ducked under the tape and got ahead of those 8 by doing so. What a jerk! Karma will catch up with him.

After we got our bags and took them to the transfer area, so they’d end up in Wichita. An attendant looked at our boarding passes and said, “Nope, you’re not going to make your flight, go to the ticket counter.”

This was most definitely one of those Moments. The first attendant needed corrective lenses badly as she leaned forward and squinted to see the screen. Her vision wasn’t the only problem. It was obvious she didn’t have a clue what to do with us.

At least she asked for help. There was not a single plane on any airline going to The Air Capital until the next morning.

The I Wonder Moments were piling up at this point and I was hungry. Deep breath. Don’t cuss. At least you’re in the United States.

Once we got everything organized and ate a little dinner, Dick and I talked about how fortunate we are to get to travel. We agreed our problems on the trip were absolutely nothing compared to people in our world today who have been driven from their homes, lost loved ones and have no idea what the next day will bring.

We arrived in Wichita the next day. The Webers picked us up at the airport. Paula had put together a basket of stuff for our lunch and our breakfast because she knew we didn’t have groceries and wouldn’t want to go to the store. What a nice homecoming.

When we told them of some of the hiccups on the trip, they looked like they wanted to ask, “Did you yell at each other? Was it all worth it?” No, we never did yell, and yes, YES, it was all worth it.

The passport was found, the driver’s license renewed. Looking at photos from the trip make moments of frustration fade and are replaced by wonderful memories.