The wake-up call came at 4:30.  It was easy to get up, finish packing and get down to the bus by 5:00.  We said good-bye to Francesco and Nino at the airport and lined up for our Alitalia flight to Rome.  The trip officially ended at the baggage claim area as people started dispersing in different directions.  A bunch of people are staying in Rome for a few days.  Some are going to Nice, some to Greece.  I said good-bye to everyone but especially Elise and Laura, who are staying in Rome until Monday, and Bob and Anne, who, with Drew, are traveling in Italy and Greece for another four weeks.  Jesse, Mario, and Val are on the same flight as I am back to Atlanta.  Jesse and I did some last minute shopping.  We arrived at our gate at 10:10 and boarded at 10:40 for our 11:30 departure.

I watched two movies on the 10-hour flight, “Two Weeks Notice” and “Drumline,” both of which were entertaining but won’t win any awards.  I also read the June “Discover” magazine and “U.S.A. Today.”  I managed to get an hour of sleep early on.

After a 10-hour flight, we landed in Atlanta on time.  We breezed through customs and rechecked our bags.  Val went off to his flight and Jesse, Mario, and I took the train to the main terminal baggage claim.  Mario’s and my bags were waiting for us but Jesse’s had disappeared.  We searched for half an hour to no avail and then filed a missing bag claim.  We got to the van and loaded it but exiting the parking lot took more than half an hour, mainly due to a broken microphone at the exit booth.  Two weeks of parking cost $108.

We drove to the northeast side of Atlanta on I-85 and wasted 20 minutes looking for a place to eat on Steven Reynolds Boulevard before finding an Arby’s.

I was tired but Jesse had gotten 5 hours of sleep on the plane so I let him drive.  He drove as far as his parent’s home, just west of Rosman.  They were very glad to have him home.  I drove the final minutes for Brevard, arriving at the college at 10:30.  Mario’s parents and Joan were waiting for us.  All of us were relieved to have a safe ending to the trip.

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