We were looking for somewhere to have breakfast, and it was getting late, so we opted for something untraditional, but fitting:

It was perfect! It was then time to make our way to the airport. First stop: water taxi.

It was an 8 minute walk, and we were pleasantly surprised to find it easily.

And then even more surprised to learn it wasn’t the right stop.

Once again we found ourselves anxiously walking the streets of Venice, with our heavy backpacks. We got different directions from everyone we asked, but finally made it about 20 minutes later, and boarded the right taxi - contrary to the warnings a man kept giving us saying we were on the wrong one.

Made it to the airport, walked another 10-15 minutes to the terminal and found our gate with no problem.

Boarded the plane, and once again found ourselves surrounded by unhappy babies and toddlers. By that I mean directly in front of us, across the aisle, and behind us. 😞

We’ve noticed Europeans seem to travel extensively with very young children. We were surprised at how many families we saw struggling with strollers on the bumpy streets of Venice. They are braver than I was.

Another side note: we have been surprised at how many Europeans smoke. Lots of them, everywhere; several times we ended up by smokers while eating dinner.

Anyway, back to the plane and our many unhappy travelmates. It was only an hour flight so we figured we could manage. .

Until they announced we would be sitting on the runway for 1-2 hours.

It ended up being closer to two.

Needless to say, we were a bit frazzled by the time we landed.

Now we had to find Amanda’s car. We needed a little help, but managed to get on the right shuttle bus to the satellite parking.

Amanda had tried to make it as easy as possible for us to find her car. She and Taylor sent many directions and pictures. She had even paid for the parking so we only needed to scan the receipt. But we realized because of the delay, we were two hours past due. And there was no attendant to ask for help.

My anxiety began creeping up. By now, it’s been over 7 hrs since we began the trek home. We haven’t eaten since breakfast. And to make matters worse, it began to rain - a very cold rain, as it was only 60 degrees; we were in shorts and tees.

We dug out our rain gear and went in search of the car.

It wasn’t too far of a walk, and thankfully, we didn’t have too much trouble finding it. We also got out of the parking lot with our expired ticket, but then turned too early and got lost, once more.

There was a quick moment of panic when we weren’t entirely sure if we were heading into an unauthorized part of the airport, or we might not be able to get out.

At this point, I would have gladly traded my new sandals for a pair of ruby slippers.

We just wanted to be home.

But all hope wasn’t lost, as we had my phone and the car’s GPS. No one came after us and we didn’t get stuck. After a fairly pleasant detour through a cute town (we have no idea where), we were back on the right path, and and we both began to relax a bit.

I assumed the role of navigator and Mckenna, the driver. She did a great job driving us home, and helping me to relax even more. We even \240laughed and sang loudly together. We make a great team. ❤️

It eventually stopped raining and we were rewarded with some beautiful scenery.

And when we finally got home, the only other problem I had was trying to decide which one to open (I texted Amanda to see if they were saving either for a special occasion.)

I had a much needed and well earned glass of wine.

So this leg of the race is over. We handled the roadblocks that came our way without ever turning on each other (true confession: there may have been a few tense moments). It was an amazing trip, and a sweet time with my youngest daughter. Looking forward to the next trip - after a few days of rest, that is. Next up - Paris!