When I tell you I’ve been waiting to travel to this country for a long time, it’s almost insanity how much I was thinking about the country, the food, the music, and the people.

August 9th couldn’t come any faster on the calendar. From the beginning, I anticipated that it was going to be a good, but very slow-paced trip. Let me be clear: I’m used to staying in hotels that are around 3-4 stars, maybe less, but who cares? Once you’ve got amenities on vacation, it’s all good from there on out.

At the start of the trip, the airport was doing their thing with accommodations for my children, and that’s a plus in my book. The flight took off on time, and the seating was perfect for four people, which is great considering how much we paid (not extremely expensive, but with kids, everything is expensive). As we began this journey to Italy, I knew the plane ride was going to be my downfall. Eight hours on a plane is just not for me. I am an antsy person who cannot sit still in an upright position. I must have turned several times on this seven-and-a-half-hour flight. But I made it!

While waiting for my wife’s family to scoop us up, I felt all the anxiety pouring over me. Like, WTF? Why can’t I just be happy to be in another country that I’ve wanted to visit for so long?

Here comes a rant…

The car rental was taking forever,

The kids were antsy,

It was extremely humid, and the sun was shining (lol),

And of course, I was hungry.

Once we finalized the car rental details, it was off to explore.

I haven’t driven a manual (stick shift) vehicle in years. I’m super rusty at this point, but everything is working out while in motion. 😀👍🏾

Pulling up to my wife’s cousin’s house/apartment, I’m thinking, "Wow are we living amongst the people?"