and I did…….than there was blessed Katina sitting in the land of Oz at 2 a.m. , finger on the trigger, hearts were racing, palms sweating and before you could say hop, skip and jump the tickets were bought…….I was anxious about this, did I have any business going to Rome in February? I was going to Greece in May. I had made a deal with myself….Italy every other year a new country in-between, well deals are made to be broken it seems, so far this is my third straight year with the affliction, I blame Michelangelo for it, I love him and Italy.

(I think I will post each day as I finish it) instead of pieces like this, that way u can just read the whole thing at once.

Take me on your wild ride, Jeanette. I just know this is going to be fun...

So back to that thread from Jeff, (JJKDC) who’s ID name I constantly mess up in my head adding all kind of letters that don’t belong when my memory loss hits me,

so Katina says…….well I can go in February, how about February? I stare at it SO HARD and because of her, I pushed that button, than buttons started pushing from everywhere, some quickly, some slowly after much thought, two more from Australia, one from Ireland, one from England, one from California, one from Utah, two from New York and my tiny little state “Maryland”

Who are these scarves who went to Rome you may be thinking? Well I’m going to tell you about them.

Katina – lives in Australia but is Greek as well, one thing I know if I ever meet him, I’m going to love her poppa, anybody who want’s to tell me what Greek word such and such came from is alright in my book ! windex is for movies ! He is real. Kat went to Italy with her daughter last year, they met up with Melissa, TA’s aussie girl--Melissa and I had talked yes we are traveling together, I believe she told Katina one day we are going to Italy with Jeannette and Katina being reserved and cautious of course thinks I am not doing any such thing with a stranger ! Never say never ……..Katina looks like Jennifer Aniston to me, dresses in such nice fashions that she could show the Italian ladies a thing or two and that’s saying something because we all know Italian women are beautiful and know how to dress. Beautiful outside…beautiful inside, that’s Katina

Lilly – aussie two !

who we have nicknamed Luscious Lilly and she is – I am sentimental and emotional it comes with being Cancer the crab, LL is my partner in crime in that department, we like to touch everything to really feel it, sounds cause emotion, music can make tears – not unhappy ones – the ones that mean your alive and you know you blessed and lucky to see or hear what you just witnessed. I think booking this trip was a big emotional step for Lilly, she didn’t travel without her husband before, dear Henry, and we aren’t talking about a few hours flight, this is the real McCoy…….all the way around the world for some 24 hours but she did it ! She can be on the quiet side at times but when she opens her mouth watch out for the zinger because your sides will be splitting with laughter, a dead-on sense of humor ! I won’t ever hear the words “Ciao Bella” without thinking of Lilly ….ever.

Yvonne - aussie three

is who led me to this discovery of the red thread…….she realized it and described it to me, it hit me so strong that she was right that I even tied a small piece of red thread inside a purse on a zipper. Me and my Yvonne (and yes I have claimed her as my own) began our red-thread in Orvieto, we were looking to stay in the same place last year but going at different times, Yvonne made it there first….same place, same bed, when I arrived I got angels, Yvonne knew I was coming wrote me a note on a postcard with angels, told me to take care of Aramo our B&B manager, after that – our destiny was sealed and that postcard has been at my bedside ever since – even to this trip in Rome, Yvonne “has it goinnnnnnnn on as I like to say” she is smart as a whip, stunning I say and I had to tell her , dear Yvonne, I don’t know if u ever noticed but you are built like nobody’s business, women half your age would die for that figure, how the *ell do you do it? Seriously guys, tall, thin, legs from here to Ethiopia, dresses smart, loves my man Michelangelo, before she retired she was a nurse and somehow I don’t know who gave it to her but she has been given an injection of “the fountain of youth” cuz dear sista Yvonne can hang, 2 am , 3 am , who said I’m going in??? a smile to die for, her whole face smiles… that is Yvonne ! and she is still there now as I write…

so that’s our aussies….including Melissa who couldn’t be with us

now we jump over to England with Julie..also known as jessybobs, she is luckiest woman alive, she can get those Ryan airfares dirt cheap and be over in Italy so fast, me and Julie love Italian romance and man stories……..way back she was telling me I’ve got some stories too you know and it starts with a smooch on a bridge in Venice, well after that our red thread is tied, glued and has been going on ever since…. Her accent sounds just like the Beatles and I could listen to her talk forever, slow of course cuz I have to listen carefully to a Brit accent , I’ve got that American affliction with accents, she understands me perfectly because of tv but I found myself asking her more than once, I’m sorry what did u say? We all planned Julie was going to be hoarse because we were going to make her talk and talk and talk………I love the stories about her and her mom traveling, especially when she got her mom paranoid about the suitcase weight and her Mom wore two bras on the plane, that is just the thing my mom would do, (or me for that matter)

Kathleen is from England but lives in Ireland - I got to know her much later but better late than never, if anyone becomes a saint for the love of cats, dear Kathleen is it, she donates part of her salary to them, feeds many many strays, gets them fixed, wakes at the crack of dawn to start this process, Julie and Kathleen met in Venice so I got to know her thru Julie, we didn’t get many days in Rome but I’m grateful for the time she could spend with us, she’s sweet as sugar pie !

The USA contingent – consists of some ladies who went and others who couldn’t but they were there in spirit and with a trusty and un-trusty webcam by the Pantheon. I will tell you about them next than onto Rome….big intro I know but it had to be done, so u can understand why this trip was unique and special.

Well, here it is at last, the long awaited , one and only, trip report by that Jeannette woman. She has given a little wrap up about some of us, let me tell you a little about her. If you could bottle her essence, you'd have bubbles from here to forever, I kid you not. But, she is not all about froth and bubble, she has a heart that encompasses the world and passion about so many things. She can have you splitting your sides one moment, then turning to appreciate something small and precious. How lucky were we to have her on this jaunt!?

Her attraction for the men is something else; let me tell you, young and old, they were smitten. She could be cruising around with a very wealthy Italian engineer at this very moment .. he was, shall we say, quite senior, but must have a strong heart, to be able to withstand the obvious bolt of lightning that struck him, when he spotted our Jeannette.

I'll let the rest of the crew add their 2 bits about this lovely lass. She was a big part of what made this get together the special success it was.

Oh, and Jeff, believe me, you were tosted many, many times!! My liver is ALMOST recovered. Thanks for the push that got Kat and Jeannette fired up.

Ciao for now, from Firenze. xxxx Yvonne.

Smitten indeed. In case readers don't already know, Jeanette is quite the hottie:

www.flickr.com/photos/j3dnight/2573180052/

Jeannette,

I'm loving the word picture you're painting for all the personalities. As I look at the pics you've posted, now, the faces and personalities "gel" and I'm getting to know all of you better. Thanks, luv.

s

Americano’s

Ellen – ellenami , NY we got to meet last year actually due to my trip report, long after it was done somehow she found it and just sent me a PM, hey I liked your report it should be a screenplay, of course I write back and to this day we have never stopped writing, thru good times and bad, we got to meet in here in America and now in Italy. Frank Sinatra was called “old blue eyes”, Ellen should be Ms. Blue eyes, cuz they are darn pretty and expressive, Ellen has been to Italy many many times and knows Rome very well, she was a darn good sport seeing things she has already done before with us, she speaks Italian very well and saved us a many a time with her language skills. She could also translate “what men want” which was hysterical later, she loves Italian romance as well and can tell you her own stories about that……….

Trish – tabbarret a retired teacher and a lover of Italy, I always admire Trish’s life so much because not only does she travel there for pleasure but she also stays a good bit and goes to school learning the language, living in real Italian towns and getting to know real Italian people and you sense that appreciation about her which is contagious, we got to meet in orvieto last year and she introduced me to some of Orvieto’s delights as well as dinner at one of her favorite places there, her and Yvonne were still carrying our Italian torches after we left, trish is very organized and saved the day a couple of times with advise , I think she is home now and probably in that I’m heartsick without Italy mode

Laura – riffsmom who we all know from her great love of Venice, Laura does a good bit of traveling and her Mr. Riff is not a fan of it, so for the longest time she wasn’t going because she didn’t feel it would be right to leave him when she had so much other stuff going on but somehow, someway, she got it done with a surprise heyyy I can come four nights, she is the virgin and thru her you get excited remembering your first time , (heyyy not that first time) your Rome first time … smiles, she is excellent with the maps, I was proud of her, she got around better than me and I have already been there , I know Venice has her heart but I think Rome should get a little piece of it

Barb – I met thru Laura, I did not get to spend a lot of time with her and I regret it, she’s a classy lady and funny too, she has that sense of humor like Lilly, she got to have her cousin come join her and so she too was carrying our torch, I can’t wait to hear about the rest of her trip, Barb we needed more time !

Jeannette – okay me…..I don’t know what, I don’t know why but sometimes I feel like I was just born, maybe it was because I was busy raising my two children mostly on my own, school and lots of suffering and heartache to ever pay attention properly but in the last ten years, especially the last five, I don’t mean awww poor me, not at all, I think life is beautiful so I am looking at the world and people with brand new eyes, I appreciate small things, big things, birds, sounds, sights, smells, stories, history, art, my list doesn’t end ---- and I can’t STOP traveling. Out of all the countries I’ve been to (still lots more to go) none of them has got a hold on me like Italy. None ! Why is that????? I keep asking…. which makes me…. keep going. I love everything about it , the people I meet along the way and trust me I attract the good and the bizarre but I did figure out why kinda, me and puppies are just about the same, we will charge onto something or someone happily, giddy, wanting to play and explore ALL DAY , people sense that and get your energy, especially in Rome , so on February 20th this pup was singing………I’m leaving on a jetplane ! next…..

Jeanette,

You've grabbed me in and got my attention!

Loving the report with others adding on....keep it coming!

Kathy

My flight is from Baltimore to Atlanta, than Atlanta to Rome, I go down the East Coast later watch myself go right back up it on plane #2, for the price I got hey who care’s !

I’m sitting next to a woman who is my age, at some point we get to talking, she is on her way to rome to see her son, he is in the service, naples but is arranging for them to have a rome vacation, I tell her about us scarves and rome, she is really excited about it, she told me I’m so glad I sat next to you, I told her me too, she told me lots about paris, with great shame she is trying to figure out how to get rid of her son for one night and come with us, we finally conclude , u know u won’t be able to do that, we have a cutieeeeeeee pie sitting behind us, she tells me so AS IF I DIDN’T NOTICE !!! I thought he was Italian but really he is much taller than usual, beautiful face and he put my suitcase in the bin, he is with his g/f but no matter , we don’t want to do the deed with him, just steal glances ! I get to the airport in Rome, Stefano’s man is right there with my last name on a card, which says Mr……….., hmmm I’m looking at him carefully, I said are you with Romecabs? Yes…. Are u waiting for me because you have Mister written down, I was a bit paranoid about this because last September in Vegas I’ll tell u what happened and of course only to me, I do not have an American last name and one u don’t hear much in this country, I am on a tour to the grand canyon with Kelly, we are there for her big 40, a bus will pick us up at 6 am at such and such stop, man pops out of the bus, says my last name, of course me and Kelly get in, well we get taken to a place that is not our tour group but believe it or not going to the grand canyon too, meanwhile the people get picked up by my tour company, same last name, and there is confusion when they arrive as well..they sent van’s to switch us, it got quite hectic so I am a teeny bit alarmed with Mister on this card but all is cool and we are off like dirty sock ! I can’t believe I’m in Rome again.