The Long Way Home

The Cinque and I parted ways. The ladies went on to spend a couple of days in Rome, and I headed to Milan, where I would catch a plane back to the States the next day. Although I was ready to go home, I did wish I was going to Rome. I will have to get there another time, I guess. The train ride to Milan was long (7 hours), and I didn't have a reserved seat, so I had to keep moving around. There was some good people watching on the train. Even a couple of unsavory types, that made me nervous. One guy propositioned me. He wanted to be my "friend", said he wouldn't even charge me. Should I have been flattered? I asked him to find another seat. He did, but kept staring at me. I was really glad he got off the train before we got to Milan. I made it to Milan around 9 in the evening, and booked myself into a hotel by the airport so I wouldn't have to worry about making my 8 am flight. I had a layover in Madrid (gorgeous airport!), then on to Dallas, then to Portland. My flight was delayed in Dallas for a couple of hours due to weather, and I made it home by 11 pm. Including the train ride, I had been traveling for 27 hours. I was so glad to be home. So tired, but glad to be back in Portland, Oregon.