Italy and Greece Day 20: Boston to DC

July 21, 2024

From my laundry room …

This morning I checked out of the Courtyard Marriott and returned to Boston Logan for United Flight 2098 from Boston Logan to Washington Dulles departing at 9:30a.

I’m home by 12:30p and immediately out the door for a welcome home lunch from The Burger Shack and to stock up on groceries at Wegmans. A few hours later I’m unpacked and laundry is underway. I really enjoy traveling, but I also really enjoy getting home. And in the post-trip glow of feeling travel accomplished, it’s a good time to reflect back on the trip …

By far, in terms of days of travel, this has been the most ambitious international trip I’ve done. I left Virginia early on July 2 and I’m getting home nearly three weeks later. But also in terms of destinations … Venice, Florence, Orvieto, Rome, Vatican City, Capri, Sorrento, Pompeii, Tolo, Athens, Mykonos, Kusadashi, Patmos, Rhodes, and Santorini. Not to mention airports in London and Milan. Counting Vatican City, that’s five countries! (And just one passport stamp!)

And this trip did not disappoint. I’ve meant to get to Italy for years. It was amazing from start to finish and I should have done this much sooner. Each city had a different flavor. I enjoyed each one, but I’d really like to come back and see more of Venice, Capri, and Sorrento and maybe some other places as well.

This trip also provided the opportunity to see parts of Greece I hadn’t visited on my previous trip … Tolo, Olympia, Epidaurus, Mycenae, and the Corinth Canal. And the blue skies and blue waters of the Aegean Sea during our island cruise were really worth coming back to see!

But doing all this with a great group of travelers makes the experience special …

Brad has been planning and leading these trips for nearly 40 years. It’s a huge amount of work and he dedicates many hours before departure and during the trips to make sure that things go smoothly while we are traveling. You can see where his experience as a high school principal would lend itself to this sort of leadership role. He makes sure the logistics of getting a large group through airports, busses, ferries, funiculars, cruise ships, and subways always works, while letting each of the travelers experience these new places in their own way. And even though he has been to all of these places many, many times he always finds something new to enjoy. Commendatore!

During the trip, long time Explorica tour guide Bianca was responsible for complex logistical travel arrangements, managing a sizable group of travelers through crowded tourist sites and cities, working with our drivers Antonio and Costas, and the care and feeding of the group. A highly skilled and experienced travel guide, Bianca has been imparting travel wisdom and Bianca’s Rules for Love and Life to the youth of the world for many years. “I mean, hello!”

Juan is an Explorica employee from Mexico on the trip as an employee benefit and travelled with us on the Italy and Greece portion of the trip. He is extremely knowledgeable about the travel industry and offered great insight into touring along the way.

Terry, Beth, and Patrick have done a number of trips with Brad, but none of the trips I’ve done. Terry and Beth are medical professionals and their expertise was welcomed by the group on more than a few occasions. Patrick has a great sense for the finer things in life and he shopped hard. And Patrick slays the recovery. Twice!

Cory and Hannah both work in the education field and travelled with us on the Italy and Greece portion of the trip. My first trip with both and I hope to travel with both soon! Cory first traveled with Brad when he was a student at Milford HS. He might be a future trip leader at some point.

I’ve traveled with Bernie and Jess several times and they’ve done other Brad trips I haven’t been on. It’s always great to spend time with them and catch up on Bernie’s woodworking and Jess’s beekeeping. (I need to get some of her honey.)

Brian and Elaine are friends of Bernie and Jess. This was their first trip with Brad. Brian served as a local elected official for many years. Elaine is a talented painter. Dinner conversations with both were always interesting and thought provoking. And both are part of their local arts council.

Marguerite has been on every trip I’ve done and I really enjoy traveling with her. At the age of 77 she still teaches at Milford HS and plans to teach for a few more years. She always has an interesting story to tell and photographs everything while we are traveling.

Mallory has travelled with Brad previously. She’s working through college towards an education career. Midway through our trip we were joined by her sister Jordan who surprised Mallory by flying Greece for the Aegean Island cruise. Jordan did a study abroad program in Greece last year. Mallory slays tech support. Great to travel with these sisters!

I previously travelled with Greg on the Peru and Southeast Asia trips. He’s always extremely well read on the places we are traveling to. Although I’ve only travelled before with Greg, he and his family are all very experienced travelers on previous Brad trips. Kim and I have been connected on social media for years. She is the Milford HS librarian, passionate about books, and leader of impromptu Italian roadside rest stop yoga classes. Hugh slays drums and even sat in with the jazz band on the cruise ship. Sophie slays kitties, tech support, and social media. Occasional blog proofreader. Charter member of the M&M’S.

Michelle and I met on the trip to Peru and started planning for this trip several years ago. On a trip you need a travel buddy or two. Someone to explore a new town with, find a great lunch cafe with, and to commiserate with. And occasional blog proofreader! And Michelle is an outstanding travel partner! Always up for adventure, excellent taste in wine and cheeses, on the lookout for the perfect cafe, and a great sense of humor. Charter member of the M&M’S.

Now that I’m home I can start unpacking and get to work transferring the photo and video files. Lookout for the Italy and Greece workflow post soon! And thank you for reading along as we made ou way through Italy, Greece, and Türkiye!