Arrivo!

First Ever Post! Corr..

Today's Wednesday 27 February as that's the day I arrived (I know it says the 3rd..)

After squeezing my suitcase shut this morning (with surprising ease I have to admit) and weighing it one last time (I'd picked it up last night, nearly had a heart attack it was so heavy but was then reassured when it weighed less than 19kg), I got in the car with Dad and we drove to the coach station. I was touched when he parked up and waited with me for the coach to arrive (it sounds horrible to put it like this but sometimes he does have a tendency to half-heartedly drop me off). At 10:35 I waved goodbye to him, turned on my Ipod and prepared myself for the 4 hour journey to Gatwick Airport.

Gatwick wasn't as big as I'd expected. First thing was to check in my suitcase and then find a pew to start on my lunch. I wasn't super duper hungry but Mum had made me a beast of a packed lunch (with enough food to feed me for two days no doubt) and I didn't want to throw any away for customs. Gates opened at 5 so I had a fair while to plough through it all.

Finally down to one bag and overheating terribly in my layers (less weight in the suitcase you see!) I made it through customs. I was scanned, patted down (truly feeling like a criminal) and sniffed out by a cheerful spaniel sniffer dog but made it through in the end. In the queue for the scanner, an Irish lady behind me started talking but she had such a broad accent it was only after the first 30 seconds that I realised she was speaking English. I smiled, nodded and agreed...

The Easyjet plane was a 3x3 small and narrow but luckily I had an isle seat. The young couple next to me spent the entire flight all hands and lips, the best I could do was turn up my ipod and admire the lighting on the ceiling (Although despite my best efforts kissing sounds still penetrated through the drum and bass). To my right in the corner of my eye I watched an elderly Italian man don a brown felt hat, bright yellow headphones and begin to bop his head and play a piano concerto onto his knee with his fingers. I tried not to smile too much and wish he was my Italian grandpa.

I met the Casanova's when the plane landed and I'd grabbed my baggage from the conveyor. They'd all three come to meet me; Clarissa bounded up and took my hand as we walked back to the car. She was cute, round-eyed and reminded me of a little pixie.

"I have something for you in the car," she said in remarkably good English.

We'd barely reached it when she came running over to me with a drawing.

"It's slightly abstract," Giorgio told me, "Because we took her to see an exhibition by Kandinsky the other week."

In the car she insisted on holding my hand all the way home, even after we had a quick panini and she fell asleep in her car seat. We got back around 11. Clarissa gave me a quick tour of their (massive) house but it was late and she quickly went to bed. I was knackered as well and bed seemed inviting, so after sending a message round to Mum, Dad and Matt - yes, I have arrived safely and no, they're not serial rapists they're lovely - I called it a day and hit the hay. The bed isn't the comfiest in the world (I think I slept with seven springs up my back) but bed is bed.