rome wasn't built in a day, but i arrived in one -- kinda.

all roads lead to rome, unfortunately if you go through canada they also lead to customs and security.

my first day *if you can call it that* consisted of getting myself up and out of california and to la citta eterna, literally. my initial flight was to montreal where i would then home-alone it across the airport to my connection to rome. this was easy enough due to an early arrival even if canada insists on moving slower than molasses (or in their case maple syrup). not only was i forced to go through customs AND security, my gate to connect was essentially on the opposite side of the airport. sweet.

after canada we were all set to go until there was trouble with our plane and we needed to have the mechanic come out to look at/fix it prior to departure. luckily, an hour in the plane earns you a small bag of "chili-citrus corn snacks" which taste like wonky croutons, but even i was desperate enough to eat the entire thing. their in-flight meals however were good, i opted for the 'chicken' which was chicken in some white goo with wild rice. to wrap up the meal we were given chocolate mousse which was light, and surprisingly good for what i have grown to expect.

and 8 (in air) hours later, we were there. ready to take the "air bridge" to baggage and mingle with the nuns as i searched for my program trying not to be distracted by all the pretty girls.