From my arrival day, Friday May 18 through my first day in Florence, Tuesday, May 22

Leaving NYC....of course I got to the airport 4 hours ahead of my flight because I'm a freak. (Tracy, I know you're laughing) I was so nervous about my flight (being that it's 5 months in Europe) but they didn't look twice at it. I was able to get my ticket with no problem so that left me with 4 hours to kill. Awesome.

I ate, walked around, got a neck massage at (quick spa) and then we finally boarded. I got comfy and had my Tylenol PM so I could pass out for the flight. I took one Tylenol PM and then decided to take another - not a good idea. When we landed in Rome, I was so out of it. Crazy, but at least I slept.

My new friend, Anthony, (he's actually Vicky's friend) was on my flight so we took a cab to the city together. He was fully prepared with the address of the hotel and I was not. You'd think as a meeting planner, I'd be prepared but I was not. I just said St. Regis hotel and that cab driver just stared at me. I was going to the St. Regis because Kristin, Brett, Linda and Bozo were working the Citi event. It was a great way to start...Comfort zone of having friends and helping them onsite.

Anyway...back to the cab...I finally got the address and he dropped me off first - before Anthony. Kristin greeted me and then I realized I left my carry on bag in the truck of the taxi. Smart Les. So I ran to Anthony's hotel, but it was not the right hotel. Oh well. Hopefully he'll bring it tomorrow when he said he was coming over to tour the City. Yes, my first experience in Rome...I leave a bag in the trunk. Awesome! After an hour, my new friend Anthony showed up at the hotel with my bag. YEAH! He laughed as did everyone else.

The days with Kristin, Brett, Linda and Bozo were great. That night the Citi event was a private tour of the Vatican and a nice dinner. It was amazing! I still had Tylenol PM in my system so I was a bit dizzy looking at all the artwork and paintings. I made it all night though.

Oh, to survive in Rome, you MUST RUN across the streets. I was almost hit a few times. Scary. 100% times than NYC.

The next day, Anthony met me and we toured the entire city! We saw it all and ate a lot of great Italian food! It was a perfect day. We walked for about 8 hours. That night, I went to dinner with Kristin, Brett, Linda and Bozo. Another great meal and then we ended up at a bar called "Big Apple." It took Kristin a few hours to realize it was themed around NYC. HA! Oh that day, I left my sweatshirt in Anthony's backpack (man purse). I'm "2 for 2" leaving things around Rome.

After the conference ended, we decided to go to Tuscany instead of staying in Rome. We stayed in a gorgeous hotel and of course ate great meals. The next day, we went to Sienna (a little town in Tuscany) and then wen to a private winery. We tasted their wine and the owner of the winery cooked us lunch. More food! When we got back after our day, we just played cards until 10pm out on the patio. The views from this hotel were unbelieveable. I'm going to try to download pictures, if I can figure it out.

Kristin, Brett and Linda left today and I'm on my own - for the first time. I went for a run, which I think is very rare in Italy, but I did it anyway. People probably stared at me and said "Crazy American." In the afternoon, I then took a bus to Florence and then walked around to find my hotel. It's a cute little, quiet, quaint hotel. Even though it's quaint, I decided to take a shower with my flip flops. Bathroom is kinda sketchy.

Oh, waiting for the bus, I met a very nice couple, Jewish from NYC. They could be my grandparents. They're very happy for my adventure but of course nervous. Shocker....another Jewish mom and dad nervous for me! I have enough of that already. HA! Just kidding mom (and Steph's mom).

Once I got settled in my hotel, I walked around, found a great place for dinner and now I'm in the Internet Cafe next to my hotel. It's going to close shortly so I'm going to have to finish this tomorrow. I'll try to download pictures tomorrow. Okay, they're shutting off the computers now.

Good night. Ciao!