Jillaroo

I thought flying in a plane called Jillaroo with two female pilots in the main seats was a wonderful omen for the start of this adventure. I did find it slightly ironic. The Dreamliner was flown by two very competent women and there was a whole male flight attendant crew in my lovely bit of the plane. The flight to Perth was super efficient and we took off Heathrow bound on time. I had a really lovely dinner and then settled down with a G&T to watch Chernobyl. Tom had said it was fantastic and his fantastic was probably an undersell. I just loved it. Of course I remember Chernobyl, but it was something a little vague happening on the other side of the world. In pre social media and 24 hour news times the whole world did seem a little simpler. We could live oblivious to the enormity of what might have been happening in some people’s lives. I was pregnant with Tom and would have been running around with a two year old who was excited to blow out my birthday candles. While we sat and ate cake, thousands of people were having their lives destroyed by power hungry men in suits. Chernobyl was so sobering but also was a reminder to live each day – as Leigh Sales writes, any ordinary day can turn to total crap within a couple of minutes.

Heathrow passport control is now fully automated with none of those pesky forms to fill out. I can never find a pen and always have my passport tucked in the wrong place to grab quickly. I was reading that soon we will not even have to carry passports. Our faces will enable us to cross borders and move freely around the world. My arrival into Trastevere was super easy. A train ride on the regional train, four stops on a very efficient and cool tram, and then out into the blazing Roman sun. I met Vanina outside the apartment and she showed me into my home for the next few days. A beautiful apartment in the middle of the most fantastic part of Rome.