T minus 1 and counting. Or something like that...

So you should know right off, before we ever leave the states that Anne and I are both very type A. I know this comes as a shock to both of you. It pains me to admit that Anne has correctly dubbed me as A+ and she as A-, which may genuinely be a shock to those of you that know us both (or at least I am hoping so). So in the true spirit of an A+, I used a swingin' website recommended by Fodor's as a concierge for our train tickets. Yes, I suppose we could have just gotten the tickets there once we arrived but that would not be very "A" behavior so just go with me here. I bought our fast train passes for Rome to Florence and then from Florence to Venice and get this, they deliver them right to our hotel in Rome. Again I am picturing Fabio (not the guy driving the limo, a new hunkier Fabio with good hair) swooping in to the Mimosa looking for the smokin', American art teachers in need of train tickets. Isn't that nifty? So of course I am so pleased with my A+ discovery that I search options for calling home. No surprises that it is the international calling card that tops the list, but there is an exciting twist on buying these. I was able to purchase our pin codes on-line via zaptel (another recommendation by Fodor's) and they just emailed me our "cards" with pins. The rate is so low this way that we got a zillion minutes for $35 bucks. If you get giggly calls in the night from chicks with bad Italian impersonations, repeatedly using English entwined with the occasional "Arrevaderci" and "ciao", its us and we are having a great time!!! Stay tuned!!