We have started the trip off strong with 2 hour long issues at Delta ticketing! Getting through security at MSP was a breeze (surprisingly) with a line that moved quite fast. Our flight from MSP to Amsterdam was an hour shorter than expected, which was a nice surprise, at a whopping 7 hours and 11 minutes long. Dinner in flight was a choice between 4-cheese ravioli and BBQ chicken… the ravioli was the correct choice I have heard. The sad general consensus of sleep for this flight was that not many people were able to fall asleep even with sleeping pills but I was not one of these people, woohoo! Once landed in Amsterdam, many of the group were relieved that the bags were transferred from one flight to the next without having to recheck the bags. We had an hour to spare so Emma Sullivan and I grabbed a cappuccino to try which we quickly realized was just straight espresso with frothed milk which was not exactly the expectation. As we were flying on the second leg to Rome, I had watched a movie and once it was completed, I looked around and realized I was one of the only people awake! Luckily, many folks woke back up for the beautiful views of the Swiss Alps. We landed and of course, took a bathroom break before everyone grabbed their bags that made it allllll the way to Italy. We were all a bit shocked when we were introduced to Paolo and Dr. Besser split from us but we somehow made it to our lovely apartments. For myself and five other gals, we were shown what to do in case of emergency and are now just resting a bit before grocery shopping and dinner! It has been quite an interesting day and I’m glad we have officially made it!! Let the adventures begin…

Kate Achenbach