It’s hard for me to realize that a full week has gone by since I embarked on my Mediterranean vacation. I’m having difficulty keeping track of what day of the week it is, never mind the actual date. Part of that might be chalked up to the fact that I am in a time zone 10 hours ahead of the one I live in, but mostly it’s because the day isn’t terribly important. All I really need to know from day to day is what port we’re visiting and how I need to dress for dinner!  I am pleased to report that all my connections between home and Venice, our embarkation port, were on time, smooth and easy. Because I have traveled abroad only three times in the last 10 years (and never solo), I admit I was a bit anxious about all of that. Would I have enough time at London’s Heathrow Airport to go from my arrival gate in Terminal 4, through passport control, claim my luggage and check in and go through security in Terminal 2 to catch my flight on bmi to Venice? (yes, with my Continental flight arriving on time, 3+ hours was more than sufficient.) Would I be alert enough after some 20 hours of flying and layovers to negotiate getting from Marco Polo Airport to Venice? (Yep, adrenaline and anticipation were very helpful!) Thankfully — as all you global travelers know — English is spoken well by a good portion of the rest of the world, and it seems there are plenty of gracious, helpful folks ready to point one in the right direction upon request. I found the ATVO bus at three euros to be a quick, inexpensive means to get to our hotel, the Santa Chiara at Piazzale Roma. It was a charming place with a warm staff located right off the piazzale, a central transportation hub from which one can grab a bus, water taxi or vaporetto (water bus) to anywhere in the area. My sisters, who had arrived a day before me, directed me to the ticket office where I could buy a pass which would allow unlimited rides on the city buses or vaporetti over the course of 12 hours to several days. For 26 euros I got a 48-hour travelcard, a real bargain when one considers that a single, one-hour ride is 6.5 euros. My impressions of Venice, tomorrow. — Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader