And so it ended...

Our travelling home day...one you know will arrive when you set off, just one you hope you don't look forward to too much nor dread when it comes - as a holiday should be seen and enjoyed in the context it is, a break from the joys of your daily life!

Super organised (for a change) we left with ample time for our 7.50am train to Milan, enjoying the last minute views of the Grand Canal in the early morning light. But when we arrived there was no train on the board?! I looked again and then looked closely at our ticket print out. We were at the wrong station, I had booked it by mistake from Venice Mestre not Venice Santa Lucca, where we were. Ahhhhhh. Panic rising, I rushed us all to the next train leaving as I knew they had to pass through Mestre where we could connect with the train we needed. Finally it left, we has 10 minutes to get there and as if some lucky travelling star descend on our family in our minute of need, we looked online and saw our connecting train was running 10 minutes late. I breathed again. Given that every train trip in Italy had left on time, it seemed we had been delivered a miracle! Even odder was that it was already in the station when we arrived (which was 1 minute after it was scheduled to leave) and stayed there for 10 minutes before it headed off. Nearly derailed (excuse the pun) at the last travelling hurdle.

Made it to Milan, made it to the airport (where Sienna was captured) and then made it home.

Absolutely filled up to the brim with memories, experiences, tastes, sights and joy. What a joyful thing to have experienced as a family...we are lucky indeed.