Jet Lag

Traveling forward 9 time zones is not exactly easy. We’re doing pretty well with the new schedule but we’re definitely neck deep in an adjustment period. On our first day in Rome we woke up before 6 and surprised ourselves by not only staying awake all day but also walking approximately 12 miles up, down, in, out, and around the various parts of the city. Well…at least Dan and I were awake while Jackson took 2-hour naps at every major site in Rome (I took pictures of him, of course), waking only to eat, chase birds, or flirt with the ladies. The two of us abruptly hit a wall though as soon as we boarded our hotel’s shuttle bus at the end of the day and realized that while neither one of us could keep our eyes open, a very active and alert Jackson was sitting between us and would happily explore the bus and its patrons whether we were awake to monitor (a.k.a. restrain) him or not. Despite our efforts to take turns being awake on the short drive to the hotel, I was more than once abruptly awakened by Jackson yanking my sunglasses from atop my head or by my own head bobbing forward when the bus hit a dip in the city streets. Thankfully, we all arrived at the hotel without tales of a toddler gone wild.

Our next day was another roller coaster of energy levels. We went strong up until mid-way through our drive from Rome to Southern Italy when Dan was getting groggy and needed a nap. We made a pit stop in Pompeii and Dan slept in the car while Jackson and I literally chased birds around the ruins for nearly an hour. Don't worry - Dan didn't miss out on the ruins. We went back for seconds with him and there's a blog about it if you want details.

The remainder of the drive south to our hotel just outside of Brindisi was fragmented for me as it was my turn to be overcome with exhaustion (from jet lag and chasing birds and Jackson!). I struggled to stay awake and keep Dan company – or more accurately, I was out cold except when awakened by crazy curves in the road that threatened whiplash.

Day 3 was yesterday and it was the day we crashed hard. After breakfast here at our hotel (which is incredibly awesome by the way!), all three of us went straight back to our room, drew the black-out drapes closed, and slept like a family of hibernating bears for most of the day. It seemed to work for Dan and me but for Jackson it might not have been the best idea considering that last night he woke up and was ready to chat and play long before the sun was up.
Today Dan started his first day at work here at Alenia Aeronautica (Boeing’s partner here in Italy) and hopefully he can stay awake during meetings. On the other hand, Jackson and I plan to snooze as often as we fancy…poolside!