Yesterday, Lauren Shell and Ryan McCarthy graciously drove Lauren M., Andy, Chelsea, Bob, Raven, Justin, and I to Dulles where we met up at gate B19 for drinks and a bite to eat before taking off for Madrid.
The overnight flight was long and uncomfortable (pretty normal). It's sorta the punishment for three weeks of upcoming fun. ;-) We landed in Madrid and made it through emigration and customs without any problems. I caught some shuteye on the airport floor while we waited for our connection to Venice.
A few short hours later we were at Venice's Marco Polo airport catching a taxi to our hotel: Hotel Ducale. We're here for a few days before the rest of the class shows up. First day in Venice consisted of dinner, gelato, and lots of exploring. We're all pretty clueless about what to do today. Methinks we'll make it up as we go.