The "Groupon" Caper

O.K. I will return to unfinished travels later.

I am starting afresh with the arrival of a "Groupon" in my e-mail box. [If you are not familiar with these, just type "groupon" in your search engine and  explore deals for the area of the country or activity you are interested in visiting.]

 David was ready for a trip with Grandma and I was having a difficult time finding anything to meet both our needs.When I travel with my grandchildren, I attempt to focus on an area of interest to them but one I will be able to enjoy with them as well. I had already made two trips to England with grandchildren focusing on Harry Potter and, although the trips were delightful, I did not particularly relish a third.  Among the interests David and I did share, "cooking" rated near the top but, after scouring Internet sites,  I had almost despaired of finding a cooking adventure that would challenge both our skills. Fortunately, even at age 11, he was beyond the beginner stage and was quite adventurous and creative in his kitchen at home.

When the "Groupon" arrived in my inbox, I almost summarily dismissed it. The destination for a cooking course was in Italy. Could it be true? Was it a scam? Would they accept an 11 year old? Could I trust the source? A slew of questions invaded my thoughts and, although I did not delete the e-mail immediately, I did pass it by for more thought. I checked the reviews, the site, the proposed itinerary, and finally questioned my daughter on her view of David's readiness for such an adventure.

About a year earlier, I had asked David where he would like to go IF he could choose. He replied that he would like to "eat spaghetti in Italy."
"Well," I teased, "I can just take you to Olive Garden restaurant and save a lot of money."
When I reminded him of that conversation, he grimaced.
 "So, would you prefer to go to Olive Garden and we can take your brother and mom along, or would you rather go to Italy and make your own pasta?" I asked with a smile.
David is not given to outward bursts of enthusiasm but his big grin made his choice quite clear. All systems, it seemed, were a "go," so I made the commitment. David and I were scheduled to begin our culinary experience on 16 June 2013 when we would be met at the airport in Rome, Italy.

Although the trip was several months away, there was a lot to accomplish. David needed a passport and permission letters for me to take him out of the country.  I required that he do some independent research on the area/s we would visit, make a list of things he would like to see,  and learn something about Italian art and history. He exchanged his ever present novel for a Rick Steves' book on Rome and began to set up an itinerary for us. We would leave a few days early and spend some time in Rome on our own before traveling to Carunchio, Italy. My main tasks were to set up the travel and accommodation for the parts of the trip that were not covered.

Thus we began......