I am sitting in the lobby of Hotel Italia in Verona, Italy.

Glad to report that our trip across the ocean from Denver to Washington DC, Dulles, to Munich and then Ljubljana was uneventful, just like wonderful travel should be. Usually when we land oversees, usually early in the morning,  we stay up and do not go to sleep until normal sleep time. I must admit that while Stu did this, going to the University to meet with students and collaborators, I immediately slept – and for several hours. A barbecue followed with collaborators, students and friends.  I had no trouble at all sleeping the entire night last night. Today we drove from Ljubljana to Verona. Just arrived.

En route to Verona we stopped in Mantova. As we sat in a square outside watching the people moving in and out of shops that had just reopened after siesta, you could feel the energy of the culture.