Just returned from a relaxing 6-day visit to Venice, Padua, and Verona (aided by some good tips from my readers).

My return flight made a surprise landing in Cyprus. Alitalia flight crews are no longer willing to spend their between-flight "down time" in Tel Aviv, so they now switch crews in Cyprus - meaning an extra hour in flight time for passengers. T. and I tried to reconstruct why we decided not to take El Al; a few minutes later some people next to me had the same conversation.

When I got to Ben-Gurion Airport there were several rows of arriving Thai workers lined up at Passport Control. They were wearing t-shirts and jackets with the logo of the recruiting company that brought them here.