I'm a Utah girl

An announcement came over the intercom of the airplane announcing that the Bologna Airport had just closed. We were mid-flight; supposed to land in 10 minutes.

Great.

They were hoping it would reopen after clearing snow off the runway, so we circled. And circled. As it began to get dark, we headed into the descent for landing. I watched the flaps and ailerons shift and flip up, acting as barriers to the wind, slowing us for landing. A new, loud, roaring noise startled me and as the forces on my body shifted I looked out the window once more to see that we were pulling out of the descent and heading upward in a swift thrust. The winds were too strong. We had to come in from the other runway. Which meant more circling while they cleared that one of snow.

It felt like we landed in a ski lodge. Passengers threw snowballs at each other, and most everyone had their phones out snapping photos of the plane and the snow.

I was so glad to be on the ground.

I've never been scared of flying, but there is something about holding your baby on your lap while pulling out of the landing that makes you get a little jumpy.

The snow here is incredible. I'm a Utah girl and I'm still impressed. Maybe it's because there's no where for it to go in this tight city. It's piled 2 and 3 feet deep on the tops of cars and the sidewalks aren't cleared, just trampled into a nice crust of icy snow. The architecture has never looked better. The white highlights all the details and sets off the burning red color of the buildings. If I get past how cold I am, I realize just how spectacularly beautiful the city is.