Easter Sunday and Arrivederci Italia!

        We got up at 5 am so we could catch the 6 am shuttle to the airport. We are not looking forward to today, as we will be making 3 plane connections, having to get our checked in luggage and go back through Security each time.

         The driver was a pleasant young man who, in conversation, told us that he was addicted to bicycling. The trip to the terminal was maybe 5 or 6 minutes from the hotel, and we wheeled our luggage to the Alitalia terminal to check in. This first leg to Rome is only about a 50 minute hopper. The nice lady checked us in, printed our tickets, and then informed us that each checked bag will cost us 50 Euro each.

WHAT???

Well, either pay the fee or throw out our luggage and buy new stuff when we get home. Yes we paid the fee. Not happy.....

We waited for about 45 minutes before they started boarding - just enough time to get some coffee and sodas. The airport in Venice is small, but very nice, with newer facilities. We get aboard and cozy into our seats. The flight was smooth and comfortable - a great start for the day.

       Then we land in Rome with two hours until our next flight leaves. We figure there is plenty of time to use the facilities and grab a bit of breakfast. We get our luggage and go back out of the building, walking next door to the next terminal, and find the American Airlines Terminal. A very nice young woman takes us to a kiosk and assists us in checking in, printing our boarding passes and tagging our luggage. Still going well. We take our luggage to the weigh in counter and wait in line, longer than we should. Apparently the conveyor system is computer controlled and wasn't working as well as it should. Still, we only stood in line for about 35 - 40 minutes, so it was getting a little tight, but still enough time.

     We headed to Security and went through uneventfully. We headed to our gate, but before we do that, we had to go through Customs.

   We walked for quite awhile, probably 15 minutes, down corridors, up and down escalators, before we could see the Customs area. Another nice lady directed us to keep going down the hall until we reached the end of the line. By now, Dad's leg was really bothering him. In this whole area of the airport, there were no places to sit, no moving sidewalks, and no little shuttle carts for people with mobility issues. We trudged on, Dad limping and trying to keep up. 

     We kept walking, trying to find the end of the line. We walked and walked, trying to find the end of the line. After walking for about 8 to 9 minutes straight, Dad had enough. Yet the line kept going, now through doors and into another terminal. So Bruce made an Executive decision - he cut the line. Done. The people behind us weren't even paying attention, and in the melee of the crowd, probably didn't notice. Yes, he is sorry he did it, but says he would do it again.

     From there it was another 30 or 40 minutes or so to get through Customs, and we finally headed to our gate. We walked another 10 minutes until we got to a courtyard with a fountain, where Dad had to sit for a minute. We took advantage of the break and ran to the restrooms. There was a Departure Board there that informed us that our flight was boarding. Great, no time for breakfast and by now were were all really hungry.

      Back up and on our way to the gate, which we had to ride an escalator to get to another airport area. .We arrived and got into the line, as our zone had already boarded. We got to our seats and tried to get comfortable for the 10 hour return flight, trying to ignore our rumbling stomachs and head aches.

Luckily the airlines served lunch as our meal, and soon after takeoff they brought out the food, which we all devoured.The flight was smooth and we watched a few movies before we landed in Charlotte at 6 pm (12 am Italy time). The only problem with the long flight is that none of us could really sleep on it, so by now we all had been up over 19 hours.

     As bad as Rome was, Charlotte was Great! They had the luggage out promptly, and a special conveyor was there if you were connecting. We easily made it to our gate for the 1 1/2 hour flight to Raleigh. 

     The rest was simple. Fly to Raleigh, grab the luggage, take the shuttle bus to long term parking, and make the 40 minute drive to our house. By the time we finally got settled in, threw in some laundry, and got to bed, it was 11 pm. We all had been up 24 hours straight Bruce and I fell right to sleep...

...and wide awake at 2 am. JET LAG SUCKS!

Waiting at Marco Polo Airport in Venice