Never Fly US Airways

So I can't remember a time that I have flown on US Airways that there hasn't been a problem: cancelation, flight time change, etc. Even this trip they canceled the flight dad and I had coming back from Spain forcing us to stay a day later and leaving our connecting flights in the US the day before. Chelsey too has always had trouble and so far this trip it had been going smooth (if you don't count the fact that the plane we flew on over here shouldn't be allowed to fly overseas; I have taken bigger planes to NYC and Chelsey and I barely fit in our seats). So as I said earlier, I never got to talk to Chelsey after I got to the airport. When I spoke with mom yesterday I asked her to call Chelsey and make sure she got home because I couldn't get her. Come to find out US Airways had NO flights to Charlotte which is what Chelsey was scheduled on and they had not sent me an e-mail saying she had any changes in her flight. She almost had to stay another night in Rome by herself, but ended up on a flight to Philly and then got home on Sunday instead of Saturday. Point of the story: Don't fly US Airways!

Athens

So no sleep and the overly friendly people in Italy (I am highly exaggerating, they were the worst people we met on the trip) made the Rome airport experience one I would like to forget. Unlike the rest of the normal world, the Rome airport has hundreds of check in areas throughout five terminals where you have to find your flight and then find that number to check in. And don’t think you can find where you airline departs if you are not in that terminal. No one will help you or answer your questions, they just snub you. I have to think that in the US we don’t treat people like this. So I get in the line where I am supposed to check in and Chelsey heads to another terminal for US Airways. At this point I am hoping she got on her plane and is on the 14 hour trip home. Cell phones aren’t easy to come by and once we got split up we didn’t see each other before we departed. We laughed about this trip and how a couple years ago we would have killed each other being together for 15 or so days. But back to the airport. I am in line but it is like 7:30 a.m. and I get in line only to find out that I can’t check in yet, but it isn’t this clear as they are telling me this. I get pushed around some more and then move over to the side. Putting no sleep with a flashback to our last experience in this airport six years ago where after more than six hours we almost didn’t make our flight, I just broke down. This sweet couple from American ask if I was alright and I just felt silly. I was so tired and really wanted food, but I couldn’t get through security because I couldn’t check in for another hour and a half.
As 9 neared, I got in line again to check in. Behind me this man asked me if I spoke English. His sister was flying to Athens on the same flight I was on, but had never flown before and didn’t speak English or Italian. He asked me if I would make sure she got to the gate. It was weird to met someone who in their late forties had never flown and had a language barrier too that made the journey hard. After checking in we got to the security area (more flashbacks to last time and how long it took). It was about 45 minutes and we got through the throngs of people to the security. It was funny because we couldn’t communicate, but she just did what I did with her stuff. Took off her coat, put her luggage on the conveyor belt. We got to the gate and I showed her where our flight would leave from and then wondered around for a while. I was flying Aegean Air, which had a great plane and amazing snacks! It ended up that the woman I met was sitting two seats over, so I showed her where to put her luggage above in the compartment and how to buckle the seat belt. Being on the clean plane, it took me about five seconds before I fell asleep. Arriving in Athens, we wondered to baggage claim and got our belongings. Before she met who was picking her up and shook my hand and thanked me. It was a great experience to meet someone who had just as much of a language barrier as I did. I got into a taxi and headed to the hotel to meet dad, who was waiting in the lobby. First off it was amazing to see him and be at a Marriott, where I wouldn’t feat the beds! From the pool at the hotel, you can see the Acropolis on the hill. It is such a neat city. My taxi driver was very informative and told me a lot about the sights as we rode in.

We are staying at a Marriott, which means great beds and sheets that have more than a two digit thread count (so of the hotels should have advertised exfoliating sheets because they were such rough sheets!). Today we went off to see the Acropolis and Agora, which were really neat buildings, but with lots of work being done to preserve them. It is really hot here are well, so I am pleased to say that I will have a head start to the summer tan by the time I get home.

Rome

Our final day of the trip was in Rome. After spending the morning driving we stopped at yet another nasty autogrill we made it into our first stop at the Vatican City. Since Chelsey and I had both spent time Rome and toured the Vatican City, we headed out on our own to explore the city. First up was the Pantheon and then one of my favorite places, the Trevi Fountain. Tossing some coins in to the fountain, we make a wish and are really tempted to go swimming in the sweltering heat. As we continued walking through the historic city, we ran into great buildings and monuments. From an overlook of the city, we got pictures with views of the Roman Forum and my favorite the Coliseum. The one thing I hadn’t done on the last trip to Rome was go into the Coliseum and that was my goal for this trip. It really was a quick 15 minutes and we were inside, but not after getting some pictures with the Gladiators outside. I don’t think that they are original, but their costumes look pretty good! The Coliseum is an amazing piece of architecture and it is unthinkable how they built such a structure that long ago. From the top levels you could see the mazes used for animals and how they flooded the building for boats to come in. The structure even had a cover to keep out rain and heat back in the day. With all this walking, we needed some pasta to keep up our energy. Later that afternoon we meet the group back at the hotel and got ready for our final evening together at the Roman Banquet. It was a great feast spent with some great people. Pasta, pizza and cake made it a final great evening, but Peppe and Diana had one last stop in mind. After dinner, we made a stop at the Trevi Fountain a little after midnight to see it lit up and get our last pictures with the group. The bus ride back to the hotel was fun but sad thinking that it had all come to an end.

Back to the hotel. It was the nasty place I have every stayed at in my life. Paint peeling, mold in the bathroom, random kitchen the closed behind cabinets, sleeper chairs and beds (if you can call them that) and many other undesirable features. Needless to say, none of us slept there but luckily the airport departure was early and we didn’t get back in until after 1, so it worked out okay to get out quickly.

Florence

With its amazing sculptures and structures, Florence houses some of the most beautiful works of art in the world. Arriving in Florence we meet our city tour guided and did a walking tour of the city followed by a tour of Academia, where Michelangelo’s statue of David is. The tour was interesting, but we stopped at this disgusting autogrill for lunch and didn’t eat much because it was nasty, so we were all really hungry by then end of the tour. Tonight was our Florence Pizza Party, so we headed to a local restaurant for the great thin crust Italian pizza. Our second day in Florence was a free day. We started our climbing the Duomo, all 493 steps to the top to see spectacular panoramic views of the city. After lunch we met up with some others from the group and headed to shop in the open market for leather and then we walked to the Petti Palace and explored the gardens and some museums. For our last free night, we found a great little restaurant and grabbed dinner, enjoying the atmosphere and outdoor sitting for a little more than three hours.

Venice - The Sinking City

This morning was one of the earliest and we got on the road at 7:30 a.m. headed to Venice, Italy. Of course we didn’t leave on time, but that isn’t anything new. The trip to Venice was a little more than seven hours from Zell am See. We made a stop for lunch at some sort of rest area which had the nastiest food I have experienced thus far on this trip. I ate Ritz Crackers and Chelsey at potato chips. Getting to Venice we parked the bus and hopped on a boat to the island. First up was a demonstration of Murano glass blowing and then a tour of the showroom. It was neat to see again, but it was so hot. Venice was the hottest place we had been so far, with temperatures exceeding 80 degrees, and when it has been in the 60s and 70s thus far, being in the 80s was a shock. The group got time to explore St. Mark’s Square and the amazing shops before going on out gondola ride through the canals. This trip was especially neat because we had musicians on one of the boats that sang with a guitarist. Our gondolier, who went by Marco Polo, was probably the best one of the group and before the trip was over let all six of us in the boat get a try at “driving,” which none of the other boats did. By the time our ride was over, it was cooling off and we broke off the grab some amazing pizza in a little restaurant. Tomorrow it is off to Florence for two days before finishing the tour in Rome.

Probably the coolest thing about our stay in Zell am See is that we really got to know some of the others on our trip. In the beginning we talk to people, but besides city tours, everyone went with the people they already knew for free time. With the white water rafting and long afternoons on the terraces, it gave everyone lots of time to chat and really get to know people. This has made the trip since then that much more enjoyable because it is like a group of old friends traveling together.

Zell am See

The most challenging excursion we have during the trip is the white water rafting here in Zell am See. It was supposed to be an afternoon trip, but because of expected thunderstorms, the trip got moved up to 10 a.m. The river we rafted down was a level three, which made for an exciting trip. Probably the worst part was how cold the river was. We were all outfitted with wet suites, shoes, life jackets and helmets before being briefed on safety and rafting commands. Our guide was Sascha and we had a boat of eight girls. I don’t think he knew what to think of us, but after a while we got him to loosen up. Shortly after getting on the river, we pulled over to the side and they made us practice swimming down the river. There was a pretty good current, but the hardest part was breathing in the water. It was so cold I felt like my lungs were unable to expand. The trip was amazing and past the coldness, it was one of the coolest experiences thus far on the trip.

Austria

It seems to be a trend. We are on the road again today headed through Salzburg, Austria to Zell am See for our well needed Alpine Retreat. Once in Salzburg, we meet up with Gabi for a walking city tour of the home of Mozart and the film that put the city on the map, The Sound of Music. The tour was interested, but we were all hungry and it was so hot, so our attention span was minuscule. One of the prettiest sites in the city is the Maribell Gardens, where the Von Trap kids ran through during Do, Ro, Me in the movie. The gardens are beautifully manicured with statues, seasonal flowers and fountains. For lunch, we found a restaurant that I ate at last time I was in the city. What I love about this restaurant is that it has chicken. Probably the hardest part about traveling for me is the food. Being the picky eater that I am, the traditional food from many of the places we are visiting isn’t something I like. If it weren’t for McDonald’s and Hard Rock, I may starve! Well, the chicken here is fried, but with an amazing breading with French fries. Yum.
We had a little more time to wander through the city and then we got back on the bus to head to Zell am See in the Austrian Alps. Our hotel here is spectacular. We were welcomed with Champaign on the porch while they took our luggage to our rooms, which are amazing. The balconies and terraces have views of the stream and mountains. Dinner was a delicious buffet and then we headed to the Crazy Daisy for our Alpine Show and dance party with a local dj. So we had no clue what to expect with the Alpine Show, but it actually was pretty entertaining. There were traditional instruments and some fun audience participation that got everyone ready for the dance party. Dancing the night away was fun, but it was so hot in the club that many people turned in.