I was not sure it would ever happen. It's been two years. Two years of anxious waiting. We had said as soon as they open up the borders we would rush back. But, we did not. Our friend Walt and Hellen did and were on the almost first airplane in. We sat at home, living in agony as they sent photos of them eating and drinking Negroni's in tourist free areas. We sat knowing our time would come.
Finally, our time was coming. First chore, book a ride on a airplane. Swissair said they were resuming their non-stop flights from Tampa to Zurich. This was great, get on the plane at home and get off in Europe. When it sounds to good to be true it usually is. I am all eager and excited when the first notice comes form SwissAir.
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TheY cancelled the TPA-ZRH flight and put us on United to Chicago and then Swiss to ZRH. It added 7 hours to the flight. But, I took it. Just get me there!
Then they did this:
They cancelled the ZRH-TPA flight and put us on Swiss to MIA. The end!!!! Hell, Miami is in the same state as Florida so I guess Swiss figured we could find our way home from there!!! Between Vicki and me we spent 4 hours on hold, her as long as 2 hours with no contact. End the end we hit the "Get your money back" button on the email. We got a long long email that said literally do not call us to check on your money, we can not legally give it back for 21 days. WTF. We did get it back after about 14 days.
Now I have to go in search for another ticket. We are about five weeks from departure and the prices have increased. We found a ticket on United via Dulles to Frankfurt to Florence. So far, no problems. I have many friends who have had nightmare trips on the airlines. A friend just came back from Europe and the airline had the information for two of them but not the other two. They had digital proof of tickets and seats with paper back up. It did not go well, but eventually they got home.
I am about to chew my arm off to get out of here.
In the past, since we always flew standby, we never booked much in advance. This time, since we have "real" tickets, and I blame it on COVID isolation, I have everything booked for the first five weeks and the last ten days. Last night, after days of agonizing about the cost, I booked a rental car for ten days. For what used to cost maybe $45 a day I am paying $75 a day. That hurts.
Now we go to documentation. Since I live in a state with an idiot for a governor, we are not allowed to have any digital confirmation of COVID shots that the rest of the world has and requires. All these nibble brained amateur molecular experts and the "it's my right" "it's my freedom" idiots that prevent us from doing so, is a big pain in the ass. Of course, that group never talks about their responsibilities for living in freedom. Maybe they should review one of their slogan's "freedom isn't free". Well, it sure is a lot more than sending young men off to die so capitalist pigs can make trillions of dollars off their deaths. Shall I bring up our latest "nation building" fiasco?
Be a Patriot, Get a Shot, and Save Someone Else's Life.
California has digital shot records with the required QR that is needed for travel and to get into restaurants and stores in other parts of the world. Yes governor, your anti-covd program is a great success in my area with over 10,000 students in quarantine and leading the nation in COVID hospitalizations.
So, thanks to the idiot, we are now chasing lots of paper work to prove we are healthy. You cannot do it to early, 72 hours before we board the plane in Frankfurt for Florence. Try and figure all that out and one hiccup in the flight and you are screwed and have to start all over. I know, I have already been there last year.
Back to the good part! We are flying into Florence. Italy, not South Carolina. We will stay there for four nights in an apartment downtown. From there we move to the Chianti region for Eat, Paint, Love a yoga and "intuitive art" week of fun. Or that's what Vicki tells me. Being familiar with this area, I know down the hill there is a Vespa rental place and I can escape to there need be.
Next, we move a little further south in Tuscany to Villa Ceppeto in Monte San Safino owned by our good friends. We will stay in the La Limonaia one of my favorite places.
Off we go from there to Venice. Hopefully we will not be stuck in our apartment by a flood. They have built $6 billion Mode that is supposed to protect the city. Like most things it is way over budget, way over schedule, and keeping with Italian tradition, full of graft.
Next we take the train from Venice to Lucca where we will spend two weeks inside the old city wall. This has become one of our favorite destinations.
Then we are free. From 5 Oct to the 17th, when we will be in Paris at a apartment, we have nothing. My hope is that the tour "authority" (Vicki) will allow me to travel to rural France and spend time in my favorite country.
