MAJESTIC ITALY Part 12

We also took the unofficial award of biggest order on the trip. A while later we were headed back down to our bus.  We learned that our same bus driver would be taking us to the airport, which was a change as we had first been told that another driver would handle our airport transportation.  We then headed at night through Rome and to our farewell banquet.   (Author stops to handle cash bribes to edit the content of the upcoming paragraphs))   Our banquet was held in a restaurant whose name translates to "Vineyard of the Popes" We were led to a private party room in the very back of the restaurant.  Like the pizza place, this restaurant consisted of several smaller rooms.  Before I describe the antics, let me get the menu out of the way first.  We were told that we were about to eat a fine Roman Banquet.   This meal was larger than even the large meals we had grown accustomed to.  We started with the antipasto.  I looked at it and remarked how similar it was to the antipasto we had the night before.  Again I picked off the parts I wanted of it, and let the rest go.   Next up was a soup of unknown description all I know is that it was tasty, then the pasta dish, spiral pasta this time, traditional sauce.  Very good.  Then the main course came, which I believe was pork and potatoes, then a salad, then desert, which was a final round of gelati, all followed up by a shot of Espresso coffee.  Okay, I got the food out of the way, almost because also on the tables besides the bread service, were complimentary bottles of wine and water.  Later we would learn that as we finished a bottle, the waiter would bring a replacement.  Unlimited free wine sets the scene for what is to come.

            To add to the merriment, a group of musicians had been hired to entertain us tonight at dinner.  The musical troupe included an accordion player, a guitar player and a vocalist.  It helped also that the musicians were either comedians, or just plain comical.  It started out with some traditional Italian standards, then the usual ritual of the performers getting a bit too close to pretty young girls in the audience, then a romantic song sung next to another female, then one of the choir’s soloists singing along to the bands accompaniment.  ( Summertime, yes the Gershwin tune).  A bit later, get those cameras ready, It would have been funny enough that a victim- I mean volunteer was chosen out of the audience and led into doing the Chicken Dance (Hey wait, isn't that more of a German tradition!?!), but when the victim was the choir director’s relative, who then pulled the choir director off his chair to join in, the flashbulbs were flashing more than the walkway to the Academy Awards.  Later on inhibitions were gone, and one choir member stood under a statue of Atlas on the wall, posing as the legendary figure.  One of our male vocalists did a rather startling rendition of Sole Mio, without accompaniment, and it just gets better and better. This meal was so fun, so entertaining, so exciting that one could hardly concentrate on the food before them, and runs to the water closet were minimal as people did not want to risk missing "The Moment".  Our choir did a song for the musicians, and then the group gift (a music box that played My Old Kentucky Home) was given to our tour director,  and all the pleasantries followed.  Arrividerce Roma! was sung, napkins twirled in the air, and then the waiters came back carrying little American Flags. Is this a subtle hint to go home J?

Careful observers wil note that the stick the waiter is holding in the photo to the right is a miniature American flag. The band stood the group up, saying that we were going to sing a song to help get us ready for the return trip.  You guessed it, "The Star Spangled Banner".   It takes on an even more powerful meaning when the patriotic songs are sung, in a land over 4,000 miles away from any part of the USA.   (General comment: At any rate, its nice that people no longer think the last two words of that song are "Play Ball!") At this time the dinner had come to an end, the tip jar was passed for the music, and of course, the troupe just happened to have CD's on sale. Yes, we bought one.  Then some more antics by selected members of the group,  and then we headed out of the restaurant.   An empty restaurant.  Had the American anthem run people out, or had we just taken a lot longer than anybody else to eat.  It was a Monday night after all.  (Side note: While leaving the restaurant, I noted they had a small stock of American flags in a closet, a strange curiosity.)  We then got on the bus headed back to our hotel.  The ride was an interesting one, with the passengers boisterous and doing things such as singing the Flintstones's theme song while driving past an area filled with Roman ruins.     It was an interesting ride to say the least, and everybody got back to their hotel rooms safely.  Then whatever packing that could be accomplished that night was performed, and I climbed into the sack for my final night in Rome.

Day 9 - Tuesday, November 20, 2001

We awoke especially early today, for it seems that due to the heightened state of security in airports, Delta wanted us there by 9AM for our noon flight.  To help make this timing more interesting, it was announced that we would have to leave the hotel around 7:45, and the earliest the hotel would consider serving breakfast was 7:00AM.  To help expedite breakfast, the hotel staff allowed us to pour our own coffee and other tasks that were previously relegated to the staff.  This is ironic, because back home after church on Sundays, we tend to have brunch at the Holiday Inn, where we commonly take care of serving our own drinks, and getting condiments from the kitchen and rearranging the furniture.  It took nine days, but here we are in Rome back to our normal bag of tricks. We enjoyed our final meal in Italy, and I relished a big roll, that I spread a think layer of Chocolate-Hazelnut spread on.  Upon research in grocery stores by me, I have found this same spread sold in the "Imported Foods" section, I'm good to go.   .

After breakfast, we stopped by the room to grab our waiting bags, which were in, as I term it "GAG" status. (Grab And Go). We checked out, rode the elevator down to the lobby and boarded the bus.  A bit later we were on our way to the other hotel to pick up the rest of the group, and then out to the airport.  On the way to the airport the collection envelopes were passed for the group gratuities for driver and tour director, and after a nice drive along the highway we arrived at Leonardo Da Vinci Airport.  Named after the man who first invented the concept of flying machines long before the technology was around to make it a reality.

The driveway to the airport starts with a flag lined drive.  At least 100 poles on each side, alternating the flags of Italy and the European Union.  We soon arrived at the terminals, noted the statue of Da Vinci, and proceeded to the drop off point.  Rome has its airport segregated into three different terminal areas. "A" is for domestic flights, "B" is for flights to other European Union countries, and "C" is for all other international flights.  Accordingly, we are dropped off at Terminal "C", get our baggage from the bus, and load it onto waiting free loaner baggage carts.  Why is it, that in America we pay $2.00 to use the baggage carts, and over in other countries they loan you better quality carts for free?  I mean the carts in Italy actually can turn corners, and have mechanical brakes.  That’s right, when you release the handle, the cart will stop.  So baggage loaded, we walk around to the entrance doors for Delta.  After entering the terminal we see the information and ticket counters, and are directed to head towards "Check In".  In Rome to even get to the check in desk, you must first show a security officer your ID and ticket.  The guard will then let you past the rope barrier to the check in area.  But there is a further barrier to the check in desk.  About 10' in front of the check in desks is a row a workstations where you are interrogated.  Much more than the typical "Did you pack your own bags?" questioning, their questions are open ended and more probing.  If you pass the interrogation a security sticker is placed on the back of your ticket, and you are handed a registration form to fill out.  Standard stuff: Name, address, destination, next of kin (seriously!).  You take your registration form and ticket (with sticker) to the baggage check.  Here you are issued your boarding pass, and your checked bags are turned in to the airline. (After stickers are applied to those).  We were thankful we did not get the baggage and body search that others reported they had.  A full search of both checked and carry on bags, as well as a personal frisking.  One lady on our group had a large bun hairdo, and the guards felt through her hair. You then take your baggage cart, carry on items and self to the end of the check in area, where there is a cart return, then you go to the security checkpoint.  Same setup as most other places, I do agree that they look at your carry on bags longer.  As the bags come out of the machine, they also get stickers.   Right after the checkpoint is Passport Control, where your passport is examined, both to match identity but also to make sure you haven't overstayed your welcome.  They do actually look at your entrance stamp, and then apply an exit stamp right next to it, as well as a sticker on the cover.

After getting through all the checkpoints, we made our way to the duty free mall.  We looked for a little while, and then decided we would feel safer if we were closer to our gate. We follow the signs leading to our departure gate.  At the end of the corridor we take an up escalator up to the monorail station.  The monorail will take us out to the concourse.  I noted that security makes sure all arriving passengers have left the monorail train before opening the entrance doors.  We then took our ride out to the concourse, and I was a little surprised to be met with another up escalator.   At the top of the escalator, it was clear that the concourse was roughly circular, and that we merely needed to make our way around to our gate.  Once at the gate, I am a bit surprised to see the gate along the inside of the circle near the hub.  I can see that once you get through the gate, you go downstairs via a wide choice of transportation options.  Stairs, elevator or escalator.  A complete set for each gate.   I then assumed that we would be bussed out to our plane. At any rate, we had a couple hours to wait.  We took care of using facilities, and I got a soft drink at a snack bar. I only mention the soft drink because all throughout my time in Italy I had seen Coca-Cola products but no Pepsi.  However at the airport, Pepsi seems to be the soft drink of choice.   Unusual observation, that's all.  After a long while the gate agents appeared, then security came to set up folding tables between the gate agents and the pathway down to the lower level.  After my departure from Cincinnati, I knew all about those folding tables. 

Although I have nothing to hide from security, the random search is at best an inconvenience.  Hey who wants some soldier from a foreign land ruffling through your baggage?   I thought back to what I presumed got me selected for screening back in Cincinnati.  All during the check in process I was the only one in our section of the waiting lounge that was standing, excitedly talking and looking all to eager to get on the flight.  Okay, here in Rome, I'll remain seated and do as I'm told.  As we were in row 39 we didn't have to wait long until we were admitted, tickets scanned, all the security stickers examined and cleared past the gate.  In Rome there are four guards at each gate.  Who gets chosen is merely a matter of who is next in line when space becomes available at the inspection station.  I again happened to be coming around the corner just in time to be pulled over.  I must say the bag searcher in Cincinnati was a bit friendlier than the one in Rome, but I realize their job is not to score friends. After having my bags searched, body wanded, etc, it was down the escalator.  I saw the open door ahead of me, and was sure the bus would be right behind it.  The door opened into a little vestibule, and I noted that arriving passengers stay on level 2.  I then boarded the plane via the jet way, but not before one last guard blocked the jet way to check boarding passes and passports, then as we boarded the plane, the Delta agent asked the two questions that every flyer has memorized and can recite in their sleep.

All Boeing 767's are not created equal.  For example this one seemed to offer more legroom in the Economy Cabin than the one I flew to London on.  To clarify I was not in an exit row. The flight was to be nine hours.  Nine ungodly hours of Economy class. However there were ample distractions from the boredom.  Aside from sleep, there were two feature length movies shown.  (Evolution and Remember the Titans), two meals served, and an Ice Cream service at the halfway point.   That's not to say the flight seemed short by any stretch of the imagination, but it seemed a bit more bearable.  In fact the cruelest trick was near JFK when we were advised to roll our watches back six hours.  ("If I Could Turn Back Time").  Here by my watch it is 9pm, but local clocks reveal it is only 3pm. Shortly before landing a film was shown on the customs procedures, and I found this to be helpful.  Also useful is a feature called Compass that Delta shows on some flights at points of interest like first taking off, or landing.  It shows all sorts of stats like altitude, wind speed, outside temperature, estimated time remaining, local time at destination, etc.  Along with maps that allegedly plot your progress.  By these maps I learned that we left Europe by flying over Spain.  They are only shown occasionally in Economy, though I hear that Business class has real-time access to the Compass system on demand.   It was also humorous that we had a pilot who had a knack of turning off the seatbelt sign 30 seconds before hitting turbulence, and turning on the seatbelt sign AFTER the turbulence was over.  The descent into JFK was not unlike one of those new "Pounce N Bounce" rides.

We land at JFK airport, in New York City, USA.  The first stepping-stone at returning home is being back in your home country. We follow the ramps and the long hallways to the customs area; for once we get to go in the "Residents" line, and not the foreigners line.  The line for US Citizens leads to an escalator down to the customs area, and signs instructing that photography is prohibited in the customs area.   We follow the signs for US Citizens, and have our customs paperwork in hand that we completed on the plane.  An agent assigned us a lane number, and we waited behind the yellow line to be called up.  First is passport control, our passports are checked, and even though we are US Citizens we still get a USA entrance stamp. We then proceed to baggage claim, where we are stopped before reaching the carousel to be asked a few questions. Stuff on drugs, firearms, agricultural products, money, that type of thing. Some marks are made on our form, which is returned to us, then we enter baggage claim.   I locate a courtesy baggage cart, quickly learn it has no brakes and the maneuverability of a 25 year old Wal*Mart shopping cart.  It took some time but our bags finally arrived to be claimed.  We loaded them onto the cart, proceeded down the hallway, where we chose the "Nothing to Declare" line.  Our customs form accounted for the estimated value of souvenirs we had with us. We turned in the form to the customs agent and were allowed to exit customs into the JFK airport.  As you enter JFK you see the first problem.  Although the baggage recheck counter is straight ahead of you. (It’s totally self-service; you place your already labeled bag on a conveyor belt and walk away.  There is a lineup to get to the conveyor of course.)the logistics problem is that after you drop your baggage onto the belt, you proceed to the cart return, and are headed to the doors headed outside the airport to the arrivals lounge.  To catch a connecting flight, you have to make a U-Turn, cut through the line of people coming out of customs and entering the baggage re-check area to go down the pathway to "Connecting Flights".   Before you can take the escalator up to the departure lounge, you must be rechecked by security.   At JFK they have the detectors set so tight that they are advising passengers to place their watches, keys and pocket change in the dish to go through the X-ray.  Coats and jackets must be removed and x-rayed.   It was a slower process than most, but not one that you can really justifiably complain about.  As in Cincinnati, the National Guard oversaw the security checkpoint, and you had to walk past them to take the escalator up to the departure lounge.  The departure lounge was also being actively patrolled by the National Guard.  We started to walk towards our gate when we saw an 'airport taxi' and decided to use it to go to our gate.  Wise choice as our gate was in a different terminal building and all.  I remembered to tip the shuttle driver, and we assembled at the gate.  Another facilities stop, and a run in the gift shop.  As one might expect there was a lot of NYPD/NYFD merchandise in the gift shop.  They had model Delta planes for sale.  I admit looking for a model Delta Boeing 767 as a souvenir, but that model aircraft was out of stock.  I wound up leaving the gift shop empty handed.  I have this rule about you "can't buy the souvenir item unless you've seen the attraction it represents".   Refreshments were had, including the sourest, tartest lemonade I have ever had.  Then I noted the departure lounge was getting WAY too crowded.  I also knew that due to the new rules, only passengers would be waiting here.  I also learned that in New York they don't patiently wait for their row to be called, no they all jam the gate waiting for their row to be called.  My ticket was inserted into the ticket scanner and I was glad that I was able to walk past the hand check table without being checked.  Hey I had done my duty to demonstrate that air safety is high twice on this trip already.  As we walked down the jet way, we said, "Let's go home!"  No matter how fascinating and delightful the vacation is, when it's over, it always feels so good to finally return home.  All that stood between us and Cincinnati was one more 767 ride.

We boarded the plane which gave us great seats to watch the already tired sounding flight crew realize, "Hey, there are duplicate tickets here".  Contrary to popular belief, the Delta ticketing system CAN and DID assign two bodies to several of the seats.  Several of our group got Business Class upgrades out of the deal.  We were not so lucky, but in hindsight it would have been a total waste of a Business Class upgrade. Apparently there were enough empty seats in both Economy and Business Class to accommodate everybody somewhere.  This did not however prevent us from leaving JFK nearly an hour late, but we arrived in Cincinnati only half an hour late.  Speeding I presume.  Now the reason the Business Class upgrade would have been a real waste.  After we were aloft and I had consumed my beverage, I was into a good sound sleep.  The next thing I knew I was being told to return my seatback to the full upright position.   Ahh, here we are in Cincinnati.  We exited the plane, and headed to baggage claim.  This of course involved a subway ride, then since those awaiting your arrival can't meet you at the gate, they did the next best thing, meet us right before the security checkpoint.  Complete with Red, White and Blue balloons.  After pleasantries were exchanged, we headed up to baggage claim, where another group was awaiting our arrival.  More pleasantries, but we were WAY too tired for that. Here I refused to pay $2.00 to use a baggage cart for five minutes.  Therefore we waited, and waited, and waited then our bags came out, grabbed our bags, said some last good byes and headed outside.  Luckily for us the shuttle bus to our parking lot was arriving just as we exited the terminal building, and I was able to hail the bus.  The driver took care of our bags and we rode out to the parking lot.  I did note the unique US flag made out of Christmas lights on the back of the CVG airport sign.  It is seen as you leave the airport.  It was a short drive to the lot, then the driver loaded our bags into our car for us, tips were given.  Then into the car, and much to our delight the car started on the first try.

We exited the lot, after settling up for a $45 parking fee.  (that is for nine days, of course), and were given some directions to get to Cincinnati.  Yes we were tired and needed directions in our own city. It was a tired ride home, we had to keep talking to each other to have any chance of staying awake. Dinner? Forget it. We luckily safely arrive at our house, enter, and find everything as we had left it.  We checked the voice mails, but emails could wait, and our mail was at the post office.  (Note: If you do a vacation hold on your mail, the post office you have to pick your mail up at may NOT be the one closest to your house!).  Of course the "We're back safe" phone calls needed to be made, and some more than others we had a hard time getting off the phone.  Finally note I was able to get to sleep at 10:30PM.   Not bad, but it took several days for my body clock to readjust to local time.  It took several more days/weeks to get this journal article done.  However, the photo album and video are coming along nicely.  And so ends our wonderful Journey to Italia!

 

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