Post-Italy-trip-report thoughts

So, I'd thought I'd do a wrap-up post about our 2007 trip to Italy.  The beginning portion is from the last trip report I did for Trip Advisor, with some 'borrowed' photos from a travel companion, then I'll throw some things I learned at the end.  I hope you've enjoyed this trip (ha! get it? 'trip'?) down memory lane with me!  I'm in the process of looking for my journals from my Paris trip in 2000 to see if I can throw something together.  Probably not, but we'll see.  And I have FAR fewer photos from that trip, seeing that I didn't have a digital camera in the seemingly-futuristic-but-not-really-year-2000...

FINAL TRIP REPORT - RETURN TO U.S.A.

So, after ten glorious days in Italy, it's time to hop a bus, head to the airport in Naples, and return home.  Sadly.  A funny story about our flights back to the States:  when we got to the Naples airport, we got in the Alitalia line for check-in.  When we finally made it to the counter, we were told we actually had to check-in with Air France, since this was a code share flight.  OK.  No problem, except there was no Air France desk.  At least we didn’t see it.  The very nice Alitalia clerk walked us over to the appropriate desk (which had no signage or Air France personnel as of yet) and we were second in line to check in. 

We probably waited there a half hour or so, then the Air France agents arrived.  They puttered around for awhile, then it became apparent that something was wrong.  One of the agents got on the phone repeatedly.  Another left to look at another desk’s computer.  Eventually, they let us know that all of the Air France computers were down and they were going to have to check everyone in, BY HAND.  They were going to have to write all of our luggage tags by hand and all of the boarding passes by hand.  Everything.  We were SO HAPPY that we were second in line!  It probably took at least ten minutes or so, per person, to get my little party of four checked in with bags tagged through Paris to New York.  We felt dreadfully sorry for those Air France agents, because in line behind us was the Argentinean ladies handball team, about 50 in number, and each of them had two bags to check!  Oh my!  Good luck with that! 

But the fun didn't stop there.  We went to the x-ray screening/security area and handed the agent our handwritten boarding passes.  They looked at them and said “These are not boarding passes.”  We said, “Oh yes they are and you’re going to be seeing a lot of them behind us!”  The security agents made us step aside and went to make sure we hadn’t just written up our own boarding passes from home.  J   So that probably took another half hour to get straightened out.  We finally got through and up to the gate.

Unsurprisingly, the plane was very delayed, owing to the length of time it was taking those poor Air France desk agents to hand write every document.  Finally, after a couple of hours (luckily we had scheduled an extra-long layover in Paris, so we thankfully weren’t going to miss our connections), they started boarding the plane.  Everyone lined up to get on the little shuttle bus to take passengers out to the plane.  We decided that we would just sit in the gate area until the last minute—no need to stand in that line.  We're New Yorkers.  Ha ha.  So when we got up to get to the end of the line, the little shuttle bus was full.  So the gate agents WALKED US TO THE PLANE, which was only about ten yards away.  It was hysterical!  We walked right onto the plane and got on before the people standing in line in front of us who got on the little shuttle bus!  The little shuttle bus drove around in a big circle to get to the plane that was just across the tarmac from the door!  And boy, were the little shuttle bus passengers ticked when they got on the plane and saw that we had gotten on before them!  I’m not really describing things right, but it was really really funny!  I guess you had to be there.  ;)

 

The flight to Paris was uneventful, though because of our shortened layover, we barely had time to re-go through customs (and explain the saga of the handwritten boarding passes and luggage tags again) and get to our gate.  Then, for some reason, I was singled out for an extensive search before getting on the plane.  I was worried I would get in trouble for having perfume in my carry-on bag, but hello, this was Paris.  I guess perfume is de rigeur.  But everything turned out smoothly and we made it back to New York in one piece.  Our baggage, though, did not.  Surprisingly, both bags I checked made it back to New York ok, but one bag from each of my traveling companions got lost en route.  It took a few days for every bag to make it back to the States, but happily, they all did.  All of our souvenirs made it back in one piece, too!  Limoncello for all and back to our everyday lives.  Sigh.  Arrivederci, Italia.  Ti amo.

A few travel thoughts:  Definitely, without a doubt, take an extra bag with you.  You will be buying many souvenirs, so putting an empty bag inside your suitcase will help with all that limoncello you'll be buying.  You may even want to bring some bubble wrap.  Just in case.  (the picture at left is the angel I bought my mother at the Vatican Museum gift shop.  she loves it.)

*I'd bring some anti-bacterial wipes along.  You never know when you're going to be feeling quite unwell and need to wipe your face and you're nowhere near a bathroom, say, on top of a mountain.  They also come in handy for those bathrooms on the train.

*Make sure you get some Euros before you go - that way, you can pay for a cab or a bus from the airport, without getting rooked at the money exchange booth.  The ATMs in town are easy and the exchange rate is much better.

*Take at least three more pairs of socks than you think you will need.

*Take a journal - even if you're not going to do reports or anything, a journal will help you remember what is in picture #9,000, plus it will be fun to look at after the trip.  And it can help you wind down at night, because you'll need your sleep after walking six-plus miles per day.

*Remember, even though you think you want to take a picture of EVERYTHING, take some time to just stop, breathe, and look.  Experience it.  Seeing beauty through a camera viewfinder is grand, but really seeing it and holding it in your memory is even better.  Some of my clearest memories of the trip aren't from my photos.

*One of the best things I took with me to Italy was a resistance band.  I'm not in very good shape, and it was good for me to stretch out my legs and feet for at least 20 minutes every morning.  Walking in Italy is almost a sport in itself - there's so much cobblestone, plus hills hills hills.  I did make sure, starting a couple of months before we left, to try to walk at least two miles a day.  I think I kept up with everyone pretty well, except for that whole running to the Capri ferry thing.  I also took my pedometer, because it was fun to see how many steps/miles we walked each day, but I don't think that's as important as the resistance band.  Especially if you have bad feet.

*Before getting on the bus to the Amalfi Coast, take Dramamine.  Or take a plastic bag with you.  You've been warned.

*Actually, I also took Altoids ginger-flavored mints with me and they did come in handy for the minor motion sickness.  So take some ginger.

*There are people who are pro-guided tours and people who are anti-guided tours.  I loved our Vatican Museum guided tour.  I think for a first trip, if you're not planning to spend the whole day there, it's not a bad idea to have the official Vatican tour guide show you the highlights.  You get their knowledge and expertise, plus you see the important highlights without wasting valuable time.  On a future visit, I definitely will tour the Museum on my own and catch what I didn't see the first time.  Unless I can find Christiano.  I believe he promised me a cappuccino...

*I researched obsessively, read dozens of guidebooks, and made dozens of lists.  And then, once we got to Italy, I tried to let all of it go.  I think it's good to have a shape for your trip, and to know what's important to you and what isn't, but it's also good to keep an open mind and go with the flow.  You'll learn the pace of the city and move to it.  We would never have seen several beautiful things if we hadn't been open to other ideas and if we hadn't listened to other opinions throughout the trip. 

*Find out what the specialties of the region are and eat them.  Even if I weren't already a fan of lemon, eating the amazing lemon desserts of the Amalfi Coast was a must.  And after Christiano told us about how the ash surrounding Mt Vesuvius fortifies the soil and produces the delicious white wine, we knew we had to try that, too.  So do a little food research before you go.

*Bring extra camera batteries.  And extra memory cards.

*I'm a big fan of traveling in the off-season.  Although we missed out on some attractions due to the lateness of the season, we made up for it in quality time without feeling rushed or crowded.  The weather was pleasant the entire time we were there - I think I only had to wear my coat on two days out of ten.  Maybe I would go in early November instead of late November, but I don't know.  I did love seeing all of the Christmas decorations beginning to come out.

OK, that's all I can think of.  And, I'm happy to announce, I could attach one video from my trip.  It's a few seconds of the main square in Capri.  Breathe it in.  And let's all put the happy Italy vibes out into the universe that we can all be there soon...