My Travels

Landing into Fiumicino Airport is an experience into itself. After landing, the passport control lines were out of control. So what was the Italian’s solution to process all the people? Letting everyone through without checking passports and I was amazed that no one seemed bothered that no passports were checked. I was totally bummed about not getting a visa stamp from Italy. This will also be an issue at the end of the trip. In addition, there were carousel issues and I had to wait almost an hour before seeing luggage. I knew the Italians had a reputation for inefficiency but wow. Once outside, I was approached by shuttle drivers. I opted to go with the shuttle driver once someone with a badge arrived saying that they were authorized to take people from the airport. I also saw that all the taxis in the queue were very small cars and unable to accommodate four people plus luggage. Upon reflection, I’m not convinced that they were really authorized to be at the airport but...

On this trip, I went with family on a mission to see the Vatican. Not being particularly religious, I was interested in seeing the other sights in Italy but can appreciate the care and affluence the Roman Catholic Church possessed. I flew on United Airlines with a pit stop in Newark. For this particular trip, weather being a notorious and fickle factor I opted to do red eye flights. I had a 10 hour layover and planned to visit NYC showing my parents the 10 minute tour. J On the flight to Newark, I was able to get upgraded for everyone in my flight for free. Well, not actually free. United has a policy now that if you want to upgrade using miles or certificates and the itinerary includes an international leg, the miles/certificates are considered unused if you don’t make the international segment. At the time of boarding, I wasn’t able to confirm the international portion but the domestic leg was available. I took the NJ transit to Penn Station and grabbed a quick breakfast at Caf...