Italy

Italy ’98

SFO -> EWR

EWR -> MXP

MXP -> VCE

VCE -> Cortina

Cortina d'Ampezzo

Hotel Royal

breakfast

stadia

around town

Carnival

Mangia!

Tavernetta

Faloria

Refugio d' Faloria

Freccia Nel Cielo

Lagazuoi

Monte Cristallo

Socrepes

Socrepes skiing

Venezia

0500 Pacific Time (PT) - The alarm is going off, but three hours of sleep just isn't enough. (How'd that happen? Our bags were backed two days ago. Sigh.) The house looks great, the rooms are tidy, the trash is taken out, and our bags are by the front door. All that's left to do is shower and dress while trying to remember what could have been forgotten.

The taxi arrives on time, a station wagon with enough room for our bags, skis, and loved ones. Felicia and Adam are outside on time too. I think this is a first for all of us. The sun has yet to make even the slightest appearance before we're on our way to San Francisco International Airport (SFO). (It's called SFO because in the old days it was the 'San Francisco/Oakland' airport. These days it's officially called 'San Francisco International Airport' and Oakland had its own airport.)

We'll be meeting up with my Mom and her husband, Emil, and family friends Liz and Larry. That's during our two-hour layover at Newark (EWR), before heading out to Venice (VCE). I spoke to Dad last night. He'll try and meet us there for a short reunion. (Dad's supposed to be coming out to San Francisco for his birthday next month.) On the way to EWR from visiting a friend of his at Rockefeller University he might pick up a little morsel for us. (That's why I keep menus of good restaurants I've visited.) More about this if it comes to pass.

0715 PT - We get to the check-in counter for the first ugly surprise of the day: we're going to transfer at Milan (MXP) on the way to Venice. I guess that's what our travel agent meant by 'direct'. Neither our tickets nor our itinerary give a clue as to this hopping around.

0745 PT - After a half-hour of watching Continental Agent Richard Riis, Jr. bravely struggling with the mess made by Nadia (not enough tickets to get us all the way, even though the meta-tickets show SFO to VCE; our seats nowhere near each other, special veggie meals not ordered for all of us, no proper ticketing past EWR) and enlisting the help of two other agents in printing off the required documents, we're sent running on our way towards the gate with a fist-full of boarding passes and counter tickets in hand. Thank you Agent Riis, for getting us on our way.

We're the last two aboard. The door is shut behind us, and I'm not yet in my seat before preparations for taxiing are underway. Felicia and Adam went ahead and were able to get folks to switch seats; Rosie and I are so close and yet frustratingly far apart. This is not an auspicious way to begin a vacation. Well, at least we made the plane. That's the last time we use that agent. (Don't ask.)

It's not nice travelling without being able to hold my sweetie's hand. She doesn't look too happy either.

0830 PT - We're over Lake Tahoe, the snow covering everything in sight. A slight bit of turbulance constantly rocks the plane. The sun is warm on my face and chest; the person next to me has already fallen asleep.