Lugano-flight home-flight home for reals

For our last full day in Italy we went to Switzerland.  Specifically, Lugano, an Italian community just across the border.

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Our local guide met us and gave us a short walking tour.  We visited an old church and he pointed out the reason churches have so much artwork in them is people couldn’t always read.  So the artwork brought the stories of the Bible to life for the congregation.  The old church was the only old thing in the vicinity since the rest of the community had no trouble adapting to modern times.  After the official tour we were given time to walk around and get something to eat.  I bought a few more souvenirs because unlike the last time I was in Switzerland I had francs with me and I wanted to use them.  Plus, it was my last day so I needed to buy anything I was going to buy.

We returned to Italy and had a little bit of free time before our final group dinner.  We went out for a walk (not like the one I had taken the day before) and I bought the last of my souvenirs.

We went to dinner that night with our whole group and I donned my jacket I bought in Venice.  Our restaurant was too small to fit all 50 of us together so we were split up into smaller groups in different sections of the restaurant.  Then we waited.  Course by course we were served.  Dinner began at 7:30 and we didn’t leave until 10:00.  But it was our last night and I needed to get back and pack so I wasn’t appreciating the fancy attempt at dinner .  We were leaving the hotel at 6:00am.  I might have been a little impatient with the dinner that night. Especially when the main course was lamb.  That long of a wait for that?  There was a McDonald’s next to the hotel that would have sufficed.

I got back to my room and took a quick shower and packed.  My Italy adventure was coming to an end.

Or was it?

Before I turned off my light at 11:00 I looked at my flight itinerary on my app and everything was on schedule.  However, when my alarm went off at 5:00am I looked at my itinerary it said my flight was scheduled the following day.  No other explanation was given.

RH text me “Our flight was canceled?”  Oh dear.

We went to the airport to straighten it out.  Delta was able to get us on a flight out of Milan the following day.  We’d all fly out together to JFK.  But once we got to JFK we were split up on the connecting flights.  Once our flight was rescheduled our tour guide bid us adieu and left.  Her shift was officially over.

Because our delay was due to mechanical error, Delta put us up in a hotel for the night.  They provided a bus and took us to a very modern Italian hotel.  I didn’t mind.  I preferred to have the flight canceled and the plane made safe than to be mid-flight and discover the mechanical problem.  Plus, I’m never in a hurry to get back.  Our adventure continued!

Once I got a room, I took a little nap and then went down to lunch.  All courtesy of Delta.  Our hotel was a little too far out of Milan to do any sightseeing.  And the good weather we had the whole week ran out.  It was a rainy day.  So, I went back to my room and watched movies and slept.  At seven I went down to dinner.

When I went back to my room I discovered candy on my pillow and my bed straightened.  Okay, the hotel went from a modern vibe to creepy.  I don’t care for the turn down service.  I could do without it.  Or warn me that it’s a thing.

I went to bed hoping no visitor would come in during the night.

At five, I woke up again and checked my itinerary.  My flight was still on schedule.

We went back to the airport and this time boarded our plane and said goodbye to Italy.  Customs at JFK is an experience I wouldn’t wish on anyone.  I thought Chicago was bad but NY?  To think, they had that many people on a Thursday and they probably have that many people passing through customs on any given day.  The sheer number of people that pass through the airport is staggering.  There were lines, and lines to get into lines.  It’s not a pleasant experience.  But I made it through.

I found my connecting flight and thought I would wait alone since my flight was two hours earlier than RH and CC’s.  But when I looked at the Find My Friends app I saw their dots were in the same area as mine.  Their gate ended up being right next to mine so I waited with them.

I arrived back in Salt Lake at 9:00pm.  Exactly 24 hours after I woke up for the day and a whole day later than originally planned.  MZ picked me up and took me to her place.  I took a shower and I went with her to pick up RH and CC.

My little Italy adventure officially came to a close.

After a couple of weeks of rest, I’m ready to go on my next adventure.  Where are we going?

A video of my trip.  I should have spent a wee bit more time on it.  It annoys me that the pictures are not in order based on the map shots.  And I misspelled Lugano.  Not my best video but I’m too lazy to fix it so, eh, it’s fine.

Part One

Part Two

Part Three