Traveling is FUN! (Or Not)

Our departure day - as pretty much every day of my life - was a total adventure, one I feel worth sharing with you.  In order for it to be fully appreciated, as well as our total b I thought it would be best told as a 'chronological' story with times of day to provide a point of reference.  Enjoy!

6:01am: ALARM RINGS.  I jump out of bed quickly, ready to attack the day after only 3 hours of sleep.  Christie tells me she only needs 10 minutes.  She would eventually rise at 6:47.

7:06am: CONDO PACKED.  All bags are by the door, ready to depart.  Final count: 5 rolling bags, 1 football bag, 1 backpack, 1 camera bag, 1 laptop bag, 1 purse, 1 plastic bag of Venetian Ceremonial Head Masks, and 2 jackets stuffed with shoes.  Sure they'll let us on the plane, I think to myself.  A thorough final check of the house reveals that we almost forgot our phone and passports - not a shocker.  Time to get the bags downstairs!

7:11am: CAR PACKING.  Four trips up and down the 53 steps and our bags have reached the Nissan Micra.  The name is an apt description - although it is actually closer to the children's toy Micro-Machines - getting our bags in the car was similar to rolling a sleeping bag... not as easy as it looks.  We eventually make it, although Christie had to ride with a 50 pound bag on her lap, and our friend Gus had to ride with his head out the window.  Definitely not ideal.

7:46am: AIRPORT ARRIVAL: Bidding goodbye to Catania traffic with only 3 near head-on collissions, we arrive safely at the airport.  Gus seems a little perplexed at the whole situation, but I assure him that if he just goes along with our insanity and believes the lies we are about to tell the airport employees, everything will go just fine.

7:50am: AIRPORT CHECK-IN.  We reach the check-in counter of Meridiana Airlines a full hour and a half before the flight is scheduled to depart, and upon seeing our bags, the first words out of the clerk's mouth was (you guessed it), "EEEEMPossible."  The weight restriction per person is 20 kg, or about 44 pounds, and our 3 bags totalled 75 kg... OR JUST 80 POUNDS OVER THE LIMIT!  First he says it will be 400 Euro for the bags, then he says it is just not going to work.  This is where the fun begins... Christie, taking a clue from Claudio and Roberta, tells the man that she is pregnant, and that we being forced to return to Canada due to complications.  While this is sure to haunt us with bad Karma, it softens him enough to work with us.  He allows us to let another traveler "check" one of our bags, which brings us to only 15 kg over, then makes us pay 80 Euro to get the bags on... AT LEAST WE'RE ON THE PLANE!

11:30AM: ARRIVAL IN TORINO.  We land safely in northern Italy, about 200 km from our final destination in the French Riviera.  Due to our epic amounts of luggage, I had reserved a car from Sixt rental company through Expedia at a fixed rate of $100.  However, when we went to pick up the car, the inept employee, who barely spoke English, told us he could not confirm a total price.  "How much will it be?" we ask.  "I don't know."  "You can't tell us?" "No."  "Who knows?" "I don't know."  "But can't you call someone and ask?"  "No." 

This bizarre discussion went on for about 15 minutes, until both of us were flabbergasted and Christie was about to go AGIP on him.   

Finally, he tells us that the drop off fee for taking the car to Nice is going to be 450 Euro!  Outraged, we leave the car behind and head for a bus to the train station. 

1:25pm: DROPPED OFF AT TRAIN STATION.  Did I mention it is the wrong train station?  The airport bus only takes you to a small side station, not the main station.  4 flights of stairs, 2 refused taxis, and an hour later, we catch a train to the main station.  TRAVELING IS FUN!!!

2:35pm: BUY TICKET TO NICE.  The computers gave me an option of arrival in Nice - a mere 200 km drive to the south - at after MIDNIGHT!  Undeterred, I use their system to work out a 3 train connection that will have us their by 8:20 pm.  We purchase the tickets.

3:02pm: KICKED OUT OF ONLY RESTAURANT IN TRAIN STATION.  Apparently, we had too much luggage.  Are you kidding me?

3:35pm: DEPART TORINO.  We catch the first of three train connections headed to the South of France.  Our mission is halfway done!

8:20pm: ARRIVAL IN NICE!  Finally, we arrive, with a hotel that is only 3 blocks away.  The cheapest cap offered to us, for those 3 blocks, is 30 Euro.  We decide to Sherpa it ourselves, and arrive a half-hour later completely drenched in sweat.

Only 14 hours, 9 bags, 1 plane, 1 bus, 4 trains, and 13 Impossible's later... The ODYSSEY WAS OVER AND WE HAD ARRIVED IN FRANCE!!!

9:30pm: DINNER!  To celebrate, we hit the ground running and found a fabulous restaurant on a busy promenade.  Christie enjoyed Fresh Muscles and FRENCH FRIES while I had an amazing Mediterranean Pasta... very NICE end to the Day!

Yes, that is free water being placed on our table in the top right corner... amazing!

~ J. Twice