Three-Two-One

Three flights, two layovers, and one 45 minute car ride later, I finally made it to my new home for the next three months in Campodoro, Italy. 

My first flight was to Washington D.C. A 6'5" guy sat behind me and begged me not to lean my seat back. Lucky for him it was a short flight. Once in D.C., I had to ride the AeroTrain to get from Terminal A to Terminal B. The layover was only a couple of hours, which gave me plenty of time to grab a sandwich from Potbelly Pig and relax for a bit; however, the airline had a different plan. After I finished eating my sandwich, I was told I had to check in my carry-on suitcase. Lufthansa Airline made everyone with luggage that would not fit in the ridiculously small luggage sizer check their bag to their final destination. I ended up spending the majority of my layover standing in line. A lady standing in front of me was not happy at all about this. Her mother had just passed away, so she was trying to arrive at her destination as quickly as possible without having to deal with baggage claim. She stepped out of line shortly after telling me this.

I finally checked my bag in and had a few minutes to charge my phone before boarding. I got super lucky with my seat this flight. I made it in row 19! Normally I end up at the back of the flight. I also had a window seat, which is my favorite. And completely normal people were sitting in my row. One lady was from Sacramento and was on her way to Athens, Greece to help her teacher pick out artwork for an upcoming exhibit. The lady who sat directly next to me was very sweet. She was on her way to Saudi Arabia to square things away so she never has to return to her homeland. We were discussing the headphone jack on the plane because it had two inputs, as opposed to the normal one. I was saying how I wanted to use my own headphones, but she was certain they wouldn't work. She then patted my cheek and told me, "You are too technical." (Just in case you're wondering, my headphones did actually work.) But she was a very smart lady. She said by my facial features, she could tell my descendants were from Northern Ireland. I'm not for certain, but I think that sounds about right. I can never tell where anyone is from, so I found it interesting!

The food on this flight was okay. For dinner we had the option of pasta or chicken. I chose pasta, which was probably as good as airplane food can get. It was served with a "salad" (lettuce and a cherry tomato), a brownie, a roll almost as hard as a brick, and butterfly shaped Pepperidge Farm crackers with cheese. For breakfast we were served a blueberry muffin, breakfast bar and fruit. The best part about meal times was that I didn't have to lean my seat up! Korean Air forces everyone to lean their seat up, which I hated. But Korean Air did have better movie options than Lufthansa.

Frankfurt Airport had some cool chairs

Creepy bear in the lounge area

Once we arrived in Frankfurt, Germany the lady who was sitting next to me helped me figure out which gate my next flight was at. It was too early to be on the board, so we had to find the help desk. Luckily, she spoke German so it was super easy for her to communicate. She then told me how to get to my gate, to enjoy my travels and hugged me bye. 

This layover was four and half hours way too long. Since Frankfurt was the first Schengen country I entered, I had to go thru Immigration and Customs which made me a bit nervous. It was super easy though. I didn't even have to fill out a card. I handed the man my passport and ticket, which he scanned both, stamped my passport and off I went. I walked right thru customs and onto my next gate. Once I arrived at my gate I found a spot to sleep. I always feel like Tom Hanks in The Terminal when I sleep at airports. But don't worry Melinda, I didn't drop my crackers! 

Man being escorted by police

When it was time to board the flight, I scanned my ticket myself and went thru a turn-style. Only I didn't walk into a JetBridge, I walked outside and had to board a bus. At this point, I was starting to worry I did something wrong; maybe I was at the wrong gate. I was still half asleep. I tried to glimpse at someone else's ticket but to no avail. This bus ride lasted a good five minutes which felt like an eternity, as I was anxious the entire time not knowing where this bus was taking me. I was very relieved when we pulled up next to the plane. It was odd boarding the plane from stairs. I'm used to walking straight into the plane from the JetBridge. This flight was only an hour long, but I had an entire row to myself. This has never happened before so I was thrilled! The flight was pretty bumpy, but I managed to sleep. Once we landed, I realized a man I had seen being escorted by police in Frankfurt had been on my flight to Venice! He was being escorted by police off the flight too. He had no luggage with him. A bit scary. Other than that, the arrival went smoothly. I found both of my checked bags right away, so no worries that they didn't arrive! Luckily, the guards had stopped two girls right in front of me so while they were distracted I was able to walk right thru. I was thinking, "Better you girls, than me!" As soon as I walked out, Chiara found me and asked if I was Randi. She then tried to do the European greeting, which I was so not ready for so it just turned into an awkward hug. Epic fail on my part.