Ciao… Giulio, Christina, La Limonaia, Florence, & Tuscany!

Our flight was scheduled to leave at noon today, so we made it a point to set the alarm early enough for us to have a leisurely final breakfast. Yesterday, Giulio mentioned that he was expecting new guests in the other room for just one night and that they also signed up for his Pasta Experience Cooking Class. When Alex and I arrived at the dining area, we saw them sitting at the previously vacant table for two. Their names escape me now, but the couple ended up being a mother and her twenty-something year old son from Grand Junction, Colorado. They had been traveling through Florence and Tuscany for the past 10 days and this was to be their last full day in Italy. We heightened their expectations for the cooking class by telling them what an awesome experience we had just days before.
After slightly stressing out trying to pack the additional wine bottles in his check-in luggage, Alex was finally ready to go. Thankfully, Giulio brought my two huge suitcases all the way down to the car, so I didn’t have to deal with lugging or packing them. We said goodbye, which was a little bittersweet because over our short weeklong stay, Giulio and Christina became more like friends. Giulio even went out of his way to contact one of his friends, who is the Director at the Hotel Belvedere Caruso in Ravello, the town on the Amalfi Coast where I will be staying for the next part of my journey. He made sure to give me his contact information and requested that I visit him, particularly if I need any assistance or have any questions while I am in Ravello. Although Giulio and Christina have never been to Hawaii, I told them to be sure to let me know if and when they ever decide to come so that I can return the favor. I always enjoy meeting new people and making new friends from all over the world. Even though our backgrounds, our cultures, and our experiences are worlds apart, it’s amazing how simple it is to bridge those gaps by being open to learning from our differences and appreciating our similarities as human beings.
I figured my odds are now 50/50 that I’m going to get hassled at the various airports about my excessive, overweight luggage. Since I had such an easy time in Amsterdam, I was preparing myself for the worst. Good thing, because my exchange with the Florence airport’s Alitalia ticket counter was just that. The first lady couldn’t find my electronic ticket information in the computer and insisted that I should have been issued a paper ticket. On top of her frustration regarding the ticket, she saw that my bags were over the limit and immediately tried to charge me for 30 kilos of extra weight. She was unwilling to listen to my very rationale story, which mind you has worked well, during my previous five check-in exchanges. She did not budge and would not advance my luggage until I returned with a receipt indicating that I paid for the excess weight. I figured I had one last chance to convince the lady at the next counter. Calmly and sweetly, I reiterated what has now become my standard check-in counter greeting during this trip, and voila! a few phone calls later, she said okay and called the original counter lady to clear my bags without requiring any additional payment. I was on the verge of becoming irate (which brought me back to my childhood days when my dad, my sister and I would slyly walk away once we felt the wave of irritation come over my mom - something we always laugh about even today when my mom gets irate as a customer), but I can honestly say that my wallet has $200+ more in it now than I would’ve had if I flew off the handle.
Alex saw firsthand why I have to make sure to arrive at the airport at least 2 hours in advance. Those exchanges took over 45 minutes, so we made it to the gate just in time for boarding. The flight to Milan went smoothly, and once we arrived I accompanied Alex to the Alitalia Transfer Desk so that he could inquire about taking an earlier flight to Madrid. Finding out that there were more economical reasons to keep his existing ticket, Alex decided to stay in Milan and visit the Duomo during his 8-hour layover. So, the worst part of any trip came and went quickly. Alex and I said our goodbyes, and of course talked about planning for the next time we’ll see each other. We both agreed that we did and saw more than we ever thought we would. This past week in Florence and Tuscany gave us another amazing vacation experience to add to the most recent chapter in each of our lives. As the years go by and our memories fail us, this blog will be a perpetual reminder of the unforgettable time we spent together exploring the beautiful Tuscan countryside.

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