Primo Giorno

So where to begin… I’m writing this msg from my Hilton Bedroom. Let me back it up and fill you in on the details of my first day NOT in Rome. So all was well. We boarded Newark at 8:00 while Bruce was playing at halftime. There was an amazing play at the end of the first half. The Steelers intercepted the ball and returned it for a 100 yards (Longest is Super bowl history!!!). Anyway the flight was good. Food was decent. I got the chicken and pasta while Laura got the beef and mash even though it was ill advised to order beef on an airline (Charles flying expertise were right, beef was a bad choice). So we are about 30 mins out of London when the captain comes on and says London is experiencing snowy conditions. After a couple of circles in the sky he then announced London Heathrow was closed and we would be landing at Gatwick Airport (other side of London). As we landed the plane in Gatwick, the Captain informed us that we were the LAST flight to have landed and that it was now full/closed. We even had to park and unload the plane on the runway and be shuttled to the terminal. Once arriving at the terminal, the real fun began. Leading a massive amount of people, me at the head, we made our way to Customs. Once through we made our way to the second floor where hell must have been dwelling for the last century. We just entered the line to schedule another flight when Laura says CALMLY, “I can’t find my passport”. After checking our luggage and body we decided Laura’s passport was officially missing. Leaving Laura guarding the bags I retraced her steps to find the only thing that would ensure that we would ever leave London sometime in the next year. After tracing as far as I could with no success I talked to a guy at the booth about where the missing passport would be and hoping it wasn’t stolen. As I was talking to the guy a lady goes through the employee entrance and I catch a glimpse of a passport in her hand with a sticker on the back just like Laura’s. I bolt around the side of the building (since I couldn’t follow her through the employee door) and am running at her yelling. I finally get her attention; I ask her if that passport she is holding is a lost one and give her Laura’s name. Sure enough it is. Lady follows me upstairs to hand it Laura, crisis #1 averted. That was only the beginning. Like mice we were manipulated through a serious of loops winding and crossing each other. All this walking in circles ended up with Laura with gum on her shoe which I scrapped off with a water bottle cap, fyi. During our five 8 hrs of standing in line we made some interesting friends. We were in the vicinity of 6 other people in the IES Rome program and who were in the same predicament. One of these girls I knew from Penn State. This guy also befriended us and was giving us fatherly advice which was pretty funny. And yes Dad, I did accepted water from a stranger. After standing there for 5 hrs the staff finally started to give our waters. The most interesting person we meet however was this Italian girl from Milan, Italy. She had flown from Newark as well and is in the states for figure skating. Only after further discussion did we find out she is not only on the Olympic team for Italy taking 1 of 2 spots but her boyfriend plays for the NY Knicks and is one of their top scores. He is the only Italian on the team and I forgot his name and do not have the resources (internet) to access it. So we finally get to the counter and they have 1 seat left for Rome. So we obviously decide to stay together and just the next flight tomorrow. We got a free room at the Hilton along with a free bus pass, breakfast, and dinner. Not too shabby. We take a tram to the South terminal. Get lost and find our way the 4th time to the Hilton hotel which seems miles away after standing for 8 hrs. Once we get there, you guessed it, we waited again. A priest ends up behind us. Me being delusional from lack of food, patience, and sleep for the last 26 hours the first thing I say to him is. “Today has been a living hell”. Good one Al. We end up talking to him for the next 20 minutes and say goodbye after we finally get our room key and make a mad dash for the elevator. This leads us to now. 18:03 (that’s how the tell time here, so 6:03 here and 1:03 at home in NJ). I’m typing this message while we wait for our Buffet dinner at 19:00. And the Italian girl is also staying at the Hilton so we are meeting her for dinner. Fun fun. Will continue writing after dinner. Caio from London.
Back. Dinner was good. Food was nothing special but it was a free meal. Learning about how the Italian girl who I now know her name, Valentina was very interesting. Definitely a lot different than how I grew up. Anyway just took a shower and am getting everything ready for tomorrow so I may finally see Rome. Hope every journal entry is as exciting as this as long as it’s good news.

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