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I’ve never flown before. My only international experience was a day in Kingston, Ontario last summer. It was nice, but hardly the immersion in a different culture that I craved. Kingston served, however, to whet my appetite for the foreign. Once I learned that Temple had a Rome campus, I was set. Rome Summer I 2012 here I come!
I arrived at Philadelphia International Airport well ahead of time, anticipating a long security line. I said goodbye to my grandmother, my mother, and my girlfriend (whom I dipped as she likes as I kissed her), and got into line. I had thought my flight would be Air France, but learned it was codeshared with Delta. My flight was from PHL to CDG, an 8 hour intercontinental slog that would not serve well to be an introduction to the wonders of flight. So the famed security lines were not that bad - only because I have a DHS ID card provided by my volunteer work. So I got through in 5 minutes. My first experience with Security Theater was not the soul destroying oppression that the popular culture frequent depicts.
After clearing security, I got myself a coffee (mistake) and
sat down to organize my bags. After doing such, I went over to the counter to ask for a window seat, as mine was in the middle and dammit I’m going to see out the window on my first flight. There was one available at the rear of the plane, and I took it. In Terminal D there was a bar with an impressive selection of craft beer, and I chose Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold as my last American craft beer for 6 weeks. After quickly quaffing it once I realized my flight was starting to board, I made way to the line.
Boarding was quick, and we left the U.S. after a short wait on the taxiway. The flight attendants were very nice, however the plane was cramped. Fortunately my window seat had no one sitting to the right of me, so the gentleman in the aisle seat and I had more legroom. And that precious extra foot was a godsend, because the flight was awful. While the views distracted me for the first two hours, I set my clock to European time and quickly realized I needed to sleep. But that wasn’t going to happen. Once the
world disappeared as the sun set, we were issued our bag nasty dinner – a salad I wasn’t going to eat, tortellini with spinach, a brownie, and a piece of bread.
After dinner, I continued to read Alan Epstein’s
As the Romans Do which was entertaining (however it would prove to be slightly outdated – Roman culture has shifted in the last 15 years since it was written). I couldn’t sleep – a combination of excitement, lack of comfort, and the caffeine from the coffee. As the sun rose, I finished my book and hated myself for not sleeping. Ireland and Britain were obscured by clouds - what a surprise. But seeing Normandy and Paris from the air made up for it. It’s interesting how small Europe is compared to the United States.
Charles de Gaulle airport was the worst part of the experience. While the cold Parisian air I breathed on the jetway was much better than the recycled humid 757’s, that was the best part of the airport. Exhausted, suffering a headache, and lacking any and all French except for “parlez-vous anglais” I attempted my navigation. It was a puzzle, at some point a detached customs
agent stamped my passport. I had to clear security again, and the brute of a security guard screamed “boarding pass!” at me when I didn’t understand his question in French. I purchased Wi-Fi and chatted with some friends as I managed the four hour layover (fortunately only 2 on my return flight).
I met Lisa, a fellow American and Temple Rome student as we were boarding the Alitalia connection to Fiumicino and it was nice to speak English to someone. The Alitalia flight was completely different from the cramped 757. As we boarded the Alitalia Airbus 321, we were greeted by friendly Italians and nice classic Italian music as we were seated. The air was cool and the seats comfortable. I can’t really post about the majority of the flight, because I managed to get about an hour’s sleep during it. I was woken up with the smell of coffee and biscotti, and the landing was rough because of the strong winds that day. As we got ready to debark, I was prepared to step off the plane and step foot on Italian soil.
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BeckyJ
non-member comment
Off to a good start!
Sounds like you had a typical flight over. Keep 'em coming! You're a good writer.