Venezia!

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A few months ago, a friend of mine asked me a question. "Scott, why do you always go to Italy?" The answer I gave in reply was simple. "I travel to Italy because it makes me happy."

I had not traveled abroad since 2010 which was far longer of a wait than I'd ever planned on. Why so long an interval you ask? The answer is easy. I did one of the scariest (and courageous) things I have ever done. I moved away from my family and friends and relocated to Maryland. The decision was not an easy one but it proved to be the right one in the end.

2011 was a year of tremendous change for me both personally and professionally. I've only moved four times in my life which is far less than most folks I know. All the same, given the upheavals of 2011 there was no real way I could have fit in any adventures abroad. A small sacrifice on my part given the eventual payoff and I promised myself that I would travel again in 2012.

I'm a planner. I've always planned ahead and looked to the future so that I can be as prepared as I possibly can. While it's true that I can't plan for everything, I like to think that I do my best.

My decision to return to Italy this year was no exception. One of the great things about delaying my traveling was that it gave me two whole years to accumulate a ridiculous amount of airmiles. I'd actually racked up enough airmiles for a free international flight with enough left over to fly for free anywhere in North America. A stupendous achievement of which not too many folks are capable.

I'd just started a new job this year and I calculated that I'd earn enough time off to take a summer vacation. I had a couple of different ideas about where I might go but in the end I decided to return to the Veneto.

My last trip to Venice was amazing but it was also very cold! My friend Sam told me that the next time I return to Venice that I must come during summer. I never forgot that bit of advice and it was due in large part to his recommendation that I decided to return to Venice once more.

Crazy how time flies by so much faster with the passage of the years. I remember how excited I was back in March when I bought my plane ticket. That initial excitement grew as the weeks flew by. Spring turned to summer and the next thing I knew it was July was on my doorstep!

I'd arranged to fly out on a Friday afternoon to Venice. I wouldn't actually get there till Saturday morning due to the time change with the goal being to take advantage of every single moment of my adventure. My bags were packed and I was literally heading out the door when I got a phone call. I looked and saw it was a 1-800 number so I didn't pick up. I thought it was a telemarkter trying to sell me something.

I was then really surprised when I got an automated message from Delta airlines telling me that my flight to Venice had been cancelled. Immediately my heart started pounding in my chest and all I could think of was no, no NO! I dropped my bags and ran to the table to fire up my laptop. My cat was looking at my like I'd gone crazy and I suppose for a brief moment I had.

After a frenzied search on Delta's website, I managed to locate a new flight that would take me from Baltimore to New York and then on to Venice. Instead of leaving in the afternoon that Friday, it turned out that I left in the early evening instead. I did manage to talk to a representative at Delta who had informed me that the other plane had mechanical issues and so the flight was cancelled. I reflected afterward that it was much better to find out about it now rather than crashing into the ground later.

I'd never flown out of Baltimore on an international flight so this was a new experience to me. The flight from Baltimore to New York was only 30 minutes long. I'd barely cracked open a book when we were already landing again! I'd flown to JFK before when I last traveled to Venice back in 2010. The only thing that clearly stuck in my memory about JFK was that it was huge and I had absolutely no idea how to the next gate for my connecting flight.

I discovered an interesting facet to JFK that I had not experienced the last time. The airport is so huge that they have makshift gates where we actually had to disembark and then enter the airport on foot. that reminded me a little bit of my experience at the DeGaulle airport in Paris. That place is just so huge that you need a shuttle to get from one side of the airport to the other. I've learned when traveling thru airports that you're not familiar with you absolutely have to pay attention to all posted signs and listen carefully for any announcements. International airports will have announcements in many langauages and they will often repeat so you can catch what they're trying to tell you.

I have to confess I'm really amazed that I haven't missed a connecting flight on my international trips but it hasn't happened yet. Even if it did happen, I've learned not to stress over stuff like that. To me, it's all part of the adventure. Neverthless, I sent up a silent prayer in thanks for being blessed with long legs because I had to hoof it to the other side of the airport to find the gate. I never cease to be amazed at folks who carry gigantic suitcases on trips such as this! I saw countless folks struggling with huge suitcases trying to get to the gate on time for their plane. I decided a long time ago, if I can't fit it into my backpack it's not coming with me.

When I got to the gate, I found that the plane had not yet arrived so I settled down to wait. When I looked around, I was not surprised to find myself surrounded by Italians. There were a lot of other travelers who I assumed were also vacationing same as me, but the majority of people I saw were Italians traveling home. I was sitting next to an older Italian gentleman who turned out to be a really funny guy. This guy was deep in conversation with another woman who was returning to Venice and from there she was going back home to Verona. The plane we were all supposed to be leaving on was running late, I think it ended up being an hour late as a matter of fact. Every time they'd make an announcement thanking us all for our patience, the old guy would cry out in Italian, "Perche, perche?" "Why, why?" This guy would weave back and forth between Italian and English depending on who he was talking to. It was really funny!

When the plane arrived, I somehow managed to end up in zone 1, which was right after first class. I had no idea how that happened considering I booked the flight totally last minute. Now there's always a big debate amongst folks about what's best, an aisle seat or a window seat. I can only speak solely for myself that I will always book an aisle seat no matter what. This is especially true on international flights as I need the room to stretch out my legs and go walk about.

I always bring a few books with me on long flights to pass the time. I know that the airlines will play movies but you never know what the selection of movies is going to be so it's always best to be prepared. I set my watch to the time it was in Italy at that moment just to get adjusted. I think I ended up leaving New York around 9:30 pm going on 10 o'clock not too sure about that. Italy is six hours ahead of the east coast, so it was already early morning on that side of the world.

I've never been able to do anything more than doze on international flights. I do know people that tell me they have no problem falling asleep but I simply am not one of them. I'd periodically check to see how far the plane had traveled on the view screen above me. My excitement started to really grow when I saw that we'd traveled flown over France and were fast approaching the Italian penninsula. I estimated we had about another hour before we would land at the Marco Polo airport.

The Marco Polo airport is located about 5 miles north over Venice I believe. I've been to the Leonardo da Vinci airport in Roma, and I've also flown out of Peretola in Firenze. So far, I have to say that I like Marco Polo best. Arriving at Venice in the early morning hours is always a treat. The reason for that is when the planes make their approach, they fly right over the lagoon and if you're really lucky, you will have an awesome view of the lagoon and all of Venice! When the pilot made the announcement that the plane would soon be landing, I craned my neck out the window to see the outside.

At first, you couldn't see anything due to the clouds we were flying through and then all of a sudden the sun streamed through and I could see what was below me. Looking out the window I saw the blue waters of the Venetian lagoon and then I saw the city of Venice nestled in the water below shining in the late morning sunshine. This was it my friends, I have arrived.

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