I left two weeks ago with two large rolling duffel bags, a carry-on suitcase, and my messenger bag - my life. I arrived in Detroit after a emotional departure with my parents and grandmother, yet eager for the next chapter in my journey. I walked up to the United Airlines check-in, understanding that I would have to pay extra for the second checked bag (i.e. the two rolling duffel bags) and justifying the expense with the longevity of my move. Okay, no problem. I strained to get the bags on the scale: one bag was 20 pounds over and the other five pounds. I politely inquired about the expense for the overweight baggage, $200 was the reply. Ouch. After trying to pull the "I'm working with the government and moving to South Africa - card" without any success I tried to problem shoot this fee. The associate told me that I could purchase a duffel bag from them (not to be confused with my two rolling duffel bags), putting my messenger bag and the 25 pounds of overweight luggage into the duffel (my two carry-on items would be the roll-on suitcase and the duffel bag). Great! She came back with the duffel bag. After opening it and looking at its vastness (I could've fit inside), I asked: "Are you sure this will pass as a carry-on?" After being assured that it was, I struggled to carry my bags to security. When I arrived at the gate, I asked an attendant if they were looking for volunteers to check a piece of their luggage, thinking that it was a small, regional plane with limited overhead space. Her response: "Sir, there's no way you can board the plane with both of those bags." I replied telling her that I bought the duffel from a United employee. She huffed and puffed, finally realizing their (United's) mistake and she checked my duffel to Rome ... avoiding the outrageous fee.
I've been enjoying my time in Rome, spending the first few days getting over jet-lag. For some reason, it seemed that it affected me more so than in the past. For example: I would go to bed at a reasonable time (10-11pm), wake up at 4am and not be able to go back to sleep, so I would work/read for a few hours before falling asleep (8am-11am). In any event, I should've been more rigid and "fought" through the tiredness. I spent time with Chris and Franco and their two wonderful golden retrievers, Buddy and Sasha. I even played "lumberjack" with Franco and his friend, Ernesto and help split wood one afternoon.
Giulia arrived last Thursday, coming back to Rome after a family holiday to visit family in San Francisco. How she dealt with the nine time zone jet lag, I'll never know (and I thought six time zones were bad!). On Monday morning we left for a three day trip to Venice. I had not been to Venice since I was 12 when I traveled through Italy with my family. My experience was overshadowed by a private water taxi attempting to rip off "some American tourists" and leaving us on the other side of the city, nowhere near our hotel (imagine: family, seven pieces of luggage, many bridges - but I still enjoyed the trip with my family!). In any event, we arrived late morning and checked into our bed & breakfast. We spent the afternoon wandering around the city, visiting the popular sites like: St. Mark's Campanile, Basilica di San Marco, Palais des Doges, and the Bridge of Sighs. Interestingly, the city was nearly without tourists ...both because of the time of the year and the cold weather; it felt at times as if the city were our own, walking through empty alleys/canals. Tuesday, we went out to the islands of Burano and Murano. Burano is known for it's crocheting and it's multi-color buildings, while Murano is known for it's glass. Although cold, it was neat to see both of these islands and walk around visiting the little shops. In the afternoon a heavy fog developed and made the city eerie and mystical, which adding to the emptiness of the city, was an interesting experience. Prior to leaving, Chris told us to watch Don't Look Now - a thriller about a murderer in Venice that wore a red hood (it is more complex than that)... we always made jokes about places that we though "red hood" might be seen, particularly with the fog. On Wednesday we spent the day walking around the Rialto Bridge before heading to the airport. It was a wonderful trip and better company!
I leave on Monday, flying from Rome to Doha and then Doha to Johannesburg, arriving Tuesday afternoon. My mother's cousin, Gerhard, will be picking me up and getting me settled (finding a car, moving into my house, figuring out my cell phone, et cetera - how nice of him!). Cheers!
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| Near the University of Venice ("Academic Bridge") |
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| Beginning of the fog! |
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| At the Rialto Bridge |
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