Italy--Getting There

Even though it was only 24 hours, it seemed like an eternity. The day started of course at the Detroit airport around 10 in the morning and ended in Venice Italy the next day at about 3 in the afternoon (9 am Michigan time). The trip went fairly smoothly. I say fairly because there were a couple of glitches. First I left my phone on the first flight from Detroit to Philadelphia. I guess I should say “lost” instead of “left”—it fell out of my carry-on when I rudely shoved it under the seat in front of me. By the time I realized it was missing I was all the way across the airport in Terminal A—a 15 -minute shuttle ride. I hurried back, but alas, the plane was already pulling away from the gangway. So then I had to go out to baggage claim, file a missing item report (which went surprisingly smoothly thanks to a wonderful US Airways representative), walk al the way back to Terminal A, and get through security yet again. I guess it was a blessing in disguise because my layover in Philly was 4 hours long. I was intending to spend the time chatting on the phone with my sister and whoever else was willing, but instead, I was “entertained” by trekking all over the airport and back. I boarded the flight to Italy around 3:40 pm with no big problems. I spent the flight watching movies on the tiny screen about 20 feet distant and 10 feet to the right. Not the best view in the house. They played “The Golden Compass” and “PS I Love You”. I managed to sleep about 2 hours or so, but I was really cold, so it wasn’t a fitful sleep. But honestly, can one ever expect fitful sleep sitting in a vertical position with your head unnaturally twisted next to a stinky Italian man? The plane landed in Milan at about 6:30 am. I wandered the airport a few minutes to find an ATM and then headed for the shuttle. That’s where the other glitch comes in. I had read about two possible shuttles—one is a bus that goes to Stazione Centrale in Milan and the other is a train that goes to Sazione Nord in Milan. The first one is called Malpensa Shuttle and the other is Malpensa Express. I wanted to go to Stazione Central to catch the train to Venice, but in my dazed state, I saw a sign for Malpensa Express and thought that was the one I wanted. So I ended up on the wrong side of Milan and had to walk a significant distance to get to the other train station. No big deal really because I built in plenty of time for mistakes, but with my backpack on it felt like a long way. The good news is my trek took me past one of the cafes recommended by lonely planet and I got a delicious cappuccino and brioche to fuel my journey. I ended up waiting at the train station for a good 3 hours despite my mix up. When I got on the train it was all I could do to keep my eyes open. In fact, I didn’t. I think the scenery was nice, but I’m not sure! Finally, I arrived in Venice. I bought a vaporetto ticket (which, contrary to the images conjured by the name, do not move so fast that the water turns to vapor—they are in fact painfully slow) and headed for the hostel. As I stepped off the boat I heard someone yell “Susanna!” What? That’s right, Tory’s good friend Kevin just happened to be staying at the same hostel at the same time!! Wow. I dropped my bags in my locker and we took off to explore. All in all, not a bad travel experience! I want to post more about our explorations, but that kind of thing needs pictures and the internet connection in the room is not up to par for that kind of thing. Hopefully later in the week!