I received all types of input about what time to leave for the airport with a 11:45am flight. Everything from 5:00am – 7:30am. It was going to be about an 1:40 drive into Florence. Then we needed to fill up the car, drop off the rental, and take the rental car shuttle over to the airport. Ultimately, I decided on 7:00am – to allow extra time for anything unexpected to happen. Heidi had told me the night before – whatever time you think we need to leave is good with us. We will be ready.
And so we pulled out of the farm at 7:00am sharp and the sky looked like it was wanting to rain. I had hoped most of the drive would be without rain, because I had done that drive before when it was raining in sheets and we could barely see out the window. As it turns out, the drive to the airport was the easiest one I could remember. With all the times, my nerves had been shot to hell on this trip on the road, this was a pleasant surprise. Thank you Google maps for not sending me on some crazy route. It was mostly on a highway, and the stop for gas was an on and off highway situation with full service. A little Italian man popped out and was happy to fill the tank for over 100 Euros. I guess gas in Italy is tracking with gas prices in the USA.
The car drop off and shuttle ride also was easy and eventless. Once we arrived at the airport, we both went to our airline counter. Mine already had a big line at 9:15am – the reason being, the ticket agents hadn’t arrived to work yet. I was remembering that they don’t actually show up until about 2 hours before the flight departs. If you get lucky, one will show up early that day. Around 9:30am a ticket agent rolls in and opens up shop. She must be used to having long lines when she arrives. She doesn’t seem hurried or worried.
When my turn finally comes up, she asks to see my negative COVID test. Everything I read on line prior was, take it a day in advance of your flight. She sees the time stamp of the day before at 11am. She tells me, ‘This is not valid. It is more than 24 hours from your flight today.’ I say, ‘Well, the guidelines say 1 day. It does not say anywhere 24 hours. I am traveling today – all day. I took this test yesterday, less than 24 hours from this moment right now.’ She looks at me frowning. She talks to the agent next to her that has just arrived. That agent shrugs her shoulders. She picks up the phone to call someone. I just stand there praying under my breath, ‘Jesus, favor. I need favor. Please help me get through. I want to go home.’ Within a minute she hangs up and says okay for me to load any luggage I want to check. I exhale with a sigh of relief.
I meet back up with Heidi and Jeff who are now also already all checked in and we head down to our gates. All in the small same area. Plus, their flight is about 2 hours after mine. I decide I need one cappuccino and a croissant for the road. That actually turned into 2 cappuccinos – but who’s counting? Soon Heidi joins me up a a bar top and we visit until it is time for me to board. With a hug and safe travels to both of them, I’m off on the next leg of my journey.
After I board in Florence and we are on the runway to take off, the take-off aborts. We don’t even get lift. The flight attendant comes on and says, ‘The pilot will come on and let you know why we had to abort.’ Then about a minute later the pilot comes on and casually says, ‘We will try it again, but we had to abort the first take-off because of too much air traffic.’ Uh, okay. Well, I hope someone figures that out before the next round. The next take-off happens and there we go, up up and away. I look down on beautiful Italy, wondering when I will back back. I have a feeling it won’t be anytime soon given the state of the world and the never ending variants.
Once I get to Paris, I head over to the Business Class lounge. I had remembered this small City within a City the last time I was in this Air France lounge with Dana. Floor to ceiling windows with views of the planes taking off. Lots of room and options to sit, or lay out. Incredible, never ending food selections. We felt like we had one the travel lottery. I was actually looking forward to my 4 hours in this lounge. Once I was checked in, I could immediately tell this wasn’t the same lounge. This was a smaller, dark, more cramped space. Plus it was full. Full like a bus station, with people everywhere. In chairs and on the floor. What was happening in here? It almost seemed like being out in the main terminal would be preferable? How are this many people flying business class? Had the airline messed up with a flight and sent a plane full of passengers in here?
I finally found a spot in the corner to park myself and really wasn’t up for any of the food. I knew the flight home would serve me dinner. So I basically just drank water and did some writing while I waited. When it was time to go to my gate, I had this sinking feeling that I might get hassled about my COVID test time. This flight was going to take off at about 4:30pm – my test was definitely 24 hours before that time. And sure enough, when I get to the screening area they ask for my test. The man says, ‘This test is invalid. It’s more than 24 hours from this flight.’ I say, ‘Look, I’ve already had this conversation in Florence. I have been traveling all day. Someone called in Florence and they assigned me both boarding passes and said I was good to go through to LAX.’ He said, ‘Well, technically, we shouldn’t let you go, this isn’t valid. You know what I mean.’ I just look at him, ready to take this to the next level if I need to. Just then he waves me through. I really just think they love the power trip of all of this.
As I move through the next holding area to wait to board, I have no confidence he isn’t going to change his mind and come pull me out of line. Just then I look down on my phone and I get an email from Air France letting me know that I am cleared as ‘Ready to Fly.’ The documents that I had uploaded the day before, including my passport and COVID tests were all approved. I wondered why it had taken THIS LONG to send me the approval. It would have been helpful to have all of this several hours ago. Basically, if you have the ‘Ready to Fly’ boarding pass, the gate agents don’t need to screen you. With that email, I was becoming more and more confident that if I got pulled out of line, I could show them my email and would actually get to board my flight and get home on this night.
I boarded and found my way to my seat and got settled. I took a Nyquil as I wanted to sleep most of this night and was trying to stay as least congested as possible, for my ears sake, on take off and landing. And so it was – we took off, they served me dinner, I laid flat and slept a good 6-7 solid hours before they turned on the cabin lights for breakfast. It felt like the quickest international flight home I could ever remember. Once I landed, my trusty airport driver, Aaron was already texting me saying he was able to find parking in the garage and would be outside of customs waiting for me.
Once I deplaned and went through ‘Global Travel’ and expedited screening clearance I have used for several years, I expected to scan my passport as usual and move to the baggage area. This time they said, no scanning of your passport. Step up to the camera, take down your mask and wait for clearance. And it happened just like that – new facial recognition technology cleared me without even seeing my passport. Can’t decide if that was super cool or super creepy. The next station, the customs agent didn’t say a word to me, he was busy chatting with the other TSA agents. His main focus once he got my passport was to find a free space to stamp and move me through. It literally took me about 2 minutes to clear customs.
Once I picked up my bags, I headed to the exit. The place where they usually ask for your landing card which has a list of everything you bought while you were gone and it needs to be under a certain amount so they can decide if you need to pay tax on it. Wait, come to think of it, they never had us fill out a landing card. Not only that, there was no one at the end of that exit like usual collecting those cards and looking at your luggage while you sweated it out. ‘What about this Gucci bag?’ ‘Yes, of course, I brought it with me. I didn’t buy it in Italy.’ ‘Nuts and seeds or meat?’ ‘Nope, none of that, but please keep those sniffing dogs away from my bags.’ I’ve had minor ‘food’ things confiscated before – I don’t even bother to try to pass it through anymore. Who knew, they don’t even care or check anymore. It’s a free for all. All they care about now is monitoring COVID.
Just as expected Aaron was waiting for me – I hadn’t seen him in almost 2 years, with all of my business travel being cut off. Even so, it seemed like yesterday since I had seen him and it was comforting to have someone familiar pick me up, take my bags, and take me home. I knew with Amy 9+ months pregnant this wasn’t a job for her on this night on Thanksgiving weekend. She usually was my faithful pick-up for this trip, but her new circumstance made me find another option. I was more than happy to call my faithful driver Aaron. I was a so happy to be back in the USA where everyone around me was speaking English.
Once we left LAX, there was no traffic all the way home. And you know, once you get on the 405 and start heading home, it feels like you never left. Oh how I loved these spacious highways with plenty of room. We had a nice catch up session on the way home and it wasn’t long before we pulled up to me house. My sweet house, just waiting for me. We pulled up around 11pm and once inside, I looked through some mail and then headed for the shower. My home shower with all my stuff inside. I was so happy to be there.
The very best part was being showered, in fresh PJs, and finally, finally pulling back the covers on my fresh bed. I had dreamt about this moment many times in the last few days. I couldn’t have been more giddy to lay down and close my eyes. I was actually so excited, I took a photo of my bed in this moment. I didn’t want to forget how happy I was. It was a surreal ‘Dorothy – there – is – no – place – like – home’ moment. I love travel, I love Italy, I love adventure – but most of all, I love home.
