Day 2- Still in the Airport

I wake up some how just in time for breakfast and there is only about an hour before we land in Rome. Great, I slept the whole night. They serve only one kind of juice, which is now my favorite juice. It is a red orange called Arancia Rossa. I can't wait to get more. Sal, my new buddy, gives me the whole history on this amazing red orange.

So we land and now we are late for our connecting flight. So Sal says, "They have to wait for us, they know our flight is late coming in." So this man has me running around the Rome airport with him. Since I have no clue how to navigate through this airport, I gladly follow him. Then we make it to the next gate, but we have to go through security again, which takes forever. Then we continue running through the airport, we grab carts for our bags (which was free). Then we have to split because my gate is the opposite direction. Sal says, "Ciao, baby. Remember everybody at the gates speak English, be careful. Have a wonderful stay in Lucca!" My new friend is gone.

I finally make it to my gate...there is no plane!!! It left me, so long for Sal's words of it waiting for me. I go back to the ticket counter and wait in line. While waiting some people get into it, I witness my first altercation in Rome. A woman walks over form the other line to join her daughter because that line moved faster. They where screaming at the girl, no one said or did anything. I was astonished and lost for words.

Then it's my turn and these two women are behind me but breathing down my back. I get my ticket and before I can even pick up my bag on the ground, the woman is at the counter. I'm thinking "What the hell!!" I say, "Can I pick up my bag?" She says, "Oh sorry, we are running late." At that moment, my opinion of Italians might be changing. I just walk away and shake my head.

So I walk around the airport and guess who I run into...my friend Sal. He says, "Let's get coffee." I say, "Sure, need to go to the restroom." I wait forever in line for the restroom, one woman just walks to the front and takes the next empty stall. Once again my opinion is changing.

So the next thing to do was to exchange my money. My $1,000 US dollars quickly became 540 euro!!! Damn, Bush and our slow growth period!!!

I go back and I don't see Sal. I proceed to get something to eat. I make it to the gate where I spend two more hours waiting for my flight. I find Sal there, we sit and talk to pass the time. His flight leaves before mine, he goes and wishes me well. In the mine time, I see a man that looks familiar. He turns out to be my professor, who I meet the other day to bring these two extra laptops. We make it to Pissa and go to get my luggage. I cannot believe one of my bags is missing!!

Finally get to my apartment, where my roommate is waiting with my keys and my professor has the other apartment across from us. We get settled and meet the rest of the group for dinner. It our only free meal from Pratt. So we ate good and enjoyed some red wine made from Lucca. I decide to leave and can't wait for this long day to be over. I called the airport and my bag is here and they will drop it off in the morning.

I get to the apartment and open the front door, proceed up the stairs to our apartment on the third floor. I play with the door, finally some how it opens. Then I have to open the third door, which I can't. I keep trying and trying. Then I go back to the other door, I don't know how but I ended up locking myself into the hallway. So now all I can do is sit there, I sat and drifted in and out of sleep. The wine is finally setting in from dinner. Two hours go by and I'm still sitting. I get mad and try to unlock the door again, it opens. I'm finally free after two and half hours of sitting. I run down the stairs, my roommate and professor are coming up. They open the door with no problem.

These doors are old school, you have a lock and dead bolt lock. You have to twist the key another turn once its unlock and hold it, then the door opens. This has been a long day and immediately crash.