ROME/LISBON FALL 2018
This fall our trip includes a stop in the north of Italy for some hiking in the Dolomites, a two day stay in Vicenza, Rome and then 5 days in Lisbon on the way back to Florida where we will vote as Florida residents for the first time.
Mishap Number 1: The day before our flight to Venice on KLM with a change of planes in Amsterdam we received an email that our flight was canceled due to high winds in Amsterdam. The email suggested that we re-book ourselves on Air France. At the time we did not realize that in 2004 Air France and KLM merged and are now one airline. The email said to call and re-book but there was a link to Air France so I re-booked our flight on Air France going through Paris. We do not like to book through Paris since it is one of the few airports that makes you leave the secure area and enter security all over again when you transfer flights from the US...but we had little choice.
I tried to get a seat assignment but was not successful and since we had paid for upgraded seats on the KLM flight I decided to call KLM. The person said that she could not give us any seat assignments but could refund the money we paid for the upgraded seats. As I was talking to her I tried the KLM website and I could bring up the new flight on Air France and could select seats with no problem.. this was happening as the person on the phone told me she could not make a seat assignment. We now had a new flight and seat assignments.
Mishap Number 2: We had decided to spend one extra day in the Dolomites and I had not told Nic, the owner of the apartment, that we would be a day late. He did call me to say he had made a mistake and could we stay in the hotel one night when we arrive since the person in the apartment would be there. I did not tell him we were going to be one day late anyway but that we would stay in the Dolomites one extra day.
A few days before we were leaving Rome for the US Nic told me he made another mistake and someone was coming two days early. He asked us if we could move out. This meant we had to get the bikes to their Rome home two days early and find a place to stay. We wound up at the Hotel Louisiana. The owners are Eduardo and Slyvanna who eat at Lampada every night and we have gotten to know them.
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