Almost six hours later we are in London. Most people get little or no sleep. Tim says good-bye to the girl from Sweden and we deplane. On the bus ride from terminal 4 to Terminal 1 the European signs and the cars on the left side of the road freak everyone out.
Not sleeping for three days doesn't make you tough.
I couldn't help it.
It makes you stupid.
One overseas flight and our charges are already seasoned veterans. They scoff at the shortness of their next leg.
Two hours, that's nothing.
As soon as we get on, it'll be time to get off.
Our next plane is a 767, the Spirit of Athens, taking us to Milano. We arrive in Italy and everything is different. We can't read many of the signs. We walk down a gangplank to the tarmac itself, and then squeeze into a huge bus which is standing room only. A series of high speed hairpin turns gets us very friendly with a number of Italians. Eventually it takes us to the terminal and we all get our passports stamped by people with uniforms that look like something out of a World War II movie (straps, braids, buckles, etc.)
At the baggage carousel we learn that Italian fashion for women is somewhat different than in the US. At first the number of women in short-shorts and ultra short skirts causes us to falsely assume it's very warm outside and we should have packed shorts ourselves.
We'll all just have to buy all new wardrobes!
Not to say that the men are shabby dressers. I think eyewear is critical here. And shoes.
At 11:30 Milano time we meet our EF guide, Ignazio. He is from Rome. He's been doing this for 15 years and brings Italian tour groups to the US as well. He knows both cultures well. We and another tour group of identical size move out into our sleek, huge tourbus. Like most Eurotour models it has big tinted windows to see the view through. We set off for an two hour ride through the countryside (Clarissa: "that's the greenest green I've ever seen!") to Verona. We learn that another series of large earthquakes has hit Assisi, so it appears we will not be going there at all. Ingiatzo gives us jetlag avoidance advice. Do not go to sleep. Since it's 6AM our time that's pretty hard advice to follow. Especially for . But we stay awake. Songs break out a few times that cause near-violence to erupt. The chaperones declare this healthy conflict.
At 1:30 we arrive in Verona. Ignazio walks us through the gorgeous Italian city, past the coliseum and to the home of Juliet Capulet. And at this moment everyone is left to their own devices. Eat, explore and be back at the bus at 3:30. We explore the many designer shops, and the huge amphitheatre. The group is completely punctual. Jessie warned me that this was a really good crowd of kids. They are truly living up to that reputation.
After our short visit in Verona we are back on the bus and off towards the city of canals -- Venice. Everyone is very excited by this, and we now have our second wind.
At 6pm we arrive at our hotel, the Mini-Miami. It sounds slightly better in Italian, Miami Piano. Alright maybe it doesn't. Our town, Lido di Jesolo is an off-season Italian beach resort town just across from Venice (Venizia). Everyone checks out their rooms and many take a well needed shower. The showers are a little ... odd. After some consultation, those who have not seen Crocidile Dundee are explained the purpose of a Bidet. Most of us have little balconies. We have a very rushed and mediocre meal. We are just a block off the Ariatic Sea, and a few of us dip our toes in it, or explore the closed-up town a little. Others go right to deep sleep.
We are unable to dial out from our rooms, so despite the fact that we have exciting trip notes to put up, I can't do it!
End of day 2.
To email us in italy send email to mewintle@aol.com and be sure to include the word "Italy" somewhere in the tile. I will forward your message to the appropriate person or the whole group as appropriate.
Gallery for day 2 (every digital picture taken)