We didn't sleep much so a little after 5 we got up, showered, repacked. Prayed. Prayed hard.
At 7 we went down to check out. The front desk wasn't open yet but as we were standing there the desk guy came in. As Randy was talking to him I got a text from Giuseppe that the taxi was on it's way. He then called me, sounding half asleep but wanting to follow up. The guy behind the counter could not give us a receipt because their system was down. And just as Randy finished the taxi pulled up. Thank God!! Bags loaded and we were on our way at 7:09. Thank God!!!
The airport was very, very busy but the staff here are really efficient. They help everyone get their passport scanned on the various gates and they have someone who directs you to the shortest line. We bought a couple of things in Duty Free and the lady at the register explained to us how to use the last of our euros and credit cards for the remainder, and how to be able to take the purchase on board. That's important because we're transferring planes.
Randy found a few loose euros in his pockets. He gave .20 to American trying to get a packet of mayonnaise, then we spent the rest in the Venti store. They are so honest that we told them how much money we had and they told us what we buy, then followed us out to say we could pick one more item.
For lunch we looked at all the options, then got a Porchetta sandwich. That was an excellent choice!! Very flavorful and tender.
Soon we took the train to our gate area. Our flight was scheduled for 12:25 - 6:04 but we didn't get going until 1:17. Fortunately we have an almost 5 hour layover in Toronto. I chatted with the young lady next to me and learned she is the girlfriend of one of our pilots. She's an air traffic controller herself so they have a lot in common.
It was a great, easy flight. We watched a few movies, had a reasonable meal...
When we arrived in Toronto we were shuffled into a room where we waited in line to talk to a lady at the counter, who told us to stare at the overhead display screen until our name showed up. Then we could go to customs because it meant that our luggage had been transferred. What an odd system.
After about 30 minutes our names showed up so we went to customs. We were supposed to scan our passports first but those machines didn't work so we just got in line, showed our passports to the custom agents, and went on through.
What with the delay in Rome, the delay in Toronto, and apparently the flight went long, we didn't have much extra time after all. We were just glad we had enough time to wait through all those lines!
Our flight boarded on time but the flight was delayed anyway due to passengers waiting for their luggage notification and trying to get through customs. We left at 7:15 and would have loved to get some sleep but it was so very, very cold on the plane! No blankets and I hadn't packed anything useful in my backpack. I was cuddled up next to Randy and still freezing. We got to Orlando at 9:30, got our baggage and Fast Park ride out of there by about 10:30. It was so good to see our truck! It was late and we were tired but Randy still had a long drive ahead. He did great, of course, and stopped at Checkers for burgers! And when we got home, we brought in our luggage, ate burgers, and went to bed in our own, large, comfortable bed! Thank God!!!
(addendum: tested negative!)
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