Flavors of Northern Italy: Day 9 (end of tour)

Sunday 10/10: VRN > FRA > SMF + Overall Impressions & Future Plans

Our airport transportation picked us up at 7am, and we were at the Verona airport in about 30 minutes. The check-in desk for our flight wasn’t even open yet! Eventually, we were able to check in and show all of our various pieces of documentation. We still had over 2 hours to wait until our 10am flight, so we enjoyed some breakfast at one of the two restaurants open in the small airport, including a delicious fresh fruit bowl (with kiwi, of course -- who knew kiwi was so popular in northern Italy?) and fresh-squeezed orange juice (why don't we have those awesome machines here in the US?). Then I picked up some candy at the Duty Free shop and started walking “laps” around the terminal as there wasn’t much else to do while waiting for our departure.

Mr. E gave me his seat in Air Dolomiti's business class for the flight, so I got a fresh snack (fruit, cheese) and real coffee in a little mug, which was quite lovely. The view from the plane over the Alps was pretty impressive! 

 

Once we got to Munich, we had quite a long wait to go through passport control, so we only had about 30 minutes to enjoy the Lufthansa Senator Lounge before going to our gate. We settled into our Business class seats only to discover that Mr. E’s entertainment system was inoperable. Ugh! Not cool for this level of ticket and for such a long flight! The very helpful purser gave him a $250 credit, and thanks to the long cord on the headsets, he was able to watch two movies (“A Quiet Place” parts 1 and 2) on my monitor while I worked on my blog and read. I watched “Minari” earlier in the flight, after the first meal service.

We arrived a bit early in D.C. but then had to wait over an hour to get our bags and re-check them for our flight to Sacramento. So frustrating! We did manage to spend about 30 minutes in the United Club near our gate and then boarded our final flight home. We got dinner service in First Class and then watched the Red Sox playoff game on the personal monitors before starting to crash due to jet lag.

Our flight had been delayed taking off, but we made up most of the time in the air. Unfortunately, we then had another long wait for our bags in Sacramento. Luckily, S didn’t mind waiting in the cell phone lot and circling a few times before picking us up and taking us home to greet Miss Calypso.

This was a truly outstanding tour, with a top-notch tour guide and incredible experiences that we never could have arranged on our own, particularly with the insider views into the artisanal production of renowned wines, traditional balsamic vinegar, and craft cheese.

We also were incredibly fortunate to be in such a small group of people whom we really enjoyed. The level and topics of conversation were unlike anything we’d experienced during any other tour, and we were all so taken with each other that we’ve agreed to come together again in fall 2023 to do a Taste of Tuscany, including with Stefania as our guide. As we left the final dinner, we actually exchanged hugs with everyone, which has never happened before on a tour. What a remarkable experience and an inspirational return to international travel!