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Friday August 22 Rome-Madrid-Miami-HOME
We wake up at 5:30 and prepare to depart the hotel. Jacob checks out and we wait for the "private transfer", usually a mini bus that so far has taken us to and retrieved us from each airport in Europe. After they're 10 minutes late, we have the desk clerk call. There's a problem: the bus has broken down and the other one won't be able to pick us up until 7 am. But our flight is at 8:15! We go to Plan B and hail a cab. The first one Jacob waved for left us in the dust. The next one was perfect. He loaded all the luggage in the back and strapped up on top of his car - a twin to Alberto's that we've tooled around Rome in! We think we're waiting for another cab - but he insists we can all fit into his car! And we do! Jacob in front and the other 4 squeezed into 3 seats. He drives like Mario Andretti to the Rome airport. We have plenty of time. Into the concourse and, of course, the massive line to check into 2 Iberia flights, and I swear, there are 2 whole people behind the counter. They need 10! Nancy and Harvey walk down the terminal to attempt to get their tax refund again. No, we must do it in Madrid. Back to the line which has moved a whopping 15 feet in 15 minutes. More help arrives and the line begins to move more quickly. We clear security and we're off to Madrid. Our flight arrives and a lady is waiting for Jacob with a wheelchair because we'd been told that changing terminals was very difficult and a long walk. This lady tells us that only one person can go with her and Jacob, and the rest have to proceed on their own to Concourse A. She doesn't understand us, and even Marcus has trouble understanding her. But Elliot and Jacob go down one elevator, while the rest of us go the other way. Turns out the Elliot and Jacob got stuck in that elevator with her, but were finally rescued by some workmen after she called on her emergency phone. They got to the gate in plenty of time. The odyssey for Nancy, Harvey and Marcus was just beginning. We follow the crowd out and onto a bus. There are no signs directing you anywhere, and no announcements over the PA. When the bus arrives at a stop, everyone goes to get out. There are still no signs and no announcements in any language, except signs saying baggage claim and the way out. We ask and find out we have to get back on the bus and get off at another stop. There, everyone gets out (still no signs). We're herded into a small entryway. There is a sole security guard and magnetometer with x-ray for all these people. We are getting very antsy as this whole process is taking a very long time, and we only had 1 hour and 40 minutes between flight to begin with, which we never believed would be enough time. And we still have to get to the tax refund desk, and we're not even sure where it is! One thing's for sure - it won't be right next to our departure gate! Finally, we clear security and go into the A concourse. At the American express booth we find out we have to walk another ½ mile to the B concourse. We eventually find the desk. We of course go to the wrong one first, but she directs us to the other side and we get our invoices stamped. He doesn't even check the merchandise at all. Back to the nice lady at the desk to get our credit card and cash refunds. If it hadn't been a lot of money, it would not have been worth the trouble, at least in the Madrid airport. Never fly in and out of Madrid if you can help it. It is definitely the worst airport we experienced during our entire trip, and Iberia airlines was no metzia. We hear them calling our flight, and we are flying down the concourse and get to yet another security checkpoint. They pull Harvey aside and screen him and the 2 bags he's pulling. We finally make it to the gate to find Jacob and Elliot. They were worried that we weren't going to make it, and refused to get on the plane until we had arrived, though the idiot lady transporting them tried to put them on the plane first! But we did make it and finally, at the very end of the line, we boarded the full plane for the trip HOME! 8 hours is a long flight, and this was not our first flight of the day. Unlike our flight over to Europe, this was prime day time. We watched a couple of movies and tried to nap, mostly unsuccessfully. But the time went fairly quickly. They fed us one decent meal at lunch time, pasta or chicken, and sandwiches later on. We land 30 minutes early at Miami International. Immigration was a breeze, except that, as usual, we chose the wrong line and had to wait longer than the lines next to us, which was again annoying Jacob. But the rest of us didn't care - WE WERE HOME! We cruised through customs with no problem, except that Nancy had signed the declaration, and should have had Jacob fill out his own form. But he let us through anyway, and we went to wait for the bags. And wait, and wait and wait. They took 45 minutes! We can't imagine why it's taking so long. I mean, you're not screening them through security when they're getting off the plane - you screen them when they're getting on the plane! But eventually we have them all, and Larry has called Nancy's US cell phone to let her know that he is here and waiting for us. We get to leave the airport and Larry's right outside. Into the van and homeward bound. We drop Jacob off in Fort Lauderdale and head to Parkland. We arrive at our front door right before 6:00 pm, and our trip is complete. It was a fantastic vacation, despite the injuries and disagreements. We're all ready to use our passports again next summer for our next overseas adventure! |
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