I made it to JFK without trouble, and picked up a friend. Peg is my age and she had never flown before. She was also in a car wreck right before flying. On top of that, her first trip was to Egypt. I tried to help her out, not to get sick. Then I helped her find her gate at JFK after some dinner. It was nice to have company, and it felt good to do a nice thing for someone, for no reason.
My flight from New York to Venice was bearable. I got a seat without someone beside me, and I was on the aisle. People did some odd things on this flight. Many people, including the person directly in front of me, stood for the majority of the flight. Right in the aisle, and with no other purpose than taking up space they didn't pay for.
The in flight movie was Dodgeball. It was very funny, but I'm a sucker for that kind of comedy. Delta also had in flight, real time updates on the flight status. I could see just where we were, what time has elapsed, and the current estimate for our arrival. That was welcome, especially since my laptops battery is dying and I don't have a watch. Note: buy a watch.
When I got to Venice I managed to get help finding the right bus to take to Venezie. The bus dropped me off "two bridges" from my hotel, but I overlooked it and walked over a few more, and down a few streets I didn't need to. Finally, I asked enough people for help that I narrowed it down and noticed the huge golden letters that spell out the hotel's name. That was painful because my luggage is heavy, I brought seven books to read.
No sooner did I find my tiny room with no view than I had to catch a train to Ferrara for the Italian Code Jam. So, that was fun, and I got the right train. I bought a ticked and got on the train. I expected to find the Validation thing on the train, then I figured the person that would come around would validate the ticket. Not so. She politely informed me that there are Yellow machines at the station that I should have validated the ticket with. Then she kindly filled out a ticket and requested the fine, 5,00 Euros. Oops. Is that a criminal offense in Italy?
When I got to Ferrara, Enrico (a conference organizer) came to the station to pick me up, and now here I am. I'm not finished with my travels yet, because I do have to get back to Venice tonight for my hotel, but the train is very relaxing and I'll enjoy my trip back. Hopefully, though, I'll be able to have some dinner with the Code Jam speakers before I have to get on the last train leaving for Venice tonight. I wonder if any of them need web hosting...
I'm having a little trouble with the language, I didn't study too much and they don't have very many English signs, even in Venice. Overall, though, I think I'm doing okay. I have been able to get around without any troubles (well, except for the convalida thing). We'll see if that keeps up.
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