Tales from Italy - Part 1

My first story from vacation isn't technically about Italy at all. Its more about how totally airheaded* but also incredibly lucky I can be sometimes. I'm not joking, y'all. I have done some pretty stupid things over the years, but things have always worked out somehow.

Example #1 - I left my entire wallet in a bar in Little Italy in NYC the night before I was scheduled to fly home. Money, identification, credit cards. All of it lost. Luckily I noticed it was missing the same night and high-tailed it back to the bar where, even luckier still, a kindly stranger had found it on the ground and turned it into the bar completely intact.

Example #2 - I dropped my cell phone at Lollapalooza two years ago and noticed it was missing halfway through Kanye West's performance. After using John's cell to call my phone repeatedly for about 30 minutes, someone answered and was kind enough to meet me by the food booths and return it to me.

And that brings me to my most recent blunder......

We arrived at O'Hare for our flight and I handed my passport to the ticketing agent.

Her: "I'm not finding any reservation under 'Lane'."

Me: "No, the last name is McCloskey."

Her: "Well, your passport says 'Lane'."

Me: "............"

That's right, internet. I hadn't updated my passport since John and I got married almost 2 years ago. It hadn't even crossed my mind. How was I going to take a trip to and from Italy (with connecting flights in Frankfurt, Germany) with a passport that didn't match my ticket? As you can imagine, this was going to be a problem.

Her: "Do you have a copy of your marriage certificate?"

Me: "Oh sure. Let me just get out the framed copy I carry around with me everywhere."**

I tried calling the third-party ticketing service I had used to buy the tickets, but they said there was nothing they could do from their end. The airline could update my name on their flights, but that risked cancelling out my connecting flights with another airline in Germany. Finally, the ticketing agent was able to get approval from her superior for me to go through with the unmatching name. We'd just have to see what happened in Frankfurt for the connecting flight and when we tried to return to the U.S. ten days later.

And guess what happened, internet?!?! Nothing. It turned out to not be an issue at all. They didn't even check my passport on the connecting flight to Florence. And both times on the way back we simply showed the ticketing agent our passports, explained the situation, they decided we didn't look to terroristy***, handed us our tickets and sent us on our merry way.


*I don't think this is an actually a word, but its the best one I can think of.

**I did not actually say this to the very nice ticketing lady. Sarcasm never got anyone brownie points with a customer service rep.

***I know! Again with the made up words!

Arrivederci!

In just 3 short days, John and I are headed 'over the pond' to beautiful Italy for vacation. This will be John's 3rd time visiting the country, but I'm an Italy neophyte.

I'm ridiculously excited and wholly unprepared all at the same time. There's still so much to do - find the power adapters, convert some $$ into €, finish studying the guide books, figure out how to pack my entire closet into one suitcase while still leaving room for the 50 lbs of wine, cheese and clothes I plan on returning with.

We'll be staying primarily in Florence, but are planning a few trips around Tuscany, for which I've rented a car that I believe was designed for a hobbit. I've never driven in a foreign country before (Canada doesn't count), so I'm a little nervous. Plus, like most cars in Europe, it has a manual transmission and I haven't driven a stick in years. Couple all this with the notoriously crazy driving of Italians and I'm pretty sure this could all end in some sort of international incident.

I'll be sure to take copius notes (I've already purchased a brand new moleskin notebook for the occasion) and will chronicle all our adventures here when we return. See you in June, internet! Buena fortuna!