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MsEverywhere and I have hit the first snag on our trip - weather delays in Atlanta, resulting in us giving up the JFK/ATL/TPA connection in favor of the dreaded direct flight to TPA on Song!
Anxious to hear if Canarsie actually made it to the airport. Thanks to O2K for a WONDERFUL first meet! I thoroughly enyoyed myself, and will definitely be attending in the future whenever possible - even if we meet in Tel Aviv! Ciao!! P.S. - MsEverywhere is already finding the silver lining - Song serves Korbel! |
;)
Originally Posted by KLC
P.S. - MsEverywhere is already finding the silver lining - Song serves Korbel! |
Here are my pictures.
I am certainly not a good photographer, by any stretch of the imagination, but I love taking pictures of people and always try to get good shots of everybody, wherever I am. I would never post a bad shot of anybody, because I think that is a really tacky thing to do, so, if I have posted your picture, I think it is really good. If you don't like the pics I have posted of you, please PM or e-mail me at [email protected] and let me know and I will remove your picture from the batch. Likewise, let me know if I have improperly identified you or a location, or if you would like me to identify something that I forgot. I typically only take pictures of people and never take pictures of stuff, but what the heck, this was Venice during the most beautiful, sunny weekend that has probably ever happened in November. Even I could not mess up the tourist shots, so I left them in. Actually, all of the good "stuff" shots were probably taken by Hunki. He likes pictures of stuff. I am also happy to add anyone else's pictures to my photo site if they will e-mail them to me. I saw some really hot shot FlyerTlak photographers running around, taking far better pics (I am sure) than mine. This was a truly wonderful weekend. If you have never run halfway around the world for a FT party, you should give it a shot. It is really fun. |
Originally Posted by monitor
A meet projected for Tel Aviv would become very dangerous ground for one of our company despite the fact that he would have some knowledge of the customs and procedures.
This would be our most geographically challenged friend, Canarsie, who caught up to us on our way to the Railroad Station in Venice and firmly informed us that the turn that we were going to make was the wrong way, because he had come this other way only a few days before and this was a shorter route. Altho I am not really good speaking Italian, I sure read it well and I know that the arrow pointing to Ferrovia was definitely showing an OK route, but the certainty with which Canarsie proposed his alternate swayed all of our thinking, so Dorlee & Leonard, Wahoo Flyer, and Franny & I just followed along, me figuring "How far out of the way can we go because this seemed to be generally leading in the right direction?" The answer to that question was "Very far." It turned out to be very not good, for altho we had left a 20 minute pad in our route to allow for such contingencies as long ticket lines, broken ticket machines (this is of course, Italy), etc., we had our tour guide for the day (a distinguished Italianate gentlemen known as "Il Dovsterino"), waiting for us at the station in Verona. We certainly had not figured on about a ten minute walk in the wrong direction (requiring a ten minute return walk because there is no easy way of correcting a mistake in this town if you are on the wrong side of a canal) following our leader, Canarsie. But all ended well and we just made the train, after Wahoo Flyer had grabbed a ticket machine and bought us first class tickets, which was a giant waste because we never found any cars but 2d class. We also had very little trouble finding our guide at the other end, due to a certain leather hat (which at this stage may better belong in the trash than protecting the baldo described above as Bianca's joy), which remained precariously perched above the faux Michael Jordan looking scalp (remember that this is an equal insult thread and how can one insult Canarsie for leading you astray when you have an appointment with the Dovster without insulting the Dovster just as well?). Anyhow, we ended up having a very nice time in Verona and we hope that Canarsie was able to find the airport (I don't think that we'll ever know about him until he lets us know) and that his route home was not something like changing at Warsaw and stopping over in Helsinki (like the Prague-Cyprus quinela that he played coming over). Moral of the story is "Never let Canarsie lead the way", because altho he is a great guy, if you did you might get into serous trouble in a place like Israel, where you really can get into a mess if you go too far wrong. But, however, has anyone considered that there may have been an ulterior motive on my part behind taking the wrong turn to the train station? Consider the following scenarios: Perhaps it was to give us the exercise we needed to work off all of the delicious food we have eaten over the past few days? Perhaps it was a way to buy (or is it spend?) an extra last few minutes with some of the FlyerTalk members with whom I truly enjoyed, even though one of them (ahem) did not spend as much time with me as he has in past FlyerTalk gatherings (hint, hint)? Perhaps it was a way to give monitor yet another memorable story to be told to future generations of FlyerTalk members? Or, perchance, was I attempting to Shake-speare their confidence in me by constructing a near tragedy so that they would be in the proper mood to enjoy Verona, the scene of Romeo and Juliet? On second thought, meeting Dovster yet again would have been tragic enough. Anyway, I watched the train to Verona carry the group from the bus that was transporting me to the airport as it was right at its side, and that is when I knew (sadly) that the Venice meet was truly at an end for me. I had an excellent time... |
Originally Posted by KLC
MsEverywhere and I have hit the first snag on our trip - weather delays in Atlanta, resulting in us giving up the JFK/ATL/TPA connection in favor of the dreaded direct flight to TPA on Song!
P.S. - MsEverywhere is already finding the silver lining - Song serves Korbel! Anyway, when I arrived in VCE on the outbound, Dedehans and KLC met me when we were getting off the plane. I was wearing my company sweatshirt, and we realized KLC and I both work for the same company in Tampa. What a small world! I wanted to thank O2K and Dov and everyone else who contributed to the Meet! I had a wonderful time, and enjoyed meeting the group, many of them for the first time. I feel very, very fortunate, I came home a couple of pounds lighter than when I arrived, thanks to all the walking I did and the (fairly) healthy eating I did. My wallet came home thousands of euros lighter, too, although that wasn't exactly an objective. :o I took film pictures. I'll email some of them out after I get them developed onto a CD. Ciao, baby! |
Originally Posted by KLC
Anxious to hear if Canarsie actually made it to the airport.
My sense of direction never fails me and, in this case, it still has not failed me. In fact, if it indeed had failed me, I would have never been able to find the hotel when I first arrived from the bus depot in the first place. In fact, I made it to the hotel just in time to have dinner with everybody. My sense of canals, on the other hand, still needs improvement... |
Originally Posted by Canarsie
In fact, I made it to the hotel just in time to have dinner with everybody.
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Originally Posted by Dovster
Yes, but you started walking to the hotel right before breakfast.
I started walking to the hotel right before breakfast on Wednesday, September 8. |
Quick update: American Express have redeemed themselves for their previous errors by same-day couriering me a card from Rome, and picking up the tab for my stay at the Gritti Palace.
If all FT Do's turn out like this, I shall be living in interesting times indeed. PS canal navigation is not my strong point either! But I do now know the locations of every Western Union service in the city. Oh, I have precisely one photo online at the moment: http://www.well.com/~nickw/venice.jpg ... more to come, including platbrownguy seafood abuse shocker. |
Originally Posted by Canarsie
That is correct.
I started walking to the hotel right before breakfast on Wednesday, September 8. You can walk on water?! :eek: (I say this because you apparently walked to Cyprus on the way ;)) |
Originally Posted by Punki
Here are my pictures
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Originally Posted by platbrownguy
I say this because you apparently walked to Cyprus on the way
By the way, my flight from Paris to Atlanta landed on-time last night despite inclement weather. I was in a coach class seat on an Air France 777-200, which was not bad at all. The seat configuration in Tempo (coach) class was 3-3-3, and there was a personal in-flight entertainment system, lunch, a small dinner snack, a comfortable pillow and blanket, a self-service beverage bar between meals, a footrest for each seat, and a small in-flight amenity kit. Add to the fact that the flight was not crowded at all, and I really did not miss business class or first class. |
We are still without our baggage. :( They refused to let us take our carry-ons onboard VCE/FRA, so we were forced to check them. We were assured that we would have ample time to claim them in FRA prior to our flight to SFO.
As luck would have it, there was bad weather in FRA, forcing us to circle for over an hour. We barely had time to run to our plane, let alone think aoubt claiming our bags. We were assured that they had been located and would be delivered last night. Not! I just got off the phone with baggage and they have no clues. They suggested that I call back at 3:00 p.m. Pacific time. I had my medication in my bag because I had no intention of checking it. We live and learn. We are hoping to go to Whistler, Canada tomorrow and it would certainly be nice to have our bags before we go. |
Originally Posted by Punki
We are still without our baggage. :( They refused to let us take our carry-ons onboard VCE/FRA, so we were forced to check them. We were assured that we would have ample time to claim them in FRA prior to our flight to SFO.
As luck would have it, there was bad weather in FRA, forcing us to circle for over an hour. We barely had time to run to our plane, let alone think aoubt claiming our bags. We were assured that they had been located and would be delivered last night. Not! I just got off the phone with baggage and they have no clues. They suggested that I call back at 3:00 p.m. Pacific time. I had my medication in my bag because I had no intention of checking it. We live and learn. We are hoping to go to Whistler, Canada tomorrow and it would certainly be nice to have our bags before we go. I hope you do get them tonight.... |
Originally Posted by Canarsie
My sense of canals, on the other hand, still needs improvement... I thought you were sharing a watertaxi to the airport with MsEverywhere and KLC? |
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