Spring Break 2018: Day 1

A few months ago, we were trying to figure out where to go for spring break, when C found a sale on Norwegian for flights to Italy – definitely a place we wanted to visit! There was only one problem: there were no return flights when we needed them! So we decided to fly to Italy, spend a few days in Rome, then fly from Italy to Spain, and spend a few days in Barcelona, and we have been looking forward to this trip ever since!

We left Virginia at about 11:30 on Friday morning. We planned on stopping to have dinner with my YaYa, who lives in New Jersey, since we were flying out of Newark. What should have been a four-hour drive turned into a six-hour drive because of traffic slow downs, but we did make it and were able to spend some time with him and my aunt before heading to the airport.

We have been pretty spoiled in the past when we've flown out of JFK.  The remote parking lots are well-kept and convenient, and the airtrain makes it super easy to get to the terminal.  We really like flying out of there.  The same cannot be said for Newark. We had to park in a less-than-ideal lot, leave our key, and take a shuttle to the terminal. The airport itself? Not great. The security area is completely disorganized, and that had nothing to do with the fact that it was busy because it was Friday night. We have flown in and out of many, many airports, and Newark is absolutely one of the worst. If we can avoid ever flying through there again, we will!

This was taken at about 10:00 pm on Friday and we were
optimistically sitting at the gate waiting to board...
look at those smiling faces!
We had no idea what was in store for us!

Our flight was scheduled to depart at 11:59 pm, with boarding starting sometime around 11:00. We were seated at the gate by about 10:00 and it was super crowded, with several flights scheduled to leave from the general area. At about 11:00, they made an announcement that boarding would start shortly, after they addressed a "technical issue." They made that same announcement several times over the next few hours as we watched all other flights board and depart, clearing out the crowd in the gate area. By 2:30 am, there were all sorts of airport and airline personnel standing at the jetway area and we thought for sure the flight was going to be canceled. We began looking up other flights and realized that if the flight was canceled, our best bet would be to fly straight to Barcelona, but that we'd have to stay in NYC for a night or two, depending on availability. So many unknowns!

People were getting restless and someone finally started asking questions in a very loud voice – more like demanding answers from the staff – and once she started, several people chimed in, expressing their displeasure. Although I don't condone their behavior, I certainly understand that they were upset – C and I are seasoned travelers and we don't have children to entertain for hours on end at an airport and if our plans changed, we would somehow make it work – which is not the case for everyone else. The yelling worked, though, because at about 3:30 am, they made an announcement that they had a plan in place – the flight would depart around 6:30 am, but instead of Rome, we would fly to Oslo, where they would change crews because there are rules about how long flight attendants are allowed to work. Once the crew was swapped out, we would fly from Oslo to Rome. Even though this meant we would essentially lose all of Saturday in Rome, we were just relieved we'd be going!

Waiting at an airport is not the most exciting of activities, so C and I took turns sleeping until about 6 am. At 6:15 am, they finally began boarding the plane, which was a disorganized process not helped by very tired and grouchy passengers! As usual, we sat window and aisle, and we had a nice lady sitting between us. We finally took off just before 7:00 am Eastern – seven hours behind schedule. And once we were on the plane, they told us that we would be switching to a different plane in Oslo. Having been in the Oslo airport previously, we didn't really worry about switching planes there because it is an awesome airport. I slept throughout the entire flight, except for the last 45 minutes or so. Not the most comfortable sleep, but at least I got some rest. C dozed off and on, but I am definitely a better sleeper on a plane than he is. We landed in Oslo at about 6:30 pm local time, which was 1:30 pm Eastern. My favorite part of every Norwegian flight is the rainbow lights they project in the cabin during the final descent - it always puts me in a great mood!

The airport in Oslo is stunning!

We'd been to Oslo back in January 2016 and loved it. As in, we could seriously imagine ourselves living in Oslo. Whenever we discuss travel, which is pretty much every single day, returning to Norway is always high on our wish list. So I loved watching out the window for the last portion of the flight and seeing the incredible snowy landscape. It is beyond beautiful there!

Norway from the skies...love, love, love!

Once we were off the plane, we had to go through Passport Control, and the officer remarked, "Wow, you travel a lot!" upon seeing all of the stamps in our passports. The fact that she sees passports all the time and still thought of us as people who travel a lot made my day! I always think of us as "aspiring world travelers" because there are just so many places we still want to see, but I guess by most standards, we are indeed well-traveled.

Unfortunately, because we entered Europe in Oslo, that's where we got the passport stamp, so we do not have stamps from Italy in our passports due to the change in our itinerary. I know that doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things, but still I really wanted that Italy stamp!

After Passport Control, we had to go through security again before being directed to our gate. We also caught a glimpse of the most spectacular sunset, which reignited my love for Norway. I really can't articulate what it is that I think is so fabulous.  Between the U.S., Canada, and places outside of North America, we've been to a lot of cities, and I just get a vibe from each one. Oslo, hands down, is one of my absolute favorite cities we've ever visited. It felt like home from the first minute we arrived, and even just being in the airport felt so familiar to me. I can't explain it!

This sunset was breathtaking!

By this time, it was almost 7:00 pm. We checked the departure schedule and discovered that our flight wasn't leaving Oslo until almost midnight. Five hours later. We grabbed a bite to eat and passed the time by wandering around the airport and people watching, which is always a fascinating study in human behavior!

Dinner of champions...
we hadn't eaten in about 18 hours, so this meal was amazing!

We finally boarded the plane around midnight, and after yet another delay because they need another flight attendant, we were finally in the air at 1:00 am. The good news was the lady that had been sitting between us from Newark to Oslo apparently changed her plans because she was not on the flight from Oslo to Rome, so the middle seat between us was empty. What a gift!

The pilot explained what had happened in Newark in terms of the "technical issue." It was a light bulb. A burned out light bulb on the left wing! And they couldn't find a replacement for it and they couldn't fly at night without the bulb being replaced. Can you believe it?!? That's why we couldn't leave Newark until daybreak!

We landed at what we THOUGHT was 3:30 local time, but we were mistaken. Why? Because of the time change for Daylight Savings Time! So we lost another hour! As I mentioned in my last post about our trip to San Antonio, I JUST SUFFERED THROUGH THE "SPRING FORWARD" TIME CHANGE TWO WEEKS AGO IN THE U.S.! So I have now lived my most hated day of the year TWICE in the span of two weeks! Ridiculous! It was actually 4:30 am local time when we landed!

Exhausted, but SO happy to finally be in Italy!

Walking in to the terminal from the shuttle to pick up our luggage!

WHY?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

We also didn't pull up to an actual gate in Rome. The pilot parked the plane in an open area and we had to walk down a set of stairs and take a shuttle to the terminal. But, our luggage arrived and we were able to grab a taxi very easily to take us to our hotel, so no complaints here. And the taxi driver? Fabulous! He told us all sorts of interesting things about the history and architecture and politics of Rome during our ride. I wish he could have been our personal tour guide throughout our stay! He also said the funniest thing about the difference between Rome and New York City…he told us when he and his wife visited NYC, he felt like he'd time traveled into the future because everything was so shiny and new! We really lucked out with him as our driver!

We checked in to our hotel at 6:00 am, which is midnight Eastern, meaning our total travel time from home to Rome was approximately 36.5 hours! Quite the adventure! I can't wait to see what the rest of the trip brings!

Read about the other days of our trip:

Spring Break 2018: Day 2

Spring Break 2018: Day 3

Spring Break 2018: Day 4

Spring Break 2018: Day 5

Spring Break 2018: Day 6

Spring Break 2018: Day 7

Spring Break 2018: Day 8

Spring Break 2018: Day 9

Happy Tails to you!