Heading to Sicily with VBT

You all know we fly on Monday May 12 to Sicily. We will be doing tourist things Tuesday - Thursday and start our biking tour on Friday. That will continue to the following week Wednesday. Thursday we do our post-trip in Syracusa, Sicily. Matt, Caro and Lucas will join us there.

I will try to post most days. So just check back to see what we are up to and if I have had the chance to enter any stories and pictures.

Ken & Helen


May 12 & 13,  2014

Flew out Monday from Detroit Metro Airport - There starts the adventure.

30 minutes prior to boarding there is a Tornado warning at DTW and the airport is shut down and everyone is asked to go to the tunnels (did not know they existed). None of the personell were telling you where to go unless you asked them. 30 minutes in the tunnel. So our flight plan had to change and we did not take off until 90 minutes later than scheduled. We had a 90 minute layover in Amsterdam.
Actually got there and only lost 45 minutes, but someone was in our gate and we had to sit on the tarmack for 15 minutes. Then had to go through security - found an agent that let us go  through the priority line because our plan was boarding and we were 4 terminals away (landed in E and needed to go to the farthest gate in C terminal. Oh but we had to go through security and they did not like my charger cords in the bag, so they had to search my carryon, re scan it and search a little more. Ken ran ahead to let them know we were in the airport but caught - the gate had closed. They waited for me. Good thing I have started to run a few weeks ago as I had some good sprints lugging my carryon on wheels.

Amsterdam to Rome - We see gate B3 listed. I leave to go to the bathroom and now at gate B3, is a different flight listed. So we check it and it had been changed to B1 - close enough.

And yes We get to our destination and........... our checked luggage is still sitting in Amsterdam.
Hopefully it comes tomorrow because our hiking boots and warmer shirts are in it for the hike on Thursday to Mount Etna.... if not. I wear my sandals and a couple of t-shirts - or might go shopping after our city tour tomorrow. Tried to find things tonight, but it is all touristy things.

This is the view from our hotel room balcony - overlooking the Mediterraian Sea

 The glass elevator to get to our room.

 A shot in the town, a church in the middle and a very old castle at the top of the hill, the sun was too high at the time so you cannot see it.

 This was from our second flight. They served these chicken sandwiches and this was on the carton the sandwich was in. Pretty funny. We are going to check out their website to see what a Nice Day looks like for chickens who are well cared for.