Good evening friends and family,
Well, there is good news and bad news – which would you prefer first??
Okay, I’ll go with the bad:
Our bags just arrived in Rome at 2:45 today on British Airlines; however, BA “doesn’t correspond with other countries’ airports in the case of lost baggage”, to quote the proper British gentlemen I spoke with this afternoon. According to him, I must call them on Monday, after 9 a.m., as their offices are closed today (Sunday).
So, it is doubtful our bags will arrive in time to be dispatched to Palermo, our next stop. They may possibly make it to La Goulette, or perhaps somewhere along the line between here and the Amazon. By that time, our clothes will be worn down to rags and we’ll look the part for the headhunters.
We’ve done without everything all day, except for what the ship provided (very little); but here comes the good news:
WE ARE GOING SHOPPING TONIGHT, as soon as we sale and the shops open and I will turn in the sales slips in a claim against Princess and BA – hopefully BA will foot the bill, as they were to blame for this whole fiasco. Needless to say, we will never fly BA again.
But, that aside, we spent a very nice, sunny day in Naples, walking the cobblestone and blacktopped sidewalks, seeing the sights. Most shops were closed, so not much to buy, even if we were so inclined, which we are not.
We spent most of the afternoon walking the ship and locating all of the venues. Then we watched “Valkyrie”, a movie I wanted to see, but didn’t get to while it was playing in Rockport. Great movie – too bad they didn’t succeed. I had a few tears in my eyes at the end for the bravery of those soldiers involved.
Now, we are off in a few minutes to meet our tablemates for the cruise. I hope they don’t mind us showing up in sweatshirts – that’s all I had in my carryon bag, plus shoes, socks and undies for Carol.
All of this we’ve taken in stride, as things happen that you have no control over, so grin or frown and bear it. This time next week, (hopefully), we’ll never remember the smell of our clothes… (That’s a joke). But, if our tablemates do smell Listerine, that’s what I had to use after I shaved three days of beard off. Like I said, the ship didn’t offer much.
Other strange news: It appears we don’t exist yet, as the ship’s computer won’t let me onto the internet. Hopefully after a talk with the guy in charge, that will be fixed and I’ll be able to post this.
For Nancy back home: Yes, the ship’s internet is wireless and does connect with no cable or the other device. If you are reading this – we must now exist. Hooray!
So, for today, I’ll just say, Via con Dias, my friends – things will get better.
Karl & Carol