Greetings from the northern Italian resort town of Desenzano Del Garda. Your faithful correspondent is part of the latest Saints alumni trip.
It's going very well, although the start for me was wobbly in a way that anyone who flies out of Duluth will appreciate. There's an old joke that plays on the
stereotype of Italian inefficiency. The name of the country's airline, ALITALIA, is said to stand for "Always Late In Takeoff; Always Late In Arrival." It came to mind when my flight from Duluth was cancelled on three hours' notice, the subsequent flight was late, and I had to hustle all the way across the airport to make it to my Minneapolis connection for Amsterdam. NORTHWEST! Let's see: "Never On Right Time - Hell! Waste Everybody's - " something...
The overnight flight was the usual mix of excitement (despite the airlines' best efforts to banalize it, international air travel at night remains a romantic experience), scattered musings and wretchedly uncomfortable catnapping. Remembering Italy's hired drivers, thinking: "How do you say, 'Slow down.'... How do you say, 'I insist you slow down.'... How do you say, 'Observe my large mallet."
We rendezvoused, a couple dozen Saints alumni, friends and family coming from locations around the U.S., at the Hotel Nazionale near the shore of Lake Garda. A clean, sleek place, comfortable in a modern style, with elevators so fast the doors nip your elbow if you're not quick.
A few of us swapped tales of the flight over. The most interesting was about an unfortunate woman - not in our group - who lost her dentures in an air sickness bag.
Makes a night of fitful dozing seem not so bad.
Breakfast was classic Italian morning fare - minimal and half-hearted except for the coffee. I didn't hear anyone complain. Our minds were on the beautiful country we were about to explore.
Keeping in mind, of course, the flier in our rooms, which states: "I Signori Clienti sono pregati di non stendere gli asciugamina sul balcone, ma di usare le sedeie in dotazione."
That is, Guests are kindly requested not to hang out towels to the balcony, but to put them on the chair.
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