Sicily 2021 # - Return of the Travel Warrior

 I am writing this as we start our first full day onsite in Catania, Sicily. Our journey from portal to portal was 25 hours. Flew from Albuquerque to Chicago where we changed airlines going to Catania via Istanbul on Turkish Airlines. 

Traveling internationally in this age of opening from the Covid pandemic starts with a bewildering array of determinations on 1) what it will take to get into the country you are visiting and 2) what can you do in the country you are visiting and 3) are their any special requirements to do things once you are in and visiting?

In the case of visiting Italy, if you are vaccinated, you bring your proof of vaccination plus a negative antigen test done at least 72 hours before you get on your first plane (in this case the Chicago Turkish Airline flight). In fact, they looked at our vaccination card when we checking in in Chicago. Never asked for the test. Nor was the test or card checked at our change over in Istanbul. Nor was it asked for when we arrived in Catania. There was a line for people from various countries (of which the US was one) to go for Covid Testing. But according to what we read, that was only for people who were not vaccinated. So we didn't go.

It was already 7pm local time by the time we got out. Took a while to find our arranged driver as he was waiting by the Covid Testing area and we came out of the normal exit. Then we go to our hotel...except it isn't a hotel. It's an apartment. (Bookings bad...I clearly asked for hotels and not apartments in my search). And it is not the two bedrooms we thought it would be, it is one bedroom (my bad...made a mistake on making the reservation). Much Hoo Haa with the lady who is renting the apartment about this but in the end, it is too late and we are not about to go out searching. The apartment is actually pretty nice though it is up steps which we had not counted on. Thankfully, the lady's husband brought our big bags up. 

I am thinking I am going to sleep on a couch when I discover a couch in another room is in fact a sofa bed. No bedding but it will be better than sleeping on a couch. Much figuring out how to stay warm during the evening but in the end (by 3pm) I do get it figured out and sleep well for 5 hours (which if you know me, is a pretty long period to sleep uninterrupted).

And if you remember from our adventures in the past, this is all within the normal operating parameters of our international travel. We are back in the saddle.