Looks as if I’m a frequent traveller again this year, and I hope that will hold true for some time to come. I’ve been relatively quiet for the last six years - usually only one annual trip outside Europe - but it’s time to spread my wings again. [more]
Countries Beginning with I
Italy, India, the Internet, and the world
Your comments about the baggy clothing those girls had on made me laugh. Some friends of mine are traveling to Ireland next week and we were discussing attire. They both said they plan on bringing college sweatshirts (baggy of course), broken in jeans, tennies, and baseball caps. When I asked if that was is all…nothing a bit nicer/classier, they replied “no, why bother, we are on vacation”. Now I have never been to Ireland but I have been able to see a several other countries outside of the US and I have to say that the clothing they have set their mind to, is considered sloppy in any country and will not aid in them getting more respect or being treated like a local (which they desire). They clearly dont care, which I find humorous in an odd sort of way. Anyways long somewhat pointless story short…I hate when americans do that in other countries. It just does not seem respectful and it gives the rest of us a bad name
Regarding security and shoes, unless your shoes are metallic there is absolutely no reason to take them off or, if there is a reason to take off sheos than there is also reason to do full body seraches. Metal weapons are sen through the X-rays even with the shoes on, nonmetal weapon cannot be seen on x-rays shoes or no shoes. Now, suppose that some kind of pirate (ahrrr!) decides to try to kijack an airplane with a bamboo knife. The bamboo knife would not be see by any security equipment and the only way to discover it would be do a full body search, including having the passenger be stripped bare and all cavities of his or her body manually checked, plus having any piece of carry-on luggage and clothing with stiff or solid part dismantled bit by bit. Having the passenger take off the shoes is essentially done to make the whole search more thorough, but it does not change much int erms of security.
A bamboo knife in a body cavity? Ouch!
My biggest gripe is having to take off my shoes. Not so much for the futility of it, but that they never seem to go back on as readily in the screening line as they did at home. And need I mention the hygeine issues involved in sharing that floor with everyone else in the world. Also, even for domestic US flights, they’ve turned up the sensitivity so high on the metal detectors that my underwire bra can set them off. Love the ensuing pat-down.
What I like about airports these days is that they all have Starbucks. I’m a hopeless *$$ addict. We have something in common (from reading your tweet): “My Drink” is also iced latte with no further additives.
Malpensa really is an irritating place to spend any amount of time. It’s certainly not the worst airport ever, but I fly between Milan and Newark or Boston at least three times a year, and it never ceases to amaze me that you can buy a variety of extremely expensive fashion items, but when it comes to books (particularly in English), it’s either “Shopaholic Annoys & Enervates” or the latest lawyer thriller. I appreciate that we’re in the land of “moda,” but honestly — a €500 scarf or a miniature Ferrari? Not going to be nearly as useful to me during a ten-hour trip.
And the dungeon departure gates? Once you get down there, you’re left with NO bathrooms, NO vendors and only about 40 seats total for three or four gates, each of which boards a 300- to 600-person plane. And no Internet-access terminals in the departure wing. In fact, nearly all the vaguely useful services (post office, pharmacy, business center) are in the arrivals wing, which makes no sense to me. Who hangs around in the arrivals area other than people coming for pick-ups?
My favorite airport perks? Mini-massage salons and Jamba Juice stands!