The alarm is set for 6:00 to give us time to get to the Coastal Kitchen by 7:00 for a last breakfast. As often is the case we are awake long before the alarm.
By 6:15 or so they have started letting self assist passengers off the ship, well ahead of schedule. I have no idea how this port works, and we have a driver scheduled to pick us up at 9:45 to drive us to our hotel in Rome. I am ready to leave by 8:15. The wait for the wheelchair pusher is brief.
Usually they have a separate exit plan for the wheelchairs, not here. We are stuck in the middle of thousands of passengers trying to exit. He takes us directly to our luggage, no magical line that ship personnel can't cross like in the US. We find our bags and head outside to look for our driver.
There is mass confusion. Dozens of busses, mostly headed to the airport or the train station in Rome. Taxis are scarce. Probably 75 Private drivers are lined up holding signs with the names of their fares. Some signs more legible than others.
By 9:30 we find our driver. He leads us to a 9 passenger van along with 8 passengers and 20 pieces of luggage.
It is a major puzzle, but somehow he manages to get everything loaded. At one point he was so skeptical he called to try and get another driver, but none was available.
Some passengers sat with suitcases on their laps. At least everyone had a seat. I can guarantee the van was overloaded, not by passenger count but by weight. The suspension was fully compressed and we felt every bump in the road.
It was a little over an hour's drive from Civitavecchia to Rome. Traffic moved smoothly.
The Driver pulls into an alley and announces that this is our hotel. I see no sign with the hotel's name. Police armed with automatic rifles are standing on the right side of the alley just feet from where we stop. Yellow crime scene tape is draped all along the left side of the alley. I'm confused. This doesn't look like the pictures of the hotel I booked. The driver insists we are at the right address.
Of course we are sitting in the third row and can't move without others getting out first. As the driver is unloading the suitcases, the police become very suspicious and move closer to the middle of the street. Probably unwisely, I approach them.
They will only acknowledge a minimal understanding of English. I ask in several different ways, Is there a problem? They say no. I was brought up to trust authority. Is this wise?
After booking, the hotel reached out to me several times and wanted to know what time we would arrive, what temperature I would like the room at, what kind of pillows I would like, any allergies, and a dozen other items that would be useful for them to make our stay most comfortable. Or were these questions just to make me less cautious?
I notice a 30 inch gap in the yellow tape. There is a small sign with the hotels name. I push the button. There are several easily spotted security cameras. The police are busy watching the others pile back into the van. I bet they are glad to be moving on, questioning the wisdom of two fellow passengers they just met.
The solid heavy metal door unlocks and we step inside.
Down about 15 steps and I spot the "reception desk". They are awaiting our arrival, it is confirmed that we are at the right place. A doorman retrieves our suitcases that I left at the top of the stairs. Check-in is completed in a few minutes, and we are shown to our room.
Very nice, mostly marble, with an outside patio. Exactly as presented. We have a ground floor room, and there is an elevator if we were assigned an upper floor. A rarity in much of Europe.
We settle in. Later this afternoon we have a tour of the Vatican museums and the Sistine Chapel. We study the map, and I decide to walk to the meeting place on the other side of Vatican City.
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