What a Difference a Day Makes!

December 2nd in Chiavari
Originally uploaded by Krista 1366.

Walking home from my sommelier class late last night the sky was clear and full of shining stars. When I woke up this morning the clouds had returned and it is raining yet again. I am certain when the low clouds lift there will be more snow on the hill tops behind Chiavari. The forecast for this weekend, is more of the same. Lucky me. I have been anxiously waiting for first weekend in December. Why? Because tomorrow I am going on a field trip to a vineyard in Piemonte with my sommelier class. The weather predicted? Snow and rain! Should be fun fun fun. The coach bus leaves Chiavari at 7:30 am and it is a 2 hour drive on a very twisty autostrade (highway) though the Appenine to the foothills of the Alps - last stop, Barola country. I will be sure to blog all about, that is, it if I make there and back again in one piece.

I just said goodbye to Sam. He is in the car and on his way to pick up the girls. They are catching a flight from Pisa to Frankfurt, Germany. Sam, all by himself, is taking the girls to see his sister and her family who live there. Keeping with the weather theme....There is snow on the ground in Frankfurt and more forecast for this weekend. Why is Sam dragging the girls to Frankfurt? Because Caitlin, our niece, is starring in a production of Annie at the local theater. She is playing Miss Hannigan. It will be a blast for Sarah and Anna to see their cousin on stage and a treat for Caitlin to have her cousins in the audience. I only hope that Sam encounters no problems at the airport and all flights are on time and the flight to Frankfurt is not cancelled! As I type this, the rain is falling even harder, the wind has kicked up and the skies are getting even darker! Sam and the girls are flying Ryanair, a deep discount airline. Their customer service is what you might expect from a bus company. In otherwords, there is none. The airline does all sorts of crazy things at the last moment in order to cut costs, like merge two flights into one! You might find yourself going to Genoa with an unscheduled stop over in Turin! This is "No Frills" to the extreme. And, don't even think of getting to the airport late or expect any considerations for the weather or traffic. If you are not at the airport and checked in by 30 minutes before the closing of the flight. You get bumped. And that is it. No refund, no later flight, no exceptions! Believe me, it happened to us in London's Stansted Airport. We were late by one minute and we were bumped. All I can say, it was a very expensive stressful flight back to Italy. But, if they cancel the flight. Ryanair just refunds your ticket. No big deal, they only cost 50 euros each anyway. But, just try to find another flight at any price at the last minute. Who knows I might see Sam tonight? If the weather keeps up....He might be home for dinner!

Krista