Italy 2018 – The Journey There

Well, international travel doesn’t get much easier than that!

Driving through Wales

After a slow start and some work in the garden it was time for a coffee with Anna before setting off to Italy for the week. The first stage of the journey was a pleasant, relaxing drive through a sub-soaked Wales to Chris’s house. It’s a 2 1/2 hour drive to Caerphilly so I arrived spot on time at 12:30.

Chris and Zsuzsa had lunch prepared so after a quick catch up and a lovely lunch I left the van on their drive and jumped into Chris’s car for the trip to Bristol Airport.

Off to Bristol

This included a drive along familiar roads as we drive passed my childhood home, and then out onto a new road that never existed before. We arrived at the parking place just as a minibus to the airport was leaving so we pulled up, jumped into the minibus and left.

We arrived at the airport 10 minutes before baggage drop opened and with no queuing at all dropped off our bags. Security was equally painless so we were soon sat in the departure loung drinking coffee.

There was little hanging around though and soon we were walking purposefully through the never-ending halls of the airport to board our plane.

Flying to Italy

Now we were really on our way. We had an amazing view of the Clifton Suspension Bridge as we banked over Bristol.

I had a window seat which is always good as I just can’t get enough of looking at the world below. Road and railway networks, rivers meandering across the patchwork landscape. Geological features and geomorphology that you just can’t see from the ground. Hills, valleys, towns and cities. Oxbow Lakes, islands of forest, I could watch it all day long. Soon the Isle of Wight was visible and then we flew out over Dungeness and across the sparkling English Channel.

The flight over France a was equally interesting and then the Swiss Alps were stunning. Still cloaked in a blanket of pure white snow, the peaks were mesmerizing. Before long we were over Italy and descending into Bologna with the 2 hour flight completed

Bound for Riccione

Passport control, bag collection and customs all went without a hitch and took no time at all. We walked out of the airport, past a Lamborghini Aventador and straight to the bus we needed.

We got on the bus and off it set. Another two hours on the bus through Italy and I noticed that the bus was only a 5 minute walk from the hotel. Chris quickly asked if we could get off there rather than at the bus station (which would have been a 20 minute walk). The bus driver cooperated so we simply had a short walk to the hotel.

We checked in, checked what time breakfast was and then went straight to bed.

‘Simples’ hey. Let’s hope the rest of the holiday goes so well.

1 Response

  1. Avatar forComment Author Mum x says:

    Don,t know why I missed this post but I did!
    Sounds almost too good to be true ,but lucky you xx

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Alan Cole

Alan is a Freelance Website Designer, Sports & Exercise Science Lab Technician and full time Dad & husband with far too many hobbies: Triathlete, Swimming, Cycling, Running, MTBing, Surfing, Windsurfing, SUPing, Gardening, Photography.... The list goes on.