ITALY SPRING 2022 THE BEGINNING

 RELAXED/FRUSTRATED/COMTOSE

Every journey starts with anticipation, the ritual of planning and dreaming about all of the how's, where's and what's. There's all of the time spent scouring through books and watching travel shows that help you discover new things you want to explore or remembering past trips and dreaming about your return. Sometimes the looking forward to a trip can be just as enjoyable as the first day of an adventure because then every intoxicating part of the trip is still in front of you. The downside of any trip is once the journey has begun every existing moment instantly becomes an image seen in a rear view mirror. 

This trip was planned during the pandemic. It was intened to be a return to the familiar, back up the steep dusty road in the Tuscan hills to the farm in Armena, our Italian home away from home.

On our last night before we were to fly out, while everything to happen was still a delicious thought yet to begin I planned a little introduction to our escape. I found a recipe for our trip's signature cocktail and paired it with melon wrapped in prosciutto to bring the flavor of Italy to that last night before the real journey began. 

Here's the recipe for our Tuscan Limoncello Spritzer:

Fill a wine glass to half with ice either cubes or crushed

Add  2 fl oz of Limoncello, 2 fl oz of ginger beer, and 3 fl oz of Prosecco, then dash with a ½ fl oz of seltzer, drop in a ¼ fl oz of squeezed lemon juice, stir and garnish with lemon wedges and your bevanda is complete.

We thought we were set. We had filled out all our forms, checked-in on our flights and packed all five suitcases. The only thing left was our PCR Covid test. We thought it needed to be done within a 24-hour span before our flight, at least that's what we thought the airline and country of visitation were telling us on their official websites. After our Limoncello Spritzers we were so relaxed it never occurred to us that getting our covid screening would be a problem. I was so confident I had booked a meeting for noon with a client to see about a new project. Like all our trips there's always one snafu to begin the journey. This one was no exception and the PCR turned out to be our fiasco. 

We had a PCR/Rapid testing tent directly across from our apartment at the 110th Street entrance into Central Park. It was there everyday rain or shine. I had spoken to the person manning the booth about the turnaround time for the test and if it was the type of test we would need for traveling. I was sure we could get up in the morning and all three of us could trot over, get our tests and I'd have plenty of time to get to my meeting. Our flight was a late evening flight that night so by going in the morning we'd be fine with the 24-hour window. 

It's nine o'clock. I've made my morning smoothie, showered and dressed and ready to go get tested. Rick and Emmy were prepared to go with me. The problem was immediately evident: there was no white testing tent across the street it's coated fabric panels undulating in the spring breeze. Panic had not yet raised its ugly head. I still had three hours before my meeting. Maybe they didn't set up until ten. Now the itch of a bit of panic and I wasn't alone. All three of us were now pulling out our phones and googling "PCR tests near me". I was the one in charge of testing so in my go-to-meeting clothes I was off to pound the neighborhood in search of another testing site. Who knew google could be so inaccurate. The first two sites the king of information sent us to did not exist. The third was at a community health center, relief but only temporary. 

"Can I get a PCR test here for an international flight?"

This all happened at a mobile unit parked in front of the center.

"Go over to that poster and scan the QR code. It will link you to a form you'll need to fill out for the test" Getting complicated but I began filling out the form. After the first few questions I happened to mention "Our flight's tonight, when will I get the results?"

"The results are usually available in two to three days"

Now panic. "But our flight's tonight" and I was off and running. It's now 10:30 and my clock is ticking.

I called Rick and he found another testing site on our unreliable former friend, Google. I raced over there still in my go-to-meeting clothes looking for the new site and the cool spring breeze that was no longer cool. I was peeling off layers as I ran the freshness of my shower now completely dissipated.

Luckily this was an actual site. Google had scored. I got there at the stroke of eleven.

"I need a PCR test for a flight tonight"

This was a private testing lab not one provided by the city. "We can give you an antigen test for free"

"No, I need a PCR test that the country we're flying to will accept and I need it right away"

"We send out our results to the lab. The lab will pick them up and you can have them tomorrow"

"No, I said our flight was for tonight" I was desperately trying to speak slowly and remain calm as beads of sweat were forming on my forehead.

"Oh, we can do a rapid result. The cost is $250 per test"

"Shit"

Now fearing we were not going to get our tests. We're not going to get to go to Italy and I'm going lose a new job because I'm not going to make my meeting. Did I say somewhere in here how relaxed we were after our Limoncello Spritzers?

In defeat I started going back to the apartment to try and come up with some new plan. 

It was at that point Rick called and said Emmy had spotted the guys across the street from the apartment setting up that beautiful white tent.

We all got tested. We were all negative. We had our documents and I made it to my meeting and sealed the deal on another job.

When we arrived in Europe no asked for our PCR test documents or the result. WTF!