The Labraventures of Carbón, Spanish (ex-) foster dog extraordinaire

Emily_Babbelhund

Emily_Babbelhund

Mama Red HOT Pepper
Location
Regensburg, Germany
Jacqui-S said:
Be more Carbòn? Eh.....maybe not.....
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So true. Beyond his ability to sleep anywhere, I am very envious that he can have a wee or a poo nearly anywhere the fancy takes him. I used to be able to go 10 hours walking without worrying about finding the facilities, now that's the first thing I think about as soon as I'm away from my apartment. Even after I said was going to do these various day trips, I'm thinking, "But yeah, where are the public toilets?" and "Well, can't drink anything the night before I go or all day while I'm out." Oh geez, I'm officially OLD. And dehydrated. Old and dehydrated. 😉

Jacqui-S said:
You are older, wiser, and no longer a "student traveller". Home comforts rule.
You growed up 🤷‍♀️
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Yeah, see above. 😂 It's interesting trying to do the student traveler thing again, even while not having the stamina (or bladder) of a 20 year old. On the other hand, I have more money than I did at 20, which means that I took first class trains yesterday (mainly because of Carbon but that doesn't mean I didn't benefit from the larger seat) and I'm not staying in a hostel. Even Grandma Airbnb is worlds beyond a hostel. Not to say that I didn't meet a lot of nice people and have good experiences during my hostel years, but having your own place is so much more comfortable.

But...I don't think I'd do that big train trip again unless I really could stay for much longer. It seems nuts now to come down here for only 3 weeks. On the other hand, we've had a morning walk around - we really are in the very centre of Florence - and even with all the crowds this place is eye-wateringly beautiful and darn if I don't love me some Italians (outside of their cars).

This is a video from last year, but as coincidence would have it, the Grandma Airbnb (where we are now) is directly behind where I'm standing to take the video of Carbon.

 
Lab_adore

Lab_adore

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Sydney, Australia
I've just had a big catch up Emily and I'm sorry for the glitches. Steve and I are seriously questioning whether travel is worth it now as we just have glitch after glitch. We booked the first leg of our next big trip at the end of next year and then the next day it disappeared from our Qantas booking page. I've spent all morning on the phone and am seriously considering whether 11.00am it too early for a stiff drink

Glad you are all good now and your pictures are beautiful. Our hotel in Florence in 2019 was in that same square :heart:
 
Emily_Babbelhund

Emily_Babbelhund

Mama Red HOT Pepper
Location
Regensburg, Germany
Lab_adore said:
We booked the first leg of our next big trip at the end of next year and then the next day it disappeared from our Qantas booking page. I've spent all morning on the phone and am seriously considering whether 11.00am it too early for a stiff drink
Click to expand...

Ugh, I'm sorry you are having travel issues. So many companies laid off so many employees and either simply didn't hire them back or hired back less qualified people at lower wages that it seems to be causing all sorts of chaos. Plus everyone is dying to travel after COVID so the demand is there no matter what level of service is provided.

I don't think I mentioned it here, but when I arrived at the airport to fly from the US to Germany, I was told that while I was booked on the flight, I had no ticket. How is that even possible?

I'd called to change my ticket over two weeks prior, called because traveling with a dog I wasn't allowed to make changes online. I was told that even though the ticket - if buying it new on that day - was cheaper than my original date, I had to pay $200 because the booking class had changed. OK, I paid that by giving my credit card details over the phone. I then checked my booking online at Lufthansa to make sure the change had gone through (it had), and I contacted medical services to arrange for Carbon's clearance (which they confirmed). All sorted.

But when I got to the airport, I'm informed that while I'm booked on the flight, I have no ticket. It turns out that the agent I spoke to to make the flight change didn't actually charge my credit card for some reason. Then they told me that I had to pay $278 for a ticket. Why the extra $78? Because I'd waited until the day of departure to pay so there was an additional fee.

When I pointed out how ridiculous that was, the answer I got was, "If you want to fly, you pay the $278. Otherwise don't fly." No apology, no "We know it doesn't make sense but our hands are tied", just "Don't fly". 😳

So I paid. What choice did I have? Any alternative would have been exponentially more costly.

The Lufthansa flight crew were just as professional and lovely as usual - Carbon had a record number of sausages and pets - and I realise in the scope of things $78 isn't that big of a deal, but still...
 
M

M.F.

How lovely!!! When I was in Florence a million years ago (I studied Italian for a month with not much progress!!), I read Irving Stone’s book about Michelangelo. It was such a fantastic way to bring the city and his works to life. I visited every museum where he described a work. I’m sure you know Florence inside out. But if you’re looking for a read, my 26-year-old self highly recommends it!
 
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