Thursday, August 10, 2006

Thanks al Qaeda

We were going to fly to Italy on holiday. It was a compromise trip. I wanted to go to Austria and Slovakia - he wanted to go to Cornwall. I'm not sure how we settled on Italy. Neither of us was too excited about it really. I've been trying to get the Vol-in-Law to go to Rome for ages, Florence is the best small city I've ever visited. (I LOVED it), and I've always wanted to holiday at Lake Garda or Lake Como, but yet I couldn't quite summon the excitement. Maybe it was my husband's reluctance dampening my enthusiasm.

And then - well, then there's a terror plot foiled. Now I know this is serious stuff, but let's be honest. The authorities do have a tendency to over-react. There will be no liquids or hand luggage on flights for quite a while now, I reckon. The strictures don't always make sense. Just like you have to take your shoes off in the US, but you don't in Britain - and just like it was fine to have a lighter in my carry-on in December, but it was a dangerous item in January. Or finger nail clippers were lethal for four years after 9/11, but now they're no threat at all. If British intelligence knew about this "liquids and every day object" threat for a while, why haven't we been banned from carrying it since then?

It may sound silly - but I am NOT flying anywhere without my bag. I'm not interested in carrying my tampons in a clear plastic sack or buying 5 dollar bottles of water from a budget airline flight attendant. Nope. Plus I HATE checking my luggage.

So when I said flippantly this morning that it's a ferry to France, the Vol-in-Law seized on it. And now I'm quite excited. I hadn't been to France in 20 years before I went with Vol-K. I guess that kind of broke the seal.

And truth be told, I would have actually gone to Cornwall (grudgingly) - but I've bought the guidebooks for France now - it's too late.

So thanks, al Qaeda, thanks terrorists. Thanks, too, to a potentially over reactive airport security. Now we've fixed on a vacation we can both look forward to. (If it's all the same I won't say how or when exactly we're going).
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3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yep. I hope all the hotels in the US are stocking up on complimentary tooth paste and shaving cream. My husband had to surrender his today at BNA security clearance.

Anonymous said...

You liked Florence? I was disappointed, and when I got back everyone was telling me that was their least favorite Italian city.

The hotel was really nice, though.

Vol Abroad said...

Yep - loved Florence. Compact culture - the seat of the Renaissance, good food, great ice cream, lovely architecture, nice people...what's not to like?

My brother liked it so much he thought that he'd come back for his honeymoon (though there isn't a prospective Mrs VolBro on the horizon as far as I know.)

But I'm one of those people that doesn't like Venice.