Oh the joy of the alarm going off at 03:40; we haven't needed that for quite a long time. The taxi arrived promptly and we were on our way to the airport. A moment of concern when the signs said that the slip road from the M25 to the M4 was closed, but we had plenty of time for the diversion. All the research and form filling in advance paid off and soon we were in the departure lounge searching for somewhere to get breakfast. While checking in, we were told that we needed surgical grade masks for travel, and the shops in the airport were doing a roaring trade. People with the wrong type of mask were being sent away from the queue to board the plane to get the correct ones.
The flights to Milan and then Palermo were without incident, although we were pleased every time we passed another phase of the journey. On arrival in Palermo, basically everyone who had been outside Italy in the last 14 days had to have a Covid test at the airport. We trooped off round the airport, pushing our luggage on a trolley with the inevitable wonky wheel, until we arrived at the test site. There was no queue, and the test was performed very quickly and efficiently, by a lady in full biograde gear. We waited about 10 minutes and then were given our results: negative. Hurrah!
We sat in the sun waiting for the bus to take us to Trapani. What a difference a few hours makes. 05:00 at Heathrow - 1C, 15:00 Palermo - 19C. Remind me why we came?
The bus ride took us through the countryside, and we were able to see the vineyards and olive groves looking immaculate and fields ready for the crops to grow. The top of Erice was covered in cloud.
The guy in the hotel greeted us like long lost relatives, and they have given us a much better room than we had last year. We can see Equinox and the rest of the boatyard from the window. Once we had dropped the bags, we hurried over to the yard to check in with them. The administrator was a little concerned that they had not been able to finish all of the jobs, especially the installation of the new batteries, which have not yet been delivered; they are coming from Holland. There are a couple of other lesser issues, but the boat is looking great. We will launch Equinox on Monday.
After all this we were too tired to go out to eat, so had the hotel arrange for something to be delivered. This was a bit of a lottery, as there was no menu available for the restaurant sending the food, and they basically said "what do you want?" Steak and chips just hit the spot. Delicious! We collapsed early; it had been a long, but successful day.
Miles Today - 0
Miles 2022 - 0
Steve (and Tricia)
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