Eurotrip 2023: Day 1 – Buongiorno, Roma!

And just like, the big day finally arrived: the start of our trip to Europe!

I have waited for decades, and the best news was to do it with my parents and Mon. It was such a trip of a lifetime that I have saved for quite some time just to make this happen.

Although I speak French and a bit of Italian, I never had the opportunity to travel there. I was not sure how that would go about finally being in France and Italy. I thought, “we’ll see”.

We have also scheduled our visa appointment back in early March, then a couple of days after, Mon’s father had to undergo an emergency open heart surgery. More than 2 months ago, we were in Singapore with him and did not notice anything strange. We almost did not push through with the the trip.

The night before, Mama and Papa stayed at our apartment so it’d take only around 30 minutes to reach NAIA Terminal 3. I found it difficult to sleep because I normally sleep late.

It was exacerbated by my excitement over the upcoming flight, as well as worrying a bit of the three cats (who Leigh would be looking after for the next few days). I may have fallen asleep worrying until almost 2:30 am.

And before I knew it, we had to wake up at 5:30 am.

I only had one banana and a cup of black coffee for breakfast. I was even prescribed with antibiotics as I caught a bug few days before the trip. This was the second time I had to go on a trip carrying a pill box of antibiotics.

At around 6:00 am, we already booked a car going to the airport. This also meant we had to squeeze and smother the three cats as we won’t be seeing them for half a month.

It was a straightforward travel to the airport, and it took us even less than 30 minutes. The Qatar Aiwarys check-in counters were already open, but there were many passengers as well.

Mama and Papa had no idea of one little surprise: we were flying business class in one of the legs from Doha to Rome. Qatar Airways had been sending me offers to upgrade in the last 2 weeks, which I kept on ignoring.

It was a last minute decision to bite the bullet as I thought it would be a nice touch for the beginning of our trip. Mama and Papa were visibly surprised and delighted upon seeing one of our tickets carry this upgrade. It was money well-spent, I guess.

At the line for the immigration, we were no longer asked to fill out paper departure slips. We had filled this out 2 days before. We were ushered to the line for senior citizens and PWDs, which was quicker than the long line of regular passports.

We had all documents ready, but not surprisingly, Mama and Papa were barely asked any questions. Mon and I, on the other hand, received our usual set of questions. Since we started traveling mid-2022, we got used to it already at this point.

As soon as we finished with the immigration and security check, we finally had our breakfast at PAGSS using our credit card. We had more than an hour to spare before before we headed to the boarding gate.

Although we flew Economy at Qatar Airways, we have likewise reserved and paid for the bulkhead seats. Papa and Mama needed the extra legroom, as well as the proximity to the comfort rooms (which most people frankly shy away from).

The seats were on a 3-4-3 configuration, with Mon and I seated near the window, while Mama and Papa were in the middle 4.

But within the hour of our flight, it was apparent that it won’t have its issues. We were seated near a family who were demanding the bassinet seats from the poor FAs. We could have just ignored it but the section got a bit rowdy.

So we gave way. Papa and Mama sat beside me, while Mon had to endure the 9+ hour flight to Doha in the middle seat, next to the woman with her rowdy baby (who the FAs argued to be bigger the allowed age/height to use the bassinet). She also had 2 small boys who just ran the whole length of the plane, and messing around. The mother and the father could not be bothered.

I was feeling so bad for Mon that our trip started as such, and he had to take at least 2 Advils before we even reach Doha. I was telling him that the next leg will be much better.

As soon as we landed in Doha, it just dawned on me that it was the very first time my parents would be on such a long vacation.

They have worked overseas since the late 80s, with Papa working in Doha since that period. It would be the very first time for him to enter Doha, not as a a worker, but a transiting tourist to Europe. I was just looking at them as we taxi at the tarmac, thinking how difficult it was for them to be traveling alone each time they had to head overseas for work.

Such a full circle, isn’t it?

We had a very short 70-minute connection in Doha, and I was nervous if we had enough time to reach our flight.

Leading up to the trip, I had been watching videos on YouTube from travelers who had to transit in Doha. I almost booked the meet-and-greet of Qatar Airways just to make sure we reach the next flight.

To my relief, it was not so bad. Despite us walking slowly, going through security, having a quick bathroom break and taking the train to the next gate, we had enough time to board our next flight.

And it was the flight we all had been looking forward to.

For the next 6 hours for our flight from Doha to Rome, we were in business class in Qatar Airways’ QSuite. I have never flown business class before, as I am usually a budget traveler. But hey, why not do it for the first time with my parents for this trip of a lifetime?

To my surprise, there were only the four of us in this section for the whole flight. Where is everybody? Nevertheless, that meant that the wonderful FAs were extra attentive to us. We had been offered a lot of food during the whole trip, starting with some warm nuts, an assortment of bread, the best tasting chicken-rice dish (I forgot the name), and the buratta from heaven.

We had been also offered warm towels and a lot of drinks during the entire trip. Sadly, I was on antibiotics, so I was not allowed to drink any of the wines in the menu. =(

Mon was also most excited of the Diptyque amenity kit, as well as the big screen for the IFE. I am not a fan of IFEs in general, as I generally fall asleep watching anything on screen, regardless if Economy or Business class. I only watched ‘Roman Holiday’ on the flight from Manila to Doha on my phone.

Mon even watched a Melissa McCarthy movie, only to sleep 10 minutes into it. As for me, I just had the whole flight plan on screen the entire time.

I also keep on checking with Mama and Papa during the first hour to make sure they are okay (and of course they are).

I guess it was also fitting that we took these seats for the next leg of our trip. Time-wise, the flight was equivalent to around 11:00 pm to 5:00 am, Manila time. The flat bed seats meant we could have the best sleep possible despite on air, just enough to prepare us as soon as we landed in Rome.

That was also the point that I felt so sleepy, as I woke up very early that day. I believe I slept for 4 full hours and woke up 30 minutes before our arrival in Rome. Mama and Papa were also awake, with the latter transferring to one of the windows seats just to have a look outside.

We were all excited when we finally got a glimpse of the Italian soil, and as we slowly descended at Fiumicino International Airport. And finally, buongiorno Roma!

We landed in Rome at around 8:30 pm, with additional minutes for the airplane taxi.  As soon as we got out of the plane, it was still bright and a bit sunny. It felt so surreal to be finally in Italy.

At the immigration check, I was just asked by the immigration officer of the purpose of the trip. Nothing else, then ‘stamp’. I waited a bit for everyone to finish the immigration process, before we headed to the train that would lead us to the baggage claim area.

While waiting for our luggage, I connected to the airport Wi-Fi to activate the Orange Sim eSim I purchased before the trip. That allowed us to contact not only our family, but also the airport pick-up I have booked from a Facebook group to bring us to our AirBnB.

I was in touch with the contact person, who kept on informing me that the driver was already in the pick-up area. He was not there. We stepped out of the airport and exchanged messages, only to be informed to head back inside again. That went on for 15 minutes before we finally saw the driver.

To our surprise, we had to walk a long way to the parking area with all our luggage in tow. It was a bit challenging as the sun already set and it began to get cold, and Mon and I had to pull all of our bags, so Mama and Papa can walk properly. That was a prelude of our pace for the whole trip. The driver also walked very quickly that twice, we had no idea where he was.

The drive from FCO to Rome took around 45 minutes. We were very excited as we looked at Rome lit in the evening. Our AirBnB was near Termini, and we passed by the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, which surprisingly still had a service in the piazza at almost 10pm. I could tell how excited Mama and Papa were upon seeing it.

We reached the AirBnB in Via Filippo Turati, and our host was already waiting for us from the street. As he opened the gate, Mon was excitedly pointing at the very low, full moon, which I initially mistook as one of the street lamps.

Our AirBnB was on the 4th floor of the building (which meant 5th), but fortunately we had an elevator albeit a small one. We took in turns going up with our bags as we could only fit 2 people with 2 rolling luggage.

As soon as we got inside, we had a quick chat with the host, who also asked us to sign some documents. He was also a bit surprised that I replied in Italian, which made him more comfortable sharing other tips to make our one week stay in Italy better.

After that, we were already quite tired and a bit sleepy. But Mon and I still had to head out to buy some supplies, and explore a bit the area around our AirBnB. Despite the potable water in Rome, Mon was adamant to drink bottled water. I personally had no issues with drinking it, but he just felt more comfortable having it.

We also dropped by Mercato Centrale in Termini to have a look at the food. It was still teeming with people, most of which were obvious travelers having a quick bite before they go to other parts of Rome or Italy.

We bought some cornetto, as Papa and Mama usually eat very early in the morning.

We got back at our AirBnB, and Mama and Papa were already preparing to go to sleep. Mon and I had to fix our things, and get ready for bed. At 11:30 pm, I was so tired that it took little effort for me to be asleep, which was a challenge since I was still beaming ear to ear to be finally in Italy.

Buona notte, Roma, e a domani!

Step count: 4,767