San Marino: September 2019
Managed to luck out into an upgrade on a transcontinental flight to start the day. Unfortunately United was a bit of a letdown in the catering department. Looked like they ran out of menus and someone had to print them on a inkjet printer in the office (wut?), and the short rib with kale was roughly cafeteria food level. The amenity kit came in a plastic bag that looked like it was from Daiso.
The tight connection in Newark (EWR) worked out just fine, still not sure why United didn't offer an earlier flight (at least not for a reasonable price). Upgrade luck ran out tho, although to be fair United's new premium economy product (Premium Plus) usually isn't too bad.
Today, tho, was clearly one of those days where "isn't too bad" was an aspirational goal. The chicken mac and cheese at dinner was pretty edible, but the arrival "breakfast" of eggs atop English muffin was cold and gross, although it might have been decent if it was hot. And the flight crew, while individually great, were lousy as a cohesive unit. Ending up rudely awakened at sunrise because they didn't dim the cabin windows was the least of their hiccups...
Arrival in Frankfurt (FRA) was smooth, the lounge was solid if unexceptional, and managed to luck out into an exit row seat with massive legroom for the quick connection to Bologna (BLQ).
Italy's car scene was strong, Lamborghinis on display inside the airport, and a Tesla Model 3 taxi right outside. The rental car was a Fiat 500 Abrath 595 Competizione 5MT, woohoo! Saw some faster cars in the rental lot, but the thought of navigating an Alfa Romeo Giula down narrow Italian roads made the little Fiat seem like a better choice.