Traveling Day

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Our drive from our hotel to the Rome Leonardo da Vinci (Fiumicino) Airport took us through a part of Rome that reminded me of the Bronx. The entire downtown area where we stayed was pretty much a tourist area. We saw our first mortocycle accident in Rome on our way to the airport.

Our flights took us from Rome to Frankfurt and back to LA. On our last EU port, with is Frankfurt, we are supposed to get our VAT form stamped. Without this stamp there is no VAT refund. Our flight from Rome to Frankfurt was delayed for 30 minutes and we had just a short time to find this office to get our VAT form stamped.

I have concluded that the system is pretty much a scam to take money from foreigners. The VAT office at the Frankfurt Airport is tucked away in a very small room on the second floor and its location is purposely kept secret. After we passed customs passport control, we had to ask multiple people about the location of this VAT customs office. There is this poor lady asking frantically how to get her refund as her plane is leaving in 5 minutes. There is no way this lady is getting her money back. You will need your passport, boarding pass, the VAT form all filled out with your address and passport number, and the actual item you purchased. There is only one person working behind the counter and the line is long once you find it.

Lesson number one- If you plan to get your VAT refund, plan ahead. On you last port in the EU, and that could be just a connecting flight, plan for a longer lay over time.

On the way home, I finished watching "Night at the Museum", which I started on the plane going to Italy. I also watched a wonderful movie called "Vier Minuten (Four Minutes)." It is a German movie about 2 women, a piano teacher and a student, and their relationship. The ending was spectacular.