Flying to Rome

July 8th meant we were flying from London to Rome. The bus ride to the airport was bittersweet. We were moving on to the next city, but we were leaving London. Upon boarding the British Airways plane, there was an alarming discovery. They had seats that faced each other, much like a train. Everyone that could got the seats that faced the front. Unfortunately, I got one that faced the tail. That was strike one. After we took off, strike two occurred when they served ham that didn't look too good. Then came strike three. We hit an air pocket that caused the plane to drop 8000 feet in three seconds. At least, it seemed that way. I began hyperventilating. My group noticed that all the blood had drained from my face, and I my skin was ashen. I was cold, and my heart was racing. They called over a stewardess. Then came a steward. They laid me on the seat and took my blood pressure. Apparently, it was pretty high. Then came the oxygen. Then came some pills. I have no idea what all they gave me, but I was still not doing well. Then they had me breathe into a paper bag to try and control my breathing. That helped a little, but I was still in trouble. There was a nurse on board who tried to help. As they worked on me and put more pills into me, a little British lady a couple of rows back said, "Give him some hot tea". They did, and my color came back. My breathing got better. My blood pressure went to normal. I was okay. By the time we landed in Rome, the pills took effect, and I was flying on the ground. The folks in the tour kept asking me how I was. I was great! I could feel my body floating along the sidewalk. It was quite a sensation. Upon arriving at the Imperiale Hotel, we found ourselves just around the corner from the Spanish Steps. We were warned that guys would tend to pinch the women's bottoms. I went with the girls over to the steps, and the previous warning came true. It is a wonder how some women are able to sit down later. The hotel was built on different levels. On our floor, there were steps in between rooms along the corridor. It was rather confusing to get from one room to another. But, with all the drugs in me, I didn't really care. I just wanted to sleep.