Alitalia and the worst hotel ever

Day1 started out in typical interesting fashion. I tried to run some errands before leaving for Schiphol and ended up getting to my train with only a couple minutes to spare. When I tried to check in for the flight, they demanded my passport. I tried to explain that my Dutch ID card was adequate for travelling within Schengen, but they refused to accept it. The agent called the Marechaussee, who said it was ok. Alitalia still refused to let me on the plane. I've flown all over Schengen with just my national ID without problem. Apparently Alitalia knows something Lufthansa, KLM, and SAS do not... So, I rebooked myself on the next flight and went home for my passport. This time, there was construction blocking the tram line, so I got to the station just in time to see my train leave. Fortunately, the next train was in 20min and so I figured I would still be safe. Passport in hand, I tried again to check in. This time they claimed they had no record of me in the computer. I had them check under my first name, and there I was. So, I got on the flight and made it to Rome, just not in time for dinner as I had hoped. No comments on the airplane interior that was very reminiscent of really cheap pool table material.

My first hotel sounded quite nice online, however the reality of it was something different. First, they demanded my passport (what is the Italian obsession with passports?) Then, they said breakfast wouldn't be until 07.30, so no breakfast for me. It looked like it had been lost in time. The room was small and dingy, and it was extremely hot inspite of the relatively cool night. The worst, however, was yet to come...

One weird thing did happen on the way to my hotel, I made a wrong turn and ran straight into a woman I used to work with at my last job. How weird is that!?