Once every two years we go on a family weekend with the whole family (read; almost 40 people). Each time we went to a nice group accommodation in the Netherlands and every now and then just across the border in Germany or Belgium. Grandma always finds this very pleasant, because it is not often that everyone in the family is together. Unfortunately, grandma is getting older every year and we realized that grandma doesn't live forever either. This gave us the idea to make a long trip for our upcoming family weekend; it became Rome. Few relatives had been to Rome. And in addition, grandma was raised Catholic and she can still be found in church every week; the idea was that we and grandma wanted to see the Pope up close.
Preparations
When the idea was on the table, three people from the family quickly took over the organization. The first announcement was made; there were three possible departure dates and everyone could let us know which day they would prefer to leave and whether they would like to travel at all. Everyone reacted positively, but unfortunately there were a number of family members who indicated that they were not going with them. After a lot of back and forth calling and e-mailing, it was finally settled; all 23 relatives who had indicated were able to take the same flight to Rome. For the night it was also a bit of a search; eventually they became mobile homes at camping Fabulous.
The journey to Rome
Thursday evening 29 April the time had finally come; everyone gathered at Düsseldorf Airparks. Reservations were made in advance so that everyone could park their car in the large parking lot. From the parking lot there is a free transfer to the airport, which is only a fifteen minute drive from there. There we were, with 23 family members at Düsseldorf International Airport looking for a check-in desk. We had already checked in online the evening before, but today all suitcases still had to be handed in. After a while of searching we had found the check-in desk and the check-in process of 23 family members started at 3 desks. About 45 minutes later everyone had checked in and they were waiting for the flight while enjoying a snack and something to drink.
After the last purchases had been made in the duty-free shop, the boarding for our flight to Rome also started. After boarding we were driven to the airport by bus, so it was a bit of pushing and pulling for a seat on the bus. There were fixed places in the airport, but a number of people within the family still switched places among themselves. After everyone had found their place, the plane could finally take off; a special moment for a number of children in the family because it was their first plane flight.
Campsite Fabulous
After a smooth flight we arrived at Fiumicino airport, where our transfer to the campsite was already waiting. Before we went on our trip, we had hired a transfer company that normally only drove to Rome center from the airport. We were lucky that we were with such a large group, so we could rent a complete bus for the transfer. After about 45 minutes we arrived at the campsite.
The organization went in to deal with it as quickly as possible; unfortunately the people behind the reception thought otherwise. Everyone had to go inside to hand over his or her passport and to report in which house they were staying. So it took a very long time before we finally arrived at the houses. The kids were immediately put to bed and the rest settled in. After that, a nice nightcap was drunk and appointments made for the following days, after which everyone quickly found their bed.
Hop-on-hop-off and pool fun
It was early morning for most; quick breakfast and then off to Rome was the idea. However, that is a bit more difficult when you are traveling with 23 people. Sandwiches, spreads and other food had to be fetched and tickets had to be arranged for the bus rides this weekend. With five people we went to the store; the man behind the sandwich counter looked a bit strange at us when we ordered 55 hard rolls, 10 cartons of milk, 3 kilo bags of coffee and a lot of spreads, but it was arranged quickly. The bus tickets were also arranged in such a way, from the campsite there is a bus to the metro station from where you can take the metro to the center. A three-day ticket was available for all public transport; so we got it 23 times.
After breakfast, the family divided into three groups; one group were all small children with a few parents. They stayed at the campsite by the pool after the long journey the previous day. We only briefly describe the second group as 'the young people', they went to explore the city in Rome with a hop-on-hop-off bus. The third group went on a walking tour of Rome. I myself belonged to the third group; i have a tour of the co
Social Plugin