Isn't it good?

In Lucca, Italy.

A traditional Roman song about eating and drinking, not going to work and being cool while doing all this.

A children song with a sort of cosmic-prog arrangement.

The original extended version not the Chaplin Band dutch cover.

I was 7 years old.

Especially the synth arpeggios in the intro.

My least favourite (1-5) / favourite airports (6-10)

New York, JFK. It takes ages to get to Manhattan and if you are carrying luggage forget about going there with the subway. Even if you are just connecting to a flight, you still have to waste time going through dictatorial US immigration and passport requirements. But that’s not the point. Last time I was there baggage attendants stole my phone and my iPod. I went to the police and they said it’s normal, since the employees are not paid well. The big apple really deserves better. Tip: Terminal 5 has complimentary wifi access.

San Paulo, Guarulhos GRU. I’m not even sure if there’s anything really wrong with the airport itself, it’s just very chaotic and it looks a bit dirty. But I guess we are a tad spoiled here in the old continent. The main issue is that it’s way too far from the city. There’s no train service and even if they drive you it can be a couple of hours in traffic. Fly from/to Congonhas, if you can.

Paris CDG. If you’re connecting for a long distance overnight flight, be advised that you won’t be able to purchase any food or drinks after 8pm. I was stuck for 4 hours in a gate with no restaurants or even bars, bon appetit eh!

Istanbul IST. I love Istanbul. But when flying from the Ataturk airport make sure you are there at least 2 hours earlier even if it’s for a local flight. They x-ray you and your luggage as soon as you enter the airport. And again, after checking in. But think twice before going through the second security check: you will then be stuck in a tiny gate, with only a few extremely uncomfortable metal-grid seats and no food or stores.

Brussels BRU. Is it me or is this airport made 99% out of stairs? You have to go up and down some 6 floors to reach your gate. The only decent restaurant is the seafood one, crazy expensive. Dwell on chocolates instead.

Rome Fiumicino FCO. I don’t know if it’s the airport or the Alitalia service, aptly summarized by the acronyms „Always Late In Transit, Always Late In Arrival“ or „Airplane Landed In Tokyo And Luggage In Atlanta“. But everytime I have to go through it I always end up missing my connection. Or they book me on flights that suddenly cease to exist! Also they recently changed the terminal names from A, B, C to 1, 2, 3. Except that 1 is not A and 2 is not B and 3 is not C! A has been split into Terminals 1 and 2 (gates B are in T1, some gates C in T2). Terminals B and C have been unified into Terminal 3, which is then split into gates C, D, G and some H. Gates G are in a different builiding, called Satellite and reachable via an automatic shuttle train. There is also a Terminal 5 (some other gates H2), but not a Terminal 4. Everything clear? No? Exactly! Last time I was there all the signs were still displaying the old names and directions (A, B, C). 

Venice Marco Polo VCE. How predictable of me. It’s a small airport, but the 3rd best connected in Italy, after Rome and Milan. Food at the wine bar in the middle of the terminal is very good and it makes me always look forward to my next trip. It’s well connected to Venice via two different and inexpensive bus services (3 euros max) and also different shuttle boats (more expensive but worth the ride).

Kharkov HRK. It’s in Ukraine and it’s the smallest airport I’ve ever seen. It looks like a theatre. You open a wooden door and you find yourself in a dark lobby. If you are lucky someone will turn on the light for you. Then you go through a small anonymous door and you do check-in and security all at once. Then you walk to the airplane that, if you are lucky, won’t be an extremely shaky and noisy soviet 40-seater.

Palermo PMO. I don’t even wanna discuss the airport, I just wanna discuss the delights that are sold in the paistry shop on the upper floor. Don’t miss it!

Austin AUS. Stress-free experience. They even have a live music stage with bands playing! 

Helsinki HEL. Cosy, efficient and offers free wifi everywhere. But don’t forget to shop for those rein-deer delicatessen.

Amsterdam Schipol AMS. It has cozy lounges with chaise-longues for proper naps. And a casino for gambling your time away. But really, if you have more than two hours to wait, you might as well ride a train for 20-minutes and go for a stroll in the city.