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| Yes, the bathroom had a bidet! |
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| Ready for our final night out |
I wasn't going to do another post titled Day 8, since all I basically did that entire day (for like 19 hours) is travel home. Once home though, I had a lot of time to reflect on my trip, the good, the bad, the never want to do again parts, and the parts I loved. I also have shared some pictures that I like on here.
Initially, I was SO glad to be home! I have to say that parts of this
trip felt like a sick game of some weird travel survivor:
- Just how uncomfortable will you be
thousands of miles from home with none of your stuff (I mean you didn't
actually need underwear and shampoo did you)?
- How many miles can you walk in the
blazing heat each day with blisters from the day before?
- How few hours of sleep can you survive on and
still be perky enough for the next walking tour?
- How many street vendors selling selfie sticks can you politely say no to before wanting to shove said selfie stick in very impolite places? (Candi, you know you were totally with me on that one!)
- Just how long can someone with
overactive bladder hold their bladder for on a tour bus? The answer is over 4 miserable hours with me wanting to threaten to sue the lost bus driver and scream about the risks of UTIs.
- How many hours of a
flight can you endure a screaming baby for (why, why is there always one near
me without fail?)? I mean, I like babies for the most part, but not anywhere near me on a plane. Or kids for that matter that kick the seats in front of them. My kids have flown and you'd have thought we were SO strict with our rules for you know, politeness to others in an enclosed space. Not all families honor these same thoughts.
Quick, let's play a game. The airport shuttle you already booked and paid for is running an hour late and has just notified you (at the time they were scheduled to pick you up!). Do you A) take your chances that you only need an hour to go through customs, check bags, and security while finding your way through a foreign airport? or B) Do you attempt to call another taxi and get to the airport with a driver that speaks NO English? If you chose B, you are correct.
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| This waiter insisted on a picture with me! |
Touring is not (in my experience)
made to be comfortable, though there are many things that I would do
differently after this trip. We had SO many hours of touring, and I get it. It
was necessary to see as much as we could see, and my friend Candi did a great job fitting it all in, but in the future I will book
less actual tours and leave more time to savor the city I think, even if that means missing a few things. Maybe I am some "lazy American" as I have heard many Europeans think about our kind. I know that we like excess. Heck, we buy blended coffee or a Coke and get 32 ounces or more, not like 8. Side note, in Italy one can buy a glass of wine for often cheaper than a soda. Sodas are not very popular there (which is OK with me, except I had quite a few Diet Pepsis when I got home to make up for it!). I like air conditioning, I like comfy places to sit when I am tired of walking, and I like signs for public restrooms (so I don't have to scout out the nearest cafe and hope there is one in there). I get that these are small things in the bigger picture of life, and that "when in Rome...", so I am not trying to disrespect the country (I very much enjoyed it and did my best to adapt while there), simply stating my opinions here.
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| A priest! |
I say most of these things (mostly) in jest. They are all
true, but they did not make (or in this case break) the trip. I still feel it
was totally worth it to see parts of a country I've been longing to see for at least
the past decade if not longer. I fully intend to go back to Italy with Barrett in the future, to see Florence and Venice, and
perhaps Assisi
again. Unless he desires to go to Rome
though, once may have been enough for me. I loved it most of the time, and
didn't at others. I am glad to have the experience of traveling on my own (for
a leg of it), and having to learn how to
advocate for myself. See, if Barrett were there I know I would not have ever
worried about finding a bathroom or food. He knows me and knows to scope out
these things so that he has a happy wife. It is an act of love that I will
never, ever take for granted again. :) (Thank you, Honey!)
It kept things in perspective for me a lot. I couldn't let a
lack of extra clothes keep me from enjoying Rome, and I learned to stash extra
snacks in my purse (but side note here...a GOOD tour if lengthy, should include a break for food, drinks,
and restrooms!!). I mean, who plans these things?
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| Dinner near our hotel |
My first few days back in Oregon, I told Barrett I didn't want to
travel again for years. I was exhausted. I was so happy to be on American soil
again where public restrooms abound. I think the adrenaline while traveling
kept me going there, but it took me about an entire week to feel normal again
once home. Now that I have had some time to re-acclimate, my trip has not
quelled my desire to travel (as I am sure my poor hubby hoped!). Instead, I am
actively planning my next trip (with him) to Germany for 2-3 winters away, and perhaps a trip to Maui (duh!) and Canada and/or Alaska in between. If you are thinking, must be nice, or how can you afford this?? I remind you my philosophies about travel. No, I don't do everything cheaply. I will splurge on a nice room or a fancy meal during a trip, but every year we take tax money (refund) to travel as well as set aside monetary gifts we get throughout the year, and save for travel. And yes, sometimes we put something on our friend Visa, and pay her back as soon as possible. But travel is possible if it is a priority. I am already beginning to learn some German. At least, that is where we are thinking of going, with a minimum
of guided tours, and a maximum of time to explore on our own hitting a list of the must-see spots for us (which are more "nature" type spots than typical tourist spots).
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| A home outside Assisi area |
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| Rome at Night |
There is a magic to traveling. There is no other way to
describe it. Being somewhere foreign and trying to take part in the local
language and food is amazing. Seeing the sights can honestly change you a bit as a person. I have only gotten a taste, and my passport has
room for many more stamps!
