Of course it was.
All my fears were grounded on slippery, shaky rocks. Not solid earth.
And of course there were mishaps and screw-ups, but that’s life, isn’t it?
I think my pre-journey jitters were because I forgot to focus on the things that might be awesome, and so much of life is awesome. Looking back at my pictures, I forget about the wrong train we got on and the ones we missed. We weren’t mugged, groped, or lost. Our luggage never went somewhere we didn't. No creatures were harmed in the making of our memories.
I had a blast!
Seeing another country, especially one where I don’t speak the language, makes me pay attention to other commonalities that connect us humans: a smile and a kind gesture, the hand signals that become a way of communicating. A mutual enjoyment of a view, a painting, a gelato. In those times, I feel the similarities of people and places.
One thing I love to do is to observe people. The grumpy waiter who squints into the bright sun as he waits tables on the patio. The attentive clerk who doesn’t mind as I browse and don’t buy anything (and the graceful one that sells me a tourist-trinket or two). The groups of people who pass by me pointing out to their companions sights or shops or beautiful sunsets, just like I do.
Offspring and I went to a lot of ‘touristy’ places but we also had some off-beat adventures. We took a ferry and a bus to different towns and managed to find our way back to where we were staying.
Instead of just sitting on a beach, we swam in the Mediterranean. But then, what Canadian wouldn’t enjoy the warm(ish) water when the chilly lakes at home are getting ready for winter? We rented a scooter and we both survived without mishap (although I did realize I’m a terrible passenger and now I think I have a few more grey hairs…).
We ate and ate and ate!
Our itinerary was:
Airport to Florence
to Cinque Terre
to Pompeii then Sorrento and the Amalfi
to Rome
then home
We covered a lot ground and saw many wonderful places, scenes. I took over 1000 pictures. We ate a lot, walked a lot, laughed a lot, because isn't that what life is all about?
I need to remember that getting out of your comfort zone can be exhilarating. And fun.
Tell me about some of your amazing adventures!