Roman Holiday

In the fall of 2006 I was speaking with a friend who has traveled extensively. Being told stories of adventures in other countries left me with stars in my eyes. I have traveled a small amount in my life, but it has been close to 25 years since I have left the North American continent. In high school I took a school trip to Jamaica and in university I flew to Portugal with a friend and her parents. Since then any travels I have done have been within North American by plane or within a couple of days drive. Needless to say, you could not call me an avid world traveler. I do have ambitions to travel more, because I enjoy learning new things and I have a sense of adventure which has been suppressed for far too long. As I travel I plan to stop at lots of museums, art galleries and historical sites to learn about the culture and history of the area that I am visiting. I also have plans for some adventure in the form of recreational and leisure activities. I'm not all that keen on shopping, but I will spend some time exploring local markets and shops and of course I will enjoy trying the local cuisine.

You can follow my adventure on my Workout Blog which I will try to update as often as I can while traveling.

The following is my broad general plan for what I would like to do with my time in Italy. I will leave my options open ended so that I can take advantage of opportunities as they arise first I will start with my time in Rome:

1. My main excuse for going to Rome is the Rome City Marathon.
2. I will spend some time in what is called the Ancient City which harbours, museums, monuments and the world's oldest botanical gardens.
3. I'll also make an appearance at the Colosseum and Roman Forum.
4. While in Rome it is necessary to visit Vatican City and the museums and chapels associated with it, not forgetting the Sistine chapel.
5. The travel guide I have suggests that one can take a bike ride on the Appian Way to visit 3rd century catacombs, Baroque Churches and Roman ruins. The Appian Way is located not far outside the city centre.
6. I also would like to attend my first Opera while in Rome. Tosca is playing at Teatro Flaiano while I am in the city and I am trying to get advanced tickets.

Near Rome there are two areas I would like to visit and then I would like to take a trip to Florence for a day or two:

1. I have plans to visit a beach near Rome to swim, run and collect some sand for my "Beach Sands of the World" collection. My travel guide tells me I will not be there in the high tourist season for beaches, so I don"t expect there to be much of a crowd. I can catch a train to Anizo where several sources tell me I can find a beach to play on.
2. I don't want to miss visiting the archeological site at Pompeii which is a short train ride south of Rome. I read about this village frozen in time for over 1900 years ago by Mount Vesuvius when I was young and it captured my imagination. This side trip is a must see site for me.

The choice of sites to visit in Florence is simply mind-boggling. There are so many museums to choose from and so much art-work to view, that a visitor could spend weeks here and not see it all. I have two days planned and I have chosen 5 potential places to visit. I'm sure I will not have trouble filling in my spare time - if I have any spare time.

1. The Duomo (Cattedrale Di Santa Maria Del Fiore) is a magnificent double-shelled domed cathedral which was meant to impossible to improve upon.
2. The Uffizi is home statutes, street performers and vendors as well as a many roomed museum which one could spend hours exploring.
3. Museo Di Storia Della Scienza is located near the Uffizi and is home to scientific instruments of the Renaissance including some of Galileo's tools.
4. Museo Archeologico holds a large collection of statutes and jewelry from ancient times and places along with a plant-filled courtyard.
5. The Piazzale Michelangelo has a copy of the Michelangleo's David and has a great view of the city at sunset, so my timing here is important.

February 18, 2007

I've finished my Roman Adventure and I have a full log of my adventure on my Workout Blog. Check entries between March 15th and March 30th, 2007 for specific entries on this adventure. In conclusion, I would have to say my trip was a huge success. I learned that I have few problems traveling on my own and that this type of travel is a great learning experience. I also learned that really enjoy staying in hostels while traveling. You get to meet lots of interesting people in hostels and you are less able to hide away in your room. Hostels are also a very economical way to travel, in that you pay 3 to 5 times less than you would if you stayed in hotels. I also learned that Rome is dynamic thriving city and I would gladly go back to investigate more that the historic sites next time. Rome is also a very expensive city, which you can tell by eating out a couple of times or by doing a little shopping. I have also learned that I have to be less timid about some things, especially when it comes to shopping. I spent a good deal of money in the small shops of Rome and Florence, but I am sure I could have saved a bunch of cash if I had only dickered on prices more often. I also think that on my next trip I take I will schedule some more diverse activities. I did mostly sightseeing during this trip such as; visiting ancient ruins and museums, but I enjoyed myself most when I went to the beach on the last full day in Italy. In the future I will look for and plan a diverse set of activities like, maybe bike rides, hikes, or maybe a workshop of some sort.

That's it for my Roman Holiday, I'll post my race report in my race report section if you would like to read it and I look forward to my next "adventure."

May 19th, 2007