Here you will find the latest information on travel in Europe, as well as lots of other great stuff like recipes for some of my favorite European foods, schedules of upcoming travel seminars, tips and tricks on traveling in Europe, and answers to reader questions about European travel.

For more information about hotels and restaurants like those featured in our blog, or for help in planning your own independent trip to Europe, please contact us about our Self-Guided Trips or Custom Itinerary Planning services.

Rome: a hate-love relationship

Thu, Jun 24 2010 12:19 | rome, italy
Piazza Navona, Rome
I arrived in Rome yesterday, twenty-nine years after my first visit. Back then I was traveling as one of a group of 40 high school students on my first trip to Europe. Thanks to a comedy of errors, our tour group arrived in Rome after 36 hours of travel from California. It was almost midnight here. We were beyond tired. Our luggage didn't arrive. It was dark. The bus that was supposed to take us from the airport to our hotel had left without us.

Yet the next morning we were all up bright and early to spend our first day exploring the center of Western Civilization. After three days in the city, I hated the place. Old. Dirty. Noisy. Stinky. Chaotic. Confusing. And worst of all, no one spoke English. I never wanted to see another word ending in a vowel. I realize now that my reaction was a combination of exhaustion, jet lag and culture shock.

Today I'm leading my own groups through Rome. Over the years I've grown to love this mess of a city, and look forward to one or more annual visits. I slide into the flow of life here -- the crowded subways, chaotic streets and passionate people, like slipping into a comfortable pair of shoes. Two-thousand-year old ruins appear like familiar friends. I know their stories, I know their tricks, and I know a great little gelato place nearby. As I step out into the glow of a warm Mediterranean evening I smile and whisper Ciao, Bella.


TimberlandFootprint_234x60_2.20.08
Comments


See Older Posts...

For more information about hotels and restaurants like those featured in our blog, or for help in planning your own independent trip to Europe, please contact us about our Self-Guided Trips or Custom Itinerary Planning services.