Arrivederci Italia

Parting is such sweet sorrow...

We have been back for about a month from our whirlwind tour of Italy and I hate to say it, but the trip is already fading into just a pleasant memory.

First of all - our trip was wonderful.  I wasn't sure how I would like being part of a tour group, but was willing to give it a try.  Contrary to popular opinion (okay, my distorted picture of a tour group), it was not a bunch of old, boring, retired people.  Our group was a lot of fun!  We had mostly middle aged empty nesters (like us) and retired folks from all parts of the US who were always ready to be silly and enjoy life.  We walked miles and miles, probably drank too much wine (we were in Italy after all), ate plenty of great food and laughed the nights away with our new friends.

Lance loved the itinerary - up early in the morning so we would be the first ones in line to see what ever church or historical site the tour group was going to visit that day; followed by afternoon free time and dinner (sometimes with the group, sometimes just the two of us). It confirmed (in Lance's mind anyway) the wisdom of how he plans his "tours" of Colorado for our visitors. So, sorry everyone - but, no sleeping in when you stay at the Toepper B&B!

For anyone thinking of going on a trip to Italy (or any foreign country), I highly encourage you to do so. For Lance and me a tour was the way to go. We had a couple of days "on our own" and believe me, it is much easier to have someone else worry about the hotel, transportation, language barrier and hauling luggage around!  I have to admit, as I have gotten older, I find I like traveling in relative luxury without having to do a lot of planning (although I would recommend some prior research for your free time). I don't think I could handle the youth hostels that Kaitlyn stayed in (guess that is why they call them youth hostels).

Other things I learned during this vacation...

Bathrooms in Italian hotel rooms are not like American hotels (at least not at the ones we stayed at). The tub/shower tend to be quite small (think cruise ship) probably because Europeans are smaller than Americans (painful truth). We learned to shower in a tub with a door that covered only the front third of the tub. Sad confession: we were not very good at it - a lot of water ended up on the floor.

Another bathroom observation - there was an emergency pull cord hanging down from the ceiling along the wall of every bathtub. Boy, did I want to pull it to see what would happen! (Don't worry, I controlled myself.) And, most of the bathrooms also had a bidet. I have to admit, I didn't really know what a bidet was for, so thank you Shelley Gates for explaining it to me! One of our local tour guides said it is also a great foot soak after a long day of walking...hmmmmm.

Churches really do require you to have your knees and shoulders covered before you can enter. But, they don't actually care what you cover yourself with. Case in point: One of the ladies in our group had shorts on for a "church day" and was being told she couldn't enter. Good thing we Americans can be inventive - three jackets tied around Diana's waist made a "lovely" skirt - good enough to get her into the church! And don't be surprised to hear "SHHHH - SILENCIO" echo around you if there is too much whispering going on.
.
I still need Lance to push me to take chances and just "go for it".  On my own, I am not sure if I would have gotten on that one person chair lift to get to the top of Anacapri and its lovely views - but I am really glad I did!  (Even though I did have an irrational fear that my sandals were going to suddenly fall off my feet as they dangled loose in the air - go figure.) 

I learned Lance and I "wander" differently.  I tend to meander and explore with no real purpose other than to experience what is around me.  Lance will wander - but only if he has an ultimate destination in mind.  So, we compromised - set an ultimate destination and got there in a roundabout manner. This plan worked great in Rome - we fell upon historical sites, local parks and beautiful views - all on the way to a restaurant or the hotel. 

Being part of a tour, I liked to socialize with our fellow travelers and didn't always know when to call it a night.  Lance was very aware that we needed to get up early in the morning and was ready to say good night when the group dinner was done. So, occasionally, Lance went up to the room while I had one more drink with some of our new friends in the hotel lobby.  And, sometimes, Lance surprised me by staying for that one more drink (which is what I really wanted all along.)  Thank goodness he did, or we would have missed out on the beautiful night time roof top view from our hotel in Florence!

I tended to be more cautious when it came to controlling my purse and personal belongings - always worried about pickpockets and thieves.  Lance was more relaxed - until I would point out that maybe it was not the best idea to keep his wallet in the back pocket of his pants where it is very visible, especially in a crowded piazza.  And, being a good husband, Lance moved the wallet to his front pocket - probably not because he felt nervous, but just to satisfy me. Guess I could probably learn to relax a little more - the tight grip on my purse was probably not necessary all the time.

I learned that Lance needed some "quiet time" each day so he could check his computer, emails (yes, he was still working - the life of a small business owner), and rest his feet. I discovered that instead of resenting this, I just needed to embrace the truth and give myself some "me-time" - which might mean journaling, reading, walking the area near our hotel, shopping, or sampling local food and drinks with some other women in our group.

The most important thing I learned was the need to be flexible and take unexpected events in stride when you are on a long trip. One of our travel mates was, unfortunately, pick-pocketed - but they did not let that ruin the rest of the trip for them. They were still the same fun loving couple they were prior to the incident. Would I have been able to "let go" as easily? I hope so. We also had a couple of rainy days - but were able to still enjoy our time. We bought silly umbrellas, enjoyed cappuccino under the canopy of a cafe and got to explore the streets of Assissi without having to fight the crowds. As they say, when life offers you lemons - make lemonade (or better yet, lemoncello!)