Reflections

I need a lot more time to assimilate all we took in for our three weeks in Italy.  I can say it was a perfect amount of time -- not too short, not too long -- for an initial trip.  The itinerary seemed busy, but it really wasn't.  We found we had time to see and experience what we wanted (there is ALWAYS more) and I don't think we could have taken in much more.  Sandy and I took time to relax and enjoy the country and to enjoy each other's company.  That was very special to me.  Our small hotels were all excellent and each had a flavor of its own.  They weren't 5 star, but they were clean, pleasant, and all run by very nice and helpful people.  I would recommend all of them, particularly the Albergo Marin in Venice (82 Euros a night), the Hotel Duomo in Cremona (85 Euros a night), the Hotel Porta Romana in Siena (110 Euros a night), and the Hotel Due Torri in Rome (about 160 Euros a night).  The Cremona hotel was 20 steps from the Duomo piazza and the Rome hotel was in a quiet alley away from the fray.  The final bills at these hotels were a little less when we paid in cash & had a Rick Steves discount.

Food was (as we had always heard) fabulous everywhere, even at the gas stops on the expressway.  We didn't have one bad thing to eat, except we thought the wine at dinner in Sorrento was watered down.  I'm hooked now on good olive oil, balsamic vinegar, prosecco, chianti, and Buffalo mozzarella cheese.  I remember Ginny coming home from Italy with the same pensions!  Can't wait to share with her!  We didn't find it terribly expensive either.  Breakfast was included in the hotel and Sandy and I split almost every lunch and dinner and had plenty to eat.  She stopped at fish though -- one night I had to have my fresh whole fish! We spent about 15-20 euros on lunch and about 30-35 on dinner for both of us.

Gasoline was expensive but our little Smart Car didn't take much and we were very glad to have that, though I had thought differently before we left.  It drove very well, albeit a little bumpy, and you really forgot you didn't have space in back of you until you went to park it.  The automatic transmission overdrive worked differently from my car.  You could push it in overdrive, then you had to push a button to upshift it again.  I used that a lot on the mountainous terrain.  Once we learned to touch the brake before we started the car, we had no trouble starting it.

It was easy and smart to limit ourselves to one carry-on bag each.  I took a tote bag for the plane to carry my purse, my tablet, a sweater, and noise-cancelling headphones (a must).  I also packed a tiny nylon collapsible tote to carry extra items on the way back when I checked my bag and carried the two totes.  We didn't want to check anything on the way to Italy because we were taking the train straight to Venice and wouldn't be in Rome in case the bag got lost.  I actually packed too much!  I didn't need 3 pairs of shoes (tennis shoes were the best on the cobblestone streets) -- tennis shoes & one pair of sandals would have done it.  I could have left home a couple of shirts and one pair of pants.  I was glad to have packed my hairdryer that had a European plug.  Some of the hose dryers are awful.  I should have taken a washcloth, but Sandy had two -- thanks Sandy. It was easy to wash out things as we needed to.

People, people, people......I was actually glad to get away from so MANY people everywhere!  Of course it was tourist season, but when you get back to the USA you appreciate how spread out we are.  I will not complain about traffic here again (ha -- yes, I will!). It's nothing like traffic in Italy with the motor cycles weaving in and out and between very narrow lanes.  You do have to travel with a lot of patience.  Drivers in Italy are much more trusting of each other.  They cut in front of you quickly and very close, they drive pretty fast, and they know exactly how big their cars are.  They are generally good drivers -- no room for whimps here.  If you are at all nervous about driving, don't drive there!  People crowded around Trevi fountain, the Pieta, the Colosseum,  etc.  You just want to tell them all to get out of the way!  It was a relief to get back to the hotel after a day of people.

On Sunday, Sandy and I took a taxi to the Fumicino Airport.  It was very deserted & we both got through security in no time.  I had to wait a while & staked out a seat near the gate.  A man and his wife came over and he plopped in the chair next to me while his wife went shopping.  "We're from Alabama" he said in a MAJOR Southern drawl, after our initial niceties.  "Ma wife an' I decided tuh go tuh Rome fo' a few days - neva been there 'fore.  Had the hardest tahme findin' our way round.  All the streets are called VIA -- via this an via that.  How d'ya tell the diffrence?"

OK, I'm back home in the South, thankfully not rural Alabama!  It's quiet here -- not so many people -- but now I miss Italy!  What a fabulous trip and a fabulous country.  'Bye for now!