Time to go back to reality...
June 28, 2019
This is the end...The last day we would wake up in this amazing country for now at least. We know we will have to come back. There is so much we haven't seen yet! This trip was everything we could have hoped for. Every minute of every day...even the minutes that were challenging...was an experience that we will not soon forget. But enough waxing poetic. We had to get to the airport first and that was definitely a trip in itself!
This is the end...The last day we would wake up in this amazing country for now at least. We know we will have to come back. There is so much we haven't seen yet! This trip was everything we could have hoped for. Every minute of every day...even the minutes that were challenging...was an experience that we will not soon forget. But enough waxing poetic. We had to get to the airport first and that was definitely a trip in itself!
We never did drive on the Autostrada so the trip back to Rome was an experience. We had plenty of time to get to the airport so Nancy thought it would be good idea to stop off at ANOTHER hill town. Why not? So we stopped in Narni (kind of sounds like Narnia so it has to be great right?). Well it had a bit of a different vibe to it. For some reason it didn't seem quite as magical as Orvieto or Spello. We couldn't figure it out but we didn't stay long. Maybe it was just that we were sad to be leaving Italy...or maybe it was the smell.
Probably the most stressful moments of our trip were trying to drive around the airport in Rome, finding a gas station and locating the car rental return. Once that was taken care of, the rest was a breeze. After marveling at the duty-free shopping center we grabbed something to eat and headed to the gate. Soon enough we were boarded and off. Our magical anniversary/birthday celebration vacation was at it's end. But we were both so filled with fabulous memories it was hard to be too sad!
This is what a tired traveler looks like. He is literally wearing everything he took with him on the trip! That is it for two weeks. It was the best way to travel though. Not dragging a ton of luggage and packing things you might not ever even use...
So just how much walking did we do?
So this particular tour is HEAVY on the walking! We kind of turned the dial up with some of our choices for sure. In the end this was the break down on how mobile we were for our whole trip!
Total Steps 295,239 Average per day 19,682
Total Miles Walked 119 Average per day 7.9
Total Flights Climbed 640 Average per day 42
Total Steps 295,239 Average per day 19,682
Total Miles Walked 119 Average per day 7.9
Total Flights Climbed 640 Average per day 42
Another recurring theme...A word from Nancy
So I have to admit it, I am a huge Queen fan! Since the release of Bohemian Rhapsody (the movie) I have rediscovered and further developed a love for Queen. So I might have been looking for things that may be related to Queen just a little but I was really shocked at how many times it happened. I have to share that as well even though it doesn't have that much to do with Italy!
1. In New York DAY 1. I saw this advertisement for the musical We Will Rock You! I immediately started thinking about how I could plan a trip to New York in November!
2. Norwegian Airlines was playing Bohemian Rhapsody
on the flight. Did I watch it once or twice...yes I did!
on the flight. Did I watch it once or twice...yes I did!
3. This I spied in Lucca advertising a rock opera featuring the music of not only Queen but Pink Floyd (husband's favorite) AND Led Zeppelin. Boy was I sorry I would not be in Florence to see this show!
4. In Florence, as we were walking through the open area around the Uffizi Gallery,
there was a woman playing "Who Wants to Live Forever" on a violin. It was
mystifying. Such a beautiful song and on violin was fabulous!
there was a woman playing "Who Wants to Live Forever" on a violin. It was
mystifying. Such a beautiful song and on violin was fabulous!
5. Found this one in Assisi. Looks like we missed this performance by just a few days!
6/7. These were in two separate shops in Orvieto. That was one time I regretted not having
full size luggage!
full size luggage!
It's a small world after all!
Look what we saw in a shop window in Orvieto! MICKEY MOUSE! We couldn't have a scrapbook, online or otherwise, without including our old pal Mickey!
The start of something BIG!
So we came to a realization as we trekked through Italy, we need to travel and we need to do it sooner than later. This trip was not only for our 25th wedding anniversary but was also a celebration of both of our 50th birthdays. That being said, time is of the essence. A few weeks after the trip we sat down and said "Ok, where else do we want to go?" Well in short order we had enough listed to plan the next 20 years! The world is a great big place but not quite that big if you just dip your toe in and try. So look out world...here we come!