Slow Travel 2018 – Rome

Well, it is almost time for our Slow Travel trip for 2018. This year it is Rome in Italy for 6 weeks. Last years trip to Madrid in Spain, was an outstanding success, our best trip so far. I have waxed lyrical many times on the benefits of Slow Travel. My husband and I are so fortunate, we are healthy, we have the free time to enable us to take long trips, and with a bit of planning, once you have paid for your accommodation and flights, it doesn’t cost a lot more than living at home. Add in the enjoyment of experiencing a different culture, forcing yourself out of your comfort zone, learning new things and lots of new interesting things to see and do, – it is just a fantastic experience. I feel so blessed to be able to take this time.

This will be the fourth year in a row that we have made a long trip to a different European city. In 2015 it was Nice, France. (I already spoke basic French) 2016 was Barcelona, Spain.  (This trip encouraged me to take up Spanish). 2017 was Madrid, Spain – a good chance to try out my slowly improving Spanish.

Why Rome?

We haven’t been there in thirty-five years, the last time I was there, I got sick and lost 20 lbs, which I couldn’t really afford to lose at the time. Neither of us speaks Italian. So what is the attraction of Rome? Especially when I have continued to learn Spanish, and I have passed on an opportunity to spend 6 weeks in a Spanish city (or a South American one), improving my language skills.

Despite having been ill, I always felt we just touched the surface of Rome, having only spent a week there. My husband particularly loved just sitting on the Palatine Hill, overlooking the Forum, trying to work out what buildings were once there. There is so much history everywhere you look. I will be interested to see how much it has changed. Then, we were both amazed by large chunks or marble literally lying by the roadside. Anywhere else, they would be in a museum. I am expecting the area round the Colosseum to be a lot busier than this picture which was taken in 1981!

It makes us both realise how much you forget. We both endured 3 years of Latin lessons. When we went to Rome, those lessons were still in recent memory, but we realised how little we had retained. Now there’s Google Translate to help us along! In the interim, we have both read so many books about ancient Rome, how it impacted so much of the life of that part of the world, including North Africa. It allows your imagination full flow.

We are looking forward to just taking time, to sit in a cafe, outside on the street, enjoy a coffee, and watch the world go by. The weather will be warm, at least for the first few weeks. Just now it is 30c, but next week it is due to drop to 25 – 28c which probably suits us better. Given it is 17c in Edinburgh, and set to get colder, that is a significant improvement.

It gives us some time to walk around, see new things. Each morning, we set off to see somewhere new, it is a mini adventure. Sometimes things don’t go quite as planned. So what! We take a lot of exercise, in the fresh(?) air. (Smog I think may be a problem – watch this space….)

Friends and family come and see us for a few days. A double win. It is interesting for them, particularly if it is a city they don’t know well. Far better than just coming to see us in Edinburgh. We spread the visits, so we get some quiet time between visits.

Essential Preparations

• We have let our landlady know that while there will mainly be just the two of us, we will have friends and family come to stay, so she has arranged extra bed linen / towels for us. Also an additional set of keys, so we can all go different ways, and meet up later. I’ve also prepared a load of questions, in italian, and printed them off, so we can ask our landlady for local information when we arrive.
• We have specifically chosen an apartment out of the main tourist areas. That way, the people we meet on a daily basis will be locals, rather than tourists. It will also be quieter.
• We have arranged a house-sitter for our own home.
• We have upgraded our travel insurance to allow for the extended trip. (Many limit the cover for the trip to just 30 days)
• Our passports were renewed last year, so we know they are in date. Don’t laugh too much, the number of people I know who have been caught out by that.
• We have both currency (Euros) and several cards. One card, (Transferwise), has a multi-currency facility, the other (Nationwide), gives a very decent exchange rate with no extra currency transaction charges
• We know both our phones work for calls and texts in Europe. We tried them a few weeks ago in Amsterdam. However, my phone failed the data test (again!), so I went in person to the phone shop to complain. I now have a smart new SIM, which I am guaranteed will work. I await with interest to see if it really will. Within Europe, we are spoiled as we keep the same contract terms as we do in our home country, so effectively for us, we will not have any additional charges. (Anything more than that, we’ll use WhatsApp!)
• I’ve packed adaptors and a few travel guides, including a lovely one that my son gave me for my birthday, covering walking tours in Rome. Also my ‘go to’ lotions and potions. While I know there are shops in Rome (and believe me we will use them a lot), sometimes it is good to have a preferred brand of a medicine. A re-usable carrier bag which goes in my handbag – it is so useful. A small handbag which goes across my body, so I can keep it close. After our pickpocket experience in Madrid last year, we will be more careful!
• We’ve been online, and researched how to get the best transport deal. Unfortunately as non-residents we don’t have a tax code, so we can’t get the cheapest one, but there is one we can get that is pretty reasonable. I’ll post details, once I am sure I know how it works!

What next?

Now all we have to do is enjoy our trip!

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