ItalophileNJ
100+ Posts
By Marian from New Jersey, Spring 2004
May 5-26 2004. Three weeks in Florence, staying in an apartment in the Oltr'arno and studying Italian at the Centro Koine.
This trip report was originally posted on SlowTrav.
Before I begin talking about my time in Florence, I’ll say a few words
Wednesday 5 May: Today is the day I begin my long-awaited “Florence for Three Weeks in May.” I’m particularly excited because this vacation promises to be different for me. I love to travel but since my husband Frank died in March 1997, I've been trying to figure out the best way to do it.
My instinct is always to go it alone, and this is what I do, mostly. In October 1997, I spend ten days in Paris on my own, just to get away from all that is weighing me down. My French is quite good, and I’ve been there at least four times before and so don’t care if I spend the whole time sitting on a bench and crying. I stay at a lovely hotel, see the Paris Opera Ballet, and have a fairly decent time.
I twice try traveling to Europe with friends. First I go with a good friend from school. We get along fine, and she is an interesting travel companion. But she does not really enjoy some of the same things I do, among them people watching, or having an early-evening drink. So for me, something is missing from this vacation. And I have the luxury of being able to travel in the late spring and early fall, which she does not. (I’m happy to say we remain friends.)
About a year later, I travel with a woman I’ve known for ages, who has been on her own much longer than I have. But she is dependent beyond my wildest imagination! Although I am quite clear in advance that we will not be spending all our time together, she will not even go down to breakfast by herself! So I can’t wait for the vacation to be over.
So I plan on my own. One summer, I volunteer on an archaeological dig at Megiddo in Israel (the site of many biblical battles, and also the site of Armageddon in Revelations). This is fun, and there is a great feeling of camaraderie. But we work very hard, outdoors in near 100° F temperatures. And you really only want to do this once!
Twice I join organized walking tours in Italy, which has become my favorite country. The first tour, in Tuscany through a US company, was wonderful --- great scenery, food, hotels and (especially important to me) friendly people. But these trips are very expensive. So I try a slightly less costly trip with a British group. Less said about my travel companions the better!
Then last May, after a walking tour to the Maremma that I’ve signed on for is cancelled, I decide that, rather than cancelling the vacation I will try Florence on my own. (I've been to Florence three times previously, in 1964 (solo), 1968 (honeymoon) and October 2000 (solo). I spend a pleasant 10 days at a charming hotel. And I am not too lonely, but this business of always eating alone gets to be a drag.
Meanwhile, I discover the SlowTrav message board and website! Can this be the best of both worlds? With advice from people on the board, this time I book my tickets, rent an apartment and sign up for two weeks of Italian class. Best of all, I have the promise of dinners and lunches with SlowTrav friends, people to share my travel experiences!
So the adventure is to start today. (And this year, unlike last year, I have not started by losing my passport!) My daughter drives me to Newark Airport, less than a half-hour from home. We kiss goodbye, I check my luggage, my flight leaves on time. I do not spill too much food on myself. I make my connecting flight in Paris. It’s beginning!
May 5-26 2004. Three weeks in Florence, staying in an apartment in the Oltr'arno and studying Italian at the Centro Koine.
This trip report was originally posted on SlowTrav.
Before I begin talking about my time in Florence, I’ll say a few words
Wednesday 5 May: Today is the day I begin my long-awaited “Florence for Three Weeks in May.” I’m particularly excited because this vacation promises to be different for me. I love to travel but since my husband Frank died in March 1997, I've been trying to figure out the best way to do it.
My instinct is always to go it alone, and this is what I do, mostly. In October 1997, I spend ten days in Paris on my own, just to get away from all that is weighing me down. My French is quite good, and I’ve been there at least four times before and so don’t care if I spend the whole time sitting on a bench and crying. I stay at a lovely hotel, see the Paris Opera Ballet, and have a fairly decent time.
I twice try traveling to Europe with friends. First I go with a good friend from school. We get along fine, and she is an interesting travel companion. But she does not really enjoy some of the same things I do, among them people watching, or having an early-evening drink. So for me, something is missing from this vacation. And I have the luxury of being able to travel in the late spring and early fall, which she does not. (I’m happy to say we remain friends.)
About a year later, I travel with a woman I’ve known for ages, who has been on her own much longer than I have. But she is dependent beyond my wildest imagination! Although I am quite clear in advance that we will not be spending all our time together, she will not even go down to breakfast by herself! So I can’t wait for the vacation to be over.
So I plan on my own. One summer, I volunteer on an archaeological dig at Megiddo in Israel (the site of many biblical battles, and also the site of Armageddon in Revelations). This is fun, and there is a great feeling of camaraderie. But we work very hard, outdoors in near 100° F temperatures. And you really only want to do this once!
Twice I join organized walking tours in Italy, which has become my favorite country. The first tour, in Tuscany through a US company, was wonderful --- great scenery, food, hotels and (especially important to me) friendly people. But these trips are very expensive. So I try a slightly less costly trip with a British group. Less said about my travel companions the better!
Then last May, after a walking tour to the Maremma that I’ve signed on for is cancelled, I decide that, rather than cancelling the vacation I will try Florence on my own. (I've been to Florence three times previously, in 1964 (solo), 1968 (honeymoon) and October 2000 (solo). I spend a pleasant 10 days at a charming hotel. And I am not too lonely, but this business of always eating alone gets to be a drag.
Meanwhile, I discover the SlowTrav message board and website! Can this be the best of both worlds? With advice from people on the board, this time I book my tickets, rent an apartment and sign up for two weeks of Italian class. Best of all, I have the promise of dinners and lunches with SlowTrav friends, people to share my travel experiences!
So the adventure is to start today. (And this year, unlike last year, I have not started by losing my passport!) My daughter drives me to Newark Airport, less than a half-hour from home. We kiss goodbye, I check my luggage, my flight leaves on time. I do not spill too much food on myself. I make my connecting flight in Paris. It’s beginning!