An early celebration for my husband's 'big' birthday this year. It's rather inconvenient that he has a birthday in December when there is so much else going on so we decided to have a weekend away before the weather became a bit more unpredictable. He's always wanted to go to Rome; I've been once before in the 70s when I wasn't really old enough to appreciate it!
He's spent a lot of time researching places of interest (there are so many that we had to narrow it down considerably to fit in with the 3 days we had) and every day I would come home from work to find him sitting with a coffee in the conservatory with a table full of maps and guide books in front of him. While I joked about it, the research was well worth it as we really did pack in an awful lot. That research had also included the best coffee shops or gelato shops so when we found our energy flagging, we were able to go and refresh ourselves in some fabulous places. Not fancy pants tourist places but places off the beaten track that are used by the locals.
We're not really ones for guided tours but several people had recommended that we do that because otherwise there would be so much that you would look at, but not really understand the history or significance. So he booked us on two tours. The Vatican City and the Colosseum, Forum and Palatine Hill. Both were for three hours. But oh how glad we were we had booked them as we learnt so much from both amazing guides who clearly loved their subject and loved their city. The guide who showed us the Sistine Chapel was amazing and had we gone on our own, there is no way that we would have enjoyed the experience as much as we did. And, as a huge plus - no queues at all! That was a huge benefit of being part of a tour.
Growth mindset quote of the week
“The ability to learn is not fixed, but is a skill that continues to grow.”
A good thing to have in mind especially in view of those big birthdays we both have coming up in the next 6 months. You're never too old to learn something new!
4 comments:
Sounds like a great and worthwhile trip and one you both deserve after your busy time. I always think that the planning of a holiday is almost as good as the actual trip. I adore pouring over maps, guidebooks and internet sites. I love dreaming, wondering and worrying!
How lovely! Rome is on of my favourite cities, and I'm all for pre-visit research! I can spend hours looking at maps.
Just lovely - and what a great bonus to have such a meticulous planner in the family. So glad it translated into a brilliant three days for you.
I would be the type of traveller that does lots of pre-planning. What a fun way to celebrate a "big" birthday. Happy birthday wishes to your husband.
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