So Far Behind...

Since I can't sleep due to mosquitos, I thought I might as well try & be productive. I haven't blogged in so long, I don't really know where/how to start. I told myself I wasn't going to spend so much time on a personal blog, but rather focus on my photography. Of course, that meant I would work through the Photoshop book so I would be a wizard at editing all those wonderful images. Naturally, that hasn't happened. So, I won't give you a play by play, but I'll try to give a Reader's Digest version of the past few months. It may be choppy & a little disorganized, but then, so is my life!


-----------


The last I blogged, Jaco & I were still in South Africa. I had decided to go to Europe for 10 days on my own. Jaco had waited a VERY long time for his new passport. Home Affairs took so much sweet time, that he wouldn't have time to make his flights to the ship, since he still needed to apply for a visa. My flights had been booked previously & to change them last minute to fly to Gibraltar would have been very costly. So, we decided that I would go off on a little adventure of my own.


Two days before my flight, I picked up a few rough guides - one for Italy & one for France - and booked a rental car. I also booked the first two nights of accommodation at Camping Fabulous just outside Roma. Beyond that, no plans were made. Yikes!


We bought a cell phone on the way to the airport and a GPS in Dubai during a 10 hour layover. (I thought it would have been fun to see Dubai with Jaco. Never again.) Speaking of Dubai. Man, I just gotta say it. I just don't get this whole 'drape yourself in fabric' thing. I mean, seriously? How is it that the men are able to wear white & only 2 towels in some cases (one around the waist & one around the shoulders) and the women have to wear black & cover every last inch of skin. Hull-oh? The desert is hot. The sun is intense. Black vs. white? Someone's getting the raw end of the deal. I'm all for equality. I don't handle suppression well. I was so uncomfortable being in that airport. Say what you want, but I'll take my Western freedoms any day. And besides, if it's so wonderful to live life in a sheet, why are they all coming to the Western World? (Sadly enough, still in their bedsheets!)


Anyhow, I better hush up before someone gets the wrong idea. One last thing... I see that Quebec is the first in Canada to approve a burqa ban. Of course, the article was written over a year ago!


Happily out of Dubai, I landed in Roma. I had been there before, so I planned on only spending one day there. It was a full day! I managed to see the Colosseum, St. Peter's, the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, and yes, my feet were sore by the end of the day!


I picked up the rental car the next morning. I had rented a sub-compact car, as I wanted trunk space to keep my suitcases out of sight from would-be thieves. The car company didn't do a walk around with me, just handed me the keys & sent me to the parking area. I didn't recognize the brand of car - Astra - and as I walked through the parkade, I spotted a station wagon. Oh please no! My first time driving in Italy, I wasn't feeling ready for a big car in crazy traffic! I hit the unlock button on the key chain & sure enough, the lights on the station wagon winked back at me! Great! I got along fine with the beast. Well, after the GPS & I got acquainted. 


Our first 20 minutes leaving the airport & getting onto the Autostrada around Roma was a challenge. I felt like I was in an episode of The Office, as the GPS sent me on the wrong exit! I was going in the wrong direction! Towards Naples! I had visions of standing in my underclothes with nothing in my hand but the rental car keychain! 


I managed to get turned around & headed towards Firenze. The traffic was a little hectic. Three lanes. Far left is 130 km/h. Middle lane is 90 km/h. Far right is 60 km/h. God bless you if you need to pass someone! The drivers also like to straddle the lanes. They are apparently as indecisive about lanes as I am about which lip gloss colour I should get!


I parked outside of Firenze & took the train in. I wasn't going to brave city parking on my first day! I climbed the 400+ steps up the Bell Tower at the Duomo, had gelato on the Ponte Vecchio, hunted down my favourite boot shop & told them where my last pair had traveled to (didn't buy a new pair, fyi!), and then headed out of the city to try & catch a Tuscan sunset. 


The sunset was incredible, but no chance I could find a spot to pull off the road & shoot it! ARGH! And then, I was left in the dark to try & find my accommodation for the evening. 


I think I'll leave it at that for now...


xxxx Maria & Valentina