Epilogue

 EPILOGUE

When I've been asked by friends and family about our trip, I've said this:  I had high expectations for the trip, and they were exceeded.  It was not just a home run, but a grand slam! Our travel agent, Maria, was extremely helpful. She gave us good ideas and even better advice, none better than being willing to spend a little more to travel with Tauck. The itinerary was well thought out and quite manageable for almost anyone. The accommodations earned their acclaim with their aesthethics, central locations, helpful staffs, excellent restaurants, and ambiance. Having our luggage dependably -- and almost magically -- transported from place to place was remarkable and gratifying. And the people ...!  Our Tauck tour guide, the other Maria, was knowledgeable, attentive, well organized, and very helpful. And she and Tauck could adjust quickly and nimbly when things went awry, e.g., a monsoon on days we had planned to do walking tours of a town. Our 3 local Italian guides were warm, engaging, knowledgeable, and charming.  They lent an air of authenticity to the experience.

And Italy? A great choice for a special holiday! The history and beauty of Italy are overwhelming.  After each place we visited, I'd say, "This place was my favorite." There was like a 10 way tie for first place. Some thoughts about places we visited:

Positano - It was the place I was most looking forward to seeing, but I left with mixed feelings.  The beauty is stunning, but after having spent a day and a half there, I still don't feel like I've been there. It was just too crowded, and I have no desire to return ... well, maybe in the fall if it's indeed less crowded. (And yes, I understand that it's a bit ironic that I would be whingeing about too many tourists when we added to that problem.) Susan feels differently; she'd love to return to Positano.

Ravello & Sorrento - We were both impressed with the aesthetics and the atmosphere (not as crowded and more laid back) of these two smaller towns.  Susan and I would love to go back to either place and stay for several days just soaking it in ... but without the soaking rain please!

Capri - It was my favorite place, particularly Anacapri.  I could spend several days there ... if I had unlimited resources.  Getting there (transporting luggage) and finding an appealing yet affordable hotel without Tauck, however, would undoubtedly prove to be challenging. So this one is probably a pure fantasy.  I do still wish I could've done the boat tour and seen the Blue Grotto -- perhaps my only real regret on the tour.

Herculaneum - To me a trip here or to Pompeii is a critical stop if one is only going to visit Italy once (and at our age I think it's logical not to count on hatched chickens). We've seen Mt. St. Helens in Washington, and witnessing the inexorable power of a volcano is humbling.  But Vesuvius is like Mt. St. Helens on steroids, and seeing civilizations that have been to some extent preserved intact for nearly 2,000 years is astonishing. As I understand it, Herculaneum is smaller and more compact than Pompeii, so easier to visit if your time is limited. I'm really glad we saw it

Rome - Bella! In a sense visiting Rome was like time travel. Walking around the crowded streets, one could as easily have been in Atlanta, Chicago, or Sydney. But turn the corner, and you're face to face with 2,000 year old ruins. I've always been a student of American history, but my knowledge of world history has been lacking. To prepare for this trip I did some remediation, chiefly through watching a 4-part 2016 BBC documentary by Mary Beard of the British Museum entitled Rome: Empire Without Limit. By watching it I learned more about the Roman Empire than I had in a world history course in high school and one in college.  I supplemented it with the 2005-7 HBO miniseries Rome, which is rather graphic historical fiction, but follows the rise and fall of the Empire. I felt that those 2 gave me a general understanding of early Roman history and culture, which in turn gave me a better appreciation of what I saw. 

At this point I have no desire to return to Rome. I'm exceptionally glad that I had the opportunity to visit it, but I think I saw every place I wanted to see. I'm not a big city guy, and at this point feel that I've done Rome and can check it off my bucket list. There are too many other places I'd like to use my remaining time and money to see, e.g., Normandy and Greece.

Before we leave Italy with several photos of scenes from Rome, I'll add a couple of suggestions on travel to Italy:  First, learn some basic Italian.  (I tried it, but got started too late to help much. There are some useful YouTube videos.) Many Italians know some basic English -- enough to communicate -- but not all do.  If you're in their country, you need to be able to use at least some of their language.  These days an added tool is the Google Translate app. Secondly, take some Euros. Most places take credit/debit cards, but not all. The small shops, however, may not. And you can use your credit/debit card at ATM's (although our Tauck staff encouraged to only use the ones at banks) to withdraw cash in Euros. Few places in Italy seem to accept US currency (just as few US businesses would accept the Euro).

That's it. As promised, we'll close with more scenes from the Eternal City ...