A year and a day ago I was on a flight back from Rome to NYC. More specifically I was crying while watching the movie Brooklyn on my Aer Lingus flight. The tears were for a few reasons. I was relieved and proud to have done my first solo travel trip, grateful to have experienced such a gorgeous country, and so excited to come back to Brooklyn. While I loved exploring Italy and being able wander whenever/wherever I wanted, I struggled with not speaking Italian. I kept accidentally saying gracias rather than grazie, which was not appreciated. I felt like a jerk in everyplace that I went, usually doing something wrong, and I was very excited to go back home and know how to properly/confidently order a coffee when I walked into a shop. (Though I still severely miss the Italian espresso culture).
Rome was the final city I visited, and as I walked around my first thought was how the heck do I even photograph this place. It’s the most epic (and photographed) city that i’ve ever visited. I had two days to explore and one of them was actually the day of the Rome marathon where about 1/2 of the city was shut down. (It did lead to a funny experience of walking though the Roman Ruins to a marching band blaring and an announcer enthusiastically narrating the race…#romanambiance). With the little time I had wandering Rome I tried to focus a bit more on what it felt like being in this storied city, and not just what it looked like. (Something I really need to continue to work on!) Can’t wait to get back to this simultaneously raucous and enchanting city – but with more Italian speaking skills next time. Ciao.
