On this first trip to Italy without my Charlie, I gave myself permission to slow down, relax, not fill every minute with mindless busy work, sleep late, embrace “l’arte di non far nulla” (the art of doing nothing) read, grieve, write, observe the world around me, see family. I did all of these things. My family was beyond wonderful. They invited me to dinner, took me to new places, revisited old favorites, and best of all, they spent time as if they had nothing better to do. They shared hilarious memories of Charlie. He was certainly well loved in these parts and we laughed A LOT. The feeling was mutual, he talked of them (and Italy) often and with affection. I, too, love it here and would like to come back often.
My family has a wide variety of skill sets. If I ask the right person, I can get any problem handled.
I packed for a 5 week trip with just one carry on bag. This is big, as I witnessed many travelers struggle with heavy suitcases/carry on/backpacks (often all 3!) and navigate airports/train stations with barricades in strategic locations to discourage cumbersome luggage. And once out of said stations/airports, navigate heavy luggage, etc on trains and cobblestone. It’s ridiculously hard. It’s best to travel light.
Also an anti-theft purse worn under a jacket/sweater is a MUST. There are lots of pickpockets in crowded areas. And they blend right in because they dress like tourists. So it helps to look less like a tourist in the first place.
I learned that I can drive in Italy and return the rental car with both rearview mirrors intact.
I found that Airalo is the most economical way to avoid costly roaming charges while abroad. I bought an eSim card for Paris, $4.50 for the week, and one for Italy, $14.00 for the month. One thing to remember for next time is that the eSim card for Paris lasted almost another week longer. Could I have used it in Italy until it expired? I dunno. And I didn’t use up my Italy eSim either. I could have gotten by with a $10.00 eSim instead.
Last night, I watched a TED talk by someone who lost his wife, who before she died gave him the gift of a blank page to fill with new memories. I’m not the talented writer/poet that Charlie was, he filled many notebooks, but I can at least try to write.
So what am I going to do? Simply, more of what I like to do and less of what I don’t.
Take more walks
Make more collages
Spend time with people who make me laugh
Have more get togethers over good meals
Maybe learn to dance the bachata? I’ll need a partner first
Learn to sew or, at least, learn how to use the sewing machine properly
Do more traveling, but with friends or family, its more fun to share experiences with others.
Plan next trip? Already on it.