ROME DIARY 2
Friday July 17, 2015
Partly
Cloudy 86°F/30°C in Rancho Santa Margarita
Buongiorno,
My travel plans are beginning to look….well….ORGANIZED. Even though I
haven’t made this trip in a year and a half, it’s been on my mind ever since I
got back from my last trip to Rome, and as
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| Rome - The Forum by Night |
"Roma è la città di echi, la
città delle illusioni e la città di desiderio".
“Rome is the city of echoes,
the city of illusions, and the city of desire.”
But, then an Italian painter and architect
would have said that back around 1337. And, whaddayahknow? If he were here
today, he’d look around, smile knowingly and say that it’s still true. I’m the
type of traveler who starts thinking about the trip for weeks before I get on
the plane. Now, that I’m at two weeks before lift-off, I’m starting to pull
things together. I’m not packing yet, but I have the single suitcase that I’m
checking through out of the closet and I’m gathering the ingredients for it on
my dining room table. Since August is Rome’s hottest month, my wardrobe will
feature cotton short-sleeve shirts comfy khaki slacks and shorts. August! What
was I thinking? Well, I wanted to get back as soon as I could swing it, and that
happens to be August. Maybe I can stake out a nice cool catacomb.
One thing I have NOT done is put together an
Italian travel itinerary that locks me in to a set schedule for the whole time
I’m there. I just don’t roll that way. On my last trip to Rome, I had planned
on a standard two week holiday. But, that two week vacation turned into an
almost three month adventure. After imposing on my son and daughter-in-law for
three weeks, they helped me get a place of my own for the rest of my stay.
That’s when I became a true expatriate, albeit for just a little over a month.
To tell the truth, I was even thinking how nice it would be to send for my dog
and make a career out of being Italian. But, the harsh realities of long term
visas and the fact that my HMO doesn’t operate out of California brought me
right back to reality. So, the best I can hope for is a situation where I can
make these extended visits.
Based on my experiences with international
travel, I usually recommend a structured tour for first time travelers. A
typical Italian vacation can start in Rome and proceed from the heel up to the
Swiss border and beyond: Rome, Florence, Pisa, Sienna, Cinque Terre, and
Bologna, Milano and Venice and a wide assortment of other destinations. That’s
the most expensive way. For other trips, I suggest a more flexible, independent
plan where you book your tours or hire a guide as you go. I’ll be writing more
about those “how-to’s” as I travel around Italy on this trip. For now, I just
wanted warn everyone in my path that I’m coming back. Oh! Did I mention I'm flying Alitalia? That's what the Pope flies. Non-stop from LA to Roma on angels' wings.
And what a huge difference in my attitude
this time. Two years ago, I was. really feeling very incapacitated by some
serious health issues, but thanks to a lot of hard work on the part of my new
doctors along with my own determination to get well, I’m literally back on my
feet. The biggest contributor in the upsurge in my once youthful vigor was the
right shoulder joint replacement that Dr. Sodl did on me back in March. As we
looked at the X-rays together during my last checkup, he whistled and chirped,
“This is the best one of these that I’ve ever done.” I was pretty tickled myself,
and I was quick to share my feelings with him. “Doctor, I’m thrilled to hear
you say how happy YOU are with the outcome. I’m very pleased! No more pain.
Lots of gain. I’d much rather hear you
say that, than OOPS!”
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| Laura, MikeBo, Michael |
I’m also thinking about a couple of European side trips. One of my old
girl friends from my teen years now lives in Amsterdam. Not having seen Joan in
about 50 years, and never having been in Amsterdam, I’m keen to make that trip. And,
somewhere along the way…and this is a biggie! My
cousin Bernie’s grandson, Jeff
has just returned from the Czech Republic where he met some distant relatives;
a father and son also named Botula. I’ve always wanted to visit Czechoslovakia
where my grandfather came from. And this may be my chance.
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| More Botulas: Jiri, Jeffrey, Jiri Sr. |
Each
time I visit, I seem to want to stay longer. Maybe I could become a full time
expatriate like my son, Michael. Junior grew up in Southern California, but when he went to London after high
school in 1999 to work as a musician and sound engineer he met a pretty girl in
Rome, and now, Laura is his wife. This trip will also help take my mind
off the move my daughter and her family has just made. Her whole kit and
caboodle has up and moved to TEXAS. Thank goodness for Skype, but I’d rather go
back to Italy. Why Rome? Well let me share a short quote from Mary Platt
Parmele’s 1908 book A Short History of Rome and Northern Italy:
“Rome did not lay the cornerstone of modern civilization. She IS its
cornerstone.”
See you
on the road! I’ll be blogging and posting on Facebook et al.
So, more
Rome Diary 2's coming up soon!
Ciao,
MikeBo
©Mike Botula 2015
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