When in Rome...

It’s official--I am heading to Italy later this year!

My parents and I are going on a family vacation to Rome, Venice, Florence, and the Amalfi Coast (a couple small towns along the coast).

It’s really exciting for us because, if you can believe it, none of us have ever been out of the country (we were all in Canada once when I was 12 or so, but I certainly don’t count that as international travel). It’s just a great opportunity for all 3 of us to experience something new and beautiful together. It means a lot to me to be able to share the experience with them and not just tell them about it.

I would love to hear anything from folks that have been to Italy—thoughts, tips, ideas, etc. We are going with a tour group, but the nice thing is that we chose a tour that is only going to a few places so we can actually spend some time in each city and have some free time too. I know there is a lot to see in Italy, and we are only seeing some of it, but I think that if I was constantly on the move from city to city to city that I would wind up exhausted and not really getting to savor anything.

That’s a big part of this trip too, you see--RELAXATION. For the first time in the almost 12 years I have been a part of the “work world” I have never been away from the office for 2 solid weeks. It’s really a once in a lifetime opportunity to get away from everything (literally) for a meaningful length of time and immerse myself in something different. I may forget I have a job while I am away—and as much as I like my job, I am hoping that will happen!