Lessons From Solo Travel - Part 5 FINALE
61. Great art connects you to God
The feeling of awe and completion that is possible to have while looking at amazing art is truly one that cannot be replicated. Part of the uniqueness written into the human soul is that ability to portray and depict things to others through art and then the immense experience of encountering that art. Good art makes you feel something or think something, great art connects you to the most high, God. There is no better place to learn or re-learn this lesson than the Vatican. I stated earlier in Lesson #53 that great classical architecture is the best art, and that lesson amazingly intersects with the painting, sculptures, and carvings housed within the Vatican. As you peruse the palace walls, painstakingly crafted architectural feats, you realize that they are themselves the galleries. Every wall is deliberately used and formed. Every painting or fresco depicting a scene that might not have looked exactly like a photograph from history but still capturing the totality of the human experience in a way that a camera never could. More so than the pairing of art and architecture, there is obviously the deliberate connection to Christianity. The Vatican is almost a tour through one massive, twisting, turning church complex that leads one by the hand from creation in the garden to death and resurrection as your tour empties into the Sistine Chapel. Walking through the Vatican is perhaps but the smallest taste of what Heaven may be. The final room that you see, is the Sistine Chapel. Standing 66 feet beneath The Creation of Adam feels like floating amidst a galaxy of burning stars, all crying out for you to gaze upon their radiance. The beauty is hard to explain, but easy to feel. Great art connects you to God.
62. Italian food is great
A great way to end a great day is a great meal. This is a timeless lesson that doesn’t need repeating, however the height of flavor experience that are possible after a great day were taught to me many times over by the Italians. After a tiring day of gazing upon the greatest artwork known to man and traversing the heavenly peaks of The Vatican, a nice meal was certainly in order. A meal at an outdoor table down a quieter alley that was off of a great plaza would suit me just fine. Seated, the first thing to be ordered was of course the wine. A delicious red to get the event started. As I tasted the wine, a plate of bruschetta would follow soon after. Things were really heating up now. But the sheer simplicity and excellence of what would come next was what capped off a perfect day with a perfect meal. Carbonara. So basic it was, but so amazingly done. Noodles, sauce, meat. An ancient combination of tireless favor. The acidity of the wine cut through the savory flavor of the pasta. Sitting there, in a foreign land, as the heat of summer began to burn off into the night-time air, I felt strangely at home at this table by myself, even as the waiter became clearly annoyed that I was trying to speak Italian when he was fluent in English. What wonders a good meal can do for a man and what wonders such a simple meal can make one feel. The Italians know how to do food, from the beverage to the appetizer to the entrée and beyond. Needless to say, this meal was followed by limoncello. Italian food is great.
63. Street performers are good, sometimes
As was common for my short time in Rome, by the end of the day I would find myself back in front of the ancient and grand Pantheon. As I stood again to marvel at the genius, craftsmanship, and art before me, I heard something new, I heard opera. There was another street performer in the plaza and he was singing an opera song in Italian. It sounded magnificent and made my experience of staring at that grand structure yet again, even better. As someone who lives in New York City, I am trained to ignore and even scorn street performers. This time, I adored. Sometimes they are good and talented folks out there just trying to make some money and share a talent with the world. No doubt, when I return home, I will shun the first one I see. However, this trip did teach me that it's okay to stop and listen every so often because street performers are good, sometimes.
64. Attention is deterrence
Unfortunately, you need to keep your wits about yourself and keep yourself safe at all times. The world is a fallen place and no matter where people are, there are people who will want to harm other people. I got to see this on display for a brief moment on my trip as I was buried in my gelato outside the Pantheon. As I scooped the succulent dessert, looking down, I saw out of the corner of my eye that a disheveled vagabond began to start making a break for me from about 15 feet away. Instantly, I moved my glance to stare at the would-be aggressor and let him know that I saw him. As quickly as he started for me, he changed his direction and fled. The simple act of not being an easy target and letting a potential thief, or worse, know that you are aware of them can often be enough to deter a situation from happening. Look like someone they don’t want to mess with, make them think there is easier prey somewhere else. Sadly, there probably is easier prey somewhere else. Attention to your surroundings is not going to save you in every possible situation, but it will save you from danger in many of them. Engross yourself in your surroundings and have fun, but don’t forget to worry about your safety. Attention is deterrence and it can save you a lot of trouble for just a small cost.
65. Expect some attractions to be Disney World
As someone born in Florida, I have been to Disney World. The adolescent experience of waiting in packed lines at theme parks and navigating brimming crowds is one that I was reminded of at many of the more touristy spots on my journeys in Europe. The less barriers to admission, the more people there will be. One such spot is the Trevi Fountain. The fountain itself is just a breathtaking sight with marble statues and cascading water. Around the fountain, at apparently all times of the day, are hordes of people. To really appreciate the fountain it will take some waiting and navigating through the masses to get a good vantage and especially a clear line of sight if you want a solid picture that is not blocked by the many, many people. I say all of this to prepare you to share the scenes and not get wrapped up in your own experience, if you’re looking for a truly unique experience to take in as your own, aim for a place more remote or a high fee for entry. Free places will always be teeming with people trying to enjoy a free thing. Another downside of this is the scammers to be aware of. The amount of guys walking around with camera trying to take pictures for groups of people and then berate them for a ridiculous upcharge is insane. Just don’t engage unless you are prepared to pay a premium. Free and packed places are a great target for scammers and even thieves, so always keep your wits about you. Expect some attractions, especially free ones, to be as packed as Disney World.
66. Mix up the traditional experiences
The Spanish Steps is another spot like the Trevi Fountain that simply exists for all to see and experience. So you’re going to have a crowd, and with the crowd comes the scammers, swindlers, and potentially thieves. If you are looking for a novel way to experience these places that everyone will undoubtedlt have pictures from, mix it up. I came upon the Spanish Steps and thought that they were cool but wanted to do something to make it my own. So I decided to run up the colossal steps like I was Rocky. Albeit, it ended up being a little longer than I had anticipated and was quite the hike by the end. But cresting the final steps, I wondered how many people had tried to create a novel experience of their own to give this pretty common attraction its own spin in their lives and mixed up the traditional experience.
7. Just walk and something will happen
The morning of my last day in Rome was somber, it had been an incredible trip. I felt like I had experienced and learned so much from my tour of these two ancient and foundational societies of Athens and Rome. My last day, I was utterly out of juice. Overstimulated and getting burnt out, I was not going to spend the time to research and find a new thing to do. In the heart of Rome, why did I have to I even have to look for something to do? It is a very unique feeling to be surrounded by so many things that you know are interesting and would want to do, but to have no way of knowing where to start or what to triage. This feeling is paralyzing, and even demoralizing. Better to just do nothing right? It’s comparable to living in a place like New York City. Every street and avenue contains a plethora of food, art, culture, and soul but it feels like your every step must be so deliberately researched and the plan must be perfect before you set out for the streets. This morning in Rome, I knew I couldn’t just do nothing but I also couldn’t research. So I walked. There were more than enough interesting things to see in the twilight of my time here in Europe, and I could see many of them without a plan just by walking down the street. Before long I had wandered into a large and beautiful church, which was not at all unusual at this point, but there was a very unique addition found at this church. The body of St. Catherine of Sienna lay under the altar. That was not something I would have researched, but I fell into an amazing
68. Basic Rules of Life still apply on vacation
My bags were heavy as I walked to the Capitoline Museum. This would be my last real stop on an amazing trip. As I lugged my backpack and my new canvas handbag up the steep incline, I felt like I was on the final ascent of a great peak. I was on top of the world. That is why when I went to grab the railing in the blistering August sun, I was very violently torn from my illusion and thrust back in reality. Metal in the sun gets hot, this is a very simple lesson that we all learned as children. It burned as I lay the pale inside of my arm across it, but it also made me laugh. While travelling, and especially taking a Homeric solo trip, reality can be suspended in your mind. A nice jolt of realism, or in this case the boiling hot steel railing, does one well. Enjoy your trip, have your high ideas of life and leisure, but then come back down to reality to incorporate them. It might sting, but the basic rules of life still apply on vacation.
69. Get the famous food
If you go to a pizza place, you get pizza. The same lesson applies in travel. Always try to round out the basics of a culture’s cuisine before going too crazy with other dishes. In Greece, I was trying to get an ample base of gyro and souvlaki before moving onto a nice lamb dish. In the same way – the main food groups in Italy were pasta dishes for me. Having authentic and novel food is one of the best things about travel. A nice dinner in a foreign land, of a cuisine that you’re not wholly familiar with, is one of the best experiences that money can buy. Do not shortchange yourself this experience by trying too hard to try something you can’t have at home, that can come later. Wherever you’re traveling, go for the staple dishes first before exploring – unless you're getting a direct recommendation from someone with knowledge. Do not think yourself too pedestrian to enjoy the common food of a different culture, that food is common for a reason. My last meal in Italy was a buffalo mozzarella pizza and a negroni, arrivederci. Build yourself up to a place where you can appreciate some unique dishes after you try all the famous food.
70. Ubers get stolen abroad too
After my last meal, I popped into a thrift shop and called an Uber on my phone. This was the true last task to do in Rome for me. Enjoy the thrift shop, find some cool Italian clothes, and wait for the car that would pick me up and take me to the airport. I found a couple of cool shirts and headed to the counter. As I was checking out, the app said my car was arriving. I was constantly checking my phone at the register to see where the car was so that I would not miss it. However, as I began to walk to the exit, my car appeared to be leaving. I began looking the street to see if this was a glitch on the app, but alas it was not. My car was gone. The app was even showing me that the ride was in fact heading towards the airport too! Now this was funny on one hand, someone else had taken my Uber to get to the airport too, but on the other hand I was without transport to make my flight. This was something that had happened to me back in the US before, but the stakes were much lower over there in my native country where I had the homefield advantage. Here was the kicker though, I could no longer use the app to call a car because it thought I was already on this other ride. So, I frantically tried to cancel the ride and get refunded while also walking the streets trying to hail a cab the old-fashioned way to ask to be taken to the airport. It took about 5 minutes, and I was growing progressively more scared that I would miss my flight, but eventually I did hail a cab and get them to start taking me towards my final destination: Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport. So in the end, things did work out, but it reminded me how important it is to have a backup plan, because Ubers get stolen abroad too.
71. Travel is stressful for everyone
The last frame of this solo trip epic, and the last lesson, all take place in a very long line at a budget airline check-in desk. The airline had a very limited number of employees and desks to check in the whole flight, except for the premium class passengers who breezed through the process. In this long line, the passenger had plenty of time to wait, to reminisce, and even ruminate on their travels. If there was anything, there was ample time. However, when one reached the check-in counter, they were rudely ripped from this stupor by a flood of questions and size inspections for every bag you planned on bringing on the flight. The charm of a budget airline. The price is what made you buy, and the experience is what makes you promise to never go back. It was in this line, as I was enjoying the end of my time on foreign soil, that I was doing my final checks. Hoping that I had everything and that my bags were going to be the appropriate size or that they wouldn’t incur a huge fee for me. The frantic cries of a Ukrainian woman tore me from this mental checklist and brought my attention to the counter.
The poor woman was trying to check-in, but she kept being told that her bag was too big. She repeatedly opened the bag and took out more clothing to wear on her person, but the employee coldly informed her every time that the bag was still too big. The entire line was now focused on this woman. She began to cry loudly and shouted at the employee that this was only being done to her because she was Ukrainian, and the airline must not like Ukrainians. She began to break down further into frantic crying and hysteria. Eventually she was covered in sweaters, pants, and a mix of fashionable tops. The employee eventually acquiesced when the bag was small enough. The woman left for the terminal, and then it was my turn at the counter. Thankfully I was more squared away than that woman, but that display from her magnified a feeling that was inside of me at that moment and probably inside every traveler in that line: the stress of travel. The logistics of travel are stressful. We must get there at X time to go do Y thing and the timelines are tight and can be unforgiving. We feel like things have to be planned or they are wasted, and we have to feel like we did everything we wanted to or we didn’t get our money's worth, or even worse, we ask ourselves if we wasted our time. The stress of breaking your routine, and then the stress of trying to go back to it. I experience this while I travel, and you will too. So will the person next to you. So have a great trip, learn from my lessons in this series, and remember that the person next to you is also trying to figure out their own trip. Travel is stressful for everyone.