- but some wanderers definitely are!
Let me back up for a second... This week, I was reading "The Pilgrim's Way" and discovering more of what it means to be on a pilgrimage, to view travel as an art, something sacred.
This quote has resonated the most with me this week and I think really captures an important truth about traveling.
"So I learned that day that when travel is too easy, people often don't appreciate their experience and certainly don't understand the mythological nature of certain kinds of travel."
(The Art of Pilgrimage by Phil Cousineau, pg. 110)
Here's a pic of me from one of my very first days in Viterbo. I'm all smiles and loving life, dressed up cute and hanging with my favorite fountain. A few days before, I posted selfies from the Eiffel Tower. From this point on, my Instagram and Snapchat have become a rotating album of gelato and amazing views.
From shots like this, you might believe I'm having the time of my life, that every day is an incredible new adventure full of fun and excitement. And you're right - I have absolutely loved my time in Italy so far. BUT, that doesn't mean it hasn't gone off without a hitch, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
So what did you miss before this photo? A night in Paris where I literally didn't sleep. At all. And got up at 5am. I nearly fell asleep out at dinner that night. My body proceeded to wake me up before 5am the following day because yay, time zone adjustment. I was exhausted for several straight days. Jet lag hit hard.
Also, in Rome, I bought a ticket for a train from an airport I didn't land it. This left me "stranded" at an airport with no plan for getting to my town of Viterbo nearly 2 hours away. Mind you, I don't really speak Italian, and figuring out a foreign city's public transportation system when you find yourself somewhat last is not really an activity I'd recommend. The taxi to get me back on track was 40 Euros. Nice little dent in my spending money on day 1 in Italy.
Here we have the lovely Trevi Fountain in Rome. Gorgeous and ancient - great spot for cute videos of tossing coins in the fountain. But did I mention that Rome felt like it was 100 degrees out and I was sweating in sleeves and long capris so I would be modestly for churches? Did I write about the people we physically had to push our way through to fight for a couple moments of picture taking. There's literally people everywhere.
Shortly after this, one of my roommates and I also got completely separated from our group. As in, they were no where in sight and headed off without us to the next part of the tour nearly a half mile away. Data came to the rescue and after figuring out where they were, we were able to map it out and eventually catch up. At least we weren't lost, but feeling like you've been left behind in a foreign city with millions of people isn't exactly the most fun experience ever.
Now flash forward to one of my favorite sights from this weekend: Civita di Bagnoregio. I will never get tired of this view. Even in the photo, if you could have seen my face, I guarantee I would have been grinning with delight. Half of that grin would have been because of how enchanting the place was. The other half was because I was finally walking down that hill instead of up.
Take a closer look at the gate. See how this long bridge goes up the hill to meet the city? It makes for such a cool picture but walking it - that's another story. As you plod your way up the steep stones, you find other tourists littered along the side of the bridges, huffing and chugging sun-warmed water bottles. Though the steepest part isn't too long, you get your heart pumping, and I arrived in Civita with a nice sheen of sweat on my face and an empty water bottle.
What do these three photos and stories have in common? Well for the photos, they don't tell the full story. Though beautiful, they're a "glossed over" and perfected version of my experience. They capture the moments where I pulled myself together, smoothed down my hair, made sure my makeup wasn't melting, and looked for the just right angle to pose. But this is only one side of the tale. The other half of the story comes from the details I just shared. A night of no sleep followed by half a week of exhaustion and jet lag. A messed up train ticket and over-priced taxi ride. A too-hot and crowded city. A draining walk in sandals and pants just for a better view.
But this is where that quote comes in from earlier which I'll repeat here: "So I learned that day that when travel is too easy, people often don't appreciate their experience and certainly don't understand the mythological nature of certain kinds of travel."
Though everything hasn't always gone perfectly on this trip, that's actually fine with me! Often, I find some of the most memorable moments are the ones that go a little crazy or off the plan. You remember the times of getting lost in a big city, and I'm sure when I'm back home, I'll be able to laugh at myself, nervous to just ask a taxi driver if he spoke English and could take me to the train station. I made it through all of it fine, so now, they are merely stories to tell that make travel all the more interesting.
I totally agree that when things work out exactly the way we want all the time, we definitely don't appreciate our blessings as much. Having some situations go a bit off course or be harder/different than expected makes it even better. Bagnoregio would have been stunning either way. But trekking up that bridge in the sweltering heat made me feel like I earned it and is a funny moment to share when relating my travels to others. It's easier to be happy, grateful, and excited when you've experienced things that have made you feel the opposite, and I so believe this includes traveling!
Another interesting aspect to pilgrimage from this week is the following quote:
"We usually don't look, we overlook."
(Alan Watts)
Can I just say - guilty as charged! For me, it's so easy to get caught up in all my travels and everything going on and go picture crazy, trying to capture every moment and every detail on my phone. I want good shots of places like the Colosseum or gorgeous fountains so that later on I can remember visiting them.
Yet in my striving to "see" everything, I tend to overlook a lot of little details. While I'm still not perfect at this, I am trying to get better at taking moments to appreciate things too in the moment. This means maybe just stopping for a bit and sitting and looking at the stuff around me. Sure, it might be the exact same view I just snapped a hundred photos and selfies of. But it's important to be present and not rush through things. When you really take something in, it's amazing the details you pick up on!
These pictures show some of the little things I noticed at Villa Lante, a place where I really tried to soak in every bit. As I moved through slowly, I tried to pause and just take it in after I got my main photos. It was then that I noticed the quirky faces carved into the fountains and urns. I also was enthralled by the texture of the urn in the bottom right corner. I could see the age on it in its mottled colors and variety of mosses and stone.
While there were certainly many beautiful landscapes to take in, these details were intriguing and caught my eye when I stopped to look. As I enjoyed the moment, I saw so much more, like the sign which says "Acqua Non Potabile" or "non-potable (non-drinkable) water." I'm not sure why this was so interesting in the moment. Maybe the fact that they had to tell you not to drink from the ancient public fountain. Or maybe because there are actually fountains here you can drink from. Either way, I gained a lot from seeing without overlooking and in the process, had a great time!
For me, to avoid overlooking, I have to slow down and put down the phone and take a look around me. Just sit and see and be. There's a whole world out there waiting to be discovered, and I don't just want to see it through the lens of my camera.