Even in a world without many boundaries, there are still some crossroads. And my first came when nailing down my travel plans (one would think the party responsible for a blog called "Teha's Travels" would have done a smidge more planning in that regard? Not so much). Somehow the bigger decisions around quitting my job and DOING THIS were easier than thinking about where THIS would take me, for how long, etc. It was surprisingly difficult to make those decisions and I found myself gravitating towards thoughts telling me I couldn't be gone for that long…almost like my former job was a phantom limb.
I negotiated with myself (and anyone else who would listen) and eventually gave myself permission to do what my gut had intended the day I gave my notice at work. I decided to see as much as I can, do as much as I can, and (most importantly) learn as much as I can, both about the world I'm exploring and myself. Basically, I decided to "Go Big or Go Home!" and I'm sticking with that, as my current life motto. Go me! It was both a relieving and scary decision.
I write this from Rome…the first stop on a two-month journey that will take me to three continents. I will then return to DC for a few days before embarking on a journey to continent #5 of this sojourn (cue my new motto). It will be a wild ride, I have a feeling!
Here I am at Dulles last night…so proud of my packing.
I know I haven't seen all that much of Europe so far, but I have definitely have not seen a city that compares to Rome in it's grandeur. So far this city has blown my mind! Everywhere I turn is absolutely stunning and breathtaking. I'm talking churches, fountains, statues, squares, and random buildings with ornate design features and the classic shutters in all colors. I think it may actually be impossible to find a bad view in Rome. Even the graffiti here is photo-worthy!
I arrived in Rome last night, following a looong (and not-so-direct) flight and met up with my friend Kristina, who I'd met on my Flashback vespa tour in Madrid last month. Kristina and I are truly kindred spirits and, despite not knowing each other for very long, we finish each others sentences (she's basically a way cooler, west-coast version of myself…she knows so much more about pop culture and emojis, for starters). It's also amazing that we can look at a row of 15 restaurants and both gravitate towards the same one (good or bad, at least we concur?) I really couldn't ask for a more awesome Italy travel partner! Today we hit the ground running and explored Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, and the Trevi Fountain, as well as many other surrounding Roman wonders. We also purchased our first selfie sticks, and I have a feeling that a few tourists might have snapped photos of us trying to figure out how to use use them…it was quite the process (the first is our test pic at the shop).
Another big day tomorrow as we have both the Coliseum and Vatican City on the docket, although our dockets are always pretty flexible (hence why we're such a perfect travel-duo). When in Rome…who know what's next, really!