Travel & Sightseeing

I do not do much travelling or sightseeing...so I would defintely like to hear about some things that you have done.

So for now...I will share with you about my big trip to Italy when I was a child. I went to Italy during the summer of 3rd grade with my mother (who was born and raised in Italy - Nettuno, just outside of Rome). This trip is memorable for me since I have only been abroad this one time and it was not the typical tourist trip. I'm pretty sure we saw the Coliseum and a very unusual shrine to a young girl named Maria Gorretti (please excuse any mispelling). This trip to the shrine sticks in my head because this little girl passed away many, many years prior and is considered a saint by the Catholics. Apparently, her body is perfectly preserved, but not by any human means. Thus it is believed that she is supernaturally being preserved. Ok...so that's all I remember, because I was a little kid and you know how that goes.

We mostly went to see family and stayed in Italy for about a month or so. We took a long train ride once (to somewhere) and all I remember is being extremely thirsty and all we had to drink was Perrier. It totally grossed me out as a child and I thought I would die of thirst - LOL!!! I also remember picking up a little of the language and am very sad that I never learned to speak Italian. My parents both spoke Italian in our home as I was growing up, but for some reason I was very reluctant to pay any attention to it.

So now here a few more child-like memories of my trip:

- We spent almost every day on the beach for hours and then went home and bathed and took a nap (I got very tan).
- Around 8pm we would go for dinner in a small, local outdoor eatery and the adults would talk until the wee hours of the night.
- I ate fresh figs and prosciutto and thought I went to heaven with the incredible mix of flavors I could taste.
- We went to Anzio and I got a huge conch shell.
- I met all kinds of crazy relatives who could not speak any English at all, but somehow we figured out how to communicate.

The trip would not be described as very outstanding by most standards...but it was great fun for me. I had a wonderful experience and remember it fondly! I am very grateful to have been able to do such a neat thing with my Mother and the memory of it brings me great joy.

Do you have a fond memory of a trip that brings back joy to the forefront of your mind????? Please share it!

AS parents we think we are creating some very special memories for our children when taking them on travel excursions. I appreciate your recollections of being 8 and visiting Italy. When our children were approximately the same age as you (roughly 10 and 7) we drove across country and after circling from NJ to Arizona to visit friends we arrived at the rim of the Grand Canyon on the way back. We told the girls to get out of the car and peer at the magnificence of the canyon to which they replied, "We're not getting out. We don't want to look at anymore rocks!" They did finally acquiesce when they were told this was a once in a lifetime opportunity not to be missed. They obliged for a few seconds and then returned to the car.