Reflections on Tortoise Travels

We’ve now been travelling for over 13 weeks and we’ve been asking each other if this is what we thought our year of travelling in Italy would be.

The answer is no! I didn’t think our days would be so full, and I was concerned that away from friends, volunteering at Leith Hill Place, maintaining our house and garden, the Arts Society, local walks, researching my family tree and so on, I might be bored. I packed a sketch pad and pencils which have not been used (only space precluded me putting in cross-stitch projects as well).

Although we’ve had lots of gloriously sunny days, it has been cooler than we imagined, and a couple of times the UK has been warmer (the Easter weekend being a case in point).

I didn’t know that keeping the blog would be so enjoyable. I’m finding that it’s a good way to stay in touch with friends and family too. (Hint: if you read the blog, but haven’t left a message, then please do, even if I don’t know you. If you prefer, you can e-mail me privately from the blog site).

We’ve loved everywhere we’ve been, but of course we have some favourites. Mine is Capri, and if I won a lot of money on the lottery (difficult, as I’ve only ever once bought a ticket, I think) I’d buy a house there to use in April and May and again in September and October.

We really liked Naples too, despite the dirt and mayhem. If we were to go back to Naples, we’d choose a slightly classier area of town to stay in.

We have a long stay in Bologna, eight weeks in total, as we are starting a four-week course in Italian next week. Hopefully the little grey cells don’t find this too much of a challenge.

After Bologna, we are going on to La Spezia (mainly to explore the Cinque Terre) and then Lake Garda. In August, we are returning to the UK for a month so that, apart from catching up with friends and family, I can visit the dentist (I lost part of a crown soon after we left the UK. It hasn’t given me any problems, but I’d rather my dentist took a look at it) and Mark can donate blood which he needs to from time to time. The Italian blood service won’t accept blood if you were in the UK during the ‘mad cow’ years.

In September we are thinking of returning to Italy, starting in Milan, to complete our year.

We are no nearer knowing what we will do after our year in Italy than we were back in January. Maybe more travelling if we can still keep within the budget, who knows?