I’ve just returned back to my apartment after a morning of seeing the Galleria degli Uffizi and David at the Galleria dell’Accademia. Since I’ve seen David in person, I can now die happy. I could even leave Florence, but there’s still too much food and wine to consume. I don’t why that sculpture was such a priority bucket list item, but it was, and something about it makes me feel so accomplished. David and lavender fields in France were the two big must-sees for me, and both have been checked off.
As I was standing there looking up at this magnificent work of art, I was thinking, “How lucky am I to be here in Italy?” I stood there for as long as I could before being jostled too much by the crowds. As I was leaving, I wondered what else was planned for the day. Then it hit me. There were no other plans for the day.
If you’ve read previous posts, you know that this is my very first solo trip. I honestly didn’t know if I was going to be “okay.” I was nervous up until the day I left. I alternated between being incredibly excited and wanting to cancel the whole trip. Once I got to the airport on the day of departure, I was fine. I’ve traveled a lot, and this trip across the pond was going to be no different than any of those other trips. But it is very different. I’ve discovered there is real joy in traveling by yourself because you can literally do whatever you want guilt-free like…
- buy groceries for one person that fit in one bag which I was able to easily carry back to the apartment
- spend a very guilt-free 2 ½ hours at my first solo dinner that included wine, four courses, dessert and coffee
- scatter my makeup, hair products, and toiletries over the bathroom counter taking up all the space
- enjoy leisurely mornings drinking coffee before heading out
- stay in because of rain and drink wine while watching Italian television
- make absolutely no plans at all
- devote time to summer classes I’m teaching online without feeling like I’m missing something
- gawk at David (I seriously can’t get over it)
And, by gosh, it’s pretty damn brave for me to travel to Europe all by myself no matter how many times I’ve been here. Now that I know I can do it, I’m going to do it all the time. Bottom line, there are already 4,367 places on my list to go… alone. The solo travel bug has bitten.
On the other hand…
There are just as many reasons to travel with someone. We have a family beach trip coming up in July for Blue Angels Week in Pensacola, and I am so looking forward to it! These reasons are contradictory to what I just said, but this kind of trip is about togetherness while a solo trip is, well, about solitude.
During our Florida trips, it’s almost tradition to grocery shop as a family at Publix and wind up with 27 bags of heavy groceries. We’ll have fun dinners at our favorite restaurants on the beach and at the condo where my uncle will grill burgers and steaks. We’ll watch the air show together and scream in awe at the Blues. We’ll sit on the beach and play in the water. The early risers will drink coffee and talk on the balcony each morning. We’ll also argue about everything and threaten never to speak to each other again. Fight #1 will be about the groceries. You know, typical family drama. I can’t wait!
tiffany travels 