Get Lost!
24th March 2016
Just walk to the end of the road and through that long tunnel and you'll get back to the hotel. My mother's directions were swimming in circles around my mind as I stared at the dead-end ahead of me. I turned to my brother and friend.
"She definitely said a tunnel, right?"
They both nodded, looking as confused as I felt. We were lost, and more than a little bit concerned. It was our first time in Rome and it wasn't going well. Mum had gone back to the hotel room because she wasn't feeling well and had called to give us directions. She had made it seem so simple.
"Maybe the tunnel is this way?" My friend pointed hopefully to the left down a winding road of shops.
I shrugged. What could possibly go wrong? We had hours of daylight left; we might as well take advantage.
That day getting lost in Rome was one of the best days of the holiday. Walking in the sun we enjoyed quirky shops, delicious gelato and a painter's piazza. We accidentally stumbled upon the Trevi Fountain and the Parthenon. The winding roads of Rome were fascinating and we were filled with pride and excitement when we finally managed to return to our hotel.
We were lost! And it is something that I would recommend to every traveller at least once in awhile.
When you are travelling it is easy to get caught up in seeing the 'sights'. The famous monuments, the museums, or as our tour guide put it: the ABCCs (another bloody church and castle). But seeing all of these things doesn't make you a true traveller.
True travelling is about feelings and culture. A Google image can't express the pure delight of accidentally finding an artist's Piazza in Rome with gorgeous flowers spilling off balconies. A guidebook won't tell you about the the cute little backstreets and awkward old buildings of Eaton that you explore with your brother. An online review is nothing compared to stumbling upon the best hot chocolate ever during a Sydney winter. Your friend's holiday photos don't do justice to the excitement and freedom of wandering a city like a local with nowhere else to be.
Sometimes you need to get lost, to find the reason that you left the comfort of home in the first place. Sometimes you need to lose your way so you can find yourself. Sometimes you need to stray off the path to prove you are strong enough to make it back.
Give yourself the chance to feel the true excitement of travel: get lost!
Do you have any stories of having adventures while lost in a city? I love to hear them!
"She definitely said a tunnel, right?"
They both nodded, looking as confused as I felt. We were lost, and more than a little bit concerned. It was our first time in Rome and it wasn't going well. Mum had gone back to the hotel room because she wasn't feeling well and had called to give us directions. She had made it seem so simple.
"Maybe the tunnel is this way?" My friend pointed hopefully to the left down a winding road of shops.
I shrugged. What could possibly go wrong? We had hours of daylight left; we might as well take advantage.
That day getting lost in Rome was one of the best days of the holiday. Walking in the sun we enjoyed quirky shops, delicious gelato and a painter's piazza. We accidentally stumbled upon the Trevi Fountain and the Parthenon. The winding roads of Rome were fascinating and we were filled with pride and excitement when we finally managed to return to our hotel.
We were lost! And it is something that I would recommend to every traveller at least once in awhile.
When you are travelling it is easy to get caught up in seeing the 'sights'. The famous monuments, the museums, or as our tour guide put it: the ABCCs (another bloody church and castle). But seeing all of these things doesn't make you a true traveller.
True travelling is about feelings and culture. A Google image can't express the pure delight of accidentally finding an artist's Piazza in Rome with gorgeous flowers spilling off balconies. A guidebook won't tell you about the the cute little backstreets and awkward old buildings of Eaton that you explore with your brother. An online review is nothing compared to stumbling upon the best hot chocolate ever during a Sydney winter. Your friend's holiday photos don't do justice to the excitement and freedom of wandering a city like a local with nowhere else to be.
Sometimes you need to get lost, to find the reason that you left the comfort of home in the first place. Sometimes you need to lose your way so you can find yourself. Sometimes you need to stray off the path to prove you are strong enough to make it back.
Give yourself the chance to feel the true excitement of travel: get lost!
Do you have any stories of having adventures while lost in a city? I love to hear them!