The Long Walk To Castiglione del Lago

On Friday January 7 2011. I went on the longest walk of my life. It was literally a death march. However I do not regret my decision to go. Ok so I will start with what happened in me going on the walk.

This last weekend I stayed behind to get my bearings in the city and to check out the local Saturday market. So on Friday a group of four students went for a walk to Castiglione del Lago. Which we believed was a two-hour walk from Cortona to the town located on the Lake. This walk was so beautiful down the hill of Cortona and down the road to the edge of the lake. We walked through the wonderful and expansive Tuscan country side down a long and straight road to where we thought the town was located. I loved it.

The walk began to be questionable as we began to walk down the highways to the town. I felt so scared when these large trucks would whizz by us with a margin of breathing space. At this point I began to get blisters. They covered my heels and made walking upsetting and uncomfortable. Now I hate the whinny girl, so I tried my best to keep my complaining low and my attitude at a high. So I made my mom proud and sucked it up and kept walking. When we stopped at the side of the road I checked my feet and saw how bad they were. Luckily my companions were really sympathetic and we kept on going.

I was so happy when we finally made it to Castiglione del Lago a mere 24 km later. The whole time that I was walking I just kept the image of the lake and cold water in my mind. It really helped me to push. There was still more to go, first we walked to the train station to see the times and plan. After that we finally walked to the lake. I was so happy to peel of my shoes and socks and place my feet in the clear cold lake.  At this point the day turned into night and as I stood in the lake I looked out to the town and its lights and I had a huge smile on my face. I had made it! I felt so proud and happy that I took the time to make the journey. It was worth it. I came, I saw, I took a breath.

I do have to say that the train ride was so nice. It only took seventeen minutes to get there while it had taken us four hours to walk. This train only took us to the train station in Camacia which is under Cortona. So instead of waiting for the bus we decided to just walk up the hill and get back home. Walking up the hill I just kept going all I wanted to do was get to the outdoor elevators. So every time that my group wanted to stop for me I just kept going. I felt so special that as I was walking I felt the warm Tuscan air swirling around my self and my face and I started to smile. I had such a burst of energy and happiness that my blisters and tired feet didn’t matter. I was happy that I had taken the time to experience something different. I had gained something more than merely moving through expectations. I have made it up the hill to an astonishing new development to myself.

Musings of Roma

Before going on a trip many people will give you various tips and suggestions. Some have included:

“Don’t share a taxi with someone who might be connected to the slave trade”

“You are never alone”

“The first meal that you eat must be from McDonalds”

“Be prepared to never like Canadian food again”

“Wear clean underwear”

“Take every opportunity to learn and grow”

It is interesting to see how people have been receptive to my plans. I am so grateful for the people who have offered wonderful and inspiring advice. I have always that that everything that you do and the environment you are in will constantly change you. This process is happening right now as you read this and then continue with your day and into the week moving in the month and echoes into decades. The point of this is not to ask why? But to ask: will this be a positive or Negative force in my life? Will it benefit myself or the people around me? Being here in Italy has stretched and moved me in ways that I have never encountered before. This is a positive change. I find myself asking new questions about the places that I have been and what I want to see.

The city of Rome is so dynamic. I look around me and I see ancient roman ruins, renaissance buildings, souvenir shops, fountains and the odd baroque church. I have never seen such large and old buildings. It’s a concept that I have never encountered before having spent all my life living in Canada. I enjoy walking through Rome and seeing all the beautiful and interesting places that have inspired poets, writers, travelers and artists. Now I am a part of that history. I walk along these cobblestones that millions have walked on. People have lived and breathed here and now I have added my own footsteps to the streets of Rome. 

An Introduction

Hello I will begin this blog with the story of its creation. It was born of a simple conversation between myself and an old friend. We were talking about my up and coming trip to Europe in January 2011. He suggested a blog, which instantly sparked my interest. A place where I can write and post pictures of my travels would be able to keep me connected to all my family and freinds. Its also lieu of several emails explaing the same adventures.

This blog will also be an avenue for me to express my happiness and anticipation of my travels, instead of expressing them constanly at my family and random strangers on the streets. To reiderate once more I will be leaving Edmonton on December 30 at 7:30 am and arriving in Rome at 9:30 am on New Years Eve. The reason behind my traveling was initailly for school. I was accepted into the University of Alberta's syudy abroad program in Cortonna Italy, where I will be studying Art History and Classical History. I then extended my trip for a couple of weeks after the semester to explore and get lost in new surroundings. Following my studies I will be traveling with friends and family unitl the end of April. Its quite an endevour and I havent figured out all the places that I want to go but part of the adventure is the unknown. I cant wait to get lost in Rome, or explore the streets in Paris. I almost forget to sleep at night becasue I am so busy dreaming of all my adventures. This blog is about my journey now and unitll the end of my trip, then hopefully extending into other excursions.

Finally I would like to also dedicate this blog to myself. Not in an egotistical way but as journey of who I am. Now its not like Im dreaming of "finding myself" in Europe. Its more like I want to lose myself:; the difference is simple: I want to learn, grow and develop as a woman, student and Individual. This goal is to be never ending, just as we will never finish learning, I will never stop searching for something new and self developing.

           Caio,
           Sadie