The Return of the Native: part 3 — Being a Tourist
We had an amazing trip to Skye over a six-day period in October. By car, it’s a two-day trip each way although that does allow for stops and a couple of ice-cream detours. Many people think of the UK as a tiny country — but as you can see from the route map, it’s not as small as all that!
Skye is a fantastic place. The scenery is outstanding, the roads are surprisingly good although scary in places. But generally, it’s literally a wonderful place to visit. The food was really good — that wasn’t entirely expected but it’s part of the UK so why not? Our abode for the visit was very well-appointed and comfortable. Luxurious accommodations in fact.
While you might consider Skye to be off the beaten path, technologically it is just as advanced as the South of England. That’s not so true of our next port of call, Rome. I’ve spent a lot of time in Italy over the years, much of it around Rome, and somehow technology has never been their strong point, at least during my lifetime — it’s like it’s been preserved in aspic. What is so impressive about Rome is how they have perfectly balanced the needs of a modern capital with the history that is everywhere. Not a skyscraper to be seen and with the old and the new cheek-by-jowl throughout. But seriously, what’s not to love about Rome? They have a great metro system, currently being expanded to three lines. Food is fantastic of course, although there are some fairly mediocre places in the most touristy parts of the city.
While there, we did a four-hour e-bike tour (with an incredibly knowledgeable guide, Frederico) of the ancient Appian Way and some of the Roman aqueducts. The via Appia was the major road to the South of Italy and, because burials were not allowed within the city limits, came to be a favorite place to build mausoleums — how better to show off how much money and power you had?
The skill of the Roman engineers is of course legendary. Italians still show their respect for engineers by giving them the salutation ingegnere as we might with doctor or professor. There were about ten aqueducts in Roman times (some were underground) including one that has never stopped: its water is still the source for the Trevi Fountain (from tre vie — three roads).
It should perhaps be pointed out (if it’s not obvious) that these creations, of which there are many in Rome, are the products of the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries (not the Romans!). My favorite of these baroque constructions is the Piazza Navona (originally, the Roman Circus Agonalis) which we were able to enjoy without hordes of other tourists despite the beautiful weather!
Fast forward to November and our third tourist adventure: the Cotswolds. We are fortunate to be living just 30 minutes from the edge of this beautiful area. We combined a walk up to Broadway Tower (elevation gain: 704 feet) with Sunday Roast at a nearby pub. Those of you who have taken my algorithms class may recognize the tower (shown in class as an example of Seam Carving). The iconic photo in class was the Wikimedia Commons Photo of the Year in 2007. My photo is, alas, not so good ;)
This has been long enough already. I’ll do part 4 (London) next time.
