I'd been looking forward to this trip for weeks. Besides the fact that it would be the longest vacation I'd ever taken, I’d created an open itinerary that allowed me to travel anywhere I wanted on my own schedule. I hoped to visit as many European countries as I could during my planned three weeks and stay as long or as little as I wanted based on how much I enjoyed each location. I wanted to be a free spirit, soaking up the culture of each place I visited, and let my experiences lead me from one destination to the next, rather than following a predetermined agenda.
I hadn't even booked a rental car or any hotels. Instead, I planned to stay at local hostels, crashing at whatever place was available wherever I went, experiencing the nomadic lifestyle of other wayward travelers. I'd be traveling alone and I heard that this was a great way to meet international travelers from different countries and make new friends. It was definitely taking me out of my comfort zone, accustomed as I was to having a plan and enjoying the luxuries of upscale hotels. But approaching my mid-thirties, I figured this was my last chance to take advantage of my dwindling youth while I still had the nerve.
My first stop was Rome, and when my Alitalia flight landed at Leonardo da Vinci airport late Friday afternoon, I hailed a cab and drove to the first hostel that came up on my Google search. When I checked in, I was pleasantly surprised with how clean and tidy the place looked. After paying for two night’s accommodation, the clerk stowed my baggage and showed me around the facility. My dorm room was appointed with six single bunk beds arranged end-over-end on three walls of a ten-foot-square common room. It was smaller than I expected, but I hadn't come to Europe to sleep in the lap of luxury. I planned to be out most of the day, exploring the sights of the city and meeting new people.
There were two communal washrooms, a full-service kitchen, and a common terrace overlooking the pretty white-washed townhouses of the Trastevere District. It was hotter than I expected this late in the day, so after changing into linen shorts and sandals, I headed up to the terrace to meet some of my fellow travelers. After grabbing an espresso from the kitchen, I walked out onto the patio and was immediately invited to a table shared by five other overnighters.
"Buonasera!" a boisterous young man called out to me. "Come join us. We're all one happy family here."
I nodded my head and walked over to the table, taking the one vacant chair.
"I'm Diego from Barcelona," he said, reaching out his hand in greeting. "What brings you to Roma?"
"Jade, from Chicago," I said, clasping his hand firmly. "It's my first time to Italy. I figured I'd start with the biggest city and work my way north."
"Sounds like a good plan. How many days will you be staying in town?"
"I don't really have a set schedule. I thought I'd just go with the flow. You know, live in the moment, and all that."
"That's the only way to live," he said, raising a glass of wine and clinking it against my coffee mug. "Say hello to my friends."
I peered around the table as each traveler introduced themselves one at a time.
"I'm Tori, from Melbourne," a pretty blonde said, raising her glass.
"Ali, from Istanbul," a handsome young man with long dark hair said.
"Isabel from Cape Town," a cute freckle-faced girl said, smiling at me.
"Maria from Sao Paolo," an ebony beauty said, raising her glass of Prosecco.
"Wow," I said. "Talk about a worldly group. I think we've got every continent covered between us. I take it you're not traveling together?"
"What would be the fun in that?" Diego said. "Only old people and married couples travel in groups."
"Well I probably qualify as an old person compared to all of you," I chuckled, surveying the group of young faces.
"Are you married?" Diego asked.
"Not anymore."
"Well then you're not dead yet!" Ali said, raising his glass as everybody laughed.
"You're only as old as you behave anyway," Maria said, scowling at Ali for putting me on the spot. "The fact that you're traveling alone and staying at a youth hostel tells us you're young at heart."
"Thank you," I said, happy for the diversion. "How about you guys? How long are you staying in Rome?"
"Taking it one day at a time," Tori said. "Like you said, living in the moment."
"Amen to that," I said, lifting my cup. "Have you been here long? Where's a good place to start?"
"There's so much to see in Rome," Isabel said. "You can pretty much get off at any Metro stop and spend the whole day exploring any given neighborhood."
"The Metro?" I said. "Is that the city's public transit system?"
"Yes," Maria nodded. "It goes everywhere worth seeing. You can hitch a ride and follow along with us if you want to get your feet wet."
"I think I'd like that," I said, feeling my panties already beginning to moisten thinking about exploring the city with these pretty gypsies...
