Go with your gut (with a When in Rome afterword :) )

Over the summer, my mom, Lynn, Don Marc and I went to an Irish pub in town where they had good bar food and a multiple choice quiz game you could play against the other tables. We each had our own keypad and I had literally NO IDEA the answer to probably 90% of the questions – I was never much for trivial pursuit, unlike my brilliant Poppy who rocks at it. So I guessed for practically every question, and since it was timed, I had to go with my gut instinct. Believe it or not, my gut instinct was impressively accurate most of the time, and I ended up winning the game. Upon gloating, I realized just how intuitive we are as human beings - we simply have to have the courage to go with our gut without talking ourselves out of it – which I am the queen at doing. I am the most analytical person you will meet which makes this a challenge for me – it’s not a problem, it’s just a challenge J.

 

Go with your gut - it is one of those phrases you hear many times in life, be it about a big decision you have to make, an instinct you are not sure you should follow, or a leap you are hesitant to take. You would think after often erasing an initial test answer that was correct all along to switch it to one I convinced myself was the better choice, or making an impulse purchase just to get something done, when I could have waited and gotten a great deal just a store later, I would have learned this lesson by now. But it is the type A in me that would rather check something off a list– even if my gut is telling me to hold out – that sometimes gets me into trouble. I have come to find when traveling abroad, going with your gut becomes just as essential has hostel reservations, train tickets and guide maps- because often your intuition – that inner voice you simply cannot quiet - is the best guide of all.

 

This morning, we had to check out of The Academy Hostel at 10 am, but luckily we were able to leave our bags in the closet and not tote them around the city for our last day in Florence. The original plan for the day was to wake, get ready, have our small breakfast at the hostel and then do a bus tour of the city, ending with a tour of the Duomo and the Baptistery.  But I woke up feeling worried – yesterday I had a gut feeling that I was being ripped off at one of the currency exchange places we used. They required a copy of my credit card, photo id, and had me sign the paper – then they charged me an additional 42 Euro simply to make the transaction. I felt weird about it, but it was a Western Union bank affiliate and I so I assumed it was legitimate. But I was thinking about it all day yesterday and when I asked locals and the women who did the wine dinner with us last night, they said none of that was normal protocol. So we put our plans to the side and all four of us walked back to the exchange place to get an explanation and ease my concerns.

 

Luckily, my identity is not going to be stolen, and the charges apparently were normal, even though drawing from an ATM might have had less fees (I will check on that through Wachovia tonight - which I wish I had done before I left). But I wish I had followed my gut instinct, which was telling me to hold off and wait to exchange until I had all the information. There just seems to be a million different ways I could have saved money here or there, and it is so frustrating to have withdrawal fees just because I have a different bank, or pay more simply because I didn’t buy certain things in advance – and then there are the times we do plan in advance (like our reservation to the David) and we end up paying MORE to plan ahead. Europe is like one big MONEY TRAP! I cannot wait to go back to America simply to have one currency that does not completely rip me off… but then again, when in Rome J I can stress about money all day long, but really what is the point. It is a lesson learned - I need to check things out and follow my gut when something doesn’t feel right to avoid unnecessary fees. Ugh, currently, as we speak, Katie is about to be charged 50 Euro because her railcard was not validated correctly and so she is technically on the train without having paid. There are just so many times we have no idea what we are doing and we get financially screwed over. And it sucks. This probably sounds so ignorant and I am sure there is some grand economic explanation but I think it should just be ONE CURRENCY all around the world – no one should be profiting to exchange money I earned all summer long and worked my butt off for just to change it into a different currency of money – shouldn’t it all be equivalent? 

 

Anyways, after lamenting about money, we all took a deep breath, and passed through some more markets on our way to the bus stop. The beautiful weather and atmosphere was enough to make me forget about my money troubles. Simply enjoying being in Florence, and buying some more gifts and postcards by bargaining and SAVING money for once, was refresing.

 

In another effort to save, we decided against the bus tour once we got there and realized that we had already seen so much of what the guide was going to show us, so instead we walked to the Santa Croce Plaza, saw the statue of the Dante and went inside the beautiful Santa Croce church were the tomb of Michelangelo rests. There was also a cousin statue to the Statue of Liberty, which was really interesting to see. The church had a subtle, more modern exterior, which mimicked that of the Duomo, but had a very intricately detailed interior that was quite stunning. We spent a little time there, before splitting delicious calzones at a local eatery and then grabbing gelato at The Festival del Gelato – recommended as one of the best gelaterias in our guidebook – and they were right! I had biscotti cookie and nutella gelato on a cone and it was an amazing combination. My gut was telling me eat more gelato and I am so glad I did J.

 

After, we toured the Duomo, which was actually kind of boring on the inside. From the outside it looks like it is going to be a breathtaking cathedral, but it was a little bit of a let down. Huge in size, but lacking in interior beauty. We all got the student discounted audio tour for 2 euro, which we found ourselves barely listening too – it was just not interesting at all. So we left, and attempted to go into the Baptistery, but it was closed. So then we were going to go up to the tower, but it was 6 euros and 449 steps – the steps I could conquer, but the money, we were not willing to spend.

 

By 3:00pm we were ready to blow a kiss goodbye to lovely Florence and head out to Rome. So we went back to the hostel, got our stored luggage, and walked quickly to the Santa Maria Novella Train Station, where we boarded the 3:52 pm train from Firenze to Roma Termini J. Florence was so incredible and we were sad to say goodbye, knowing Rome will be amazing, but much busier. There was something about the slow and quiet calm of being in a smaller city that was invigorating. I know there will be history at every corner of Rome and I cannot wait to explore, but leaving behind the quaint and intimate streets of Firenze was hard to do. I must admit, while money has been the big topic of the day, experiencing Florence - the food, the wine, the sights, and meeting my new boyfriend – the David - was well worth the expense.

 

So I guess the lesson for the day is take the time to listen to your inner voice and then follow it - go with your gut! Our first instinct is usually right, and many times will lead us to the best choice. And meanwhile, it does not hurt to know what the heck you are doing, especially when you are in a foreign country, because as I have come to find not knowing is going to cost you.

 

As our train pulls into the terminal, I look forward to an evening in Rome followed by an exciting three days. I will keep you posted, of course J! Keep reading, commenting, and feel free to donate to the Jenny fund whenever you feel the urge J.

 

Love and hugs,

Jenny

 

AFTERWORD: So it turns out I was unable to post until after settling into Rome – so here is the scoop J the hostel is okay- very small, bunk beds, communal shower – barely a common room, but we are staying with two Canadian and two American girls, so that is good. However, they leave tomorrow morning and we are here for another three days, so we will see what interesting people show up at check in tomorrow J. Once we got off the train and made it to our hostel, I felt much like I did the first night in London – overwhelmed and out of my element. It is a huge city, and we came in as the sun was setting, so we couldn’t really take in much of the beauty. We have the walking tour tomorrow, so that will be really informative, will take us all around the hot spot. The girls in our room also told us some tips, so taking their advice we headed to Campo de Fire for dinner and ate in the square. The food was delicious and we got tons of free bread because our waiter was new and didn’t know that we should have only gotten one basket, but my stomach is not used to all this food, and I am starting to feel gross – time to cut it back! While Rome is nice (and while we realize it is much too soon to judge), we all miss Florence a lot…. It was so nice and relaxing and laid back, and Rome is SO MUCH BIGGER! Definitely reminds me a lot of London before I fell in love with it J. But let’s give it some time, I am sure being back in a city will have its own special appeal.

 

I must admit, being in Italy has made me miss America – not just London, but my family and my friends and MY BED…and the DOLLAR BILL! Whenever I feel out of my element, fat and broke, I usually want to retreat to home. So, I am a little homesick tonight, but tomorrow is a new day, and when in Rome there is no time to be sad J.

 

Love and hugs.

Jenny