Travel Lessons from Eat, Pray, Love

I read the book Eat, Pray, Love way before a movie was said to revisit the life of Elizabeth Gilbert.  I was in a transition period myself (no divorce) so I really did want to let myself completely go.  Go with the FLOW.  Thus I found my Tai Chi, Yoga and Pilates class in which I trained to be an instructor, BODYFLOW.  I knew I could never relive the things Elizabeth went through (who would want to) but I knew I could try to take the lessons she grew from and learn from them.   Some of the lessons I took from her experiences are as follows:

Get Lost

Don’t follow a map when walking in Florence.  Florence is incredibly small, finding things of pure historical meaning usually comes without a guidebook.  Walk down small alleyways.  Look at the architecture and get lost in random frescoes on the side of palazzi(palaces).  (Note: Use a map obviously to find your hotel or where you parked your car.)

Get Lost by Katie Greenaway

Sample every new taste

If you have never been to Florence, try the local specialities.  Bistecca Fiorentina, Panzanella, Vin Santo, Trippa, Schiacciata.  Tasting these traditional dishes will give you a feel of the culture from where each dish originated.  Ask your waiters, hotel staff, your guides(if you dare have one), new found friends, they will enlighten your mind on why schiacciata is so famous in Florence.

Panzanella by Katie Greenaway

Challenge yourself

Not all vacations to Italy should be focused on eating and drinking the local food and wine, why not try a new thing that they only do in Italy?  Rent a bike and ride around the city.  It is much better than walking everywhere, trust me.  Try Segways Tours where they offer a guided bike tour of Florence or you can ride around the city on your own.  Take a language course if you plan on staying longer than two weeks.  A great language school I attended is called Centro Internazionale Studenti Giorgio La Pira.  The staff was amazing and I learned so much from them.

Segway Bike Tours by Katie Greenaway

Immerse into the culture

Try to speak with the local baker.  Ask the green grocer where he gets his vegetables and fruits.  Speaking in the local language is a way to get immersed.  The locals will be appreciative that you even tried to speak their very tricky language.  Who cares how you sound, just speak!  If there are holidays or festivals going on in Florence when you arrive, do some research on it before you leave or just attend the festival itself.  Look around you and drink the culture in, with wine as well.

See with both eyes! by Katie Greenaway

See things with both eyes

I see many tourists taking pictures of everything they see in Florence.  I rarely see their faces since their cameras seem to be glued to their faces.  Why not try seeing the landscape of Florence with both eyes instead of one looking through just the camera lens?  Watch the sunset without taking a picture, admire it’s colors as it softly sinks into the horizon.  Don’t try to capture every special moment on your trip with a digital image.  Breathe in the culture and people of Florence.