Tomorrow I hop on a big tin plane bound for Rome where I will meet up with a friend, and afterwards take a train to Milan where I will see my cousin for a day.
Before that, however, I will take my Dutch driving test.
Take a guess which one I am more excited about!
This driver’s license thing has been going on for well over a year now, and I regret ever beginning the process, which is long and complicated and expensive and involves not one, not two, but three tests! And the funny thing is, I don’t even need a license for living in Amsterdam. I have an American license that suits me just fine should I wish to rent a car, and I have no intention of ever actually buying a car in this lifetime.
But I started the process, and am one day away from finishing it, so this will be a huge weight off of my chest. I’ll consider it a Dutch right-of-passage if I get the damn thing, although none of my Dutch friends have their license either, so….
Yeah, basically it’s just been a waste of time and money.
Anyway! The tin plane! To la bella citta di Roma!
The first time that I landed in Rome, I was a naive and uncultured silly little thing of 18 years. I was backpacking around Italy for 3 weeks on my own, and seeing what trouble I could get up to. Plenty it turned out!
Rome was the city where I experienced my first body shot on a pub crawl. In fact, I think it was the first time I had ever tasted tequila at all, much less off of the salty neck of another backpacker from Chicago.
Pedro was his name.
Aaahh, Pedro rued the day he ever came into contact with me when I nearly took his bottom lip with the lemon slice that he held in his mouth for me (ouch!). From that point on, things got sketchy (or I should say sketchier), and resulted in poor Pedro literally carrying me through the city of Rome back to my hostel in the wee hours of the morning, stopping kindly to let me off so that I could puke at various points of interest such as the mighty Colosseum, which I assure you looks much less grandiose at 4 in the morning next to my pile of vomit.
Good times they were.
I do imagine, however, that at the much more mature age of 30 my upcoming trip to Rome will involve drinking in more of the culture, and less of the vino. Priorities have to change at some point in your life, ey?
Tags: backpacking, driver's test, Dutch driving license, Italy, Rome, trip to Rome
May 17, 2011 at 1:47 pm |
Hey Cuz,
I’m here in beautiful Italia. I’m sitting on my terrace overlooking Fenis Castle. It’s amazing. I have never in my life been in such awe of nature the way I feel being in Valle D’Aosta. I can’t wait to meet up with you in Milano. I want to see the Duomo and eat some authentic risotto. Have fun in Rome and please don’t skip all the cultural stuff this time. I keep telling Mike how much I want to go back to the forum and such- love all that history. Oh and where is the damn gelato in this place? I usually would have had like 3 by now and I have yet to have one. Unacceptable! Haha. See ya soon.
love,
Tina
May 18, 2011 at 10:31 am |
I was lucky. It was easy for me to change my English licence into a Dutch one with out needed to take another test.