Tag: travel

Moving // Letters to October (8)

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Dear October,

We’re always moving. From one step to the next, one side to the other, one corner of the world to another. As I sat waiting for my flight to land this evening, it struck me how a single journey can contain a multitude of meanings.

The young woman sitting beside me, who spoke with an English twang, took her glasses off and hid her face as the plane descended. The relief of homecoming was hidden by what appeared to be a curtain of dread as the plane landed with a thud.

A row ahead, an elderly lady turned off flight mode on her phone. Closing a game of Candy Crush Saga, she slowly typed out a message in another language. Having left home, maybe reassuring someone of her safe arrival.

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Visiting Vatican // Letters to October (5)

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Dear October,

In the quiet moments — a few seconds before opening my eyes in the morning or just glancing out of the corner of my eye — Rome felt like Calcutta. All memories of my birthplace are tied to my grandmother’s house. The barking dogs, narrow alleyways, even the way the rays of sunlight fell in the early afternoon — all brought me back to the place I spent my holidays, playing and napping and eating to bursting point.

I liked Rome especially in those moments. It felt like being home.

Day two of our visit to Italy, my parents and I visited Vatican City. We took a hop-on hop-off bus, which took us on a beautiful route around Rome as well. The streets bustled with life and energy and for the third time in my life (after living in New Delhi and London), doubt flickered in my mind about New York being the only city that never sleeps.

A street in Rome
Roads of Rome

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Roaming in Rome: Day 1

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My day started earlier than usual today. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, hastily pulling on clothes laid out the night before and shoving my toothbrush in the suitcase before bolting out the door to the waiting taxi. I’d been at the airport a day before, on my way home from university. It felt tiring to fly again so soon but once the plane landed and warm air washed over me, the fatigue lifted.

I’ve been dreaming about visiting Rome for years. A place so steeped in history and extraordinary stories. And now we’re finally here. My family and I are in Italy for the next few days and I’m going to document our adventures in a mini travel/photography series. It’s something I haven’t really done before on this blog, but I hope you enjoy reading it!

Day 1: Arrival in Rome

We got to Rome around mid-afternoon, and the first stop after our hotel was food. We found a local restaurant and of course, tried some pasta. I wanted to try some limoncello but was too shy to ask what it was — maybe tomorrow.

Next, we decided to walk around the neighbourhood. Here you can see some of the splashes of colour around the city.

A lot of red
Passing by one of many pizza places

Our first stop was the Piazza dell’Esquilino. Nearby was the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore. The amount of detail on these buildings was stunning.

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