On Friday, September 18, I stepped onto my flight departing from Seattle. 10.5 hours, three movies, and two hours of napping later, I woke up on the morning of Saturday, September 19 in Rome!
People like to complain about long travel days, but the quickness with which we can span the globe in the year 2026 is astounding. 100 years ago, making a journey from Seattle to Rome would require about five days of train travel across the U.S., one to two weeks crossing the Atlantic Ocean on a steamship, and more time on European trains to reach Rome. Earlier this week, from leaving my apartment in Seattle to sitting down to lunch with my friend in Rome was 17 hours. That’s incredible!
Since arriving in Italy, I’ve already taken three trains, two buses, and traveled over a dozen miles by foot – and that’s not to mention the cars, bikes, and motorcycles the Italians wildly drive!
Rome is like New York City… but with ancient Roman ruins instead of skyscrapers! The history may be very different, but the transportation is similar: Three subway lines cut across Rome while buses carry people above ground, bikes and motorcycles fly across cobblestones, and cars seem to be in an eternal battle with pedestrians. It’s all an overwhelming but beautiful chaos!
