Hey, there're folks from Europe, specifically door No Robock and I come into you from Italy April sprits in hand and in this episode, what to do when vacation styles clash. Also the value of alone time, plus the latest travel trend we are seeing everywhere and we might still need somebody to explain to us. And also a question to help everybody out there understand how much you truly like your partner. And with that, Robock, will you please set
the scene here for everybody that's listening. They might hear a little background noise, but hopefully it's a bird chirping or a church rail going off.
Oh my goodness. So this is the first time I've ever done this. I was inspired by my daughters who've been traveling on a dime throughout Europe. They've been very fortunate to just have some time in between studies and they are all about airbnb and verbos no hotels, So you get a feeling of like you're a part of the community. You're like in the middle of a city, but it's like you have an apartment versus a hotel,
and it's a lot cheaper. And so we've done that for the first time, and we have a nice balcony and we have six. There are a lot of balconies. They're very small, like some of them are just like for two people to barely walk outside. But yes, I think officially there are six, but we have like the sights and the sounds and the heat of Rome right now is crazy.
We swapped one heat wave for another.
It's yes. I can't believe that there are two heat waves going on where we were and where we are, but that is happening. It was one hundred degrees in Rome but today, but the humidity is half of what it is in New York. So I'm good, like I feel good and you hilariously, so everyone else is like they have umbrellas and hats. TJ walks out into the blazing sun. He's like that feels good? Like what that the shade feels good? You love this heat? I love it.
I have so much space to walk on these days because everybody's trying to crowd into the shaded areas of the street in the sun.
You're like, this feels and yes, and most people don't look like you here, so you are an anomal that most people don't have your skin color here we've noticed there, Yes, so that was of distinction on our way here. I've been to Italy a couple of times before, but I don't think I had noticed how white it is here?
Are you noticing?
You pointed it out?
I didn't point out.
Yeah, he just said, like, we don't really come to Italy. I was like, wait what? And then now that you've mentioned it, you guess it's confirmed. It's not a destination for a lot of I don't know, people of a certain color. I don't know why, what's up? Why why not Italy? Why was that not on your list?
It just wasn't on my list. I have a lot of places I would probably prefer to go before coming to and making an official trip to Italy or to Rome. It's just not it would be way way. It would be a long time before I got to it. There's a lot of places before, before Rome, before Italy, and places gorgeous. The history here is, I mean, it's unbelievable. I mean, it's just astonishing to see what Rome with Italy.
It's what this country is. I mean, we are we celebrate what we're going to be two hundred and fifty years old here in a couple of years the United States of America and see places that have been around for thousands of years. It's just it's unreal. So I appreciate, I appreciate. Just one on my listeners is there.
So why did you come?
Because you wanted to come here and you weren't wouldn't stop hooting and hollering about it. So here we are.
What do you think? What do you think of the country, the Roman Empire and what it was and what it's meant to us and all of that. And just like I don't know the.
Foods the food, you went. You went from asking me about the Roman Empire and to break down my feelings on it to food in modern day.
Gave you a wide, wide runway. You can say whatever you'd like about the country.
It's it's hot, the pasta is good. That's all I got.
This.
This is why I'm staying in the moment, and that's the moment, and that's what's happening. But it's it's just we were saying as well, it's just not a We see a lot of people travel, and we've traveled a lot in our lives, sometimes with family, most of the time with kids. It seems it has been, but to take a trip like this, we've I don't know, we kind of relish it at this point, and I think even more so these days, just the ability to be able to walk outside and hold hands, keep you had
a pie, and not worry and be proud. So it's never want to forget that.
I have also felt like, I know we all get in different stages of our lives, but I'm at a place now where I am an empty nester. So it's kind of funny. I've got both of my daughters nearby in the area. One is in a country over and one is actually in Italy, but just in a different city. And you know, I think up until this past year,
all my big vacations have been with them. And you get to a place where, yes, you'll still have those moments, but you get to kind of reinvest in your personal life outside of being a mother or a father, and so yes, we like to be able to have this time together. I think a lot of couples it's hard, like you've got kids and responsibilities and you're trying to
juggle and you want to show them the world. And so we've seen a lot of those families around it hasn't been lost on me how lucky we are to just be here together knowing our kids are good because Sabine went away to summer camp, so she is safely and excitedly immersed in her own world of her experience of kind of coming up her coming of age moments,
and those are exciting ones. And my daughters are in theirs, and so we actually get the opportunity to be alone, which is I think a huge, huge thing that I think a lot of people forget to focus on, or I definitely have, but like, it's awesome to be able to just be here with you without thinking about anything other than just us.
Uh. And we say that after we took two Zoom meetings yesterday and that's funny, that's really funny. We were sitting at this exact table just yesterday outside no April spirts, and hey, that was business. We had to handle those. But but yes, to your point, this is this isn't
I but this is so much time together. I wonder if people, how many people listen to hearing our voices think about the person they're with and they want more of this kind of time, or they don't want any more of this kind of time, because it's a lot. You and I have been together twenty four to seven since what well' suppose the past several days at least four or five were together a lot, but you get what I'm saying. We have not been able to be away from each other.
I have not been able to be I love the way you pointed out.
I wanted to get away from you. I could not.
You're stuck with me.
Yeah, but I am. There's nowhere else I would rather be. And the thing I said, the question I would. We were talking about this the other day, but it is such an interesting question because we do do so much stuff together. If you're in a relationship, ask yourself, think about the favorite things you like to do daily, eating, watching a show on Netflix. Maybe it's cooking, Maybe it's going for a run. Your favorite things you like to do, And now think who is the person you prefer to
do that thing with? Like who is your answer? That's it's just who When I think about that, and it came up, like you are that answer to me on all of those things. If it's a football game, if it's going to a bar to watch a basketball to the final four, if it's going I still I can kick it with you better than anybody.
I think that's what's been so cool for me about all of this, Like I get it, like we've been through a lot of life before we got together, and I think that has been a a part of my journey. But it has been so interesting because yeah, like I think a lot of times I would have said my girlfriends or you know, like you're looking for other people to fill those different moments, and that's great, Like that's
all a part of whatever you choose. But for the first time in my life, the answer is always you. So yeah, to be able to just be with you, to just chill with you and hang with you.
And you made a face and I was almost going to be offended, but I see where you were coming from. Now folks didn't see it, but it's almost like you frown like ell to you. Now, I know that's not where you're coming from. But it's an odd thing to go. Really, it seems gross to say out loves especially me. Yes, I would rather you name the sport, you name the event, you named pretty much anything. I would like for you to be, to be the partner I'm doing it.
Yeah, And that's like, that's a crazy new, amazing thing. But I think when I look back at our friendship, like you were always a person I wanted to hang with, and so it makes sense now that we're together, like I just want to experience and see and hear and listen and watch all of those things with you. So this has been really cool to just like our girls are all exactly where they're supposed to be right now, all happy and entertained and figuring out life and like
and without our intervention in any way. So like, you actually can't even talk to Sabine right now.
It sucks and really hard. It really sucks because as much as I am used to all day every day with Sabine, it's just it's weird and can only get a call from her. I think per week just one can send care packages, but but to your and I don't know if a lot of other people do this.
We planned every trip we have planned entire summer, had to go around the kids' schedules, Like to put all this together is kind of nuts, but that's what we can have a peace of mind and actually enjoy the trip because we know everybody's okay.
And so yes, so you are not able to speak to Sabine, which you know, I went through this with my girls when they were younger in summer camp, and it is really hard at first. I always feel like the first few days are really tough, and then you kind of it's like there's a freedom like okay, wow, like I'm not responsible, so like, actually, okay, she's good and I get to be good and like let's just do this and it's healthy for everybody. So it's an
amazing thing to go through. And yeah, so I'm excited that we're going through this right now together and we're having fun exploring something that you wouldn't have chosen and I wouldn't have necessarily chosen. There was a compromise. The compromise was that we stay in one city the entire time and we find ways to explore. I am a
more like jumping from place to place to place. But what I'm saying is I have now really embraced your way of traveling where you are saying, hey, yes it's an adventure, Yes it's a trip, but there can be a vacation in there as well, meaning you don't have to switch urbos or hotel rooms or cities. Actually just stay in one place and kind of just immerse yourself in that place. I've never done that before.
How was this the compromise? How was Rome the compromise for me? For you?
For me immersing myself in one place is not what I typically do?
Wait? What was the other thing you wanted to do?
Jump around? Jump around, jump around. I would have gone to a million different cities. I would have hopscotched all across the Mediterranean. And the cool thing is no, I'm saying, you're doing things you wouldn't have done, and I'm doing things I wouldn't have done. And isn't that cool that we're doing them together?
Oh my god, it's so cool.
It is the thing.
We clash on though. You say, I don't know if it's vacation styles necessarily, Well I guess it is. We don't travel the same. I have traveled all over the world, all kinds of adventures, has done some volunteer trips, even all kinds of stuff. But when it's time to take a vacation, I would like to take a vacation, which means I would go like to do nothing, nothing but leisure,
nothing but leisure. And that's how I describe a vacation now this vacation has yet to start for me, because I've been going up and down the hills and steps and past fountains that don't work, and getting hit by vespas and all kinds of stuff. You have me all in lines in churches with you know, writings. I can't read it. Just this is what's happened so far, and I appreciate it. Thank you for this experience that I wouldn't have otherwise had my love. Thank you for it.
Please share because this was so fun for me. We went to castles on Angelo I had never been, and you just walk around. There's ruins, there's just like you know, like basically like pieces of travertine and marble that have engravings on it, like with Roman numerals. SoJ TJ walks past them yesterday and says to me, why do I feel like I'm in the first peer one ever? And I was like, wow, like actually, like that's fair. Like
I was looking at what he was saying. I was like, I might be able to buy that for twenty nine ninety nine at peer one. Like it was actually hilarious, And you made a very good point. Okay, there's nothing new under the sun. There's the place was cool. It was I enjoyed. That was the the Pantheon. The Pantheon, which is what it's a church and it's like a kind of like a sun dial all in one.
Cool as all.
It's amazing.
It is absolutely amazing. Colosseum. Loved it, fantastic. That was a four loves. The other one.
Oh, we went to the Vatican, right, Okay, we went to the Vatican. But let me just say this, so it was this is so funny, this is so TJ. So he's like, Okay, I'm cool going to Saint Peter's Square and I can see the Basilica. That's cool. Yeah, I don't need to go to the Vatican Museum. I don't need to see the Sistine Chapel and Saint Peter's Basilica. Yeah, I mean I can imagine. We went to a couple other basilicas, like it's probably the same. So yeah, we went, we saw we didn't go inside.
That's okay, which is okay. Yeah, but I enjoyed, I appreciate it, and I'm glad we went. I told you the Coliseum Vatican were the two things that were on the list absolutely have to do. Yeah, after that I really can't spend the rest of my time in entire country walking up and down Copplestone.
Streets and eating pasta and.
Homemade pasta, drinking the best wine apple sprits. I could spend the rest of my time doing that, all.
Right, So Italy's good so far at.
Least great if how much more of that is there?
Right?
And the I need to get a ticket type stuff.
So we are going to traverse a little bit more in day trips of the country because it is really hot here and so I just wanted to get a little bit of a break from the heat wave. It was one hundred degrees today, So yeah, I'd like to see the seaside a little bit.
Yeah, yeah, okay, yeah, but the touring the next do we need a ticket? You need to get and I.
Understand that that's not your jam. So we've got we do have a ticket, a train ticket, but I can say we don't have to go to anything else that's ticketed at this point.
Have you done enough a babe, of what you want to do as far as you go see another thing somewhere and a painting of some kind somebody did great value and important.
No, I don't I don't need to see anything else good.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I just don't want really, seriously, I don't ever want you to feel like you miss out on some type of vacation experience because you're with a guy who doesn't vacation the same way.
No, I'm good. I have seen. I have seen all that I need to see.
Thank god, because that's what's.
But we still have to run, you know that, we still have to run, Like running in Rome is actually a little bit of a challenge, just so you know. We're also training for the Chicago Marathon, so that's fun in a heat wave as well. But yeah, we're figuring it out.
Yeah, we are out. We are outdo we really are? On the balcony. If y'all can hear that? That? What? What animal is that? Seagull?
That's very loud and funny?
All right? The last thing here, I it's a thing backpacks. Yes, you all help me and tell me. We were seeing it so much trobes that we thought something was up. But I guess maybe it makes some sense.
Well, we've had a We actually would love for people to help us figure out what it is actually that's going on. So never have I seen so many tourists traveling around with backpacks on their front, so not in the back, which would make sense because they're backpacks. But I thought that it was a measure of safety, Like, Okay, so I'm in a city, I'm in Rome, I'm wherever in Italy where it's potentially like pickpocketers, et cetera. So I'm gonna put it in my front and that way
I know my stuff is safe. My wallet, my passport, whatever I've got, it's all safe. But you thought that maybe something else was going on.
Well, I didn't know. If you're carrying the bag around for so long, if it's so if it's on your back, you're just giving yourself your body that muscle group that's being used to carry the backpack on your back, you're giving yourself a little bit of a break carrow on the front. For a while, I thought maybe that had something to do with as well. The theft thing makes sense. There were just so many I don't even want to go with fifty percent, but it seemed like it was that many folks.
It might have been fifty percent. I think that's fair. But did you also think there was a fashion element associated with it? No, you just thought it was a pain management situation, and I thought it was a safety
management but fashion situation. But never fashion. No, no, no, no, no, no, okay, because it's not like what we've seen with the sweaters or the hoodies that are now no longer wrapped around the waist or wrapped around the shoulders, but now the trend is to diagonally put them between the waist and the shoulder. But that's not what you're talking about.
It's not what I'm talking about.
You're laughing because you know it's one of the more annoying trends that I personally.
I don't know why I bothered you so much.
I'm sorry it does. Why because when I do it myself, I start laughing so hard and I can't follow through. I don't I've never done it, Okay, I just saw it. I've like joked and put it like, Okay, what would this look like if I did this when I walked out the door. And I haven't done I have done it in the mirror before. Yeah, but then I'm like laughing, So I don't do it. I don't wear it out anyway. I'm sure it looks really cool on everyone else. It looks stupid on me.
All right, folks, we got them hopping around to do.
We have more to explore. We'll have more, I think to share based on what you think of this amazing country that you've not really explored before. I can't wait to hear all of your thoughts.
More thoughts, I think we might. What would you think you want to do another episode or two while we're on the trip.
Yeah, let's do it.
That is, folks, you can keep up with. Actually, maybe we should post a couple of pictures from here on our official show Instagram page. That's at Amy and TJ Podcast. Maybe we should get to you with the diagonald I could try it. We'll try that and we'll get that posted.
Good plan if you do it with me.
All right, folks, thank you all for listening. As always, let's talk to all real SA