Category: Travel

Step Two – Leave your job

I woke up this morning with the same thoughts I’ve had for several weeks now – “What the heck are we thinking?!!”

  • We’ve already rented out the house and moved in with my Mother-in-Law
  • Today we both retire from our jobs

We’ve been saving for decades to get to this day, but something a friend of ours (John Brewer) once said is stuck in my head. He once told us the transition from ‘working and saving’ to ‘retired and spending’ those savings is a tough one. Working to get past that hurdle is my first goal.

As things have it, today we each retired.  Both Julie and I have been fortunate to have great careers. We each count many of our coworkers among our friends – Julie at Citi Bank and me at M&T Bank. The various retirement gatherings this past week have been bittersweet celebrations as we’ve also said goodbye to many friends that we’ll only see infrequently as we move forward with our travel plans.

This evening and tomorrow we’re packing.  Sunday we’re striking out.  Our first major stop is Georgetown, DC and babysitting the grandkids.  We can’t wait, but, “What the heck are we thinking?”

Italy – Day 1

Woman in red jacket standing at an outdoor café with empty black metal tables and chairs.We arrived in Rome on Saturday, March 24th right on time (7 am). After picking up our luggage we were met by Marco from Rome Connection and 2 eight-passenger vans. They took us right to our hotel, The Casa Bonus Pastor. There the friendly desk clerks were able to help us secure our luggage in a small room while we were fed our first Italian breakfast (yogurt, rolls, some with powdered sugar, some plain), and strong coffee with steamed milk. There was also a nice cold juice (apricot or mango?).

Some rooms were ready early, so we were able to put our luggage in our rooms and get ready for a walking tour with Barbara. I was able to purchase two postcards at the front desk with postage (about €1.2 for each stamp). Then, we walked as a group downhill to the Vatican area.

It was a beautiful day, sunny and warm. We agreed to meet at 2:00 at a specific spot inside the walls. Tim and I wandered out of the Vatican toward the Tiber River. Fortunately, we had a fairly detailed map.

We walked down to the Umberto Bridge and crossed over the river. The river appeared shallow and we saw no boats or traffic on it. We just wandered the narrow streets, looking in shop windows and looking for a place to grab some lunch. We found a nice restaurant with outdoor seating right at an intersection. Most of the traffic was foot traffic, with an occasional moped or motorbike. Since we were just looking for something light, Tim ordered a pizza, I had some pasta and vegs.

While we were eating a violinist came by, spoke to the maître d’ and apparently got permission to entertain. He played a song or two and then walked around with his hand out. We gave him a Euro.

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