John Ratcliff's Weblog

Here is a video of the string sex-tet we hear playing in Piaza Navona I hope to make a number of blog posts based on my travel experiences so this evening, while winding down in my hotel room in Rome, I will write the first. Later I intend to talk about my experiences using the Garmin Nuvi GPS to navigate the streets of Europe and other topics related to visiting these foreign lands, but tonight I will focus on the issue of using guided tours. For this trip we booked with a tour company. I know, it seems absurd for a self-respecting world traveler to be led around by the nose, not unlike so many head of cattle, while a chirpy tour guide waves an umbrella in front that we dumbly follow behind. Yet, I have come to realize a few simple facts. If you intend to visit a top tourist site, especially at the height of tourist season (and your goal is see 'the important stuff') you better book a tour if you have any hope of seeing it at all. In fact, as this trip winds to an end I ...