Rome is busy!

It was jam packed when we were there just before COVID too. It’s a major city so I expected that.

I have been to Rome twice -- 1994 and 2022 -- and it's always that way. Strangely, I don't generally find it to be off-putting; I find it to be vibrant. There is real street life in European cities, while many American cities are ruled by cars, commerce and guns.

Our first trip there was the 3rd week of October in 2014 and it was hot 30°C and crowded. I suspect it's one of those places that always has been and always will be.

We were in London, Athens, Florence and Rome the first of June, 2023. We were herded around like cattle.

After 20+ trips to Europe, I'm about through with big touristy cities. There are plenty of smaller towns without the crowds that I've not visited 4-5 times. I feel the same way about big U.S. cities as we don't travel domestically any longer.

It took me a long time to finally get to Rome, late April of this year, my first visit to the Continent after covid. I paired it with my beloved and familiar Budapest—the perfect city to relax and recoup my energy after the madness of Rome…while I saw incredible things and everything went as planned, I felt I had to work really hard for my enjoyment.

Ehhh... a friend of mine talked me into planning a trip to Rome that will include Easter weekend next year. I have a feeling I'm going to learn about Rome being packed. When I was there in May 2015, it didn't seem bad at all.