Triphap - Funny Travel Stories and Travel Horror Stories

My mother is passionate about art history, and for her 75th birthday she took me along to visit Rome, tour the Vatican City, and view the masterful works of Michelangelo.

“I have been waiting a lifetime for this,” she said, as we trekked up the steep marble steps of the Sistine Chapel. We followed a massive throng of international tourists, worshippers, and other visitors as they poured through the grand entrance and into the ancient sanctuary.

But suddenly a stern and powerful official Vatican guard stepped in front of me, blocking my path with his broad-shouldered body.

“This is a place of worship, you cannot go in there dressed like that!” he scolded me in perfect English, pointing at my hiking shorts. “No one can enter unless their knees are covered,” he announced - waving me away with his hand.

I tried to appeal to him, explaining that we had traveled thousands of miles for this rare religious opportunity. I pointed out that I needed to help my elderly mother navigate the crowds and slippery marble steps. I emphasized that this was the pilgrimage of a lifetime for her.

But he wasn’t buying any of it. “You must cover your knees. Otherwise... read more >>

There are always funny, ironic things that happen when you are traveling. You really can’t escape it. However, when something a little bigger happens in the scheme of things, you may laugh a little tentatively while you and your travel partner suck in your collective breaths.

Kevin, my husband, and I were in Rome. We were actually on a cruise that landed in Civitavecchia and we drove in from the coast. It was the first cruise that we had been on and not our preferred method of travel, but that is another story. Nonetheless, we were going to Rome for the day, which is never enough in that fabulous city and we were eager to get there.

As we drove closer to the city, we decided on a whim that it would be best to park somewhere near Vatican City and hoof it from there. As soon as we made that decision, the sky started to cloud over. We thought nothing of it, but hoped that the rain would hold off throughout our day in the Eternal City.

We found a place to park and started to walk towards the beautiful columns that mark the perimeter of... read more >>