Rome report, March 2006
 

Posting a link to own website with pics and details from a trip last year. It seems there is more to see in Rome still compared to what was covered here, so another visit will probably be done next year - even without tossing a coin into Fontana di Trevi.

http://www.terjenet.com/2006-03-Rome/Rome2006.htm

Main page: http://www.terjenet.com - slowly filling up :)

If anything, I've been able to confirm my theory about lack of feedback.

hi, tertitt,

the theory being what exactly??? #-o

love the trip report by the way!

regards, ann

Wow! That is a gorgeous website, with fabulous pics! Nicely done! I'd love to learn how to do a website like that. No, wait. I've decided I'm at a point in life where I don't want to undertake any new difficult learning projects.

I don't know why some threads sink on this website. Maybe it's the day or the time of day. I know that on my trip to Germany in 2003, I posted reports on our visits to several cities and, in most cases, got not a single response! I went back and read my report and was still happy with it, so it was worth it even if no one read it.

In your case, your site and report are beautifully done, so I suspect folks have perhaps bookmarked it for when they can devote some time to it.

Hope you and I both get back soon to Rome, my favorite city in the world.

I have to tell you honestly that I found such a negative tone to your report that it did not feel good or inviting to read the pages, so I didn't respond to your guestbook, maybe a lot of folks felt that also. Very little of the report is interesting because of the negative slant - sorry, just wanted to let you know my own feelings. Absolutley no offense intended, hope none is taken. Leslie

IMO the so-called &quot;success&quot; of a trip report depends on a <b>huge</b> number of factors.

There are people here whose every word, scratch, exhale, etc.no matter how mundane, is breathlessly awaited; there are trip reporters who go out of their way to make things fun and frivolous.

Frankly, some of yours impressed me as being written by some sort of travel agent who wasn't exactly pleased with some of the aspects of Italian travel. And while there is certainly nothing wrong with candor one always hopes to hear about some happy aspects of things as well.

My theory is a secret ;)

As for the negative tone, it may seem so on the site that a lot of negative experiences were writte up, and that this was the sum of the total experience.

However, I would like to point out that Rome is a great experience no matter what - but the fact still remains that they do some things differently in Italy, so to speak, this being for example slow transportation, such as the airport express train spending 45 minutes to move 35 km, whereas the one in London I took moved a lot faster, and they excused the slow going due to construction work. Another example would be the awfully long time it took to finally get to Pompeii, which I pointed out that the U.S. tourists complained about on the bus (perhaps this reference gets easier support on this site), and the food they served was indeed a let-down.
Also included was the transportation system experienced with going to the Appian Way, where even the officially employed tourist-helper-at-the-square was misinformed, which should reveal quite a lot. Attitude and service-mindedness may vary a little as well - I have experienced this perhaps more in other parts of the country, but of the 11 countries I have visited so far, in this aspect it is probably on the lower end of the scale.

The bottom line is, when I write my trip reports, I include both good and bad experiences, as well as strange experiences - it is sort of a trip diary and I do not see the need to hide bad experiences in order not to 'put people off' or whatever may be the cause.

As another commenter suggested, the amount of comments may vary greatly - I wrote another trip report a while ago which did not contain 'negative attitude' which could put people off, and still managed to get one single comment out of it (which is still better than 0 without bumping it).

I have also read various reports here where bad experiences were written down, and where comments still have been streaming in, so I do not think this theory holds water.

The &quot;problem&quot; if there is one may be your concept of what is positive and negative.

I am sure people are appreciative that you took the time to post your reports whether they comment on them or not.

Many posters won't click on an external link to read a trip report.

I'm not sure what you meant by the Leonardo Express. It operates every 30 minutes and takes 30 minutes to reach the main train station in Rome so I don't think a 15 minute delay is all that much. The &quot;express&quot; part, to my understanding, means no stops - direct. There are other trains that leave the airport that stop at all the little stations in Rome.

I did link over to your website and did read your Rome report.

I have to admit, that though I read through the entire report, my first thought afterwards was...&quot;they didn't have a good time&quot;.

I have to admit that it seemed odd that you chose to eat at a Chinese place for your dinners...and that you didn't attempt to venture out and try some local restuarants (I am sure the hotel would have been able to make reservations for you). Half of my wonderful experiences in Italy involved dining out, finding a little hole in the wall...muddling through ordering dinner...relaxing and listening to the hustle and bustle..enjoying wine with my love beside me...people watching..and enjoying the incredible food. Yes I have had not great dining in Italy...but I'm in Italy..so I take it with a grain of salt. It's better then a bad meal at home! ;)

I find that some trip reports here that get rave reviews, and which people wait with baited breath for, involve specific information about what streets people walked down, where and what they had to eat, the general feeling that they had at the time when they were experiencing something...etc...etc...it takes you right to the experience...makes you relive it, or excites you if you haven't seen it before.

I agree with another poster here that it feels like your reports are a bit &quot;travel agenty&quot;. That, of course, is your style, and I don't intend that to be a bad thing...just an observation.

I also agree that some people may not link over to an external website to read a travel report (or will and will read later, thus not leaving a comment here)...

FYI - I have also linked my private travel website on Fodors and I never received feedback..but I did when I posted my entire report here.

Generally and overall travellogs ARE for sharing..but they are also for letting you relive your own personal experience...if you are happy with it and when you read it you think back fondly to your experience in Rome then that is what really matters..not how much feedback you receive. I still cry my eyes out when I read my journal on Assisi...silly..but true. :)

Thanks for posting...gonna check out your Beijing reports - I would LOVE to go to China.

Cheers