Rome

I could have been mistaken for being a pilgrim this weekend  as I headed to the focal point of the European Easter celebrations, the city of Rome. I didn't realise how early Easter fell this year when I booked a mini break to the Italian capital city over the bank holiday weekend. Surprisingly the flights were not too extortionate so I had no forewarning until I started to search for accommodation. I had failed to factor in the school break or the bank holiday.

I began to panic when the accommodation I had been recommended was full and could not think of any other B&Bs or hotels they would suggest; that was until a friend mentioned airbnb.com. I had heard of the service although for some reason had not considered it. Now as I sit in my airy, centrally located apartment I can safely say I've been missing a trick. I was welcomed by the friendly owner who gave me a thorough tour of her beloved apartment, talked me through a detailed itinerary she had compiled and then presented me with some homemade heart shaped brownies.

When I was younger, as a family we would attend the Easter service at our local church but sadly those days have long gone. Spending Sunday in Rome, it was hard not to reflect on the religious reasons behind a celebration that now seems more about eating a lot of chocolate than the resurrection of Christ. I avoided the Vatican for fear of the enormous crowds but visited a couple of smaller churches where I enjoyed the opportunity to reflect. You'll be relieved to hear I didn't miss out on the chocolate either. When I returned to the apartment, tired from a day of walking, I discovered an Easter egg had been generously left by my host.

Back it up

There are a few necessities that we cannot survive without and certain luxuries that some of us think we cannot live without. I hate to admit this but my mobile phone falls into the latter category. I was left in a state of panic in Egypt last week when my phone was stolen whilst working at the Pentathlon World Cup.
I’m aware how lucky I have been with all my travels over the years and until last week I hadn’t lost anything of value. After ringing my number I soon realised it had been turned off by the guilty thief and therefore wasn’t traceable using GPS. The impressive technology doesn’t end there though; I discovered I was able to lock and disable my phone remotely whilst leaving a pleading message for its return. The sad part is that the phone is now of no use to anyone and all the information that was only useful to me has been lost. The message I sent obviously didn’t appeal to anyone’s conscience and now it’s too late as I’m back in the UK.
Thankfully technology helped me to survive and bridge the phone less gap as I made use of the many messaging platforms available through my iPad, until I stepped off the plane and entered a wireless void on my journey home.  I managed twelve hours after landing before I succumbed to the pressure - I ‘had’ to splash out on a brand new iPhone 6. At least I can now relax as I feel connected to the world again. Frustratingly the factor limiting the technology is me, the user, as it turns out I last backed up the data on my phone seven months ago. The moral of this sorry tale: please learn from my mistake and back up your essential information now - before it’s too late.