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| At the Ponte Vecchio |
Between my knee pain from patellofemoral syndrome and my foot pain from hammertoes, for years I've had some limited mobility. At first I could hardly walk or stand. I could no longer ride a bicycle or walk down stairs. At my local YMCA I had to use the disabled locker room, because I couldn't do the stairs. With each diagnosis, I went through anger and depression. My thoughts ranged from "What?! I'm not even halfway done with life!" to "I give up."
I dutifully attended my physical therapy appointments, and initially did all of the prescribed exercises. Once the intense pain subsided, I often slacked off, lazily skipping my exercises until the pain returned. And some exercises made the pain worse, so I had to stop doing even gentle squats or leg presses.
But over time, I got better. I was able to get rid of the stool in my classroom, because I was able to stand. I eventually was able to walk down stairs again. I hike, walk, lift weights, and swim. And my husband and I have even started going on walking and hiking tours.
Two years ago we went on vacation to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Park with Road Scholar. The trip was fantastic, and the guides were wonderful.
This spring we went to Italy. Again, fantastic guides and an amazing experience. Walked and walked and walked. On cobblestones, marble floors, and up and down stairs. Most days I had sore feet, but so did everyone else. And oh, what an experience!
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| The Colosseum in Rome |
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| Stairs in the Colosseum |
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| Walked all over the Forum, and up Palatine Hill for this view |
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| Walked many stairs in Rome! |
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| The Vatican |
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| Gallery of Maps in the Vatican |
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| The Pantheon |
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| Inside the Pantheon |
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Bernini's David
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| Ancient Roman Sculptures |
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| Ponte Vecchio in Florence |
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| Ponte Vecchio |
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| Michelangelo's David |
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| Brunelleschi's Dome at the Piazza del Duomo |
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| Market Stall |
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| Meat Counter |
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| Inside the Palazzo Vecchio |
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| Walking Around Florence |
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| Doesn't every city have a dollar store? |
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| Catching the high speed rail to Venice |
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| The Grand Canal |
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| Bridge near our hotel |
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| One of our wonderful Road Scholar guides |
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| The Grand Canal |
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| Venice alley |
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| Fashionable Italians |
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| Replacing a bulb |
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| Fresh fish |
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| Gondola ride |
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| Venice Canal |
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| Gondolas near Piazza di San Marco |
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| Venice light |
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| Venetian windows |
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| Glass blower on Murano |
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| Murano canal |
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| A night cruise |
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| New and old together in the Jewish Ghetto in Venice |
