Time Spent Wisely with no Regrets

Holles Connect asked: "Tell us about a place you’ve visited that has inspired you to spend your time wisely with no regrets."

Vanessa writes: "When responding to this travel experience brief, I had to think quite hard about the condition - 'no regrets.' What regrets have I had or time have I wasted? Even if you travel somewhere to do absolutely nothing, I thought, it is not a wasted journey, but a goal achieved.

I am currently reading an insightful book on Venice by Jan Morris, which describes the calculating Venetian merchants and administrators and refers to the typical local saying, 'on what terms?' This put a slightly different complexion on the brief but the 'no regrets' condition failed to inspire any response, apart from reminding me of the song of the same name, No Regrets by The Walker Brothers.

I decided that what the proposal time spent wisely with no regrets did identify with in my experience was a trip to Tuscany which could have enraged many a temper or fouled up most people's expectations.

Aiming to get away from the daily dose of commuter traffic and crowds in London to the Italian countryside for a long weekend in Pisa, appeared to be a perfect plan on paper. The well researched itinerary should or would not require winding or a digital reset to qualify running like proverbial clockwork. 

Day 1 Pisa - visit Tower and surrounding buildings of interest, take typical tourist photos. Enjoy idyllic Tuscany countryside with cypress trees dotted over hills with amazing villas. Eat great food in a restaurant with glass of red wine.

Day 2 Visit to local vineyard and villa for pasta making class in a stone floored kitchen with a fireplace more fitting in a castle, followed by vineyard wine tasting and a few hours by the pool.

Day 3 Ferry to Elba to visit Bonaparte's place of isolation and enjoy coastal walks with small hidden coves. Eat great food in harbour with sea views and lots of yachts.

Bearing in mind the aim was get away from the daily dose of commuter traffic and crowds, what happened was quite unpredicted. On arriving in Pisa there were huge local crowds and the longest traffic jam of Ferrari's imaginable. I momentarily thought, well I am in Italy, before someone handed me a small flag saying Mille Miglia [1000 Miglia]. I then worked out from the cars' rapid desceleration and passing through an offical looking post that this was in fact a timing point in the race.

I later found out that it was the third day or stage of the Mille Miglia also known as The Most Beautiful Race or The Red Arrow which runs from Turin to Viareggio. I totally forgot about the day's agenda and stood mesmerised by the most incredible cars on the planet that continued to arrive to clock in and continue on their way.

I even recognised some of the drivers, some racing drivers, others actors and models. I then embraced the crowds and the event and moved to different vantage points to further appreciate the traffic. The usual phrase is 'always take the weather with you.' I brought the traffic report. This jam, however, I did not regret getting stuck in.

Finally, was it time spent wisely? Is there a moral to learn from it? Answer: There is no harm in Googling large sports events that may double book your destination."