Tag: travel

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Rome Final Chapter

Posted on by Roy Eastham

Rome the final chapter

After 4200 steps yesterday I was done.

I walked passed the Colosseum which to my surprise was very quiet, the bars around the area are normally busy at 9pm but hardly a soul around.

Walking up a bit further by the forum the bar there is normally full aswell, about five tables had people on them, the rest empty.

I thought to myself if the rest of Rome is like this tonight then I’m not walking any further so just are there.

I bought a couple drinks from a shop and got told off because it was after 10pm and walked back to the hotel

I walked down some different streets away from the tourist areas and to my surprise the restaurants on the streets were quite busy.

I kept walking and found a cool rock bar that was full and further inland there was another restaurant full and another.

Damn there was me feeling lonely with no atmosphere and it was all inland.

I carried on walking and near my hotel every night there has hardly been anyone around and bam theres a bar I never even knew was there that had people outside having a good time, dancing and the lot.

Where has all this come from I thought, this must be where all the locals go.

Anyway I retreated back to the hotel where I wrote a few posts and drank by myself.

The next day I had a long lie in, my right leg was throbbing and I could feel muscle tightness in my right leg,

I limped to the balcony and did some reading.

About midday I walked to the pyramid that was a 10,000 step walk and when I got there I realised there was a main road built around it, which made it hard to get a decent photo and just admire it.

I decided to explore the neighbourhood where I realised that people were on the other side of the fence admiring the pyramid…

How’ve they got in there i wondered.

After exploring a little I found a grave yard which had a great view of the pyramid

So there I stayed just chilling with the dead.


After a while I wondered around the neighbourhood there wasn’t much about so I walked up to the river and towards the Colosseum area.

There i discovered the back of the forum i believe with loads of restaurants and windy streets, so i went exploring

Just following each road as they led to another windy little side street,

Before i knew it I was at the Pantheon. I was enjoying this random roaming around Rome away from the main roads, so I carried on, one side street to the next I ended up near the Spanish steps.

I realised I hadn’t eaten yet and its was about 4pm so I decided I’ll wait for tea.

I carried on this random roaming until I ended up back at the Colosseum on a bridge with an amazing view.

I retreated back to the hotel after that to rest my legs.

My final night, since I probably wont be travelling abroad for a while and probably wont be back to rome if I do, I wanted to see Rome at night

I also had a real craving for a Chinese so that’s what I did, I started out at the Colosseum and found a really nice Chinese restaurant down the road,


From there I wondered down the back streets to see the busy night life and restaurants in all there glory, to the Castle Sant Angelo,


Then I got lost and stumbled back onto the Pantheon, from there I went to Terreza Del Pincio which gives you a really nice views over the city.


I stayed there for a while, then did the walk back in reverse to the Colosseum for one last long look.

I love Rome, the next time I visit though will definitely have to be with a woman as I now know all the cute little spots and great places to eat

Posted in Daily Fires

Having good intentions

Posted on by Roy Eastham

Having Good intentions

But bad effort

Anyone can have the best intentions,

The best intention to get in shape before a holiday, revise for a test, read a book, well there’s loads of examples.

Whenever I go abroad I always said I would learn the language or some of it at least,

I’ve bought audiobooks, physical books all with the best of intentions of learning it, but the effort didn’t match the intention.

It’s like having the best intentions to get in shape you buy loads of training gear, buy a ‘health magazine’, loads of healthy food,

Then grab a takeout and leave the above to collect dust.

To make traction

Our efforts need to be more than our intentions.

Posted in Full Posts

Lonely thoughts

Posted on by Roy Eastham

Loneliness is something I’ve struggled with since about 2017 before that I had been in a couple of long term relationships since I was 18 so it never affected me being an introvert and all that.

I’ve always had a small circle of friends plus my relationships so I had always been great.

As I got older my already small social circle shrunk but I was never really fussed because I was in a relationship.

But around some point in 2016

I had started working nights and on festivals too, so I was away from home all summer and then worked nights all winter (80+ hours per week.)

My relationship fell to pieces, I think the final straw was when I didn’t have the energy to go and see my ex on a rare day off so I ignored her messages, but later that evening my mother invited me out for dinner and I said yeah…

The kicker my mom tagged us on Facebook even though I had said I had just woke up to my ex.

I know I was a dick.

Through everything away for work.

By this point I was just working, working, working.

I had zero friends and now I was single too, I was working so much I hadn’t even seen my mother for a week at one point and we live in the same house.

I was well and truly alone. I worked alone, I might aswell have lived alone and my phone never got any messages.

Working in a small reception area at night as well just compounded this lonely feeling.

That was the first time I had ever felt lonely and I hated it.

Luckily for me it didn’t last too long the first time round,

I hired a personal trainer, who became my best mate and now buisness partner.

I had been to Cyprus alone where I managed to socialize on a couple of excursions and met a women in a bar (the first time in my life that has ever happened.) Then managed to have a short term relationship with a girl from the gym.

Loneliness wasn’t an issue after that, I was as this blog is titled Leveling Up My Life.

I was in the best shape of my life, I had started two buisness in the space of 2 months (after being evicted earlier that year (2018 I think.))

Even me and my ex of 4 years got back together for a while and went on a few holidays.

Flash forward to today, I’m sat on a balcony in rome at 23:00 drinking alone.

What happened.

Well I would blame covid but really I’m at fault.

I talk about Leveling up life, but one area I have failed at is building relationships and connections.

Even though I had started two businesses I had stayed working full time in various jobs over the years because well buisness is hard and we needed cashflow.

Anyway January this year I had enough of working as a property manager in an estate agents so I worked my months notice to go work in my gym – Titan Strength Academy, as a personal trainer.

March comes and I had quit my job so I decided to go to spain for a week (me and my ex had just broken up again.)

The trip to spain was to well get uncomfortable and meet new people and do a little bit of travelling before going fully self employed.

This year was supposed be hard work, building on the businesses.

So I get there and the place is empty, everywhere was closed and I hated most of it.

When I got back in the U.K, a week later we went into lockdown.

And probably a week after that we made the call to close the game down.

Personal Training was supposed to be a way to connect with and help people,, I would have been around people day…

It’s kind of in the job title- Personal Trainer.

So during lockdown obviously I had no connection to anyone outside my household and those lonely thoughts kept creeping in.

I tried online dating, tinder and hinge but I am worse at online dating than making connections in person.

I messaged one girl and her reply was – Haha.

Ouch.

The others just unmatched or didn’t respond which was a little nicer I guess.

I’ve always built relationships by being in groups and chipping in to the conversation every now and then, I’m really bad at Initiating and keeping it flowing (unless i click with someone.)

When me and my younger brother went to rome in August this year I was amazed and kind of jealous at how easy he could approach people and start a conversation,

We met some pretty cool people because of him.

My issue is I’ve never had any reps in that department, as I said earlier I was always in a long term relationship so I’ve never really had to approach people and make new connections.

And now my best friend is also my business partner and he is practically married with 2 kids and lives an hour and a half away from me, so even if he was going to be my wingman, it would take a hell of a lot of planning.

My plan was to travel Italy for a couple of weeks and stay in hostels to connect but the uk is on the verge of a second lockdown so I bottled that and just went for 4 nights and stayed in a hotel instead (since I had the time off work.)

The highlight of this was having a meal for one by the Colosseum and Akon Lonely comes out of the speakers.

Yup I feel ya Akon!

Anyway the purpose of this post if you’ve read this far is to

1. Get these feelings off my chest since I have no one to talk to and

2. Be accountable for what my plan is to counteract this since I talk the game of Leveling up.

So here is my plan

1. After I’ve finished writing my ebook on depression (it’s taken well longer than expected) I’m going to find a coach who trains people how to talk and build connections with people since this is by far my weakest link and obviously implement what I’ve learnt.

2. After covid I managed to get a job in security but it’s not very fulfilling in terms of what I think my life purpose is so I’m also going to finish some course off and build a PT program around them and start really driving on the health and fitness side of things (on this blog too)

Once I’ve built a decent following and got some clients there is a couple of other courses I want to do,.including life coaching.

3. My business have been kind of neglected since covid so I need to put some time into them and build on them between now and the new year, point 2 will help with that.

So that’s my plan, I feel better already getting this off my chest, well that is until I see a beautiful girl in rome that I wouldn’t have the slightest clue how to talk to tomorrow haha.

Posted in Full Posts

Roma part 3

Posted on by Roy Eastham
I found a place to eat last night although wasn’t very hungry so just had a salad and 3 strawberry daiquiris


Man they were strong

I’m also pretty sure that blond girl I fell in love with was in there too

(No I didn’t speak to her)

After becoming very drunk, I romed around the Trevi fountain and then decided to walk to the Spanish steps

Nice view from the top

Then headed on a long walk back to the hotel

Where I had the longest night of my life

Woke up around 2am dehydrated because I didn’t fill my water bottle up like an idiot

So managed to fall back asleep for what felt like hours, checked the time it was 2:10 -.-

Fell back asleep and the same thing happened 2:20 this went on for a good 40 minutes until I remembered I had a red bull in the fridge

Not the best drink to have when you wanna sleep but I thirsty as fuck and it was the most refreshing drink I’ve ever had

Fast forward to the morning i booked the Vatican museum for 11am, regretted that instantly because I wanted to sleep in and it was a long trek

But Vatican city was really nice on the eyes and it killed a good 3 hours, plenty to see


And the sistine chapel was pretty cool at the fact someone painted it, the actual thing didn’t really have a wow effect on me to be honest

After Vatican city I found a place with a view of all rome, so I thought it would be a good idea to walk there

After a long trek and walking up a windy road with no footpath I made it

The view was worth it but I was fucked by this point and about an hour or 2 away from my hotel

I rushed back because I was supposed to be going to a meet up event at 8

But stumbled across piazza del Popolo and a park which had another amazing view


After walking for what felt a lifetime I crashed on the sofa at the hotel and checked the details of this event

715 pm and an hour and a half away, damn I misread the details and could of casually strolled back and enjoyed more of the scenery

Now I’m debating what to do, I can barely walk and have no idea where or what to eat

I wanna be around people so I’m thinking Trevi again but I’m not sure I can walk that far

I’m also debating what to do tomorrow as I feel like I’ve done all I can over my past 2 trips so anyone got any tips for a solo traveller

Posted in Full Posts

Roma part 2 – No agenda

Posted on by Roy Eastham

I was planning on doing 19 days in Italy but the way the uk is being run its likely we’re going into a second lockdown.

Even these 4 days I’m taking a risk. Last minute I decided to just go to rome again but up until then the 19 days i had no agenda but to start in Milan.

I used to overthink and try and cram everything into a short trip which resulted in a lot of stress where I could of been relaxing and taking more in on less sites.

I apologise to my ex who never really got a beach day because I wanted a trip to the next town, and to my mother who i dragged to Barcelona for the day from sunny salou (we got drenched)

So i decided i need to relax a little bit more.

I first tried this in Lloret De Mar in march, the first time I had travelled on my own for a few years.

The place was either on the verge of lockdown or it was out of season and no where was open

So instead of relaxing on the beach with some strawberry daiquiris I spent the first 2 days walking everywhere trying to find somewhere that was open (McDonald’s)

I saw all the sites on the first day and I was just left thinking what am I doing here (I even tried to get an early flight)

Anyway that leads me back to Rome.

I came here this time with the intention of having no Agenda like my original trip, so that’s how I played today my first full day…

Had a long lie in, didn’t feel like going to breakfast

Woke up and read some Ryan Holidays ‘Lives of the stoics’ (When in rome) on the balcony till about midday.

Then I got hungry so I went on the hunt.

After a few wrong turns I found my self trying to cross the road

Fuck why is crossing a road so hard

The green man comes on (which in the uk means your safe to walk) so I cross then traffic comes flying round the corner

Wtf Rome

So I took several diversions just to avoid crossing the road

Which meant I’m lost.

But with all these diversions I stumbled across the tiber river which was a nice little walk up to the castle

I then decided to head inland towards the Pantheon which from my last visit I knew there was food

I didn’t find it but stumbled across the Piazza Navona which was stunning and oh loads of food

I went to the one that was fairly busy with the best view sat down and looked at the menu

Oh shit these prices are ridiculous and no strawberry daiquiris, bad call.

So I ordered some chips €7 ouch and some other strawberry drink which wasn’t that nice

But the view was amazing

Then some girl dressed in blue with blond hair was wondering around recording everything

I think I fell in love, i was waiting for my bill which took forever and by the time I had paid she was out of sight

Not like I would of had the balls to talk to her but ones mind can pretend they would.

After I had eaten and had a drink I was a little more relaxed

I just wondered around for a bit trying to find my way back to the Colosseum area

Rome seems to be completely different this time around… yea I got lost.

Anyway I found my way back went and sat with my pal Marcus Aurelius for a bit

And headed back to the hotel with a detour to some shops which took longer than I expected

The day isn’t over and I’ve done nearly 30,000 steps

This no agenda thing isn’t quite working.

I’ve just mostly walked and stumbled across a few nice things without really experiencing anything new

So I’ve planned my evening

I’m going to head to Fount Trevi because from my last trip its stunning at night plenty to drink and loads to eat

Then tomorrow I’m going to head to Vatican City providing I can cross road