The Story Of Darcy

Like a lot of kids, I learned about Greek mythology in school and I completely fell in love with the stories. I was a bit of a geek and I wanted to learn more than we did, so I went to my local libary and got out a book. From there, I learned about Roman, Norse, Egyptian, Celtic and so on. A life-long love was born and the more I grew to love the stories, the more I wanted to learn about the people who told them, about the lives they lead and I read as much as I could on the topic.

I was devastated when I did GCSE History and it didn't touch on any of the eras I really cared about - although I did also start to love the medieval period, the Tudors and the Stuarts. But I didn't really care about the history of medicine or the industrial revolution or the world wars or the political situation in Northern Ireland. It was the same at A-Level: The Cold War. Yawn.

It was in university I finally got my chance. Ancient History. Where I got to study the Greco-Roman world - the language, literature, philosophy, art, political, social and cultural history. I fell in even more in love.

For our honeymoon, Rob and I went to Rome. I got to see the places I'd always dreamed of seeing. The Colosseum, the Pantheon, the Forum, the Baths of Caracalla. I saw St Peter's Dome through the Knights of Malta Keyhole, the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps. St Peter's Basillica and the Vatican were utterly breathtaking. It was one of the best weeks of my life!

If I could get on a plane right now, I'd either go back to Rome and fall in love all over again - with a side trip down to Pompeii as well. Or, I'd go to Greece. I mean, in Athens alone you've got the Acropolis, the Parthenon, the Agora, the National Archeological Museum, Syntagma Square, the Plaka, Cape Souniou, The Temple of Poseidon...

Maybe in a couple of years when my health has improved and Frankie is a bit older