We had a brief stop in Nice on our way from Brussels to Italy. Ali and I had both been to Nice previously, but long enough ago that no memories were helpful. We came to Nice on a night train and only had one full day and an afternoon to explore. We were pretty burned […]
Venice is a fantasy city for me. It leaps directly out of the pages of a book. Actually it is probably the other way around, the intrigue and romance of Venice has influenced so many books. One thing that links the fantasy and reality is the concept of Illusion. Foggy dark alleys, confusing sounds with […]
When you enter the Ephesus site from the lower entrance, the first big site that comes into view is the Amphitheater. It is so big that you have to walk a bit before you can actually enter it. It is amazing to me how little the concept of a theater or amphitheater has changed in […]
Ephesus is one of the great sites in Turkey. The pictures of the Celsius Library are world famous. I really enjoyed it, but from the crowds we saw and the buses in the parking lot, it seems mostly to be a stop on a cross country tour or a daytrip from somewhere else. The town […]
Ephesus is one of Turkey‘s grand sites. Central to it is the facade of the Celcus Library. This is the postcard image that is used across the country. For a lot of cruise visitors to Turkey along the Aegean coast, this is the only big site they might get to see of the country. So […]
Food is a big thing in Italy. They take is quite seriously. There is a sense that things need to be done correctly and must be enjoyed in the proper way. Sauces and pasta shapes are paired and wouldn’t be served otherwise. Wine fits to the meal as well. This was definitely a sense that […]
San Marino is a dot on the map and yet so much interesting bits are packed into this dot. A rock spire which sticks up from the surrounding hills is home to the capital walled city of the tiny republic. It isn’t by the sea or on a river and this isolation has been why […]
What is Italian food? You probably think you know. I thought I knew too. Italian food is about fresh! Fresh in this sense means two things, regional and seasonal. So each region of Italy would traditionally have its own cuisine that would shift based on the time of year. Whatever could be gotten local and […]
Even though we spent most of the week happily ensconced in Minori, we ventured to Amalfi Town and Positano one day. We figured if we were in the area, we wanted to see the towns. They are indeed quite pretty, but mainly pretty from the sea. In the town, there are hordes of tourists and […]
Bologna is known for its food. In English, the name is synonymous with slices of large sausage named after the city. The city has earned this reputation well. If you like to eat, and eat Italian, Bologna is the place to be. Food is never very far away in Bologna. This is one of the […]