During my recent trip to Slovakia, I stayed outside the capital city of Bratislava in a small wine country town called Pezinok. A very kind local friend took me around and showed me the sights, including some lovely places away from the tourist center. I enjoyed exploring the culture, cuisine and history of a country I previously knew little about. Below are the top attractions and restaurants that I encountered during my stay.
Continue reading “Slovakia Highlights | Bratislava and Beyond”
I’d been visiting Milan regularly since 2015 until my last month-long stay in 2019, just before the world went nuts. I’m happy to report that I’ll be back in a few months for my first trip since.
Having spent some time in the city in different neighborhoods, I’ve accumulated a number of photos, many of which hold fond memories for me of Italy’s most cosmopolitan city.
Continue reading “The Beauty of Milan 📸 Four Years of Photos”
Genoa’s been around. Since the establishment of the Republic of Genoa (Genova, in Italian) in 1005, this major Italian port has been a power in the Mediterranean, fought with that other seaside republic called Venice, participated in the Crusades and was the inadvertent entry point of the Black Death into Europe in the Middle Ages (rats!). Today, the city remains as important as ever, serving as Italy’s busiest port.
Whether you’re a fan of baked goods or just getting baked, one finds diversity in diversions in Amsterdam.
In the morning, as sunlight bursts across the canals and bending roads of the central Jordaan, bakeries of the district offer fresh delights like warm stroopwafels, while pancake houses serve a multitude of sweet and savory flapjacks. Flower markets sell their colorful seeds and plants, recalling a time long ago when the Dutch lost their minds in speculative tulip trading.
Continue reading “Amsterdam – Canals, Color & Light”
The last time I was in Milan was also my first visit to a police station. Bag snatched after all these years of vigilantly visiting Italy, it undoubtedly yielded the most stressful night I’ve spent in the country. On the plus side, the officer said my Italian was really good.
It’s my belief that we should endeavor always to undo negative memories and refresh them with positive ones, and so I subsequently decided on a return trip to Milan for a month-long stay to better know Italy’s cosmopolitan heart. I wanted to change the narrative of my experience with the city.
Continue reading “Highlights of Milan, Italy’s Cosmopolitan City”