MALTA: Perpetually Under Siege – Country #85

Posted by on Apr 28, 2017 in Uncategorized | 12 Comments
MALTA: Perpetually Under Siege – Country #85

Punchdrunk from the Italian trifecta of Rome, Florence and Venice, I blew into Malta after a couple of delayed flights and a double dose of airport security shuffle. I met a nice guy from Finland waiting in line to check in on my last flight and we shared a cab into the city where we […]

ITALY: Venice

Posted by on Apr 26, 2017 in Uncategorized | 2 Comments
ITALY: Venice

Venice was the final leg of my Italian tour, and also my first time in this very special city. A very pleasant bunk bed free hostel was there to greet me, as well as very welcoming staff and guests. One of the people that makes for a happy and well informed visit. The view of […]

SAN MARINO: San Marino – Mountainous Microstate

Posted by on Apr 21, 2017 in Uncategorized | 6 Comments
SAN MARINO: San Marino – Mountainous Microstate

If you’re making the trip to San Marino then you are probably stopping off on the way from Rome, Florence or Venice. My advice is that you make this detour just to hang onto what little sanity you may have left after visiting these three crowded, klusterfuquian destinations if for nothing else, but for the […]

ITALY: Florence – Renaissance Revival & Population Explosion

Posted by on Apr 21, 2017 in Uncategorized | 2 Comments
ITALY: Florence – Renaissance Revival & Population Explosion

I thought that the onslaught of humanity I encountered in Rome would somehow be relieved in Florence. Rome could be excused due to it being Easter weekend. If anything Florence was worse. Battalions of tour groups crisscrossed seemingly every block of the city in search of the next attraction. I was here about ten years […]

ITALY: Rome – Easter Weekend

Posted by on Apr 18, 2017 in Uncategorized | 2 Comments
ITALY: Rome – Easter Weekend

I made the mistake of carrying my big pack, and really wore myself out by the time I arrived at Papa Germano’s Hotel. Fortunately there was a cozy private room waiting for me, and after hitting the internet for a while I was rendered unconscious until well after dark. After catching up further on the […]