Tagged With: museum
Florence, Italy
For such a small city center, Florence really packs in a number of sites. The best place to take them all in is from Piazza Michelangelo. Spanning the Arno River is the Ponte Vecchio, a stone arched bridge lined with jewelry shops. Hundreds of years ago, the bridge hosted butchers but the leaders of … Continue reading
Rome, Italy
Unless I’ve miscounted, you’ll only see the Colosseum for the first time once. I was a bit bleary eyed from my morning flight as the airport bus rounded the corner and suddenly, there it was and my mouth fell open. Everything about the Colosseum is, well, colossal. It was built over a decade and was … Continue reading
Valletta, Malta
Malta’s capital city, Valletta, is laid out grid style on a small and hilly peninsula. If the hills don’t bring San Francisco to mind, then you’re obviously not on foot. Walking through the streets, the first thing I noticed were the ubiquitous window boxes. I usually try to pick up a few words of … Continue reading
3 Cities, Malta
Across the Grand Harbour from Malta's capital are the 3 small cities of Senglea, Vittoriosa, and Cospicua (also known as Isla, Birgu, and Bormla respectively) on 3 neighboring peninsulas. Like many Maltese towns, you'll never get lost strolling through the gridded streets since here you're guaranteed to hit the Mediterranean before too long. … Continue reading
Mdina & Rabat, Malta
Mdina lies almost in the center of Malta high on a hill. The walled city is so immaculately preserved that it almost feels a little like a movie set! With only a few hundred residents, the Silent City as it is also called, is a peaceful and lovely town. The view from the walls. … Continue reading
Maribor, Slovenia
Maribor, in the northeast, is the second largest city in Slovenia after the capital. The Town Hall is located in the central square alongside a nice looking monument. Upon closer inspection, the column monument turned out to be the Plague Monument, dedicated to the memory of the 1/3 of the city's residents who died … Continue reading
Lake Bled & Vintgar Gorge, Slovenia
I had seen enough photos of Lake Bled and the picturesque island nestled at its far end to be really excited to arrive there. I was hoping to go whitewater rafting in the emerald green Soča River, take a long hike in Triglav National Park, and maybe do some rock climbing, too, except that it … Continue reading
Carthage, Tunisia
It's incredible how many layers of history are found in Carthage. It was originally founded by the Phoenicians in the 9th century BC and flourished as an important trading post due to its prime location on the Mediterranean beginning in the 6th century BC. During the Punic wars, the Romans eventually destroyed and conquered Carthage … Continue reading
Bruges
Bruges is every bit the cute fairy tale town I had expected. Aside from the masses of tourists, the only ugly thing in the whole town was the Ito Pavilion. When the city was named a European Capital of Culture in 2002, Toyo Ito's Pavilion was constructed, intending to link the past and present. I'll … Continue reading
Belgium miscellaneous
In case you were wondering about fines for failing to clean up your dog’s poop, Antwerp and Bruges make it pretty easy to find out. Two museums I skipped but could have easily been persuaded to visit. With staircases as narrow and steep and winding as this, it’s no wonder Ikea and their … Continue reading