I step inside what appears to be wall-to-wall red fabric with gold appliqué, large portraiture and dripping crystal. A man in a black suit greets me as he points me in the direction of the coat check. Still frozen from Vienna’s cold outside, I hesitate. Do I have to? I glance around at the opulence bombarding me and realize, yes, I have to. To be an aristocrat for dessert in Vienna you would never wear your coat indoors. Five minutes later, after peeling the various layers of coats, scarves and hats off of my frozen self, I rub my hands together for warmth as I am shown to my table by the Continue Reading
Suzy Stumbles Over Travel: Week of March 5, 2012
As I count the days until my weekend in Arizona for baseball’s spring training, I bring you this week’s Suzy Stumbles Over Travel. Each week I ask writers and readers to submit their favorite travel posts of the week. I read each submission, comment, post a link to the article on Twitter, stumble the piece using Stumbleupon and place a link to the submission on my Facebook page. The following week, I select my five favorite submission from last week to be featured here and the stumbling begins again into the next week. Just a few things to keep in mind, please only submit one post per Continue Reading
Trieste, Italy Wishes You Were Here
I knew I would like Trieste from the minute the city tried to knock me over. I’m not a subtle person. I have always preferred my destinations to speak up to me bluntly, just as I would do in any situation. This northern Italian city is known for the bora, Italian for the strong, cold and dry northeast wind dizzying the Adriatic. These northern winds tend to plague the Adriatic in winter and this winter day was no different. Speeds have been known to get up to over 150 kilometers per hour. As I wait to cross the road to Piazza Unitá d’Italia, I hang on tight like a father in the passenger seat Continue Reading
Traveling Weather or Not
When you go into battle, you must leave no patch of person uncovered, except the eyes. The window to the soul is not afraid of a little cold. I begin with the thickest of socks. Next comes the jacket, one I purchased in Slovenia, more like wrapping oneself in a down comforter. I add the one pair of gloves I brought, gloves that would become my second layer of hands. Next, I adorn the one hat I packed, a red wool beret I got in France. It was the easiest hat to pack and a hat I didn’t think I would be wearing every day for two weeks. I then add a silver scarf, probably more decorative than Continue Reading
Suzy Stumbles Over Travel: Week of February 27, 2012
As I impatiently wait for spring, I bring you this week’s Suzy Stumbles Over Travel. In case you are new to this site, each week, I ask writers and readers to submit their favorite travel posts of the week. I read each submission, comment, post the article to my Twitter, stumble the piece using Stumbleupon and place a link to the submission on my Facebook page. The following week, I select my five favorite submissions submitted last week to be featured here. The stumbling and blog promoting begins again into the next week. Just a few things to keep in mind, please leave a link to your Continue Reading
Zagreb, Croatia Wishes You Were Here
On the coldest of Thursday mornings, you can hear the shivers of locals wandering through Zagreb’s heart. Jelacic Square is the main orientation point in the Croatian capital. Trams drop off locals in this area in a rhythmic pattern on their way to a day of work. They travel ever so quietly I almost feel as though I shouldn’t make a sound. Perhaps Zagreb isn’t a morning person. Set up in Jelacic Square is an impressive and dominating statue by Anton Dominik Fernkorn. The statue represents Ban Josip Jelacic, the governor that lead the Croatian troops to battle with Hungary. The battle was Continue Reading
The Adventurer’s Great Backdoor
“A journey is a person in itself; no two are alike. And all plans, safeguards, policing, and coercion are fruitless. We find after years of struggle that we not take a trip; a trip takes us.” --John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley Every time he left his backdoor, a new adventure presented. In his early years, he was more adventurous, leaving all inhibitions behind in search of the unknown. In light or darkness, he would travel, encountering the most majestic of landscapes and the harshest, depending on the season. He gave new-age traveler types, those who say you only need what a backpack Continue Reading