The town of Otranto rests just before the tip of Italy’s boot heel in the Puglia region. Said to be Italy’s main port to the Orient for nearly 1,000 years, Otranto was fast asleep. Arriving later in the day on an empty stomach, I stumbled upon a restaurant still filled with diners. The owner I assumed, the Italian woman that wore the pants in her relationship with her husband, quickly told me they were closed but they would make me something quickly. As all of the other diners got up and left, I began wondering if I said something wrong or smelled of a long car ride. Regardless, her kindness Continue Reading
The Local Battle
This week, I am pleased to present a guest post from Annie Bettis of Wayward Traveller. I am proud to say I have actually had the opportunity to meet Annie while here in Florence. Aside from being an incredibly nice person, Annie is also extremely insightful about Italian life, living with Italians, and making the leap for travel experiences. She has spent the last 6 months living in Florence and recently launched her new travel blog, Wayward Traveller. I love Annie’s tagline, “Until I’ve seen it all”. Follow Annie on Twitter while giving this new travel writer a read and learn about life in Continue Reading
Next stop…Bangladesh? Knowing The Sincere From The Sketchy As A Solo Female Traveler
The train to the Rome airport is hot and sweaty. It smells of scents you don’t even want to know. The cobalt blue seats stick to legs just as the gum on the trash can next to me clings to the metal casing. As I wait for the train to depart, I am pleased to have a cabin all to myself. The train is far from full. Then, a foreign man pops his head in and asks in broken English, “Is free?”. I smile and nod, indicating that he can sit in one of the five open seats. Suddenly he multiplies into 5 people, bringing with him his entire clan. The even sweatier men pile in, smelling of lack of shower and Continue Reading
Suzy Stumbles Over Travel: Week of July 12, 2010
With patchy Internet this week and a road trip down to Puglia, Italy’s heel, I picked the wrong time to travel, especially with my stumbling test. Last week, I asked for more submissions so that I could continue this segment. If I didn’t receive them, I was going to stop the segment. I was completely blown away by the interest and submissions. Thank you everyone that participated and I hope you keep on participating. This segment will go on (cue applause). If you are new here, each week I ask readers and writers to submit their favorite travel posts of the week in the comment box below. Continue Reading
The Taj Mahal Wishes You Were Here
This week's "Wish You Were Here" photo comes from Andi of My Beautiful Adventures. She visits the Taj Mahal and encounters a colorful line you just might want to get behind. Be sure to check out Andi's travel site and follow her on twitter. She always seems to be jet-setting off to a new place. Traveling to the Taj Mahal had been a dream of mine since I was a young girl. So, when I was finally there several months ago I was completely overwhelmed by the fact that I was actually there, as well as the intense beauty all around me. I had just walked out of the inside of the Taj Mahal and was Continue Reading
Packing A Guide From Your Travel Role Model
A man walks up to a museum ticket window with his family waiting behind him. This scene plays out daily throughout the world. The leader of the pack is purchasing the tickets, braving the cultural confusion and language barriers for his family. However, this man is not your ordinary traveler. As he leans back on his heels to see the prices, he smiles at the man behind the glass window saying, “Let’s see, we have one student and three adults, and I’m 16, so student for me as well”. He says this with salt and pepper hair and clear hints of age older than 16 years. The twenty-something behind Continue Reading
Suzy Stumbles Over Travel: Week of July 5, 2010
Back in incredibly hot Florence, I bring you this week’s Suzy Stumbles Over Travel. I recently asked on Twitter to see if people were still enjoying this segment as the amount of submissions had dropped off significantly. While everyone expressed that they were still enjoying the stumbling, I received only 11 submissions this week. If you would like to see this segment continue, I strongly encourage you to submit posts you enjoy or your own travel posts and get the word out about this opportunity in any way you can. I enjoy reading and hopefully helping bring in some traffic for others. I Continue Reading