Heading south from the Amalfi Coast, Paestum tucks away from the tourists and crowds that seem to linger solely at Pompeii. Having never heard of this ancient site, I figured it was worth the gamble to go see. The UNESCO listed temples of Paestum seem like a well-kept secret. With only a handful of tourists wandering around the site in the heat of summer, I could appreciate Paestum fully, letting my imagination run wild. All that can be heard amidst the reverberating locust’s song are the sounds of history lingering. The Greek settlement of Paestum contains some of the best-preserved Continue Reading
Praiano, Italy Wishes You Were Here
You might not know about Praiano. However, the name Positano may be familiar. Praiano rests a town down from the famous Amalfi Coast city. Positano is without a doubt more popular, while Praiano is subtle, quiet and small. I first visited Praiano with family, back when I fell in love with Italy in those incredibly awkward, there shouldn’t be any photos from that time, teen years. I remember walking down to a local restaurant on the water at night, in disbelief somewhere like Praiano existed. For my last birthday, I decided to head back down to Praiano. I knew it would be the perfect spot to Continue Reading
Freiburg, Germany Wishes You Were Here
This week’s Wish You Were Here post comes from Andrew Couch of Grounded Traveler. Andrew left the US to pursue work in Germany, where he became an expat, living and doing as the Germans do. Be sure to check out Grounded Traveler, follow Andrew on Twitter and enjoy Freiburg, Germany through his eyes. My newly adopted hometown of Freiburg is a university city nestled against the Black Forest near both the French and Swiss borders in the south west of Germany. They say it is the warmest and sunniest corner of Germany, which makes for wonderful times sitting outside with a beer, watching Continue Reading
Oia, Greece Wishes You Were Here
This week’s Wish You Were Here post comes from Danee of Museum Chick. Apart from being your ultimate museum lover, Danee is an excellent photographer. Be sure to check out Museum Chick, follow her on twitter and be incredibly jealous of Danee's words and photos below. After sweating in the 100+ degree heat in Athens, the Greek Islands were calling my name. Doing the Santorini-Mykonos two step by ferry may not have been original but it sure was beautiful. There is definitely a reason why Santorini is the most popular island visited in Greece and the “face” of many postcards featuring the Continue Reading
Switzerland Wishes You Were Here
My visit with Switzerland was short, yet relatively sweet. Swiss chocolates and fondue landed in between my sceneic drive just southeast of Lake Lucerne. Merely picking a squiggly road on the map, I set out with neither cheese nor chocolate but found the sweet Swiss landscape instead. I continued to drive amidst tiny villages with girls selling cheese on the side of the road and cows, lots and lots of cows. The cows in Switzerland seem to possess the same attitutde as the Swiss. They crowded the road and didn’t seem to care. Not even honking could move them. They are Swiss cows Continue Reading
Tirana, Albania Wishes You Were Here
This week's Wish You Were Here post comes from Cynthia of CynthiaOrd.com, Thoughts on Tourism, People and the Earth. Cynthia is fascinated with travel and tourism as an industry and its impacts. She likes to visit unlikely places and see how many people she can convince to go there. Be sure to check out her blog and follow her on twitter at @cynthiaord. In Tirana, Albania, the line between art and politics is a fine one. The current mayor, Edi Rama, began his career as a sculptor and painter. Although he is no longer a practicing artist, there are Continue Reading
Stockholm, Sweden Wishes You Were Here
Stockholm had just recovered from its royal wedding. It seemed as though most of the tourists had left town, deserting the city and leaving the streets empty. Well, that isn’t entirely true. Wandering around the city, random street art displays appear. A fox jumped out at me, but not in a menacing way. Meager, hopeful and understated, you have to watch where you walk in Stockholm. Head indoors in the city to its most popular museum and you will find all of those crowds missing in the streets. The Vasa Museum holds the Vasa Ship in remarkable condition. The ship sank in 1628 in the middle of Continue Reading