I keep making eye contact with the waiter. Eventually our eyes meet, mine of a more hopeful nature and his of avoidance. He comes around to every table of native Italians asking how their food is, making sure everything is up to par. For me, I am not so lucky. He comes by to take my order, bring me my food, and our relationship ends for the evening. Getting the check is a whole different story. After asking several times and no slip of white paper with Italian scribble produced, I am left with getting up and being “that diner” who heads up front to pay for no one will acknowledge their Continue Reading
Batty For Bolzano
I have found my perfect place, where the variety of food is actually existent, where Italian pizzazz meets Austrian order, where people don’t seem to speak English when I speak Italian or even Italian for that matter, where the setting doesn’t tell you exactly where you are. You may have to ask someone. Italy? Germany? Switzerland? Austria? Who knows, but no one seems to care. On a quest to get out of 100-degree temperatures in Florence, I did what I think every traveler does at one point or another, picks a spot on a map and just goes. Sure some research followed about this magical city Continue Reading
Travel Lessons From A 5,000 Year Old Iceman
One by one, they line up to pay their respects to an old man. Forming a snaking line, each person has their time to say hello and goodbye. What sounds like a normal funeral is somewhat different today. No one at this funeral knew the man behind the glass case. In fact, no one on the planet knew him. They don’t know his name. They don’t know the content of his character, the life he lived, or even why they are paying respects besides the fact that this man is 5,000 years old. The story of Ötzi, the Iceman, technically began between 3350 B.C. and 3100 B.C., before Stonehenge and the pyramids Continue Reading
Otranto, Italy Wishes You Were Here
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