Notes from Abroad – Page 3 – Shastified, Continued

Hiking in the Dolomites, Part 1: Panoramaweg

Abort, Abort!

Discovering the Südtirol

Suddenly my German skills are useful in Italy

17 July, 2018: From Florence we hopped a bus to the train station, then a train to La Spezia, where we changed to a small local train to our next destination. Cinque Terre is a long-famous (it inspired Dante, among many others) tourist hotspot on the Italian Riviera; five extraordinarily picturesque villages set among steeplyContinue reading “Cinque Terre”

Florence, part 2: Art and Food

11 July, 2018: Altogether we were in Florence for about a week, and saw more art than I could count or photograph. “Don’t forget to look up!” became our running refrain, as every building we entered had stunning frescoes and carvings on the ceilings.

Florence, part 1: Welcome to the City of Narrative

07 July, 2018: Florence! I landed fairly late, and took a taxi to the address of my Airbnb. It was a proper Italian taxi ride, complete with wild acceleration, sudden stops and turns, and the driver gesturing wildly from time to time. He was very nice, but he had a little trouble finding the addressContinue reading “Florence, part 1: Welcome to the City of Narrative”

The Softest Sand Yet

06 July, 2018: I mentioned two day trips from Lisbon; the first was to Sintra, and for the second (a week later), I went to the beach. I wasn’t quite well enough to go surfing, so I was aiming for a nice big beach, with a pleasant town or boardwalk to get my walking in,Continue reading “The Softest Sand Yet”

A Fine Day for Castling

I didn’t spend my entire time in Lisbon having pneumonia and eating pastry; I also left the city twice on day trips, once I was well enough to walk more than a block without having to take a nap immediately afterward. 30 June, 2018: What do you do after you’ve been basically laid up forContinue reading “A Fine Day for Castling”

The healing power of music and art (oh and also modern medicine): two weeks in Lisbon

23 June, 2018: After the week at the seaside with Debbie as my very kind nurse, and after a hellish day-long journey to Lisbon, I met my host and her cats and collapsed into bed. I had planned to visit the doctor the following Monday (I arrived on Saturday), and my host had offered toContinue reading “The healing power of music and art (oh and also modern medicine): two weeks in Lisbon”