On our December round trip through Sicily, we spent a few days in the town of Trapani, on the northwest coast of this beautiful island. It seemed to us that this could be a perfect place to explore the western part of Sicily and to spend quiet Christmas days. TRAPANI Beautifully set on a promontory […]
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HIGHLIGHTS OF SLOVENIA
During our camper tour through Slovenia in September we have seen many beautiful and interesting spots. The weather was sunny and warm, which made our journey even more pleasant. We enjoyed the picturesque landscapes, the vibrant capital Ljubljana and we also visited some charming old towns. Of course, I am sure that there is a […]
5 HIGHLIGHTS OF EASTERN SICILY IN DECEMBER
We found it a special experience to explore Eastern Sicily during the winter period. In particular December appeared to be a great time, as Christmas was celebrated in a traditional way all around the island, with Christmas stall exhibitions, beautiful street decorations and bonfires (‘Zuccu’). While it was cooler and even snowy inland, we had […]
CHRISTMAS IN TAORMINA, SICILY
Keeping in mind that ‘our’ Christmas passes without any particular celebrations in Montenegro, we thought it a good idea to spend our winter holidays in Sicily, in the magnificent town of Taormina. There are not many regions that still retain unchanged Christmas traditions. We enjoyed our winter holidays in Puglia last year, with Christmas stall […]
THE RED CITY OF BOLOGNA
Most people know something about the reputation of Bologna as a university city, but the place has stayed off Italy’s well-beaten tourist track so far. Nevertheless, the capital of the Emilia-Romagna region, often called Italy’s gastronomic capital, makes a perfect weekend destination. Last weekend my daughter and I booked a trip to this beautiful city […]
ALBEROBELLO, THE TOWN OF TRULLI
Although I have visited the town of Alberobello several times, I wanted to explore it once more, but this time off-season. No wonder, a visit of Alberobello is one of the ‘must-see’ items on the itinerary of all tourists traveling to Puglia, which means that this ‘town of trulli’ is overcrowded during the summer season. […]
CHRISTMAS IN LECCE
There was a special reason for us to spend last Christmas in Southern Italy, with a specific accent on Lecce in Apulia (Puglia). Not so strange, as most expats in Montenegro miss the typical atmosphere that goes together with the (Catholic) Christmas time. Orthodox Christmas in Montenegro is celebrated two weeks later in a completely […]
MATERA, THE CITY OF CAVE DWELLINGS
Although I have crisscrossed Italy several times, I had never visited Matera, a town in the province of Basilicata, which is also known as ‘la Città Sotteranea’ (the Underground City) or ‘City of Cave Dwellings’. So when we spent our last Christmas holidays in southern Italy, one of our goals was to visit Matera – […]
A WINTER DAY IN AMSTERDAM
During our stay in the Netherlands this month, we got the opportunity to make a day trip to Amsterdam and visit the Amsterdam Light Festival. I had not been in Amsterdam for years: in summer I thought it would be too crowded and I could never guess that the city could also be attractive in […]
EATING BUGS IN CAMBODIA
The last country I visited during my round trip through Indochina was Cambodia. Once more, I had to change my western judgments and perceptions trying to understand how can people, after having survived the atrocities of the Pol Pot regime, greet you with a smile – amidst their heartbreaking poverty. And again, glaring contrasts, everywhere. […]