tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78539646675459992332024-02-07T08:04:54.683-05:00Chasing the Sun WestEvan Rich PhorographyEvanRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12224647599798499801noreply@blogger.comBlogger121125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7853964667545999233.post-71840972865486490492010-04-26T20:14:00.001-04:002010-04-27T11:36:43.003-04:0040,000 milesI am now sitting back on the east coast of the United States and starting to add up all of those whacky cab rides, rough flights, wet boat trips, and long treks. 31,000 miles by plane, 5,000 miles by car and bus, 3,000 miles on trains, 500 miles by boat, and at least 500 miles by foot. By my math that puts us at about 40,000 miles travelled over the last seven months. Not too shabby. A lot of this trip was up in the air when we took off on that first flight. Our original around-the-world tickets only had about a dozen stops. Most of those stops ended up being hubs for other trips and exploration. In the end the basic route ended up something like:<br />
<br />
New York, USA > Chicago, USA > Tokyo, Japan > Nara, Japan > Osaka, Japan > Kyoto, Japan > Tokyo, Japan > Bangkok, Thailand > Surat Thani, Thailand > Koh Phangan, Thailand > Koh Tao, Thailand > Surat Thani, Thailand > Bangkok, Thailand > Siem Reape, Cambodia > Phnom Penh, Cambodia > Pakse, Laos > Vientiane, Laos > Vang Vienne, Laos > Vientiane, Laos > Bangkok, Thailand > Singapore > Kuala Lumpur, Maylasia > Bali, Indonesia > Jakarta, Indonesia > Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Maylasia > Kuala Lumpur, Maylasia > Bangkok, Thailand > Kolkota, India > Kathmandu, Nepal > Lukla, Nepal > Kathmandu, Nepal > New Delhi, India > London, England > Paris, France > Lyon, France > Milan, Italy > Venice, Italy > Rome, Italy > Naples, Italy > Palermo, Sicily, Italy > Scaccia, Sicily, Italy > London, England > Oxford, England > Guitting Power, England > London England > Reykjavik, Iceland > New York, USA<br />
<br />
There were plenty of side trips along the way that I can not even come close to nailing down in any sort of coherent list here. But the basic map of the trip looks something like this...<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>EvanRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12224647599798499801noreply@blogger.com1New York, NY, USA40.7142691 -74.005972940.4540391 -74.472891900000008 40.9744991 -73.5390539tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7853964667545999233.post-86927624409059206442010-03-28T15:03:00.001-04:002010-04-26T20:15:20.064-04:00If I knew it was gonna be this kind of party...Iceland is the only place on land where the tectonic plate on which Europe and Africa lie meet the one that North and South America lie. The friction between these two plates has produced an island littered with volcanos. It is also littered with geothermal vents and much of the island is heated and powered from geothermal energy. A trip to the center of the island and you can find <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geysir">Geysir</a>, the original geyser and the one from which all other geysers are named. It is frigidly cold here and you can see the eruptions and associated steam rise up from the horizon six miles away from this angry little cauldron. However, on the more pleasant side of things you can find hot springs all over that despite the 20f air remain at a nice and inviting temp of around 110f. The most famous spring on the island, and possibly the world, being the<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Lagoon_(geothermal_spa)"> Blue Lagoon</a>. It is an amazing little spot, a huge pool of warm and toasty water, a refuge from the frosty air, a fountain of youth coated with silica mud to rejuvenate the skin, and a memorable end to our trip.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho2TTmT8IdTDACn9DpNue4L6YN-2L5074BRZE5Eju1sqEmrQG9runG-E3yP30c23tLa3Ex08IJsxjE6P4i93RLYT5WskSePcYeEplwgR3YYWfOjnwp8iPSycrxyCucVXgeFrCl0eD7vdmQ/s1600/Iceland+Circle+(78)1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho2TTmT8IdTDACn9DpNue4L6YN-2L5074BRZE5Eju1sqEmrQG9runG-E3yP30c23tLa3Ex08IJsxjE6P4i93RLYT5WskSePcYeEplwgR3YYWfOjnwp8iPSycrxyCucVXgeFrCl0eD7vdmQ/s640/Iceland+Circle+(78)1.jpg" width="444" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgwRE7MXSGYTCXk9GoQvxL9_rELK4LnmxApls0HRmIh4fHaROM_Rdi8J_-FdFzC2BZGgVCQh71USoctWO5kM4wRDbiz0mn7vBXzEfuODtiWwDMgvpXntFmtlsGtN-phatsw884euKTjUyF/s1600/HDR+Iceland+Blue+Lagoon+(13)_4)_5)-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgwRE7MXSGYTCXk9GoQvxL9_rELK4LnmxApls0HRmIh4fHaROM_Rdi8J_-FdFzC2BZGgVCQh71USoctWO5kM4wRDbiz0mn7vBXzEfuODtiWwDMgvpXntFmtlsGtN-phatsw884euKTjUyF/s640/HDR+Iceland+Blue+Lagoon+(13)_4)_5)-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>EvanRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12224647599798499801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7853964667545999233.post-38067112583855653222010-03-27T15:15:00.001-04:002010-04-26T15:32:40.933-04:00Lights in the skyThere are a few things I have left on my list of things to do before I die. Only a few of those things have been on the list since I first started to think about things such as this. But fortunately, the timing worked out and I have knocked off one of those things I wanted to do. We headed out around 9pm as the late sun was setting and headed east from Reykjavik over the hills and into the tundra. We waited outside in the cold, the frosty dry cold, under a full moon. We were worried we would get skunked due to the full moon and time of year. See, the day gets longer by more than 10 minutes per day this time of year in Iceland and we were just nearing the cusp where nightfall fades away into eternal daylight and the nights were no longer as dark as you would expect. But we waited and were rewarded. The northern lights, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora_(astronomy)">aurora borealis</a>, started to appear as a faint light on the horizon and then quickly fired up and blasted its way above our heads and all around us. Amazing.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF-CA51zUMVFC9vt5LcsmHQLFvrVqsvLWrRESD9hOxUw5z6IxqyX-kEf0mMMxKbGAvPv9y2XaI4-1390nJp9B9YEoR5ufXAjcWK5iwjhVJocBeGPuy9fWCShPIOlfpPNbvE2-qlpyMEupZ/s1600/Iceland+Aurora+(6)-1+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF-CA51zUMVFC9vt5LcsmHQLFvrVqsvLWrRESD9hOxUw5z6IxqyX-kEf0mMMxKbGAvPv9y2XaI4-1390nJp9B9YEoR5ufXAjcWK5iwjhVJocBeGPuy9fWCShPIOlfpPNbvE2-qlpyMEupZ/s640/Iceland+Aurora+(6)-1+copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhymP0cEt6YQpd3UlzMsNhczFDkTphkG_AW7ZnWh_GYoYkqdsZPhaMpOCzuWdmVgGN-h-9Iepl6BCZAqV1wyI_M9ENGV1ibbobfM_Sxe5YAce2FrXloeaVjrHp3YAjcXTVHqAmRlwRCuHpy/s1600/Iceland+Aurora+(18)-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhymP0cEt6YQpd3UlzMsNhczFDkTphkG_AW7ZnWh_GYoYkqdsZPhaMpOCzuWdmVgGN-h-9Iepl6BCZAqV1wyI_M9ENGV1ibbobfM_Sxe5YAce2FrXloeaVjrHp3YAjcXTVHqAmRlwRCuHpy/s400/Iceland+Aurora+(18)-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho1SmHryvI0Gi1ZJwL73QC4x0IJiul2TM4qu9BbR5jil32yhbyURmKM4GaWD1C23zFIXpOA8rMdLmuK9M0ikkFyK4NQVyOmANp1lMmFNfoHHYI9NphoQ2bqrIQtC2Kib_Iz8JqVVYZ9rCR/s1600/Iceland+Aurora+(7)-1+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho1SmHryvI0Gi1ZJwL73QC4x0IJiul2TM4qu9BbR5jil32yhbyURmKM4GaWD1C23zFIXpOA8rMdLmuK9M0ikkFyK4NQVyOmANp1lMmFNfoHHYI9NphoQ2bqrIQtC2Kib_Iz8JqVVYZ9rCR/s640/Iceland+Aurora+(7)-1+copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>EvanRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12224647599798499801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7853964667545999233.post-75933827773736841502010-03-26T14:52:00.001-04:002010-04-26T20:25:50.921-04:00Ice and fireAs soon as we landed in Iceland we started to hear rumors of the possibility of a volcanic eruption. Lucky for us the top popped two days latter. We jumped into the Toyota Yaris and joined the convoy of monster vans that had taken the opportunity to launch tour trips out to the national park where the big guy was spitting fire and ash. We made it pretty far into the national park until we came upon a river crossing, and this I am sad to say is where the Yaris finally failed us. We ditched the car and started trekking, but after throwing up our thumbs we were picked up by the first Icelanders passing by. So we jumped into the lifted SUV and chatted up the locals and their two dogs along for the ride. We finally got out about as close as we could to the volcano on its second day of its eruption. It was not much of a spectacle, but it was definitely starting to get angry. Of course the Icelanders were all concerned since the eruption of the little volcano Eyjafjallajokull which is currently erupting has preceded the eruption of the much bigger and meaner Katla every time in recorded history. Well, no Katla eruption yet. In the pic below you can see in the upper left the beginning of the eruption that soon will follow.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCo_8R9cYGXvuhjq9RKm1SHaK_rZBgvTcPTMO-Y8Yv9pYltOP7FEakIK4yfq1IioDzPl4VDSM-A3r6tlWlO-hdrU3msDJUH8E3ZMwS1mDWKF_6pbrWaR78Xv8d-qJ8KX7DrMiXJwFbgebS/s1600/Iceland+Circle+(160)1-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCo_8R9cYGXvuhjq9RKm1SHaK_rZBgvTcPTMO-Y8Yv9pYltOP7FEakIK4yfq1IioDzPl4VDSM-A3r6tlWlO-hdrU3msDJUH8E3ZMwS1mDWKF_6pbrWaR78Xv8d-qJ8KX7DrMiXJwFbgebS/s640/Iceland+Circle+(160)1-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>EvanRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12224647599798499801noreply@blogger.com0Eyjafjalla Glacier, Iceland63.6283027 -19.605351563.3233047 -20.539189500000003 63.9333007 -18.6715135tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7853964667545999233.post-38875018234136319462010-03-26T14:49:00.000-04:002010-04-26T15:03:38.552-04:00Fat man on a little horseFor the life of me I could not imagine a viking riding one of these petite little guys that roam all over the tundra of Iceland.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQEAaXgBMFUn46Otd_-Zz7p1sfZBr8EOVjWMrLXUJAIS0bLtH8F0uVaoTtoShifsHRtY_WQFv0uLacB94MWO0nvQQIv4b3tXGNS6zwc5Z2BPb5CtFwCSQBzCTEyFDFP4c1ph6SHfyUlhkA/s1600/Iceland+Circle+(16)1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQEAaXgBMFUn46Otd_-Zz7p1sfZBr8EOVjWMrLXUJAIS0bLtH8F0uVaoTtoShifsHRtY_WQFv0uLacB94MWO0nvQQIv4b3tXGNS6zwc5Z2BPb5CtFwCSQBzCTEyFDFP4c1ph6SHfyUlhkA/s640/Iceland+Circle+(16)1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi03JvkLszPGfGzMofsh7zHJzBZ6QOuT5_I1TTGNVJaS1hYWdr0wYjVSou3JvF16kFW9KeTkjvzgef4T86T9NXik-5qxH7mTg9jDZdGRy6fXHOgnPS2O7qEzkrgFADtsS9XnYCxql9y3Qvh/s1600/Iceland+Circle+(30)+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi03JvkLszPGfGzMofsh7zHJzBZ6QOuT5_I1TTGNVJaS1hYWdr0wYjVSou3JvF16kFW9KeTkjvzgef4T86T9NXik-5qxH7mTg9jDZdGRy6fXHOgnPS2O7qEzkrgFADtsS9XnYCxql9y3Qvh/s640/Iceland+Circle+(30)+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>EvanRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12224647599798499801noreply@blogger.com0Hella, Iceland63.8333333 -20.463.8144083 -20.458364999999997 63.8522583 -20.341635tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7853964667545999233.post-66725490882205941092010-03-26T14:20:00.000-04:002010-04-26T14:43:11.202-04:00The land that stole my automotive heartReykjavik is a really cool city, where about 70% of Iceland's population lives, but if you really want to see some interesting things you need to get out and do some exploring. There is a pretty robust tour industry here, but I have always been a champion of the good ol' rental car to find some real adventure. It seems other than one or two main cross island byways there is not much in the way of paved roads on the island. I guess it makes sense being that whatever surface it may be is actually covered by snow and ice (or ash in recent weeks) for 80% of the year. To my amazement, the daily driver out here for many Icelanders is a lifted SUV with 44" tires (some even much bigger). Hell, even the ambulances and school buses have 44" tires to plough through all of that pure white powder in the depths of winter. That practically qualifies as a monster truck. So I knew I would be at a disadvantage renting a Toyota Yaris, but I have more than my fare share of off-roading experience and I know most of what it takes is skill not size. If only it were an option to rent myself a Wrangler lifted into the skies I would have jumped at the chance, but I had no luck finding anything of the sort. Anyway... the Yaris did just fine as we covered nearly half of this frostbitten land.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX5eIXxBIfIbRtimVHTQPLTRwVYLI_EghLati86uLQxc9Nbxif0KQLR9oj1KFW0mO8bWXBMuWZ4wGpyglwmewh6AzMxD1HB0AIUwpx2uy4vw-S0qqBS7YJV1PRfLkb45ujQ26doET7JoBi/s1600/HDR+Iceland+Circle+(107)_8)_9)+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX5eIXxBIfIbRtimVHTQPLTRwVYLI_EghLati86uLQxc9Nbxif0KQLR9oj1KFW0mO8bWXBMuWZ4wGpyglwmewh6AzMxD1HB0AIUwpx2uy4vw-S0qqBS7YJV1PRfLkb45ujQ26doET7JoBi/s640/HDR+Iceland+Circle+(107)_8)_9)+copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjriFTpPnnBb5qwVQAiG74ORKpVJolonU8eJBjWugEu0wfpTi1wbZVgKnaJbAkyqr9951bYeAU-RQ8HZYjF4GDNhwmtSLIAVwKqYrMWGNz6dNbAF4CAaLt_bpEt-CKvlXR47-SL7kVFrqdl/s1600/Iceland%20Circle%20(115).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjriFTpPnnBb5qwVQAiG74ORKpVJolonU8eJBjWugEu0wfpTi1wbZVgKnaJbAkyqr9951bYeAU-RQ8HZYjF4GDNhwmtSLIAVwKqYrMWGNz6dNbAF4CAaLt_bpEt-CKvlXR47-SL7kVFrqdl/s400/Iceland%20Circle%20(115).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxZyiL507WM4j5ehwwjqiGG0QvPFzfUUeVztVCXf0iqV18q3qqo-rriSPdD_wxVuW0z_oSR753yylZ9A-zJkSC8wfR4aEgohDWhIufHKfgIQA2TuPjCIxsSj6DXD6w9UYppUL0gy4HCzIn/s1600/HDR+Iceland+Circle+(119)_20)_21)-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxZyiL507WM4j5ehwwjqiGG0QvPFzfUUeVztVCXf0iqV18q3qqo-rriSPdD_wxVuW0z_oSR753yylZ9A-zJkSC8wfR4aEgohDWhIufHKfgIQA2TuPjCIxsSj6DXD6w9UYppUL0gy4HCzIn/s640/HDR+Iceland+Circle+(119)_20)_21)-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>EvanRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12224647599798499801noreply@blogger.com0Hella, Iceland63.8333333 -20.463.8144083 -20.458364999999997 63.8522583 -20.341635tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7853964667545999233.post-19389718796872114432010-03-25T14:20:00.001-04:002010-04-26T14:49:27.273-04:00Waterfalls everywhereIceland is a great spot for waterfall hunting. Although the air is frigid in the spring around 20f and the wind whipping across the barren landscape it is really amazing. Even though the spray coats and freezes every inch of your body, including your eyeballs, within five minutes of checking one of these bad boys out. The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gullfoss">Gullfoss</a> is one of the most popular sites in Iceland and pretty impressive. Lucky for us we ended befriending some local Icelanders after a hitch-hiking adventure out to Eyjafjallajökull and found a real hidden treat. The last picture is of a waterfall which has been buried since the eruption. These pictures were taken just the second day after the volcano began erupting.<br />
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It is a pretty amazing site situated atop a hill overlooking a very nice creek on some very well maintained grounds with the mega moat making it all official. The 60ft tall trebuchet is the pièce de résistance. Unfortunately we arrived bit too late to witness this magnificent accomplishment of human engineering launch some flaming balls of fiery fire across the grounds, but my trip here was made by a more unexpected find within the state rooms of the castle. For some reason one of previous residents of the castle (perhaps King Henry II or King Edward IV) put on display a horn of the unicorn of the sea. Not only was it a narwhal horn, but apparently it was a single horn from a rare dual horned narwhal... I am left in awe. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-UGYSaZKHdfKeCf0-ZntyHEI94mITOMkyS-vnfwD8HlMC7oRwr1IFxIMGLCbEpGbb3uhNBzVkk0-3cprmna1kNOHZ0pAHFzKffAut6W6gBuv8D4JkG_pxokLy6l2NOvllUdNtwtossh0F/s1600-h/Warwick+Castle+(38)2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-UGYSaZKHdfKeCf0-ZntyHEI94mITOMkyS-vnfwD8HlMC7oRwr1IFxIMGLCbEpGbb3uhNBzVkk0-3cprmna1kNOHZ0pAHFzKffAut6W6gBuv8D4JkG_pxokLy6l2NOvllUdNtwtossh0F/s640/Warwick+Castle+(38)2.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMgFtaemU2gNoK_NZOsQQBJ35CkEPaCCnzmbrMkMrpOjZg7QfSfo771KQqyXLqfDOFkADjF_cE5i3tpaWBw4pSdDiWHvcXFc31fvCcLOMJEmB7QwCeZmxrn8JP929p9MX3G5H9moxnP4bd/s1600-h/Warwick%20Castle%20(61)1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMgFtaemU2gNoK_NZOsQQBJ35CkEPaCCnzmbrMkMrpOjZg7QfSfo771KQqyXLqfDOFkADjF_cE5i3tpaWBw4pSdDiWHvcXFc31fvCcLOMJEmB7QwCeZmxrn8JP929p9MX3G5H9moxnP4bd/s400/Warwick%20Castle%20(61)1.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7yhi4LVDooya-Q5ArqrC_9NZbk4b8gD6pHJxZUKWBztbqinDTWdGmbiL1Lw_1PnYec86l8XEmwoDMY4zzPjD9WKiL3xVhZGC13xAYUhf1ApwpzXLqaRinJvkrQ01AtJUT6V_zuUPEDVnR/s1600-h/Guiting%20Power%20(9).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7yhi4LVDooya-Q5ArqrC_9NZbk4b8gD6pHJxZUKWBztbqinDTWdGmbiL1Lw_1PnYec86l8XEmwoDMY4zzPjD9WKiL3xVhZGC13xAYUhf1ApwpzXLqaRinJvkrQ01AtJUT6V_zuUPEDVnR/s640/Guiting%20Power%20(9).jpg" width="640" /></a></div>EvanRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12224647599798499801noreply@blogger.com0Warwick, UK52.2819432 -1.584471152.2294342 -1.7012006 52.3344522 -1.4677416tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7853964667545999233.post-29305168979139206682010-02-13T06:42:00.025-05:002010-02-16T07:01:35.671-05:00Market fresh<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">A major revelation for me after all of this travelling has been in the differences in eating habits across the world. In many parts of the world you can't find a supermarket because there are none, in large part because people are only interested in fresh foods not processed foods. And if you are going after fresh foods, large supermarket chains will not cut the mustard so the day markets are where people pick up the goods for dinner. Sicily is no exception. More fresh veggies, fruit, fish (including monster swordfish layed up on the butcher's block), cheese and breads than you can shake an olive branch at. Jammed packed with shoppers and noisy from the competing yells offering rock bottom deals on olives, spices, and artichokes it is not just a shopping trip but a life experience.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIGqOegiQC0OsdK6_zxOQBl3bp2XPakZG0WUE51tbG6mtQBaiCgfEg5CtSsaZmukejH1eBbcnwKw81aYVSC9sxMLc9HLvyMlqa_-JUUo6MzJtLHytzgt0D3JIRNvrPIAlGAH1bZRVA7R8D/s1600-h/Sciacca%20(36).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIGqOegiQC0OsdK6_zxOQBl3bp2XPakZG0WUE51tbG6mtQBaiCgfEg5CtSsaZmukejH1eBbcnwKw81aYVSC9sxMLc9HLvyMlqa_-JUUo6MzJtLHytzgt0D3JIRNvrPIAlGAH1bZRVA7R8D/s640/Sciacca%20(36).jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL6OGOwCp7cxBMs0lkRE7DTRo5PRaNjYBiuS3R8WNIf1b3ezHa93m6TpyYB0cqAZE-XDpWAyS1LxqsoVS2o6Zfg-Viie2q6upiM6fvX2ldA84FuIfugmgEJJkCj03xlTwTBG_bKK9FhHps/s1600-h/Sciacca%20(55).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL6OGOwCp7cxBMs0lkRE7DTRo5PRaNjYBiuS3R8WNIf1b3ezHa93m6TpyYB0cqAZE-XDpWAyS1LxqsoVS2o6Zfg-Viie2q6upiM6fvX2ldA84FuIfugmgEJJkCj03xlTwTBG_bKK9FhHps/s400/Sciacca%20(55).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtfsdP6P_T2ICr4hnd3ySgerLB1ZRWMEr0pW4tFXwmoqa58BfhM0wosEeJS2nAy8UzkJVuIHC-KMlw3I1w8PNw-kynxFTgppoTpMv66q3VXxNGmxmPVfnC7J5d1mNK_ZqNotRhCNlk-yK8/s1600-h/Sciacca%20(71).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtfsdP6P_T2ICr4hnd3ySgerLB1ZRWMEr0pW4tFXwmoqa58BfhM0wosEeJS2nAy8UzkJVuIHC-KMlw3I1w8PNw-kynxFTgppoTpMv66q3VXxNGmxmPVfnC7J5d1mNK_ZqNotRhCNlk-yK8/s640/Sciacca%20(71).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaoK87bqrMqAvlaX1XDrbAoTKmNXC9jq5f41oCyr9H5Zk6ADplv14NckJCtpSnHMg_skMn3vWm2WqLWYPowPVEHDAs697v7RYK6qDKo21EwkgKyGtl2iw0RNsNURQdgrm-uYfDRDptmT_e/s1600-h/Sciacca%20(58).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaoK87bqrMqAvlaX1XDrbAoTKmNXC9jq5f41oCyr9H5Zk6ADplv14NckJCtpSnHMg_skMn3vWm2WqLWYPowPVEHDAs697v7RYK6qDKo21EwkgKyGtl2iw0RNsNURQdgrm-uYfDRDptmT_e/s400/Sciacca%20(58).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFFTQ_U6keCap8wExuSXSDyS9bRV-y_0goXT1mr_HcoWr0nkTg3E6NX4jUxb080myxVrlT0kcx0HJEVetEImK6W33T7aafQYN5n-I6Z5A-BZG4OscoUwBdXWuKQfhPPno_1QzIr1nmqZsq/s1600-h/Sciacca%20(50).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFFTQ_U6keCap8wExuSXSDyS9bRV-y_0goXT1mr_HcoWr0nkTg3E6NX4jUxb080myxVrlT0kcx0HJEVetEImK6W33T7aafQYN5n-I6Z5A-BZG4OscoUwBdXWuKQfhPPno_1QzIr1nmqZsq/s640/Sciacca%20(50).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkNiBsJX6AuZwVbhRN5uv74qcLk7u6gAH1YVDHihTlQ9XQ1GnwOAzuYOVub7537lSMQ9BkY9VK_7175urMOR42BINgAc-lICcuoYRr3bFYZ7TVa85IgYNvlC2WV8x9KhQRI0pFyrPdky-d/s1600-h/Sciacca%20(56).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkNiBsJX6AuZwVbhRN5uv74qcLk7u6gAH1YVDHihTlQ9XQ1GnwOAzuYOVub7537lSMQ9BkY9VK_7175urMOR42BINgAc-lICcuoYRr3bFYZ7TVa85IgYNvlC2WV8x9KhQRI0pFyrPdky-d/s400/Sciacca%20(56).jpg" width="400" /></a></div>EvanRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12224647599798499801noreply@blogger.com1Palermo, Italy38.1156193 13.361375837.9805608 13.127916299999999 38.2506778 13.5948353tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7853964667545999233.post-9746696382893876532010-02-11T09:03:00.006-05:002010-02-15T09:47:09.377-05:00The motherlandNot satisfied being limited by train travel, a car rental was in order to get ourselves around the island of Sicily. A night or two in Palermo on the north coast gave us a chance to fill our bellies before heading south through the mountains to the south coast. Yeah sure, the Sicilian cities of Palermo and Sciacca are nice but the real beauty of the land lines in the rolling hills covered in olive, orange, and lemon trees as well as the obligatory vineyards. The small villages perched atop magnificent granite peaks overlooking the valley and farmlands you pass through while cutting through the center of this beautiful island are really the heart of Sicily. Many of them well known such as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corleone">Corleone</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caltabellotta">Caltabellotta</a> as birthplace and home to infamous mafioso families. You might even be able to gauge the likelihood of crooked noses in each village by the number of bullet holes and shotgun spray blasts in the signs 'welcoming' you to each village... some of them hardly legible from all of the scars. Despite, or possibly because of, our collision with a white-out blizzard crossing the mountains and a forced crossing of a roadway washed out by a major landslide I recommend a road trip as the necessary way to travel Sicily to get the most accurate flavor of this land... ahhhh adventure...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRe8nfDniaaIF7YNPYEH9BZjpHCAaMZZK9YnJaYcWSShQNjpj8A_B8CJgH6ZNLMI54wkO5deLvd3WXTlxT_ayKgiTqFISBc0gl2lNMjywQBmKOF4yUx5VIshGIlHXfAYDtuuT8dt7h4Q-5/s1600-h/Sicily+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRe8nfDniaaIF7YNPYEH9BZjpHCAaMZZK9YnJaYcWSShQNjpj8A_B8CJgH6ZNLMI54wkO5deLvd3WXTlxT_ayKgiTqFISBc0gl2lNMjywQBmKOF4yUx5VIshGIlHXfAYDtuuT8dt7h4Q-5/s640/Sicily+(2).jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0sJIpPjP1n6E0P9UGDtjsC9zMaAivSjjN4E0ltKOots9Uq0gytfYIcNpxjeH2Jxlm3pQ24KLzlDFALIkAW6-8qoW769hWBT5IOD3RzdKqn1Wb1-v_ioPI0LNjKUkHCC_YhcjiPPcDTRkl/s1600-h/Sicily.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0sJIpPjP1n6E0P9UGDtjsC9zMaAivSjjN4E0ltKOots9Uq0gytfYIcNpxjeH2Jxlm3pQ24KLzlDFALIkAW6-8qoW769hWBT5IOD3RzdKqn1Wb1-v_ioPI0LNjKUkHCC_YhcjiPPcDTRkl/s640/Sicily.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>EvanRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12224647599798499801noreply@blogger.com0Caltabellotta AG, Italy37.57857 13.217717737.442524999999996 12.9842582 37.714615 13.4511772tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7853964667545999233.post-66117507917811704272010-02-09T08:53:00.002-05:002010-02-15T09:03:50.641-05:00Put that train where?The next leg of the journey was more of a marathon than a sprint at 11 hours from Napoli to Palermo, Sicily. Naturally a bit of a nap was in order... it also gave us a chance to rest our vino soaked livers. So I was a bit confused when I woke up halfway through our trip and realize that our train was indoors and everyone was gone. With the train doors open I jump out only to realize our train had been loaded onto a freighter ship. Apparently the Sicilians have no need for bridges, they prefer the old fashioned method of crossing open water via boat... and that even goes for trains trying to cross open water. So if you ever train it to Sicily, enjoy the ride.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga8uwCrCY-kzcZbq5pwY3FluFWJPsT1oOUkaUe-U8rEl4iYF7Vn3ZUB7T71PdEwFCXpxxHY_t8kXeZ_lU9eHvGGeYNOd6cDoQW5w0zXrQOIVDMnEq8__dEQqwSqkTBcviITQ4d5TzUVbq5/s1600-h/Boat%20Train%20(11).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga8uwCrCY-kzcZbq5pwY3FluFWJPsT1oOUkaUe-U8rEl4iYF7Vn3ZUB7T71PdEwFCXpxxHY_t8kXeZ_lU9eHvGGeYNOd6cDoQW5w0zXrQOIVDMnEq8__dEQqwSqkTBcviITQ4d5TzUVbq5/s400/Boat%20Train%20(11).jpg" width="400" /></a></div>EvanRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12224647599798499801noreply@blogger.com0Messina ME, Italy38.1923323 15.555523238.057417799999996 15.3220637 38.3272468 15.7889827tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7853964667545999233.post-33851941242705056412010-02-07T08:27:00.025-05:002010-02-15T09:49:46.688-05:00Hot lava<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pompeii">Pompeii</a> is not just a historic ruin, it is an entire mind blowing historic ruin city. It is massive by any globe trekkers measure. We lucked out by visiting it in mid-winter when there were only a handful of the 3M visitors per year that visit the site, and strangely on the same day that <a href="http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/Yj4BhI31MvH/Leonardo+DiCaprio+Bar+Refaeli+Tour+Pompeii">Leonardo DiCaprio and Bar Refaeli were visiting</a>. All of the construction is in amazingly good condition for being two millennia old. Walking the streets of Pompeii and peering inside the shops at the serving counters, indoor pools, beds in the brothels, rooms with well preserved frescos really gives you the ability to put yourself back in the time when the city was alive. The sense of immersion really makes a visit to this site an impressive experience.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Cnf7ew6T4R4e642xz-i9Zx9d8kq1mZLaVZ5oZdX3d42lJSJMeO178FcNdyQrM4tr4QnUzrlir-xlupzhswlGTO46OtA56ynKPDp6jTk3zE8eD1JMGJVCDsyhDtsYPU1LmBrNJybHHSXl/s1600-h/Pompeii+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Cnf7ew6T4R4e642xz-i9Zx9d8kq1mZLaVZ5oZdX3d42lJSJMeO178FcNdyQrM4tr4QnUzrlir-xlupzhswlGTO46OtA56ynKPDp6jTk3zE8eD1JMGJVCDsyhDtsYPU1LmBrNJybHHSXl/s640/Pompeii+(2).jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE6Upzw6am3VTGQDZHBElDKZC9GcbppFVdnTZXqp7V_FoDErpzG0TklDUjwy6Nz3BXMk4jJbbL36Fd6WXZnMVnODwXo4Xjo_vx8ymq15y84CwH2v3yy4DDiL_YfrGHwFm3NKq31mpH1_kX/s1600-h/Pompeii+(5).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE6Upzw6am3VTGQDZHBElDKZC9GcbppFVdnTZXqp7V_FoDErpzG0TklDUjwy6Nz3BXMk4jJbbL36Fd6WXZnMVnODwXo4Xjo_vx8ymq15y84CwH2v3yy4DDiL_YfrGHwFm3NKq31mpH1_kX/s640/Pompeii+(5).jpg" width="426" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg99T4jx_IVE20QiZ5B6DK4JAqkFxNL_ItK9dwnavHhzI4kOEar62wRzAOc3SaGYAvZk3JQe70Oi4vkAfpulDHyj97BeVg9YJGy8_Wr63mIU53Zo8E-PvnB0Ox0u8UxumkqbpBkSKqCqTZa/s1600-h/Pompeii.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg99T4jx_IVE20QiZ5B6DK4JAqkFxNL_ItK9dwnavHhzI4kOEar62wRzAOc3SaGYAvZk3JQe70Oi4vkAfpulDHyj97BeVg9YJGy8_Wr63mIU53Zo8E-PvnB0Ox0u8UxumkqbpBkSKqCqTZa/s640/Pompeii.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCknXBI4EYXQM52xR0cLvVbWQknJ7jK8uIjNQPD9lqvAYirF7GkdEL6f24xyU9sI61WoZAJHpEwPC4a4OMR_mvEoRGl4vx_MaIlWK0Z8bD1AuVRlsFdqfs43E9Tiy0ocsTSodColiiYUTz/s1600-h/Pompeii+(4).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCknXBI4EYXQM52xR0cLvVbWQknJ7jK8uIjNQPD9lqvAYirF7GkdEL6f24xyU9sI61WoZAJHpEwPC4a4OMR_mvEoRGl4vx_MaIlWK0Z8bD1AuVRlsFdqfs43E9Tiy0ocsTSodColiiYUTz/s400/Pompeii+(4).jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlxfzfMNciJ7QL6FsTJpZ-PrOZJkB0kZ5p9IWN9bCfwwT6YC4s9XPsVoHTr8N7W_Gakiwh9R4vuz9dRybIlBMb1m4GkTV-AF0p0QoeAKcqOQJysMgI-XqRKojHD_BSJnwIrZLcyOlOsa_a/s1600-h/Pompeii+(3).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlxfzfMNciJ7QL6FsTJpZ-PrOZJkB0kZ5p9IWN9bCfwwT6YC4s9XPsVoHTr8N7W_Gakiwh9R4vuz9dRybIlBMb1m4GkTV-AF0p0QoeAKcqOQJysMgI-XqRKojHD_BSJnwIrZLcyOlOsa_a/s640/Pompeii+(3).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>EvanRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12224647599798499801noreply@blogger.com0Pompei NA, Italy40.7491819 14.500738540.716670400000005 14.4423735 40.7816934 14.5591035tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7853964667545999233.post-87585496701702449822010-02-05T08:07:00.020-05:002010-02-15T09:49:06.869-05:00History around every corner<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">The really cool aspect of Rome is that every corner you turn you bump into a piece of history older than the USA itself... be several centuries. The aqueducts still remain and cut through the city like veins invariably leading you to some awesome historic treasures. The wine is still cheap and the pizza comes by the kilo, not the slice. The best advice is to ditch the map and get yourself lost in the backstreets and happen upon some lesser known churches, archaeological sites, and pizza joints with cheap wine and good eats. It is next to impossible to have a bad time in this city, avoid learning something new in each mile you walk, or find yourself with a bad plate of food... and that is really what makes this city so great.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBXzIRdFuhm_pZQIf9V77ilY2mORk6-MhWPB-ELf0F_LfjWS3IfunizwlTKo3w09FKQluCO2fpg398nGkE3SS8dn5r29gtIJTPDycdrkzQKh8ln4y3NEkirluDu4DjS12UZSvDQOwxGvZm/s1600-h/Rome+(5).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBXzIRdFuhm_pZQIf9V77ilY2mORk6-MhWPB-ELf0F_LfjWS3IfunizwlTKo3w09FKQluCO2fpg398nGkE3SS8dn5r29gtIJTPDycdrkzQKh8ln4y3NEkirluDu4DjS12UZSvDQOwxGvZm/s640/Rome+(5).jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWAGunGHckOEcCzZ5OHxgFPCPBAooiGzinfkyQ7LY1dTIR4hkkbVco8fo3w8r2K8rO2JTIH2LC16pSNXGuEHxnP8GYmJTaPzNvs9595FzySFC_K_Yia-aTNrvBQNqhnfuA9gs0a9fDGxTa/s1600-h/Rome+(6).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWAGunGHckOEcCzZ5OHxgFPCPBAooiGzinfkyQ7LY1dTIR4hkkbVco8fo3w8r2K8rO2JTIH2LC16pSNXGuEHxnP8GYmJTaPzNvs9595FzySFC_K_Yia-aTNrvBQNqhnfuA9gs0a9fDGxTa/s400/Rome+(6).jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKI6qqYQ4X-vVBuwgJssnRVUo6omTQEAyP8RL_dDyyExiCUC8qW_VGFMmqR335SiWE9kAV9hLMpiGZcAhHiN6OqQccLT4Yw3SfaIxlx5zXWGSzlBqus6bZwwkb3IxjNpE_WG8L1nIZFLQm/s1600-h/Rome+(4).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKI6qqYQ4X-vVBuwgJssnRVUo6omTQEAyP8RL_dDyyExiCUC8qW_VGFMmqR335SiWE9kAV9hLMpiGZcAhHiN6OqQccLT4Yw3SfaIxlx5zXWGSzlBqus6bZwwkb3IxjNpE_WG8L1nIZFLQm/s640/Rome+(4).jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOo_2ZN3KbGKhxxCHPJSx5Qvrtj4xSD2oRmWLcyPuM9k9SIr7WapWT7yKGXCYaXUndACm5doiPotBllSeADHFRiGXQbocdXn4K_8w13nIns07454WnS54Gpzj97mFn_VseOeKzzG-w5nCZ/s1600-h/Rome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOo_2ZN3KbGKhxxCHPJSx5Qvrtj4xSD2oRmWLcyPuM9k9SIr7WapWT7yKGXCYaXUndACm5doiPotBllSeADHFRiGXQbocdXn4K_8w13nIns07454WnS54Gpzj97mFn_VseOeKzzG-w5nCZ/s400/Rome.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-mWQ2pq4kcm3naPvgRUX4flW3DhVZf6MJ3etN9O9ZoA6Ob13poU8aJzjDSHhw4ahFG6ADsc_nRHZcgOUKZVK8UuSZ1PMJa_rjEPHPsqmLa5DLtd0iWwtrQgRyD3a4Hj1KyAnBszbZMCuh/s1600-h/Rome+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-mWQ2pq4kcm3naPvgRUX4flW3DhVZf6MJ3etN9O9ZoA6Ob13poU8aJzjDSHhw4ahFG6ADsc_nRHZcgOUKZVK8UuSZ1PMJa_rjEPHPsqmLa5DLtd0iWwtrQgRyD3a4Hj1KyAnBszbZMCuh/s400/Rome+(2).jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>EvanRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12224647599798499801noreply@blogger.com0Rome, Italy41.8954656 12.482324341.3843416 11.5484863 42.406589600000004 13.4161623tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7853964667545999233.post-28535805485445827222010-02-01T10:46:00.000-05:002010-02-01T10:46:59.395-05:00Venice is grungeThe weather is terrible and the lighting for photography is worse. So even though I usually do not condone the over use of HDR, I am bored as hell and folks seem to enjoy it. Here is Venice in down and dirty grungy grunge <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_dynamic_range_imaging">HDR</a>.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf3GL46tyYLGwjIz_W8T4PQMTuRehWivW8YOlu2FSjgf6QIbOEntA_xVUpNMWxCdUkRT1DkHjx2ZWutZR7gUq5kWgTRbr7qjAu9JNt9kTIqTGqWYtsZOF-M-mqKff7xCiXXeP8huzzYAGT/s1600-h/HDR%20Grunge%20(9).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf3GL46tyYLGwjIz_W8T4PQMTuRehWivW8YOlu2FSjgf6QIbOEntA_xVUpNMWxCdUkRT1DkHjx2ZWutZR7gUq5kWgTRbr7qjAu9JNt9kTIqTGqWYtsZOF-M-mqKff7xCiXXeP8huzzYAGT/s640/HDR%20Grunge%20(9).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmgTuElXplJsiAo7WrOQGgJKe4KHOypjQ5Jt4e1BMfAaUa3ycegIcKeUFZv0S1YKw8s_2WBxCFeuTuu9urpo8j9v7nPp_Of9quVU-8wanS75fyvCbEyaSHd-qbiha8qNQqJXTEBbULIx8h/s1600-h/HDR%20Grunge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmgTuElXplJsiAo7WrOQGgJKe4KHOypjQ5Jt4e1BMfAaUa3ycegIcKeUFZv0S1YKw8s_2WBxCFeuTuu9urpo8j9v7nPp_Of9quVU-8wanS75fyvCbEyaSHd-qbiha8qNQqJXTEBbULIx8h/s640/HDR%20Grunge.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLUiZpopNe7u1KCBr8bIKQiuNFu-G-D7zh5tO61ygccyAc27t-1l327HWDKWHOUWYH5pAT8Nhh-Qj0OzmG-OXNUtV0aKm3IQGRmcKJTVx59ltaP4yBlcTLfnreTKRVhtvKmOMuiJJjszP2/s1600-h/HDR%20Grunge%20(3).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLUiZpopNe7u1KCBr8bIKQiuNFu-G-D7zh5tO61ygccyAc27t-1l327HWDKWHOUWYH5pAT8Nhh-Qj0OzmG-OXNUtV0aKm3IQGRmcKJTVx59ltaP4yBlcTLfnreTKRVhtvKmOMuiJJjszP2/s640/HDR%20Grunge%20(3).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD6oVCruAxiGUdo8Q4q_xjdYq-Jxgxi64VN_cE-XsD_MHZHUZ-H8xuOT_09aeEvOBvg6RheKCea7pztTNoxakl7yjrvhaa124bwX1B3pAEmAWSO_8rgj5RYQmwLwVqmoQ0dCdHNEkyYewU/s1600-h/HDR%20Grunge%20(4).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD6oVCruAxiGUdo8Q4q_xjdYq-Jxgxi64VN_cE-XsD_MHZHUZ-H8xuOT_09aeEvOBvg6RheKCea7pztTNoxakl7yjrvhaa124bwX1B3pAEmAWSO_8rgj5RYQmwLwVqmoQ0dCdHNEkyYewU/s640/HDR%20Grunge%20(4).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB1pQ89igHZ0N8i9XO-3ZbGeoyzjMDmnfz5y1olfVkvhWYMBvFYahnvBP0ZLL5u1HibsGM2cYN-CAp-4e2SjAVr7vptjWx_CwKX04ItXHPrwYF3bEr95lvc9P2_Ywl_P99Ppt7U-UUyNrm/s1600-h/HDR%20Grunge%20(8).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB1pQ89igHZ0N8i9XO-3ZbGeoyzjMDmnfz5y1olfVkvhWYMBvFYahnvBP0ZLL5u1HibsGM2cYN-CAp-4e2SjAVr7vptjWx_CwKX04ItXHPrwYF3bEr95lvc9P2_Ywl_P99Ppt7U-UUyNrm/s640/HDR%20Grunge%20(8).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKnQGzHGV27EMnUVG4Zy8b8udc_gM52chgjV7nqAwzB08bneyUbbLMhzimn_tMCxGFR0fAUSevpa8Q0kOWfUXF1gumgXoGWDL_O1xVE6cF9a9KLU-92svi4oxSh_1IXwkfssO6EsV0CVrW/s1600-h/HDR%20Grunge%20(7)%20copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKnQGzHGV27EMnUVG4Zy8b8udc_gM52chgjV7nqAwzB08bneyUbbLMhzimn_tMCxGFR0fAUSevpa8Q0kOWfUXF1gumgXoGWDL_O1xVE6cF9a9KLU-92svi4oxSh_1IXwkfssO6EsV0CVrW/s640/HDR%20Grunge%20(7)%20copy.jpg" width="456" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAVm4283ot2GPx976rOuFOBJqEvBbf_7uhVSlCKR1YkBzJnw6KrDnUDkWs2uZ6Ic3kcvuUn-70WTJgvbOuReF0DpTh_fGTiF-H1Llht4L_Xb-8_L62Ka0OmNH0csUFdZkokXAWZTeX6ZN9/s1600-h/HDR%20Grunge%20(5).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAVm4283ot2GPx976rOuFOBJqEvBbf_7uhVSlCKR1YkBzJnw6KrDnUDkWs2uZ6Ic3kcvuUn-70WTJgvbOuReF0DpTh_fGTiF-H1Llht4L_Xb-8_L62Ka0OmNH0csUFdZkokXAWZTeX6ZN9/s640/HDR%20Grunge%20(5).jpg" width="640" /></a></div>EvanRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12224647599798499801noreply@blogger.com0Venice, Italy45.4343363 12.338784445.1934208 11.871865399999999 45.6752518 12.8057034tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7853964667545999233.post-61149732663027160442010-01-31T10:22:00.002-05:002010-02-01T10:51:40.750-05:00A few final notes on VeniceUnfortunately, we missed the big carnival celebration by only a few days. It was easy to see the city was gearing up for some partying as the vendors were out in spades wheeling and dealing in masks and costumes. The snow and resulting floods did not put a damper on things, but it was not until the day of our train outta town that we finally saw the sun for the first time in two weeks. Anyway, a few Venice leftover photos...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgELoYoU_uYAIc60xOv_uHwNk1_BipLi65JCa23yZkVPVaXm6cT_mYKf6AZrxU62bFKnEwAP7iHhQXsDfhw9IhctQPh5A6n1rKg5DkcsfpuXrswq34SzsVWi0fM5RN6Nv6Y3uP5rk-TUV8n/s1600-h/HDR%20Venice%20BnW%20(5).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgELoYoU_uYAIc60xOv_uHwNk1_BipLi65JCa23yZkVPVaXm6cT_mYKf6AZrxU62bFKnEwAP7iHhQXsDfhw9IhctQPh5A6n1rKg5DkcsfpuXrswq34SzsVWi0fM5RN6Nv6Y3uP5rk-TUV8n/s640/HDR%20Venice%20BnW%20(5).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSHLkz8SlyiuJst3LYQKEl7dSHrGZS8B-T1OqOYmCflk00yWvcVw5y4Eh2Sf8DrrUOyzpfLX8Gwjk0XCjo2Vx8TL2B3rb6resGCMjSrDhpgOT9XMYhMlkukuP4AMTNP4E6HCRJTVf1-Wg8/s1600-h/HDR%20Venice%20BnW%20(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSHLkz8SlyiuJst3LYQKEl7dSHrGZS8B-T1OqOYmCflk00yWvcVw5y4Eh2Sf8DrrUOyzpfLX8Gwjk0XCjo2Vx8TL2B3rb6resGCMjSrDhpgOT9XMYhMlkukuP4AMTNP4E6HCRJTVf1-Wg8/s400/HDR%20Venice%20BnW%20(2).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgukhpAD-3TUB8Ofo0RXlfHqNz-K6Xb7bb00szq2D-0f5dkw8_OZ4oDTtKlXJ4xCAZsmhVNaH34rY5RLMYz8pmRjpoRTvGontuJEl4yOwux_CfFjnIAl8eoSm0UnMfFxYcnHx1RfV_r8Ulu/s1600-h/Venice%20Remainders%20(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgukhpAD-3TUB8Ofo0RXlfHqNz-K6Xb7bb00szq2D-0f5dkw8_OZ4oDTtKlXJ4xCAZsmhVNaH34rY5RLMYz8pmRjpoRTvGontuJEl4yOwux_CfFjnIAl8eoSm0UnMfFxYcnHx1RfV_r8Ulu/s640/Venice%20Remainders%20(2).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwUXYZRD6dTKkgNz87ACJ2FMip-GUurXhDK0wfNU_pz82Ct1TyuJHbe63vErGRhpX5KogB5shNu4Ue1aSqrUHXTHmpSSV9TGAJfbNyi84sFKbsQzvIOFYmehrNiRjh-AtrPmv0uJlu7M33/s1600-h/HDR%20Venice%20BnW%20(4).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwUXYZRD6dTKkgNz87ACJ2FMip-GUurXhDK0wfNU_pz82Ct1TyuJHbe63vErGRhpX5KogB5shNu4Ue1aSqrUHXTHmpSSV9TGAJfbNyi84sFKbsQzvIOFYmehrNiRjh-AtrPmv0uJlu7M33/s640/HDR%20Venice%20BnW%20(4).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC8Yh4466BgC_Jp0Sspc3VaTT1hTqQsfwYrVFbbFimV0Cffqyh1scywRp_WLjN1hyphenhyphenT_z4iFwRwHWKfZvJQTR7YBiFn1l5WxiOTVw37KAEEU1wspRpSGCw9DVWj7RVzz57XW5WtQYAOdasC/s1600-h/Venice%20Remainders%20(5).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC8Yh4466BgC_Jp0Sspc3VaTT1hTqQsfwYrVFbbFimV0Cffqyh1scywRp_WLjN1hyphenhyphenT_z4iFwRwHWKfZvJQTR7YBiFn1l5WxiOTVw37KAEEU1wspRpSGCw9DVWj7RVzz57XW5WtQYAOdasC/s400/Venice%20Remainders%20(5).jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div>EvanRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12224647599798499801noreply@blogger.com0Venice, Italy45.4343363 12.338784445.1934208 11.871865399999999 45.6752518 12.8057034tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7853964667545999233.post-21265529055125024142010-01-30T14:44:00.001-05:002010-01-30T14:47:15.798-05:00Church Mania: Venice Edition: San MarcoUnfortunately, the exterior of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piazza_San_Marco">San Marco</a> is currently covered in scaffolding in connection to its renovation. But, its easy to see why so many people travel here to see the magnificent artistry of this site.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz6xsdS5r9AvoaE9bdiGMr4H5yQDAWvPUoKI5FShBrrziHFNnXFygEsaPfvGgVdpaLLZPz6cpe6pdXGz2b8uL5OQaLOCtTBch6y6vaBcXDf30MSzjIaZ9-3ngaLRkxi2NOXwQfW6zjFjML/s1600-h/San%20Marco.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz6xsdS5r9AvoaE9bdiGMr4H5yQDAWvPUoKI5FShBrrziHFNnXFygEsaPfvGgVdpaLLZPz6cpe6pdXGz2b8uL5OQaLOCtTBch6y6vaBcXDf30MSzjIaZ9-3ngaLRkxi2NOXwQfW6zjFjML/s640/San%20Marco.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs-nkh0v9fmRYlEr-1PaN70WHgjNWgFtc9bKzcuIYkbaAh0pZkYteXZGybILa-DXnxJhu6OF1YPZzwGrGGyBIgGz8Xd2rdKqcELQWJtaN_KP8RKkCNAtSMlSAzDej29o3XwD7lgRr6cYG6/s1600-h/San%20Marco%20(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs-nkh0v9fmRYlEr-1PaN70WHgjNWgFtc9bKzcuIYkbaAh0pZkYteXZGybILa-DXnxJhu6OF1YPZzwGrGGyBIgGz8Xd2rdKqcELQWJtaN_KP8RKkCNAtSMlSAzDej29o3XwD7lgRr6cYG6/s640/San%20Marco%20(2).jpg" width="640" /></a></div>EvanRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12224647599798499801noreply@blogger.com0Venice, Italy45.4343363 12.338784445.1934208 11.871865399999999 45.6752518 12.8057034tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7853964667545999233.post-41753102583110990162010-01-30T14:31:00.007-05:002010-01-30T14:53:09.073-05:00The a very wet roadThe continued cold weather and overcast skies have been a bit of a bummer, but the coolness of the city brought us right back into the spirit of things. After getting a couple hours sleep after arriving late, we open up the dormer windows to see snow on the ground and the canals flooded. Real nice. No worries though, its very difficult not to have a good time in a city so interesting as Venice. Although the city is not really all too big and I am big on trekking, you can always jump on a boat and find yourself lost in the maze of canals here. But the real fun starts when you simply head off in any direction and just follow the scent of the tastiest pastries and pizza.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTqTuSTahO-U4dZM3rzsBKDtvH_YWtKmdriHtgVPfI87F8b8nhuhpIep148ysG5ItmzlzMoCyMIQEBaVO7Zo4jCJ4xPXBm2jW7guYy8EqnQ4zZ80YQ8wyp1wxAFmryYh2S8DevFEiZPp08/s1600-h/Venice%20Canals%20(7).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTqTuSTahO-U4dZM3rzsBKDtvH_YWtKmdriHtgVPfI87F8b8nhuhpIep148ysG5ItmzlzMoCyMIQEBaVO7Zo4jCJ4xPXBm2jW7guYy8EqnQ4zZ80YQ8wyp1wxAFmryYh2S8DevFEiZPp08/s640/Venice%20Canals%20(7).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0zWED7IxLMJCb8WNdatGTioNfkcN031iqpJ9SYGYG9FHC1E3TV-RZbWWJlZIf1lc1yjakfZnG4yec8cQaVn21ptd_jmGYVMheE9i6Zx61dEQ5MjbSylxpx1ZQbg1baKE5ZjLpO7B0BvT-/s1600-h/Venice%20Canals%20(5).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0zWED7IxLMJCb8WNdatGTioNfkcN031iqpJ9SYGYG9FHC1E3TV-RZbWWJlZIf1lc1yjakfZnG4yec8cQaVn21ptd_jmGYVMheE9i6Zx61dEQ5MjbSylxpx1ZQbg1baKE5ZjLpO7B0BvT-/s400/Venice%20Canals%20(5).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQh4hyphenhyphenIM5QL_NCb8FwU_fj1n3JNEKH4szY9wjy2TvyceaoWSX6vfAkr385KseZYeDZTMZ26_cUSqLdlq6eJPSR-HYBYDY1Fv97uu8kIbeVwQlMNpMwPvKXu01lcUbxkwu3RV6uupbMHVtr/s1600-h/Venice%20Canals%20(2)%20BnW%20copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQh4hyphenhyphenIM5QL_NCb8FwU_fj1n3JNEKH4szY9wjy2TvyceaoWSX6vfAkr385KseZYeDZTMZ26_cUSqLdlq6eJPSR-HYBYDY1Fv97uu8kIbeVwQlMNpMwPvKXu01lcUbxkwu3RV6uupbMHVtr/s640/Venice%20Canals%20(2)%20BnW%20copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi-gHllpd8MBDaa2ePEKGwwn7miQynUPUp31lTZTMIIhzcOH_3Ngsoc5rWxwfcraKVkXC8IKSb4q416vE7w4c52p8OhMzi0n8yBklRkCR6m-x7AmINO7WnGrpa4P-OrYA7s6WRTKO1fWJQ/s1600-h/Venice%20Canals%20(6).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi-gHllpd8MBDaa2ePEKGwwn7miQynUPUp31lTZTMIIhzcOH_3Ngsoc5rWxwfcraKVkXC8IKSb4q416vE7w4c52p8OhMzi0n8yBklRkCR6m-x7AmINO7WnGrpa4P-OrYA7s6WRTKO1fWJQ/s640/Venice%20Canals%20(6).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrTOfYQEvB4Y7uSK7jSzcPXTc2ehzKMbYPmCSJ6zEbaJyy7zVglkXS4x_CdV_QYjD9bipvObS3fc906SYawpqgAgvD0PIYEf0JHRSuM2TQoznqLCzZ_HDDhv2mIYzVA6WDvnsqv4QQ-jY2/s1600-h/Venice%20Canals.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrTOfYQEvB4Y7uSK7jSzcPXTc2ehzKMbYPmCSJ6zEbaJyy7zVglkXS4x_CdV_QYjD9bipvObS3fc906SYawpqgAgvD0PIYEf0JHRSuM2TQoznqLCzZ_HDDhv2mIYzVA6WDvnsqv4QQ-jY2/s400/Venice%20Canals.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>EvanRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12224647599798499801noreply@blogger.com0Venice, Italy45.4343363 12.338784445.1934208 11.871865399999999 45.6752518 12.8057034tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7853964667545999233.post-31360024252426046392010-01-29T14:26:00.001-05:002010-01-30T14:44:48.520-05:00In and around MilanIt really is quite a beautiful city, especially if you have the money to enjoy it. But it can be experienced on the cheap since the subways are only a Euro and the tram is essentially free. Luckily the food is cheaper than France and the wine is cheaper than water... literally. Unfortunately for us it was as cold as ice and snowed a bit while we were trekking around. At least the espresso can be had for only a Euro.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3VXBbDf2muMvSDvdJfWl3cmvDrWu-9nGav7gpa1pslsku35wWSv0eZZY58Vp1yp70ScGEKxoCA4i0yHJN7XfQy7X4gbX7pv6uvo76JAhxTp0phDTmWeC4X-ijw03Yepw18Xr7_zpyfgoZ/s1600-h/Milan%20(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3VXBbDf2muMvSDvdJfWl3cmvDrWu-9nGav7gpa1pslsku35wWSv0eZZY58Vp1yp70ScGEKxoCA4i0yHJN7XfQy7X4gbX7pv6uvo76JAhxTp0phDTmWeC4X-ijw03Yepw18Xr7_zpyfgoZ/s640/Milan%20(2).jpg" width="640" /></a></div>EvanRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12224647599798499801noreply@blogger.com0Milan, Italy45.4636889 9.188140845.3432929 8.954681299999999 45.5840849 9.4216003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7853964667545999233.post-61102310906421457732010-01-28T14:21:00.002-05:002010-01-30T14:53:33.613-05:00Church Mania: Milan Edition: Duomo di MilanJust stunning. The exterior was just uncovered after a four year renovation and cleaning. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milan_Cathedral">Duomo di Milan</a> is built with amazing pinkish white marble that gleams in the sunlight. The interior is grand with soaring ceilings, but unfortunately no good photos due to the lack of light. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHy_XaDRnsbrKmk4ig6T7yhyJrTI6Oj-GQxQlob-x408HVhlE4uYbXDGkHFqUOz2PAGqa8Auk09y1PvIGTi6JWCfmilaW83PM-myuPmmE62uwI2M70cVvj_-oOLHDYTisQlzEqkX-iL0KG/s1600-h/Duomo%20(3).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHy_XaDRnsbrKmk4ig6T7yhyJrTI6Oj-GQxQlob-x408HVhlE4uYbXDGkHFqUOz2PAGqa8Auk09y1PvIGTi6JWCfmilaW83PM-myuPmmE62uwI2M70cVvj_-oOLHDYTisQlzEqkX-iL0KG/s640/Duomo%20(3).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2tmHCbUeTTxOO9KlyjQroD6-rL6sQcXyEduBXVkSTleKUHXH9JWODHgHsa5XumBEGSFMb9y-FoIce4SgxdpNA71EPO5ia2p59VkUiLhmRw6WVX7vun2gIscy_zJhI-mHb0-3ljFtsPWPx/s1600-h/Duomo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2tmHCbUeTTxOO9KlyjQroD6-rL6sQcXyEduBXVkSTleKUHXH9JWODHgHsa5XumBEGSFMb9y-FoIce4SgxdpNA71EPO5ia2p59VkUiLhmRw6WVX7vun2gIscy_zJhI-mHb0-3ljFtsPWPx/s400/Duomo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidG5vSv-W5_fc2QwbR5nPuNqrlIMyMYorms8Ovr66D4GrDzOaMd7MhZpcbH0hLxA3T484hWuf5yioY_ibiRIxOxuLWd90xh_SYvMOtgo6dZT2xAbyfkqeIC8iBF4HqzUiFg9kZHwLCtvLx/s1600-h/Duomo%20(4).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidG5vSv-W5_fc2QwbR5nPuNqrlIMyMYorms8Ovr66D4GrDzOaMd7MhZpcbH0hLxA3T484hWuf5yioY_ibiRIxOxuLWd90xh_SYvMOtgo6dZT2xAbyfkqeIC8iBF4HqzUiFg9kZHwLCtvLx/s640/Duomo%20(4).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijAAav4EeUnYkDhZXbv0lGqW5zIk3KrKrNufM0b3FC_Xwbafk3lGWwwT-2JNSllNgLv7GkaigX1DWQZXF2Ia0G2KMGBylqnBDVx3Ydy8Cxjg8atCf1DIThmZ-jjTLxdZ2dEKph-iQR3RLX/s1600-h/Duomo%20(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijAAav4EeUnYkDhZXbv0lGqW5zIk3KrKrNufM0b3FC_Xwbafk3lGWwwT-2JNSllNgLv7GkaigX1DWQZXF2Ia0G2KMGBylqnBDVx3Ydy8Cxjg8atCf1DIThmZ-jjTLxdZ2dEKph-iQR3RLX/s400/Duomo%20(2).jpg" width="400" /></a></div>EvanRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12224647599798499801noreply@blogger.com0Milan, Italy45.4636889 9.188140845.3432929 8.954681299999999 45.5840849 9.4216003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7853964667545999233.post-22547432171325623162010-01-27T14:14:00.005-05:002010-01-30T14:21:36.869-05:00Medieval LyonLyon has some beautiful outskirts, including this beautiful medieval village sitting atop a hill about a half hour outside of town. It is known for its sweet breed flavoured with orange liquor... quite tasty. The stonework is amazing and had lasted more than 500 years. All but deserted in the winter, it is quite a cool little destination with great views of the countryside.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-KmKMAh7zrfQJEEAAIvqsq-FwaCXEGRfDdgBmDGBkBqkjYLBjyxb37vd_Tv9i_W95dAQaia0Mkpup1t5ccsQA0GhYh65GLMcZrjV76bqdJJN0_pMNtTkNO84Kg26avn_Drwezn-tCRmBo/s1600-h/Medevil%20Lyon%20(5).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-KmKMAh7zrfQJEEAAIvqsq-FwaCXEGRfDdgBmDGBkBqkjYLBjyxb37vd_Tv9i_W95dAQaia0Mkpup1t5ccsQA0GhYh65GLMcZrjV76bqdJJN0_pMNtTkNO84Kg26avn_Drwezn-tCRmBo/s640/Medevil%20Lyon%20(5).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7CBSl-FcRoLjfocUidaUQ7Y22nrJSjQcI-6_pucxdLre8MCzLWwEI9izPavzrVW994dvz1uP3xGXIcxBYM0LxRBKvWhUModUW0YA6wKa-3vTwpAmewrHErzrLhO71UQh72xzEFwwIhVkM/s1600-h/Medevil%20Lyon%208.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7CBSl-FcRoLjfocUidaUQ7Y22nrJSjQcI-6_pucxdLre8MCzLWwEI9izPavzrVW994dvz1uP3xGXIcxBYM0LxRBKvWhUModUW0YA6wKa-3vTwpAmewrHErzrLhO71UQh72xzEFwwIhVkM/s640/Medevil%20Lyon%208.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnvRQDdZoDggiHaPOOwPctv14s-Y-iqZaTBm5mcoJOPpz2d94XSf0oK-N18LBueq-zYBK6q2b5iBuYVlqiQwoMQvlwMhElkTWUAFdCd2Ohh1ixUyETFWLENPj0YuTCQ7ThCN1KYqYWseCl/s1600-h/Medevil%20Lyon%20(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnvRQDdZoDggiHaPOOwPctv14s-Y-iqZaTBm5mcoJOPpz2d94XSf0oK-N18LBueq-zYBK6q2b5iBuYVlqiQwoMQvlwMhElkTWUAFdCd2Ohh1ixUyETFWLENPj0YuTCQ7ThCN1KYqYWseCl/s400/Medevil%20Lyon%20(2).jpg" width="265" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhisKJdfV3f0R9XJ-YiUS4H0nYZpGmQATnD1qEZNvMs0AgNTrgJz1eBZDoOUd5uOB7wjVc3dJ-GDS7mKkAsLE73mC-QN8uZhgteE9V8VsIWtbc8fmENJbMiyglpd4lunfvqRDwUtjcY3sgE/s1600-h/Medevil%20Lyon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhisKJdfV3f0R9XJ-YiUS4H0nYZpGmQATnD1qEZNvMs0AgNTrgJz1eBZDoOUd5uOB7wjVc3dJ-GDS7mKkAsLE73mC-QN8uZhgteE9V8VsIWtbc8fmENJbMiyglpd4lunfvqRDwUtjcY3sgE/s400/Medevil%20Lyon.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>EvanRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12224647599798499801noreply@blogger.com0Lyon, France45.767299 4.834328745.707426 4.7175992 45.827172000000004 4.9510582tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7853964667545999233.post-40836801341656181772010-01-26T14:08:00.000-05:002010-01-27T14:13:34.413-05:00BouchonsThe traditional Lyonnaise restaurant, called a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouchon">bouchon</a>, gives you a great view of the old world with the unchanged atmosphere, close personal service, and cuisine where you can find more tripe and stinky cheese than you can shake a stick at. But of course the portions at this one below would probably be a bit on the small side...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXY7EMJPZFkHi1MUQbHpdvwJd364bHC-IE4E_dz8K1CMCrBU3FK5XP8SfmL0Yr33PuKAaCWn4KWLVc4qzwE_hMQF85IbA2MCk-RcKOJ2jdbfmll_yGDzQL5IpmmBDH9SrnkBwZ_NRj-KlE/s1600-h/Gastronomy2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" mt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXY7EMJPZFkHi1MUQbHpdvwJd364bHC-IE4E_dz8K1CMCrBU3FK5XP8SfmL0Yr33PuKAaCWn4KWLVc4qzwE_hMQF85IbA2MCk-RcKOJ2jdbfmll_yGDzQL5IpmmBDH9SrnkBwZ_NRj-KlE/s400/Gastronomy2.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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</div>EvanRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12224647599798499801noreply@blogger.com0Lione, Francia45.767299 4.834328745.707426 4.7175992 45.827172000000004 4.9510582tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7853964667545999233.post-63849273779343887032010-01-25T14:02:00.003-05:002010-01-28T15:33:33.415-05:00Church Mania: France Edition: LyonSome photos of churches and a basilica in Lyon...<br />
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</div>EvanRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12224647599798499801noreply@blogger.com0Lione, Francia45.767299 4.834328745.707426 4.7175992 45.827172000000004 4.9510582tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7853964667545999233.post-12702228806185332442010-01-24T13:46:00.002-05:002010-01-28T15:35:01.378-05:00Restaurant capital of the worldNext stop on our rail tour through France and Italy is Lyon, France (home to the most restaurants per square foot than any other city in the world). Lucky for us we have some very nice friends hosting us who happen to be restaurateurs and know the best spots for eats and vino in this food capital. <br />
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</div>EvanRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12224647599798499801noreply@blogger.com0Lione, Francia45.767299 4.834328745.707426 4.7175992 45.827172000000004 4.9510582tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7853964667545999233.post-37690465053883879852010-01-21T07:32:00.003-05:002010-01-21T13:08:29.619-05:00Back on the road (rails)Back on the road after a little rest, a lot of wine, and even more food. With some Euro-Rail tickets in our pockets we jumped on a quick flight to Paris where we have been spending a few days. This part of the journey will be via train that will take us through the French and Italian countrysides all the way down to Palermo, Sicily with most of our time being spent in some beautiful old world cities as well as some sleepy little villages. But for now some uber-touristy sites...<br />
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</div>EvanRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12224647599798499801noreply@blogger.com1Paris, France48.8566667 2.350987148.7437227 2.1175276000000003 48.9696107 2.5844466tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7853964667545999233.post-50628687565722777552010-01-05T09:32:00.002-05:002010-01-06T09:36:00.715-05:00We're snowed in chapsHousebound in the midst of the worst cold snap and strongest snowstorm in England in more than thirty years. It is bad enough when you get stuck in a snowstorm and even worse when you get a foot of snow in a village that typically sees an inch of snow every three years.<br />
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</div>EvanRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12224647599798499801noreply@blogger.com0Guiting Power, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, UK51.9217078 -1.865162751.8687728 -1.9818921999999999 51.9746428 -1.7484332