Author Archives: Mike

In our last post Carrie and I mentioned that we would be flying back to the US via London. We planned to spend four nights in Paris, and then three nights in London. We wanted to wind down and relax in two of our favorite cities. Well things certainly changed! We planned to use ourContinue reading “A Week in Paris”

In the last few weeks Carrie and I thought it would be a good idea to start to wind down this trip and plan out where we would depart Europe. It worked out that our best option was to return to London, where we could get the return flight that we wanted. The first stepContinue reading “Into France”

As our final stop in Italy, Carrie and I left the beautiful Salento region and trained up to Rome. We love Rome and would like to have stayed and enjoyed all the city has to offer, but we were really just passing through on our way north. Rome is vibrant, noisy and packed with tourists,Continue reading “Rome”

Salento is the boot heel of Italy, an area with deep roots in Greek and Roman culture, language and architecture. It is dominated by its largest city Lecce, but there are many other beautiful cities here, where the Adriatic and Ionic Seas meet. There are some sandy beaches here, but mostly there are ragged rockContinue reading “Salento”

Yes, we were in the stunning seaside town of Polignano a Mare, just south of Bari in Italy. Little did we know that the 1958 blockbuster record of that year, known as just “Volare” was penned by Domenico Modugno, who was born in this popular tourist paradise. There is even a statue overlooking the whiteContinue reading “Volare, Oh Oh…”

After a busy month of traveling, Carrie and I booked a full week in a spacious two bedroom apartment in a small Adriatic town called Termoli. Our apartment had a view of the beach and wharf, was walkable to the old city and castle, and most of all had it had a clothes washer. WhenContinue reading “At Rest on the Adriatic”

Carrie always says that her happy place is on our four season porch back home in Indiana, where we start most mornings relaxing with a steaming hot cup of coffee for me and a green tea for Carrie, and contemplate the day ahead. However, right after that, comes Italy! There’s something about this country thatContinue reading “Italy At Last”

From Prague, Carrie and I trained back to Germany, this time to Munich. It might have been planned, or by sheer coincidence, but we were there just in time for Octoberfest! Wow, but that is some crazy big beer party. We loved the huge crowds, mostly attired in Bavarian costumes, all there for one thing:Continue reading “Munich (Prost!)”

What a beautiful city! I read that Prague is the fifth of all major European cities in drawing tourists (after London, Paris, Istanbul and Rome). We could certainly tell by the throngs of people roaming through the cobblestone streets and plazas. We had a hotel a short way from the bustling old town, but theContinue reading “Prague (or Jolene, Jolene)”

Visiting Berlin was not like we expected at all. I knew Berlin was a modern city, but I expected it to feel more German, with more beer gardens and lederhosen, and quaint traditional timbered homes. That’s not it at all. What we saw was a modern, eclectic, sprawling city that aims to be on theContinue reading “Berlin”