I want to be able to draw and paint better than at my current 10-year-old level. Alas, I have decided to do something about this during this trip to Italy. I spend some time in the Marche region near the small hillside town of Camerino learning just that. There are four students including myself trying […]
I spend two nights at this countryside home, and my bedroom window overlooks a beautiful lake, Lago di Vico, with the many walnut trees that surround it. When I arrive, the whole family (including the three sizeable dogs) welcomes me. Soon after, we turn on the soccer match on the television and enjoy a family […]
After leaving Vico Equense, I drive half the Amalfi Coast and then start climbing until I reach Ravello, a villa-filled town that often overlooks the sea. I visit a couple of the more famous villas, as I gather this is what is supposed to be done in Ravello, and then I grab a panino in […]
Pompeii is overwhelming. This city, which was captured because of the preserving ashes of the nearby volcano Vesuvio, shows a very different time of human culture. Strolling through the maze of stones and rubble, I find myself trying to imagine this other time. The hoards of tourists do not help, and I am reminded when […]
Trying to prepare for this trek the night before, I realize that the internet provides me with only little and dispersed information about the hike. Therefore, I will dedicate this post to providing a little more information for those that in the future might want to try the trail, one which I highly recommend. The […]
My first full day in Italy is spent on the nearby island of Capri with its overgrown vegetable plots, sun-bleached peeling stucco and banks of brilliantly colored bougainvillea. I enjoy exploring and stopping for coffee and gelato when I need a break.
I arrive in Rome’s airport after having been delayed for about eight hours in Addis Ababa. Immigration and customs were about as fast as I’ve ever seen them. My passport is stamped without any questions and the rather sizeable line disappears in little time. I cannot decide if I am happy or nervous about this. […]
My parents are understandably a little concerned about my being in Ethiopia, and have thus expressed some relief that I am now moving onwards to Italy. Just a couple days ago, Al-Shabaab militant stormed a shopping center in Nairobi, Kenya, Ethiopia’s southern neighbor. The Westgate mall fiasco was complete with hostages, a multi-day militant siege, […]