Fair warning: be prepared for lots of pictures! Scotland is amazingly photogenic, and I took advantage of the scenery and the bits of sunny weather we had in order to go a bit insane with my camera. I was less than sunny the morning of the departure as I had made a grand mistake in... Continue Reading →
Haggis Adventures: Hebridean Hopper Overview
I tend to be attracted to things that are a little bit off the beaten path. I know that many people wouldn't consider Scotland to be the most exotic destination, but I wanted to take the chance to see more of the country than just the cities. Edinburgh is great - but isn't exploring the... Continue Reading →
Sintra Day Trip
One of the reasons that I spent four nights in Lisbon was to check out the small town of Sintra, an incredibly popular day trip for tourists from the big city. It was extremely easy to get to from my hostel, which was located directly across from a small train station where trains to Sintra... Continue Reading →
Ostia Antica
An interesting, easy day trip from Rome is a visit to the ancient port city of Ostia Antica (and possibly Rome's first colony), now a sprawling set of ruins with buildings in various stages of decay. Ostia Antica, as a port city, was an important part of the Roman trading network and had upwards of... Continue Reading →
Ancient Rome
I decided that my first full day in Rome should be devoted to Ancient Rome and its inhabitants – and what better way to do that than a visit to the sites of the Colosseum, the Forum and the Palatine Hill? All three sites can be visited on a single ticket, costing €12. Strolling down... Continue Reading →
A Day in Pompeii
I was up bright and early, despite my late return to the hostel the night before. It was Pompeii Day! I remember reading about Pompeii, the bustling port and trading city that was buried after the eruption of Mt Vesuvius in 79AD. First excavated in the late 1700s, Pompeii has been an important archaeological site... Continue Reading →