Initially I was considering a pair of daytrips outside of Rome during our six days there, in addition to the wedding-related activities we were signed up for. After a few busy days, I realized that would be a thorough over-commitment and a surefire recipe for trip burnout. So Naples, specifically Pompeii, landed on the editing… Read More Florentine Diversion
How does one even start to write about Rome? What new or insightful take is there on a city that has been visited for thousands of years, a seat of a republic, then empire, the home of the Pope and his church, the capital of Italy? My only experience here was over two decades ago,… Read More Bread and Circuses
It’s a short flight from Belgrade to Rome. Italy’s capital was the driver for this entire trip: we were here to celebrate the wedding of a long-time (I won’t say old) friend of mine from Oregon. True to stereotype, I arrived at Fiumicino to a frustrating sequence of long airport lines and a disorderly train… Read More Il Matrimonio
Belgrade gradually disappeared from behind the windows as the train headed north, first from the depths of Prokop station, then over the Sava River, finally emerging, after a short series of suburban stations, into the Pannonian Plain. Periodically we would stop at small towns with red tile roofs to exchange passengers. I was mostly grateful… Read More Perched on the Pannonian Plain
The aviation industry is the obvious wild card, an obvious thought that recurred to me in the midst of whiling away six hours at the Frankfurt airport, asking myself important questions like why is there nobody at the information kiosk or a left luggage office so I can go into town? Despite a delayed arrival,… Read More The White City
We got to Lunenburg midday, just in time for Hannah to take a quick catnap in the rental car. My nap would come later, an unavoidable byproduct of a red-eye flight crossing nearly the entirety of Canada. In the meantime I busied myself walking the steep streets of the small town, bracketed by brightly painted… Read More Haligonian Holiday
Instead of rushing back to Vancouver and dealing with multiple flights and multiple airports, I tried an experiment. This time, I would break up each leg, see a different place, and make my way home over several days. This meant two interim stops: the Hungarian capital, and Utrecht, mid-sized city in the Netherlands. While Utrecht… Read More Hop, Skip, and a Fall
Kutaisi was previously Georgia’s second city and an ancient capital, but has been declining since independence and has now been eclipsed in size by Batumi, the flashy, new-money Black Sea resort city. It was not on my list, but Kutaisi’s new life as a budget airline hub brought me here and I was happily surprised… Read More Last Stop: Kutaisi
Georgia-bound, Gyumri slowly receded behind us as the driver picked his way through the potholes. He was an older gentlemen, nattily dressed for our day of driving in slacks and a cardigan. I never got his name, but he reminded me of one of my grandfathers, the same deep-set, slightly sweet scent of tobacco around… Read More Far Corners of a Small Country
Like any activity, travel carries calculated risks. I weigh costs, time and safety against the places I go, researching in an effort to inform myself ahead of time. Ultimately though nothing can quite prepare for the experience on the ground in a new place. Here I’ve had more luck over the years than I ever… Read More Hits and Misses
Zak Abroad 