Jul 182013
 

Everyone knows that the tower in Pisa leans, a lot.  But, it is really hard to grasp how much it leans by just reading a number.  Below are photos that illustrate what I mean.

Though you only ever see the tower in photos, it is part of a church complex and, even if the tower didn’t lean, this would still be a great attraction to visit due to the ornate work on the church itself and the buildings around it. Continue reading »

Jul 132013
 

Florence is a perfect blend of tourist attraction, romance, entertainment, and general enjoyment.  It has everything that you would want.  The city is beautiful; the sites are world-famous; the clubs and pubs are close together; and the city is generally quite enjoyable.

When I arrived in Florence Continue reading »

Jul 102013
 

I’m in Florence, Italy and the people in the hostel run by Mike Tyson (read “Does a Serial Killer Live Here?” article) decided to go out to the clubs for a few drinks.  First off, they are soooo expensive – have your drinks beforehand.  And second, this one particular club has the craziest urinals I have ever seen.

Urinal with Lips!

Urinal with Lips!

Continue reading »

Jul 072013
 
Airplane vs Train

Airplane vs Train

In Europe, you have many reliable methods of transportation from which to choose and each has its pros and cons.  You can travel by plane, bus, car, or train.  Here, I want to tell you why I chose to take an 8.5 hour train ride to get from Cologne, Germany to Vienna, Austria instead of taking a 1 hour plane ride. Continue reading »

Jul 032013
 

The movie Hostel does a good job of scaring us silly Americans into thinking that Hostels are places of sin, evil, and death, particularly death (read my Hostel in Florence – Does a Serial Killer Live Here article).  However, the truth about Hostels, at least most of them, couldn’t be farther from this characterization. Continue reading »

Jun 292013
 

This is one of the most famous land-marks in the world and is the most famous thing to come out of Paris and of France.  And, I have to say, it really does live up to the hype.  This is one of the few sights that, when I saw it, I said “Goddamn that’s awesome.”  And it only gets better, much better by night, so enjoy :).

Continue reading »

Jun 262013
 

Here is a series of photos from the Hohenschwangau Castle located in the town of Hohenschwangau in the south of Germany near the town of Fussen, Germany.  This is the castle that sits right next to the ‘Disneyland’ Castle and was the one that came first.  There are no photos of the inside (not allowed), but the exterior of the building is amazing.

This is a perfectly preserved building mainly because it is not actually that old and it was used up into the 1900’s.  So, sit back, enjoy the photo gallery I put together for you, and get ready to plan your visit!  (Disneyland Castle [Neuschwanstein Castle] photos will appear in another post).

Continue reading »

Jun 252013
 

My first Hostel experience in years was in Florence in 2012.  Money becomes quite a bit scarcer once you pay for things yourself and I was now traveling on my own dime.  The last hostel that I stayed in years before this was a very nice and new hostel.  It was big, clean, SAFE, and full of people that follow rules!  As such, I expected all hostels to be like this.  I was wrong, very wrong… Continue reading »