Category Archives: Sicily
Stromboli – a night on the volcano
For four days, I had been calling Magmatrek to inquire if they would run an excursion to the top of Stromboli the next day. For three days, I was told to try again the next day. It was March, the weather in Sicily … Continue reading
How Santa Claus really travels
Did you also wonder how Santa Claus can ride all around the world with his reindeer-powered sledge? And whether he would really do that in the freezing cold? And how he could transport all these presents with one sledge? Well, … Continue reading
This is Sicily: Mountains
People associate Sicily with the sun, the sea, beaches, old cities, oranges, pistachios, some smaller islands, ancient temples, granita and quaint villages. To me, the most amazing aspect – among many other amazing things – about Sicily were the mountains. Maybe … Continue reading
A Relaxing Video Blog
After all the videos about civil war, volcanoes, the last unicorns, daredevil cycling, car bombs, botched lives and extinct civilizations, I am offering you something very relaxing today: (filmed at Syracuse on Sicily)
The Ruins of Tyndaris
Most of the souvenir and snack shops on the side of the road winding up to Tindari are closed. In Sicily, late April is still off-season. If you own a shop at the place that will be visited both for the ruins of the ancient city … Continue reading
Off-Season
If you can get by without being offered useless souvenirs every couple of meters, and if you pack enough books to survive one or two days of rain, then late fall or early spring are the perfect times for travelling to … Continue reading
Papyrus
Based on my consumption habits, only two plants can compete for the title of my favourite plant: the tobacco plant and papyrus. Although most of the books that I read now haven’t been made out of papyrus anymore, I still … Continue reading
“The Liberator” by Alex Kershaw
The full title of the book The Liberator: one World War II soldier’s 500-day odyssey from the beaches of Sicily to the gates of Dachau gives you the gist of the story already. It recounts the experience of Felix Sparks who served … Continue reading
Emigrants are better people
Emigrants are bolder, willing to take on more risk, more active and more appreciative of freedom than those staying behind. General Patton already knew that. From his letter to the Allied forces before they first stepped onto the European continent by landing … Continue reading
Italy Reading List
To me, travel would only be half as much fun without taking the time to read books. I am even happy about long train rides or ferry passages because they allow me to read for a few extra hours I … Continue reading
The Happy Hermit 