The Bullet Train Needs a Prettier Face

Arrival in Japan was easy. We passed quickly through customs and immigration, where we were fingerprinted and photographed, and found an ATM. Money is potentially a concern here. All of the guidebooks state that credit cards aren’t widely accepted, and most Japanese ATM’s don’t accept foreign cards. The exceptions are Seven Eleven, the post office, […]

I Don’t Speak Japanese. I’m Going Anyway

At precisely 5:25 PM, the Boeing 777-300 woke with a beastly rumble and backed away from the gate at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. As we taxied toward the runway, the setting sun hung low on the horizon, searing my retinas through the starboard window adjacent to my seat in row 10. The massive jet eventually […]

Another Day Not To Go To Naples

The press of the buildings around me is isolating as the darkness of the Neapolitan night envelops my thoughts. The buildings reach up, seeming to blot out the tiny stretch of sky that can be seen. The crowds do nothing to abate my isolation as I comtemplate what a trip this has been. From Rome, […]

The Post In Which We Spend A Night as Troglodytes

I stood at the top of the hill, perched on the side of a gorge, and held my breath musing on the town below me. I have an affection for historic places, and the city around me is one such place. Actually it isn’t just one such place. It is perhaps the place. I am […]

The Post In Which We Eat To An Extreme

Puglia is fantastic. The food here is ridiculous, the country is beautiful, and the people are warm and welcoming. If you haven’t booked tickets to Puglia, you really must do so now. Last night, as dusk encroached on the waning hours of day, we visited the nearby town of Ostuni. It is called La […]

Into the Mezzogiorno

We pressed on through the lonely streets of Brindisi, the noon hour approaching, the sun high in the sky, and I wouldn’t stop, driven maniacally forward on my mission. The variegated pavers passed below our sore feet in alternating hues, ranging from glistening white marble, to cracking aged stone, to black rock. At intervals the […]