Day trips from Florence are almost always to the nearby attractive and interesting cities and villages: Siena, San Gimignano, Pisa, Montepulciano, etc. But we have done these so many times we head for a totally non-tourist destination: Arezzo.
Travelling by train in Italy is so easy it is a mistake to hire a car .. which is impossible to drive through the cities and costs a fortune to park.
Just like in any country, the view from a train is the worst view of the country: back yards, industrial sites, graffiti, endless junk. But also little villages, a surprising amount of green countryside, well tended Vinyards, olive terraces and fields.
It was such a relief to be out of the tourist crush of Florence and walk around Arezzo. Quiet streets. Making this trip on a Monday made it even quieter but was a bit of a mistake because many things are closed in Italy on both Sunday and Monday.
Not surprisingly we soon find that there are no tourists in Arezzo because there is so little to see. Siena, for example is far far more interesting. On the other hand, this is a “real” provincial Italian town and is interesting enough.
They have a massive fortress (sorry, closed).
And the town itself is a treasure of the past.
The best thing in the old center of Arezzo that we do discover is the Cathedral. An outstanding, ancient building, still used every day and quite unusual in its floor plan.
And that was Arezzo. We walk and walk and gawk and gawk and have a late lunch in a little very local restaurant and take the train back home.
FIESOLE
For whatever reason, whenever we are in Florence we hike up to the ancient Etruscan town of Fiesole. It is a few thousand years older than Florence and so worth paying homage to, but actually we do it for the fine strenuous hike.
If you ever do this, do it on a Sunday or the traffic will make it a misery.
This wasn’t a very good day to make the climb. A very cloudy overcast day and plus they are burning “le Cep”, the grape trimmings, creating a lot of smoke.
And .. there is almost nothing to do up there! A bit of Roman ruins, hardly any Etruscan. Too early to sit and drink a well deserved cold beer.
There was a little bit of local market going on that entertained us for a few minutes.
We bought a little locally produced fresh unfiltered olive oil. We were tempted by the superb vin santo, but passed on it and the huge bottles of grappa (hand made labels indicating 48% alcohol!) and went back down the hill for lunch. With our oil.
It is hard for me to say anything new about Split. Except for during Covid times I have been coming here every year for 6 or 7 .. and among these pages have posted a number of descriptive blog reports.
If you ever decide to come here, and I encourage you to, there are a number of delightful cities here on the wonderful Croation coast. Plenty of sunshine. Great real food. Nice people. Great public transport.
Marriott recently opened their first hotel in Split and so I had to try it out. An “AC” brand, one of my least favorite, but interesting .. in the new highest building in Split.
They put me in a great room on the 22nd floor.
But for me the hotel was not so great. AC brands are simple hotels market positioned for business people with cars. And this one proved to be so .. out on the edge of town in a nothing neighborhood. I could walk to the center and that was OK .. but it was not so OK to do over and over. And although busses run everywhere I only took a few.
Also, Split continues to grow. More population, more roads, more traffic and congestion. Staying in the old town off season is my recommendation.
Split has for a long time been discovered by tourists, who come not just for the ambiance but to visit the old Venician town and the remains of the fortress of Diocletian.
This is a special area and of course a world heritage site.
Year over year it continues to be restored, tartified, upscaled .. and become ever more pricey.
But if you venture outside of the tourist area there is still plenty of the real local Split to be found.
As you know, one of the prime attractions of this part of the globe for me .. beyond the weather and the friendly people (if you are in a crosswalk all of the traffic stops for you) .. is the wonderful food, and in particular the fish. Like this little lunch down at the fish market.
Or this little Sea bass. Which by the way are getting expensive. This would be 25 euros downtown. I took a bus out to the suburbs and had this one for 12.
Well, as I said I don’t have much new to say about Split .. but again, there are far more informative reports on this excellent destination among these blog pages, if you are interested.
I am now moving up the coast out of the hustle and bustle of the big city to little Sibenik, and will report in from there.
I have enjoyed this week in Mostar. The October temperatures around 80F certainly helped. But also this is such a nice, manageable sized city, only around 60 thousand people.
The town is in a narrow valley up in the mountains, following along on both banks of a clear, fast moving river.
Most visitors swish through Mostar via tour bus, see the historic old bridge and the surrounding old streets, a World Heritage site. One night in a hotel and then onward. I know that because I see them in the breakfast room every morning, a new batch and then they load into the bus.
I stay a fair distance from this area. I can walk to it but it is only full of Touristy things. There are many other reasons to like this town. Let me describe and share some of the things I like, with you.
OK, parts of the town are gritty and sad .. primarily on the west bank. And there are still too many buildings standing ruined from the war. But there is also plenty of nicely restored buildings and new construction.
The east side of the river where I stay is very nice. Wide streets big sidewalks. And people use the streets. Lots of walking and not an overwhelming number of cars.
Some pedestrian only zones and parks.
I was surprised to find that for a Muslim town there are no headscarves at all in this area. And that there are so many Christian things.
In the fine weather people have been out walking everywhere. Young people going to schools, people walking to the numerous shops, coffee cafes, bars and restaurants. Or just hanging out enjoying the weather.
I have been staying in a fine hotel that by our standards costs very little.
Interestingly the hotel is attached to a smallish but glittering shopping Mall with more restaurants and bars. An amazing factoid: the whole of the Mall is closed on Sunday. What a revenue drag. And ..sorry, but they have closed the pool hall since I was here last. Something I was looking forward to .. but so it goes. They are putting a Burger King into that space.
In the basement of the Mall there is the biggest supermarket I have ever seen in the Balkans. With everything. Including this “non Muslim” array.
Yes. I came back here for the weather …. and the food. It is fresh and real and delicious and like everything here in Bosnia, very inexpensive. They eat a lot of meat, much of it grilled. Virtually no fish and surprisingly, no lamb.
The Veal is absolutely amazing. In this little Italian restaurant I had the best Veal Saltimbocca I have ever eaten. Hands down. 11 dollars.
How about this serving of Caprese salad. 7 dollars, with a huge serving of Focaccia included.
I am not often a beer drinker, but in the hot weather and sitting outside whiling away the early evening I have had a few. They have one Croation beer here that I really like. A beer costs a dollar and a quarter. But one day I did go for the big bucket just to try it. 2 dollars.
I have had so many great dinners with an embarrassing amount of good local wine .. dinners that I struggled to finish, for between 13 and 25 dollars, total.
Well enough of that. Yes it has been great fun. After enduring the awful air pollution in Sarajevo being up here in the clean air in the mountains has been a treat, but it is not heaven. These people smoke like chimneys constantly and everywhere. I would hate to be here in bad weather and have to be inside with them. It would be terrible.
A few fun pictures to forget that:
And that’s it. Tomorrow I will travel down to the Croatian coast to spend some weeks eating fish. Next stop Split.
Bosnia is still a poor and somewhat gritty place. But interesting and inhabited by plenty of friendly, tolerant and optimistic people….despite having endured centuries of invasion and occupation and war.
Their capital, Sarajevo, is a smallish city straddling a river in the mountains.
This was once the western border of the Empire of the Ottoman Turks, the extent of their push into Europe. Zagreb, about a hundred miles north, never fell to the Ottomans, but they occupied what is now Bosnia for around 400 years.
In America we have been led to think of all Muslims like the murderous arab jihadists. But Sarajevo, where maybe 60 percent of the population are Muslim is probably the most tolerant city I know on the planet. It is surprising but true that the Ottomans exercised total religious freedom throughout their Empire. The Franciscans not only carried on their operations throughout the Ottoman occupation ….
but even opened a brewery two blocks from the palace of the Bey.
This tradition of religious tolerance continues today. Churches of all denominations .. Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Synagogues, and lots of Mosques fill the city.
The old Ottoman market is an interesting area although today totally given over to tourist shopping and restaurants.
Here is an interesting artifact left from the days of the Ottomans:
You cannot read the face of the clock in this photo, but the face does not have numbers, but (to me) strange symbols. Here the hands are showing that there are still 5 and a half hours remaining until sundown, because the position of 12 o’clock corresponds to sundown. How do they do that when sundown is at a different time every day?? Well, for centuries and continuing today a person climbs the tower every day and sets the clock so that it will properly forecast the sundown.
Some other notable things:
Downriver in the suburbs there is a stretch of quiet good walking.
A cable car will take you up onto the top of the hills for some real hiking.
You can even hike in the remains of the bobsled run from the 1984 Olympics.
After the Ottomans were defeated by the Hapsburgs, Bosnia was incorporated into the Austrian-Hungarian empire. That is why much of the city looks like little Budapest.
Then the Nazis invaded with their horrors including wiping out most of the resident Jews. Then the Soviets incorporated them into the Communist state of Yugoslavia.
And when Yugoslavia dissolved, they were attacked by the Serbians in their attempt to become a regional power.
Sarajevo endured a siege of over a thousand days under constant murderous artillery fire. Extensive damage, many deaths, no electricity, no water .. until Bill Clinton (via NATO) put a stop to it.
This fine old building, now completely rebuilt, had been converted into a Library. Two million books were lost when it was shelled and burned. Today it is a museum.
And of course time heals all of these things.
There is a nice little park here just along the river bank with no remaining indication at all that it was once the market where the Ottomans bought and sold horses.
So, poor and somewhat gritty yes, but I admire their sprit, their positive open attitude and how far their rebuilding has come. There are homeless for sure but also the eternal flame.
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If you are still here and want more about Sarajevo here is a previous post:
I always enjoy Zagreb. This is maybe my third time here. It is usually a good flight connection from the USA, and the gateway to the Balkans. Very easy to get from here to Slovenia in the North, Bosnia in the south, and the wonderful Croation islands on the coast.
There are some nice green spaces in the town and good sidewalk walking, but over the years the density of the cars has increased a lot.
The severe damage from the earthquake in 2020 is still shows on many buildings, many still under repair, including the cathedral.
I have been staying at the Sheraton for some days using Zagreb as a base to get over the jet lag. The rooms have been much refurbished since my last visit, but sadly they painted and papered over a lot of the wonderful old woodwork that made the hotel so special.
If you think about visiting here you might look among my blog pages where I previously put down much more information about this fine little city.
The food is fresh and real.
And if you look at these (Euro) prices for wine in a local market you will understand that one of the attractions of visiting Zagreb is all of the great things about Europe are here, at bargain prices.
I must put in a note for one of my heroes, Nickoli Tesla. Many places in the Balkans claim connections to him, but especially Croatia, and I always stop to pay my respects.
I am posting these little notes from Zagreb’s delightfully small and manageable airport, waiting to head down into Bosnia and do some more looking at the remnants of the Ottoman culture in Europe.
People from all over the world visit Santorini. Especially honeymooners. And especially Chinese honeymooners.
Paradoxically, most of the island is a trashy and gritty third- worldish place.
But when the island blew up 3,600 years ago, destroying the Minoan Civilization, the blast left one of the most remarkable and exhilarating venues on the planet.
The rim of the Caldera is lined with small luxury hotels and visitors flock here to pay egregious amounts to live in a cave hanging on a cliff wall over the sea and be pampered. And it is worth it, because the feeling that this enormously beautiful and extraordinary place elicits is indescribable.
If you consider coming, do so in the shoulder season. Summer is wall to wall with tourists and in the winter almost everything is closed. If you want more information here are my notes from a previous visit:
And in this Blog, just some postcard photos from this winter visit with CAMarchand. Of course we visited the Archeological site where they are excavating the Minoan city of Akrotiri destroyed with the destruction of the island. It was a rich trading city with three story houses with running water, flush toilets and extensive interior decorations. Only three percent of the town has been uncovered so far, but enough artifacts found to house in a fine museum in Fira.
The site:
And a few from the Museum:
Even though it is winter here and a lot of things are closed we have had a fine visit. Being pampered in your hotel is a good thing. And even in off season there are good times to be had.
And so that’s it for the winter of 2023.
Actually, I will hang around Cyprus and Greece a few more weeks just for the weather and the food, but probably will not encounter much more to report about.
But I do look forward to future travels and picking these posts back up. Until then, thanks for coming along.
Crete, the largest of the Greek islands, has been inhabited since the most ancient of times. These footprints date from 6 million years ago.
Crete is very hot in the summer, and full of tourists. We are here in January and the tourists are scarce, but many many shops are closed, and many restaurants. The inter-island ferries are not running, and special tours like hiking and food and wine are not running. But we are happy to find that some restaurants and museums are open, and happy to be out of crowds. Plus, the temperature is fine, in the mid 60s.
There are plenty of Neolithic artifacts in the museums to attest to the long inhabitation of the island. But most important is that Crete was the home of Europe’s first advanced civilization: the Minoans. .. during the period from about 5,000 to 4,000 years ago. One of our reasons for coming to Crete is to investigate the remnants of the Minoans, and I will probably post a separate blog about our findings.
The Ancient Minoan World
After the Minoans, Crete was ruled by many civilizations: the Mycenaean Greeks, the Romans, the Byzantines, various Arabs, the Venetian Republic and the Ottomans. And so the Island and the cities contain constructions and ruins from all of these civilizations, usually stacked one on top of the other.
Crete has been part of Greece for over a hundred years and therefore is now part of the EU.
CHANIA
Believed by some to be one of the prettiest cities in Greece, Chania circles around the old Venetian harbor with the 8,000 + foot White Mountains behind. The old town right around the harbor is a nice pedestrian only area.
(not my photo)
There are 5,000 year old Minoan ruins within the town. And a fine Museum of Minoan artifacts.
Much of the Venetian and Ottoman defensive walls and harbour constructions are intact, plus various Muslim and Christian churches.
RETHYMNO
This is a surprisingly small town. Less than 40,000 people. And being here in the winter, almost everything is closed. Kind of eerie walking around the streets of empty storefronts. Still enough hotels and restaurants are open, but it is apparent that the town’s economy is dependent on seasonal tourism.
Rethymno has perhaps the best preserved Venetian / Ottoman Fortress on the Island, but it was not open during this time for us to visit the interior.
There is a small Venetian harbour and of course lines of tourist restaurants.
There is a very interesting “old town” with a university, and many narrow streets where real people are living .. in addition to the shops and restaurants.
Plus, Mosques and churches of various denominations all around.
Up on the hill above Rethymno is a 3,500 year old late Minoan grave site with over 200 passage graves carved into a rocky hill. They were only discovered on the 60s. The grave artifacts unearthed were transferred to the historical museum in Heraklion.
HERAKLION
After Chania and Rethymno, Heraklion is a big city. But only in comparison because it actually only has around 150 thousand people. But it seems to not depend so much on tourism, and it is bustling.
Most people we talk to in Crete describe Heraklion, their Capital, as an ugly city. Certainly it is around the old harbor, where a highway has obliterated the entire waterfront. But there are some nice pedestrian only areas in the downtown and the road out to Knossos is very nice.
Like all these cities the past is all jumbled up and piled on to one another.
The comparatively new (only 500 years old) Venetian city walls are still intact, not in very good repair, but being worked on.
Of course we visited the Minoan palace of Knossos. Our guide book said be there as the site opened to avoid the crush of the crowds. Here in the winter, we saw two other people in the entire site.
The ruins are roughly 4,000 years old and a treasure of European and world history. They are remarkable for their age with multi story buildings, running water and flush toilets. The palace sat in a lovely green valley, and the ruins still do.
A model of the palace. Over one thousand rooms.
Just a few photos around the palace.
And just a few from the wonderful Museum in Heraklion that houses the fantastical and everyday artifacts of the Minoans.
One thing that needs to be said is that all over Crete, we were greeted with friendly people, interested in us beyond our credit cards and happy to be helpful.
There are many fine modern restaurants in Heraklion, but what an experience at the Anchorage where Captain John retired and with his wife has run their restaurant on the first floor of their house for 21 years. Five different dishes a day and if you come in the evening, you are offered the ones that are still left to serve. Great food and after all of the complimentary wine and Raki made by Captain John’s family that you must taste .. you have had quite an evening. Tip: the Raki really does not make you feel 10 years younger the next morning as Captain John promised, not for me anyway.
That’s it for our first visit to Crete. I would recommend that if you visit that you come in the shoulder season. Too many things are closed in the winter including almost everything in the south of the Island.
But still we had a fine visit and believe it to be an interesting destination. Besides, we had to visit the Minoans, which I will report on separately.
Now we are off for a “honeymoon” on Santorini before CAMarchand wings back to the USA.
Returned to Izmir so CAMarchand could visit Ephesus, the ancient historic city once on the coast here.
Ephesus was occupied by many different groups since the earliest of times. It was the Roman Capital of Asia Minor, mentioned in the Bible and believed to be the final home of Mary, mother of Jesus.
It was destroyed by an earthquake in about 700AD. It was an important port city throughout its history, but the earthquake that destroyed it moved the seashore miles away, and so the city was never rebuilt. Today they estimate that it is about 20 percent excavated.
The Theater of Ephesus is the largest found among the sites of the ancient world. It would seat 25,000 people. With perfect acoustics you can stand on the stage and snap your fingers and the snap can be heard on the highest row. So the actors could speak their lines and be heard throughout the crowd.
Izmir, the modern city nearby, is the third largest city in Turkey. It was destroyed in the 1920’s and has almost no historic sites. But it is a good base to visit a number of important ones nearby. The city is clean. Has wonderful walking along the bay, warm weather, fish restaurants and two fine Marriott Hotels. I have been here three times and enjoy stopping here.
This previous blog talks more about the city of Izmir, if you are interested:
We are leaving tomorrow for some exciting times: our first visit to the Island of Crete. We will visit three cities and have heaps of tours and museums flagged to visit. I will check in from there.
Istanbul is gigantic ancient city with a truly unbelievably complex history. Today it is probably the most diverse city on the planet with whole communities of differing ethnic peoples. All with their own traditional customs, and food.
Consequently, on this trip, accompanied by the courageous CAMarchand, we have taken wonderful tours of historic sites and had the finest food tour I have ever taken.
I have posted a description of Istanbul from a previous visit and so for an overview of the city you might want to look here:
This is one of my recommended “really should visit” cities. One time. It is culturally fascinating and historically magnificent. It is also so big as to be overwhelming and crowded beyond belief.
I know that it is tedious to page through too many of other people’s vacation photographs, but there are endless ones in this city and I could not help but post a fair number. Hopefully you will find them interesting.
We are heading south now to Izmir and I will check in from there.
Florence. The “must visit” Italian renaissance city of history and art.
A unique destination containing all of the seeds that have become the modern western world.
Certainly, one of my favorite cities. I have been here many times over the decades. Even spent a summer here studying Italian cooking at the culinary Institiute.
Also, if you ask her to see it, CAMarchand has made up a printed booklet of her photos and descriptions of all of the famous Churches of the city.
I recommend everyone I know to come here. Soon. Every time I come back it is harder to visit with the ever-increasing crowds, congestion and upscale shopping replacing real life.
But on the other hand, I never get tired of the Italian food, wine and the Italian character. It is hard to stay out of Italy.
This visit we had an apartment with an OK kitchen strategically located between an excellent local market and a fine supermarket and we shopped for ingredients every morning and cooked every evening.
Not much more to say. Here are a few photos of our climb up the ancient road to the 2,500-year-old Etruscan settlement of Fiesole, which overlooks and predates the Roman settlement of Florence.
We are travelling tomorrow, west to London to see some plays on our way home for the holidays. Will check in from there.
