Schoenbrunn Palace and Gardens in Vienna, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the most popular tourist attraction in the city.  Easy to access, you are able to take the subway directly to Schoenbrunn and once you step out of the subway, the palace is hard to miss.  In the world of the Habsburgs monarchy, size [...]

Some people drink a Diet Coke a day, or have a daily piece of chocolate, or a daily route they take to work – daily routines can be a good thing.  Even the Vienna State Opera House has a routine – they put on a production every day – yes, every day.  It’s like a [...]

Most of this week I felt like a cartoon character – the one with the big cloud over my head with rain pouring down just on me. However, instead of one cloud following me wherever I went along the Camino, there were multiple clouds all lined up and circling like planes at O’Hare airport trying [...]

If Venice is named the Floating City, then Cimitero San Michele should be named the Floating Dead.  Yes, it sounds eerie, but cemeteries can also be quite beautiful and moving to visit.  The Cimitero di San Michele has no shortage of moving stories and images.  The only way to get to it is via boat.  [...]

I am so happy to not be walking today. This body has made it 90 miles in 6 days through rain, wind, mud, hail, and heat – I deserve a break. My Camino de Santiago journey is in full swing – however, my body still seems to be rebelling against the idea. As you recall, [...]

They are everywhere you look in Venice; you will spot them by their blue stripes and spastic leg movements.  Some of them even have a special song they sing.  However, they are quite rare as only about 400 of them exist in the wild…the wilds of Venice that is. Gondoliers maneuvering their sleek, black gondolas [...]

“You have to go to the islands! You have to go to the islands!” everyone kept telling me. Clearly they didn’t fully appreciate my neurosis regarding how stubborn I am. I can’t help it, if everyone keeps telling me to do something, then I really am skeptical about it and the less and less I [...]

I never spent longer than 30 minutes in Naples prior to this trip; however that 30 minutes did yield one of he scariest cab rides I’ve ever taken! Since Bethany and I were on a quest to have the best pizza in Naples, we got to spend more then 30 minutes in Naples this time. [...]