Libations & Explorations

Monaco (Canon P/Kodak Tmax400) I stood on the high-rise exterior deck of a rented apartment and looked out onto the Mediterranean Sea where a yacht was lazily sitting before the dawn sun.  I then looked down at the city below and realized; 'My God, I am in Monaco'. Not bad for someone going on six months of being unemployed...  Technically I wasn't IN Monaco, I was in Beausoleil, the French city that overlooks Monaco. I wasn't going to split hairs. As far as I am concerned, if you can step outside of your Airbnb and five minutes later be in the Casino Monte Carlo, you are staying in Monaco. Our 'ménage a trois of travelers' (Doina, Svetlana, and I) came in late the night before from Sanremo across the border in Italy.  We had a hilarious moment when Doina had to climb up the side of the apartment complex (she is very short) to retrieve the key fob for the parking garage.  It's always an adventure with us. We only stayed that night as we drove on to Nice the...

(Canon P/Ilford Delta 400) ‘Dolce far niente’ is an Italian expression which means ‘The sweetness of doing nothing’.  It goes hand in hand with ‘La Dolce Vita’, another expression meaning ‘The Sweet Life’.  On the surface it seems so simple: value a relaxed, peaceful state of living over material things. However, there are times when your ‘sweet life’ makes another’s not so sweet; I learned that first hand in Sanremo. When I downshifted the little red Fiat right before entering the tunnel which leads into the centre of Sanremo, I was living my ‘sweet life’. The tiny three cylinder engine howled at 6,000rpm and a smile came to my face.  Doina, my travel wife, laughed at me from the passenger seat.  Svetlana, my travel girlfriend, was sleeping in the back. ‘La Pigna’, Sanremo (Canon P/Ilford Delta 400) 45 minutes later I was NOT living the sweet life.  Not only had I had an incredibly vexing altercation with an Italian parking meter machine, I was now officially p...

Loggia dei Lanzi (Canon F-1/ Kodak Tmax400) To say that Florence has 'earned it's place in history' would be a bit of an understatement.  Originally a Roman garrison on the river Arno, Florence would grow into a mediaeval commune and eventually the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance. In 1301, Dante would be exiled to there. In 1504, Michelangelo's statue of David would stand there. And in 2023, I would have the best pizza of my life there. Doina, my travel wife, and I arrived in Florence on a Trenitalia train from Milan (Business Class seats, naturally).  Being only 2 hours from Milan, we decided to take on Florence as a day trip.  As always in Europe, be prepared for a bit of walking! As Doina and I are utterly predictable, our first mission was to secure a cup of coffee.  Unbeknown to us, we would be having that coffee in the oldest cafe in Florence.  Cafe Gilli was founded by Swiss immigrants in 1733.  In 1917, it moved to it's current location i...

Hong Kong I travel to see the world as it is, but sometimes when I travel I get to witness the world changing. When I went to Hong Kong in late 2019, the world was a very different place. What I didn't know then was that I would see the start of two world-changing events that effect us to this day.    My plane waiting at the gate in Chicago My flight to Hong Kong was on Cathay Pacific out of Chicago.  Although it took about 16 hours, the flight was fantastic. Cathay Pacific is an old-school airline that provides real service.  I was seated in Premium Economy, but it felt like I was in First Class. To this day it is still the best flight I have ever taken.  If you ever get the change to travel with Cathay Pacific Airlines, do it! Squid from a vending machine After immigration, I waited for my girlfriend Stephanie (at the time) in the Arrivals Hall.  She came in an hour later than me on a Japan Airlines flight.  To pass the time I got 'Sweet and Sour Squ...

  My Rolex Submariner The Rolex Submariner is, without a doubt, the most iconic watch of all time.  First released in 1953, it has gone from a tough diver’s watch to being one of the most universally recognized status-symbols.  So what makes this damn thing so special?   In terms of specs, it can go 1000 feet underwater, has a unidirectional bezel, a helium escapement valve (ya know, for when you're breathing nitrogen-rich air in a submarine), and it tells the time!  Having said that, most Rolex Submariners these days only see water when the owner has a shower after a round of golf... In 1953 Rolex was not the top-luxury watch brand like it is today. That honour went to Omega, which had released the first ‘dive watch’ in 1932. How did Rolex overcome Omega and all others to become the most iconic brand in the world? Marketing. Translation: "If you were really  adventurous,  you'd wear a Rolex" Rolex has the best advertising department of any brand, ever...

The Caldera (Canon A-1/Kodak Ektar 100) The window seat next to me was empty on my Aegean Air flight from Athens to the island of Thira (Santorini) in the Greek Cyclades.  Even though the view was beautiful, I did not move to the unoccupied seat as it would have reminded me of the person I was supposed to be on this holiday with, and who had unceremoniously dumped me via text two days prior to our departure.  My boss at the time asked if I was still going to go; of course I was!  He thought I was crazy. After an extremely aggressive right hand turn to land, we taxied to the very 1970s Thira International Airport.  As every romantic couple on the flight waited for their luggage, I took my lone carryon bag to the car rental desk.  I chose to rent a car because it was recommended on a completely spurious website that I am pretty sure was paid for by the Santorini Car Rental Association.  The little Peugeot was completely useless, unnecessary, and never left it...

  Mt. Marcy (Canon F-1/ Kodak Tmax400) Sitting in the 'High Peaks Wilderness Area' of the Adirondack Mountains, Mount Marcy is the highest point in the state of New York.  With an elevation of 5,343 feet, it is miniscule compared to western American mountains.  However, because of the forested and rocky terrain, it can be a very challenging hike...as I would learn. Mount Marcy is most famous for it's association with Theodore Roosevelt.  When President McKinley was shot, Vice President Roosevelt rushed to his side.  However, when it appeared the President would recover, he decided to go hiking in the Adirondack Mountains as not to be a distraction for the media. Returning from the summit of Mount Marcy, he saw a suited man in a top hat running through the forest waving a telegram: McKinley had died and he was now President of the United States. I made a massive error in my assault on Mount Marcy; I got drunk the night before. I hadn't consumed alcohol for a whil...