Libations & Explorations

Streets of Loano (Canon P/Ilford Delta 400) We live in a world of social media, where life can be presented however one wishes.  Digital technology and AI has recently taken things to the next level; we are bombarded with entirely fictitious places and people that don't exist in the 'real' World.  So where is the authentic?  Where is the genuine?  I found it in Italy. For me, something becomes painfully inauthentic when it is a performance.  This is why I have no desire to go to Epcot in Walt Disney World (actually, anywhere in Disney World sounds like a nightmare to me). Epcot presents an interactive performance and says to you, "This is what life is like in Italy".  But, if you have never been to Italy, how would you really know?  You could look at pictures online I suppose, but that doesn't tell you what life in that place is really like. Fiat 500 in Florence (Canon F-1/Ilford HP5) I have been to Italy twice traveling through Lombardy, Tuscany, Vene...

'Vieux Quebec' (Canon P/ Kodak Tri-X 400) I have not gone out for New Years Eve for at least 8 years.  In fact, I haven't even bothered to stay awake till midnight for the last five!  Why was this?  Well, I live in Pittsburgh, and the thought of going out to celebrate the New Year with a bunch of drunken "yinzer" ASBOs is a thought too awful for me to contemplate.... New Year's Eve in 2023 was different, though.  Over the course of the year I had made two life-changing friendships: Doina, my Travel Wife and Svetlana, my Travel Girlfriend. Not only do they love to travel, but they can also put up with my rapier wit, love of adult-beverages, and shockingly small bladder.  They have chosen to find me charming. Desiring to leave the state of Pennsylvania, Doina and I had tossed around a number of locations to travel to for the holiday.  We considered New Orleans, Rio de Janeiro, Marrakech; but in the end we cast all of those warm and sunny locations aside and c...

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...