It was a very hot day 33 degrees C with high humidity which makes the simplest task of walking, touring very, very uncomfortable. That was Vienna, beautiful, incomparable, cultural and a vibrant business centre. We visited it with Janko’s Slovak family’s friend Karl, born Austrian. By profession he is a a bus driver and knew…
Venice, Italy is the last destination in our Mediterranean journey. There are many islands in the Venetian lagoon? but the most famous are the Lido, Sun Michelle, Murano, Burano, and Torcello. In Venice is Piazza San Marco, bell chimes, pigeons (brave souls let the birds land on them) and violins play/ St. Marc’s Basilica, the…
DUBROVNIK, CROATIA Founded in the 7-th century on a site called Ragusium by the Romans,Dubrovnik is a town in southeastern Croatia, located on the Dalmatian coast of the Adriatic Sea. A historic and picturesque town, Dubrovnik has long been known as a major tourist resort. The town faces the sea at the foot of the…
CORFU, KERKIRA,GREECE Situated between the heel of Italy and the west coast of mainland of Greece, CORFU was one of the first Greek Islands to attract mass tourism in the 1960s. Much of the Island still consists of olive groves, mountain of woodland. It is also thought to have been the model for Prospero’s and…
KATAKOLON, GREECE Peloponnese Historic fact and legend are both rich. Near Navplion, on the eastern side, the remains of Mycenae recall the tragic King Agamemnon, who once ruled from his palace (“Euripides” Oresteia tells of the tragic king). Among the most impressive Peloponnese sites, the Temple of Zeus at Olympia was counted as one of…
NAVPLION, GREECE The mountain knot of Arcadia forms the main part of the hand and Argolis is the thumb. The three smaller promontories, the fingers, make up Navplion, a small seaport town and first capital of the kingdom Greece (1830-1834). It is situated at the head of the Gulf of Argolis in the eastern part…
MESSINA, SICILY Greek Mythology is peppered with mention of Messina. According to ancient tales, Scylla and Carybdis threatened valiant Odysseus at the Strait of Messina. Hercules swam across the channel and Jason and his Argonauts visited while pursuing the elusive Golden Fleece. Even Romans, who were uneasy sailors, used the port as a tactical base…
CIVITAVECCHIA, ITALY It’s a fact: Emperor Trajan built the harbor at CIVITAVECCHIA (“ancient town”) at the beginning of the 2nd century. During the Roman era, the port was known as Centumcellae (“ 100 warehouses”). Emperor Traiano (98-117) ordered it rebuilt in 107 AD. Monumental buildings and statues reflected its economic importance to the empire, but…
LIVORNO ( TUSCANY ) ITALY. See slide show “Livorno”. Livorno (“Leghorn”) is the Tuscan gateway. Even though Romans established the port, it was not fully developed until Florence’s Medici family transformed it into a thriving commercial harbor. WWII bombs destroyed most of…
MONTE CARLO, MONACO History. The first inhabitants were the Ligurian tribe. They settled in the 6-th century and were dubbed the Monokos by the Greeks. The Grimaldis arrived in 1297 – a band of monks from a r5ival Genoese family. It can be well stated that Monaco is not a country – it is a…