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Continue reading →: From the chaos of Naples into the fire…Remember that long travel day of missed train connections? Well, it kind of set a theme for the end of my trip. I didn’t mention it, but I had another missed train connection on my way to Pompeii. Then, on the first leg of my journey home, my plane from…
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Continue reading →: Naples, Sorrento, and Pompeii…It hasn’t all been about food since I arrived (though maybe a little). I’ve also done a lot of sightseeing to get a feel for the city. I mentioned before that Naples is loud, dirty, and chaotic—while I still stand by those descriptors, they barely skim the surface of a…
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Continue reading →: The delectable foods of NapoliAfter a rough travel day, I finally arrived in Naples, the “birthplace of pizza,” and the home of the “largest historic center” in Europe, which also happens to be designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. While Naples is only the third largest city in Italy, it’s the most dense, which…
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Continue reading →: How to go from love to hate in under 3 hoursIf you had asked me yesterday morning what I thought of Italy’s railway system, my reply would’ve been “I love it!” It’s easy to understand, you can use an app to search the schedule and buy tickets, and the service is extensive, with lots of lines running all over the…
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Continue reading →: On strikes and hill towns…Before I dive into the hill towns of Umbria, I wanted to say a few words about strikes because an upcoming general strike has been reported internationally, which led to a few people asking me questions. I mentioned in a previous post that I don’t do a lot of research…
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Continue reading →: The green heart of ItalyAfter Lucca, I took the train to Perugia, the “green heart” of Italy and the capital of the Umbria region. Nowadays, I no longer spend a lot of time researching the places I travel to beforehand; instead, I only do enough research to determine where I want to go and…
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Continue reading →: Cycling Italy: Days 5 to 7Day 5: Lucca Hills, 31.1 mi, 2612 ft. It’s going to be another hot day, so we rolled out early. Once out of town, we began making our way up the hills overlooking Lucca, riding on narrow, winding roads that form switchbacks up the hillside. The landscape was beautiful—full of…
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Continue reading →: Cycling Italy: Days 3 and 4Day 3: Pisa 45.5 mi, 895 ft. As each day passes, we get better at navigating our way out of the city. Once outside of it, we started the route on a gravel path along the Serchio river. I’ve loved the mix of terrain on these rides, with lots of…
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Continue reading →: Cycling Italy: Days 1 and 2On the morning of the first day, we met our bike rental company at a central location to pick up our bikes. Last year, you might remember I rode the Buick of bikes whose sheer weight made my knees buckle after 285 miles of riding. This year, I have a…
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Continue reading →: The City of 100 ChurchesNot knowing how much free time I’d have once the rest of my group arrived, I used my first morning in Lucca to do some sightseeing. I started with Lucca’s most prominent landmark: the city walls. These beautifully preserved Renaissance-era walls are a mixture of stone and earth and encircle…
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Continue reading →: Benvenuti in ItaliaHere I am, fleeing the chaos yet again. I once wrote about longing to return to a time when travel could be more about wanderlust and less about escape, but alas, that time is not now—in fact, I’ve never felt further from it than I do at this moment. Will…
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Continue reading →: Growing through experienceIt’s time to go home. If I’m being totally honest, I was ready to go home when the bedbugs happened, despite having enjoyed myself since then. So, I’m happy when the big travel day finally arrives. I get to the airport and the woman at the Finnair counter tells me…
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Continue reading →: The recipe for happiness…After a brisk ferry ride across the Gulf of Finland, I arrived in Helsinki, the capital of the “World’s Happiest Country” for seven years running. On my first morning after arriving, I did what I often do, which is go on a walking tour to get a feel for the…
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Continue reading →: Getting back into the groove…I won’t deny it’s been hard to get into my travel groove again since my last post. I’ve been hyper vigilant—suspicious of every bug, black speck, and itch. The apartment I moved/escaped to is beautiful, but has fruit flies and gnats. I feel like I’m being accosted by bugs and…
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Continue reading →: Bitten by the bugI knew this trip was going too smoothly. Well, let me clarify that—it hasn’t been perfect. I’ve developed a back issue from all the extra standing and walking and had to rest my first several days here, but that’s a relatively minor inconvenience. I remember thinking a week ago: “wow,…
Hello,
I’m Colleen
Welcome to my blog, where I invite you to join me on journeys both near and far—and sometimes even within.
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"No journey carries one far unless, as it extends into the world around us, it goes an equal distance into the world within." ~ Lillian Smith
tales of wander 