One of the downsides to living in Alaska, even though we technically have 24 hours of sunlight in the summer, is that we often get weeks of rain and don’t see the sun. It is depressing when it is 49 degrees outside in July with pouring […]
All posts tagged: Italy
Venice in Black and White
“Venice is like eating an entire box of chocolate liqueurs in one go.” – Truman Capote Follow Planet Bell on Social Media Facebook | Instagram
The Rose Scam
It is straight out of every girl’s Italian fantasy. She is at an iconic landmark like the Spanish Steps, the Rialto Bridge or the Piazza Navone, and she is approached by a handsome, charming Latin Lover with a bad boy look but a soft heart. […]
The Venetian Blue Hour
Photographers call the time after sunset before it gets totally dark the “blue hour.” It is a great time to take photos, especially cityscapes, as the intermingling of natural and artificial light creates dramatic effects and the world is imbued with blue. For non-photographers like […]
Venice: Half Fairy Tale, Half Tourist Trap
“There is no way a gondola ride costs $100 per hour,” I declared. My coworker was trying to tell me how expensive it was to visit Venice, and I wasn’t having it.
20 of My Best/Favorite Photos of 2013
I was all set to do a Top 2013 photos of 2013 post. I thought 2013 photos from 2013 had a nice ring to it, plus it would spare me the arduous task of narrowing down my favorite and best photos.
Expectations of Turkey, Greece and Italy Revisited
Before we took off for Europe in September, I posted my nine pre-trip expectations. Let’s check in to see how those expectations worked out.
Cinque Terra in the Off-Season, or Maddie Jacobs to the Rescue
Riamaggiore was quiet as a morgue. We arrived in mid-November to find no life on the streets and most of the shops had closed for the winter; the only travelers we met in our first hours in town were completely annoying. Traveling through Italy in […]
Pompeii – the Antidote for Art, City and Penis Fatigue
After two and a half weeks in Rome, Venice, Florence, and Naples, we were a little burned out. It is possible to see too much exquisite art; cities can wear you out. And you can only look at so many penises.
Returning to Rome: Part II
This time, Rome blew my mind. Somehow when I visited 12 years ago, I didn’t appreciate it enough, it didn’t make such a huge impression on me.
On Returning to Rome and 9/11
Today, I am going back to Rome. When I went 12-plus years ago, it was the most hectic, chaotic city I’d been to at that time. Although I loved it, I never did quite relax and enjoy it. Now, having been to much crazier places […]
Hiking in Europe, or I think My Wife is on to Me
I think my wife is on to me. This was supposed to be a European vacation, and based up her selection of footwear and the number of dresses she brought, she was expecting museums, operas, cultural events and sidewalk cafes.
Planet Bell 