Rome, Italy

Ahhh, Roma. In the summer between Grade 12 and the now-defunct OAC I was fortunate enough to spend just over a month in Rome taking an English lit course with a group of friends from my high school. And though I loved every minute of it, and made sure to throw a coin in the Trevi Fountain, I didn't know when I'd have a chance to get back there. A few years later, as luck would have it, Italy beckoned once more. Our port of entry was Rome and we took every opportunity we could to indulge (and occasionally over-indulge) in 'la dolce vita'.

I've always found that my memory has a way of distorting things that happened when I was younger - making them seem bigger, or more serious, in retrospect. And if this was how I remembered even the small things, than I shouldn't have been surpised that my mind had created a colossol, romantic, Fellini-esque picture of Rome. The first day we walked around we were all taken aback by just how normal everything seemed. Though it had been grandiose in our minds, we were a little disappointed to find that Rome was just another city. I hadn't really remembered where things were (in geographical relation to each other) and the city seemed to be bursting with tourists (thanks, believe it or not, to a U2 concert). But when we got away from the imperial side of Rome, and the popular squares, we were able to once again fall in love with the city. Areas like Trastevere are hard enough to get to (you have to take a *gasp* tram) and most people don't venture that far.  It holds innumerable, quaint streets with crumbling buildings, and is a great gastronomic area.

But Jake (you ask) why, if you like areas off the beaten track so much have you put a photo of the Colusseum, arguably Rome's most iconic structure? It's simple really - I like this picture. It's true it's in the heart of imperial Rome's tourist area, but it is also a beautiful and historical building. It occurred to me that I may be coming off as pretentious by always saying painfully obviously things like 'getting away from the tourist path is the best way to enjoy a city.' It's no surprise that this is true, but I feel I've been giving tourist activities a hard time. There's absolutely nothing wrong with going to the tourist areas of a city and hitting the sights. I make sure to do it wherever I go. I'm just saying that after this gets tiring, unenjoyable and unaffordable, it is good to find places you can enjoy. Piazza Navona is beautiful, but it's also chock-a-block with people who've come from all over the world to see it. That being said, something like Campo dei Fiori (Rome's fresh food market by day; party area by night) is just a few steps south of Navona. Proof I suppose that even in Rome the good and bad are separated by very little.

Berlin, Germany

 

This photo of the Brandenburg Gate was taken in Pariser Platz right before we embarked on the quintessential free four hour tour. Pariser Platz itself is tourist central, and it is where many of the tour groups meet. Though it's hectic, it is essential viewing (for the Brandenburg Gate alone) and a number of the city's important landmarks (Holocaust Memorial, The Bundestag) are a stones throw away. We'd been told about the Sandeman tour (named after tour founder Chris Sandeman, also heir to the Sandeman port fortune - what a legend!) by a few different people, and it didn't disappoint. Over the course of an afternoon we were taken around the city by our energetic Irish tour guide Barry for an informative and interesting few hours. Because Sandemen is clearly struggling financially they've expanded the tours to include other popular European tourist destinations. Though the Berlin tour is the flagship, I would highly recommend one of these tours elsewhere in Europe as a great introduction to a new city.

I hold very dear memories of Berlin (even though we had temperamental, foreshadowing type weather while we were there). The city is a great hodgepodge of East (Europe) meets West (Europe), and walking around the historically-steeped streets reignited my love for the discipline I once studied (no easy feat). Honestly, I think you could rewrite 'We Didn't Start the Fire' using only Berlin history and landmarks and it would still be a great (and informative) four minutes that would make BJ proud!

If I remember correctly, Berlin was number two on my list of cities to visit while in Europe (right behind Croydon). To say it lived up to the hype would be an understatement. It was once described to me as the most 'edgy city ever' and I personally think it's probably one of the hippest places I've ever been. The travelers I've known often categorize the cities they've visited into places they could live in and places they'd simply want to be a tourist. Berlin is great for both. You could easily keep busy for the best part of a week with World War II related landmarks. But beyond the walls and memorials and platz' that are so important to our collective history, there are districts that are just begging to be explored. Beyond the Mitte district there are great areas like Prenzlauer Berg with it's atmospheric streets and vibrant cafe-culture. The too-cool-for-school Kreuzberg area is ground zero for Berlin's creative class, as well as the growing Turkish population. And beyond that there are countless other areas that are endlessly appealing, not just for a tourist, but for the many foreigners who now call Berlin home.

Nice, France

When we were Prague in the winter of 2010, we met a couple of London-inhabiting Canadians at (what quickly became for us) a local watering hole, the U Medvidku Brewery. We all got talking about traveling and recommendations, and one of the guys described Nice as one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Needless to say, after this point (and a little wikipedia related research) our interest was sparked.

We eventually made it to Nice at the end of July 2010, flying there directly from Brussels. Landing late on a warm summer night we immediately took to the city. The labyrinth-like streets of the Old Town (Vieux Nice) are a melange of pastel coloured buildings holding gastronomic pleasures on every hidden square. The food was (oddly) equal parts French as it was Italian-fare. The local specialty socca is a rich chickpea flat bread eaten as a snack, and is a great accompaniment to a cold drink.

Nice itself is a great place to spend the better part of a week. Whether losing yourself in the Old Town, spending time lazying on the pebbled beaches or people watching past sundown on the Promenade des Anglais, there is surprisingly a lot to do. Plus, the ridiculously opulent principality of Monaco is less than an hour away by train, and is perhaps the best day trip you could ever take. The photo above was taken from the patio area of an Irish pub called The Snug during the golden hour. It showcases typical Vieux Nice architecture and you can see half of the 17th century Cathédrale Sainte Réparate in the background. I once read that Richard Harris, notorious troublemaker and boozer, would only ever drink at Irish-style pubs wherever he was in the world. I've long argued that you can probably find an Irish pub anywhere you are in the world - whether it's Siem Reap, Granada or Dubrovnik (yes, I've sadly been to Irish pubs in all these locations) - but I don't generally promote frequenting these establishments if there is a local option that will do the trick. That being said, the south of France is sadly short on beerhalls, so The Snug turned out to be the next best option.

Toronto, Canada

You may have noticed that this photo, unlike the previous ones, does not come from an exotic far-away place. Actually, I'm not sure if that's necessarily fair - sure, Toronto is by no means exotic for me or any of my (potential) Canadian readers, but I suppose for any (potential) overseas readers it is a foreign and unknown place. Anyways, semantics aside, I took this photo during a recent walk in Toronto's Lawrence Park. The park itself is a great place to take a stroll on a lazy Saturday and is actually part of a greater ravine system where you can waste away countless hours walking around (in warmer weather that is).

The photo itself really has nothing to do with Toronto - aside from the fact that under the recent reign of lovely Canadian winter weather we've been having I can somehow relate to the the dead, fragile, snow touched leaf. However, I thought I'd post it for a few reasons: first, (and if you'll excuse my vanity) I really do like this picture; second, if I'm able to keep this blog going for the long run there will come a time when I no longer have photos from exciting, (real) exotic places to post, so I'll have to resort to putting up pics from homegrown adventures; third, this is my blog, and with very little readership I'm not really worried about any complaints, or what not.

Regardless of the reasons, I hope you enjoy. Let me know if you have any Toronto related questions. Also, as I was extremely lax in uploading photos from my previous travels on to facebook, let me know if there are any photos you do want to see.