Pier 39, Fisherman’s Wharf, the Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory, views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz: these are typical tourist destinations in San Francisco. Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. If you click on one and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission. This will not affect your price. Those of us who…
Bones of the dead
Yesterday my friend, Kim, and I visited Marseille’s medieval church of Saint Victor, parts of which date back to “paleo-Christianity”; in other words, the fifth century or so. I love visiting medieval buildings; it doesn’t matter whether it’s a church, a castle, or just a humble house, as long as its original details are still…
Chinese Tourists
Everywhere we’ve gone so far, there have been very few foreign tourists like us. Most of the tourists — and in some places all of the tourists — are Chinese. Sometimes they’re in pairs or families, sometimes in groups. When they’re in a group, even if it’s just 5 or 6 people, they hire a…
On not being a VIP in Rome
We were in Rome yesterday and the day before, but apparently so were representatives of the G8 nations and other VIPs. Sights/sites closed or opened arbitrarily to accommodate their whistle-stop visits. A note from 2020: I wrote this post back in 2009, one of my earliest ones. I usually try to keep my articles useful…
Australia Comment #3: No Worries!
The most typical phrase in Australia is not “G’day, Mate,” as I expected, it’s “No worries!” It’s amazing how often we heard that phrase and in how many different situations. Someone just gave you your change from a purchase. You say “Thank you.” The reply: “No worries!” You accidentally bump into someone in the grocery…