Travels with a Humble Narcissist

Seriously? This place exists, and it’s taken me 50+ years to get here? What is wrong with me? If you have been to Venice, you get it. If you haven’t, book a ticket. . . like right now. I’m here in winter, so it’s gray, cold, and rainy. It’s still about the prettiest place on…

I have yet to see a game of baseball being played in Europe. I mean on TV, on the street, in parks, in empty fields, anywhere. I have never seen kids even play catch. I don’t think they would know what to do with a baseball mitt. Nonetheless, it appears that everyone in Europe roots…

If you have ever spent any time in Florida, you soon notice there are a llllloooootttt of old people. It makes sense with both snowbirds and permanently retired Americans and Canadians whittling away the hours in a warm, sunny, snow-free environment. It’s the land of golf carts, early-bird dinner specials, and oxygen canisters. It never…

“Excuse me, does Tom Boyle come to this bar? ” she inquired to the barkeeper. “Tom Boyle?” “I am sorry Ma’am but Tom Boyle passed a couple of weeks ago,” he says. “He passed?” she responded startled. “Oh, no.” He looked at her quietly, but now he seemed puzzled. “You know maybe it wasn’t Tom…

Did you miss me? 😀 It’s been a while since we last chatted. You look amazing. Have you lost weight? Funny thing, after two months on the road, I wasn’t homesick in the traditional sense. I was more. . . travelsick. I had grown tired of being on the move so much of the time.…

It is technically classified as a “Romanticist castle.” So what does that mean? It means it is not really a castle even IF it looks like a real castle, has most castle requirements (drawbridge over a moat, has big walls, towers & turrets, on a mountaintop, you get the idea), and was lived in by an…

“Sure,” I said. She seemed puzzled. “You do?” “Sure,” I repeated. What started as an attempt to buy a cigar turned into me agreeing to attend a wine tasting. Clearly, the young salesgirl had been instructed to ask customers coming into the store if they wanted to join the event. Dutifully, after selling me some…

Yes, I am still staying at hostels. Thanks for asking. “Why?” You wonder. Well, they provide a sense of community. There is a youthful population here that gives energy to the place. I enjoy bad folk guitar music. They sell $1 draft beers. So far, checking all the boxes. Honestly, I stay because I’m cheap.…

Love it? Hate it? I like going to the beach but I don’t really do much. There are “let’s do sports at the beach people.” I’m not one of them. There are “power walk along the beach collecting shells people.” Not me. There are fishing people, metal detecting people, sitting on the beach but don’t…

I’ve developed a distinct dislike of slow walkers. You know them. They dawdle in front of you at the most inopportune times. I mostly encounter them in airports when I am trying to get to my gate. They look around the airport in awe as if they have never seen one before. I wonder, “What…