On the western side of the Big Island of Hawaii lies Kailua-Kona region (I will call the area “Kona” for brevity). It is the “drier-side” of the Big Island getting an average of less than 20 inches of rain compared to the 130 inches in Hilo, located on windward or eastern side. In 1978, the first Ironman Triathlon took place. It…
There are about 272 days in a year that Hilo, Hawaii receives some rain. The annual rainfall is usually above 130 inches a year. However, there was one year the city only received 60 inches. I would be prepared, though, for rain. In reality, Hilo is the “Fourth” wettest city in America. There are three other cities in Alaska…
In 2019 my daughter Pamela and I made a trip to Iceland—in early February. We stayed five nights in the capital of Iceland—Reykjavik. In a previous expose, we detailed our experiences in this interesting and modern Icelandic city. We used the comfortable Icelandair Hotel Reykjavik Marina as our home base. We upgraded to a “sea view “room. As told before,…
The usual length of our travels is a month or longer. But, in 2019 my daughter, Pamela and I took a five-day sojourn to majestic Iceland—in the beginning of February. The current winter weather reminds me of our experiences. It was definitely the “coldest” we would ever be. My wife, Kathie, wanted nothing to do with this adventure as it…
We had just spent five days in early June of 2018 visiting Sorrento, Pompeii, Paestum and Positano. We would end our Italian journey on the beautiful Isle of Capri for four nights. Most people who come to Capri are day trippers from either Sorrento or Naples. The island is regarded as a place for its jet-set-style and as a “luxurious island”…
We flew into Naples in early June 2018 from Rome. It took about fifty minutes. There is a dedicated bus to Sorrento right outside the airport. The cost was about $10. If you go by bus, make sure you seat on the right-side to see the beautiful coastline. Going back to the airport, you sit on the left-side. A taxi…
I learned about the destruction of Pompeii in grade school. As the story is told a “farmer found an artifact revealing the city” which is over a 1000 years old. Every so often, National Geographic would have an article about this city that once was lost in time. I have been blessed to have visited Pompeii twice: once when I…
There is no question that this region is one of the more spectacular places to visit in Italy. Other places would be the Almafi coast, the Isle of Capri, Venice, Corsica, the Vatican and Sicily. We flew into Milan’s International airport, Malpenza, and stayed a few days. We were forced to stay an extra day due to a railroad strike.…
There are several reasons why anyone would want to visit a big city like Milan. First, there is the third largest—some say the fifth largest– church in the world, Duomo di Milano. Only St. Peters in Rome and a Brazilian church are larger. Secondly, there is Leonard’s masterpiece artwork of “The Last Supper.” And, then too, Milan is the gateway…
We flew into Milan early June 2016. From the plane, we could see the modern Milan airport and the famous Swiss Alps in the distance. We stayed in Milan for a few days, a subject of another travel blog, and took the hour train ride north to Lake Como. To make life easier, we decided to stay in the largest…