Chris Backe's Blog, page 78

12 Things I Wish I Knew Before Traveling to Dubrovnik and Split

(Much like other Things I Wish I Knew posts, this one’s focused on the lessons learned, in the hopes that they help you on your own trip.)

Dubrovnik and Split are two of Croatia’s most popular tourist destinations — and with the high season coming soon, there’s a good chance you’ll be planning a trip here.

Dubrovnik’s airport-to-town shuttle bus is an easy choice.

The shuttle bus is the easiest way get you from the airport to central Dubrovnik (stay on, and it’ll terminate to Dubrovnik’s bus...

Experience blindness and type some Braille at Zagreb’s Typhlological Museum

I thought it was a typo on the sign at first, to be honest.

How ironic, I thought, that the sign for the Typological Museum would have a typo in it. 

It’s not a typo, though —  derived from typhlos (‘blind’) and logos (‘thought’ or ‘reason’), the Typhlological Museum covers the world of the blind and the visually impaired. Virtually every part of the museum is set up for the blind or visually impaired visitor, from Braille describing every sign to signs using large fonts. The curator pointed...

The 10 Weirdest Places in Florida

I spent months traveling through Florida to find the weirdest of the weird. Here are the ten weirdest places we came across.

Want more? What The Florida is my next book — and it’s coming June 1st. Pre-order now or learn more.

Harvey’s Ford Truck Collection (Crawfordville)

Thank Pat Harvey and his father for this post-modern tale of rust and neglect. At some point, Pat decided to line them up for the public to enjoy and for Pat to relive some memories. The family’s Ford trucks are lined up in...

At this museum of mushrooms, what can kill you is just a few centimeters away

Yep — you read that right, a mushroom museum. Call it Muzej gljiva if you prefer using the Croatian name, and think of it as an education center. This collection exists thanks to the hard work of Dr. Romano Božac. From starting a mushroom association in 1983, a newspaper in 1984 to an encyclopedia, several books and hundreds of scientific papers and articles, this is a man who has spent his life and energy on mushrooms. Oh, and he’s discovered over 40 new species of mushrooms, many of which...

Destination: the Museum of Spanking Machines and Initiation Devices (Illinois, USA)

After nine years and 1,900+ posts, I have sometimes wondered how many more genuinely weird places there are in the world. We’ve seen Buddhist hell. A museum of ancient Peruvian erotic pots. A park where paper is made from elephant poop. A museum of counterfeit goods.

Ladies and gentlemen, it is no small thing for me to say this, but today’s destination is in a league of its own.

Named after the Demoulin company, the Demoulin Museum (pronounced deh-MOLE-en) covers the history of products the...

Destination: the other OTHER Roman coliseum — this one’s in Pula, Croatia

What’s with the ‘other OTHER’ title? Awhile back we enjoyed one of the Roman coliseum in El Jem, Tunisia. I called that one the ‘other’ Roman coliseum, after the much more widely known Coliseum in Rome. That makes this one the other OTHER Roman coliseum.

I’ll note that some research helped me find this Wikipedia page, which lists “at least 230 amphitheaters” throughout the former Roman Empire. While I might make it a point to see other coliseums if they’re nearby, there are over 200 coliseum...

Random pictures: the ‘exploring Croatia’ edition

As always, random picture posts cover some of the fun scenes and places that haven’t or won’t get featured in a post of their own. See more random picture posts here.

A tribute to the fallen tooth — as you might guess, it’s located just outside a dentist’s office.

A quick peek at the local supermarket, which makes you wonder what makes the imports worth over three times the local brand…

Not sure I’ve ever seen an angry (mischievous?) salt shaker before.

One of the reasons I love Europe: t...

ANSWERED: 21 questions you’re asking about becoming a digital nomad

After my recent post about digital nomad programs, I realized I really hadn’t written all that much about the lifestyle I’ve enjoyed for the last several years. Whether you’ve thought about becoming a digital nomad or have wondered if you can do it yourself, consider this a collection of the most frequently asked questions about becoming a digital nomad, answered with a no BS attitude. Here we go…

What is a digital nomad?

Yes, these nomads could be digital nomads.

A person who works digitally...

Random pictures: the ‘Zagreb street art’ edition

It’s not political like the street art in South America, but it’s still wonderfully colorful. Have a look.

Walk along Ulica kneza Branimira (or ride along half a dozen trams) for plenty of graffiti / street art. This single wall has dozens of pieces along hundreds of meters:

A nice orderly look at pieces…

Maybe a little less orderly here… The tags ruin it a little, but there’s still some nice pieces here.

Love the pixelated picture. And the monkeys, though I have no idea if there’s a poli...

Why German men sit down to pee, traveling as a mother, and traveling ‘green’: your April 2017 book reviews

Once a month, I put together the books I’ve read into a single review post. Alternatively, see plenty of previous book reviews over here, or see how I rate books.

Also, a quick disclaimer: review copies are typically provided or downloaded for free, and links may be affiliate links. These reviews cover the version of the book I read, not necessarily the version that’s currently available. A newer or updated version may be available – check for yourself using the links below.

Success Redefine...