Chris Backe's Blog, page 95
August 12, 2015
August book reviews: squirting milk at chameleons, living like an Italian, and more
Once a month, I put together the books I’ve readinto a single review post. Alternatively, see plenty of previous book reviews over here, or see how I rate books.
A quick disclaimer: review copies were provided or downloaded for free, and linksmay be affiliate links. These reviews cover the version of the book Ireceived, not necessarily the version that’s currently available. A newer or updated version may be available – check for yourself using the links below.
Squirting Milk at Chameleons –...
August 5, 2015
Destination: Basilica di Santa Croce – Home of Dante’s Empty Tomb
During our epic three-month Europe trip, Laura and I took a few days to explore places separately. Enjoy this look atBasilica di Santa Croce, the site of Dante’s emptytomb.
The Basilica di Santa Croce, or Basilica of the Holy Cross, is the biggest Franciscan church in the world, built in 1443 and the final resting place of a number of famous citizens of Florence, including Michelangelo:
…Machiavelli…
…and Galileo:
The church features works by Donatello, Giotto and many others. It’s quite...
July 31, 2015
Destination: Camp des Milles – a lesser-known camp of Nazi horrors in southern France
During our epic three-month Europe trip, Laura and I took a few days to explore places separately. Reading this guest post by my wife made me wish we had seen this one together! Enjoy this look at a lesser-traveled former Nazi camp in southern France.
I’ve read pretty extensively about the Nazis and WWII. It’s a topic of great interest to me, and I’ve visited a few related memorial sites around Europe. However, as I was reading up for my trip through southern France, I discovered one I’d nev...
July 29, 2015
July book reviews: press trip, Plymouth, European residency, and traveling the world
Once a month, I put together the books I’ve readinto a single review post. Alternatively, see plenty of previous book reviews over here, or see how I rate books.
A quick disclaimer: review copies were provided or downloaded for free. These reviews cover the version of the book Ireceived, not necessarily the version that’s currently available. A newer or updated version may be available – check for yourself using the links below.
It’s been a busy few months in the One Weird Globe family, what...
July 27, 2015
Our quest to find an apartment in Medellin – and where you should be looking
As with the other cities we’ve lived in, finding an apartment rates pretty high on the ‘stuff you’ve gotta do when you move somewhere new’ list.Someone e-mailed me, asking about the process to find an apartment in Medellin, so here we go.
Disclaimer: your mileage and experience will vary. I speak very little Spanish, but thanks to tools like Google Translate language barriers are diminished while online. Also, prices are changing (read: going up) all the time. Everything was current as of Ju...
July 24, 2015
Finding a hotel on Flipkey
During our trip through Europe, one of the sites I kept an eye on was Flipkey. Since the name was unfamiliar before hearing about them at TBEX, let’s introduce them asTripAdvisor’s answer to AirBnB.They’re a great place to rent an apartment from a local, and offer anything from privaterooms in a larger apartment to having the run of the place for yourself.
I may have to write another post about why apartments make for great places to stay while traveling, but simply put, they’re much more hom...
July 22, 2015
Medellin, Colombia: first impressions
It was an awesome three months around Europe, and there’s plenty more about the continent to come even as we settle into a more normal routine for us. ‘A more normal routine’, that is, of getting up at noon, getting some work done, exploring on the weekends, and not going to bed until sometime after midnight…
For now, there’s a tradition to follow – presenting some first impressions on Meh-deh-yeen. (See first impressions on T...
July 20, 2015
The comprehensive guide to European city cards (mid-2015 edition)
Whether you’re taking in one country or the whole continent, most European cities have a special card that offers some special benefits to tourists. Which ones are worth your money, though? Which ones should you pass on? Plan your trip through Europe the smart way!
Threequick notes before we get started here: Some cards were received for free from the relevant tourist authorities. Receiving something for free did not (and does not) factor into their rating – I’m looking at thevalue received...July 3, 2015
6 Ways to Save Money in Switzerland
Note: At time of publishing, 1 Swiss franc (CHF) = 1.06 US dollars and 0.96 Euros
Switzerland’s beauty is eclipsed only by the eye-wateringprice tagsthat await you once you arrive.Even before reaching your hotel, you might find a haircut for women costs 69 CHF, a cheese fondue that costs 38 CHF per person, or a 500ml bottle of Coke that can costs 3 CHF. While the Swiss franc (CHF) is roughly at parity with the Euro, things are often priced in a way that makes you think you’ve gone to la-la la...
July 1, 2015
Leather diapers and Slovakian body condoms: weird things to wear while traveling
It’s time to celebrate some of the oddball things people have worn in order to take in a place. I asked my fellow travel bloggers to chime in on the weird things they had to wear in order to seea place or do something, and I got some wonderful responses! Note the ones without a ‘as told by’ credit are mine.
A blue smock
As told by Matildaat thetravelsisters.com.
The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding is a non-profit research and breeding facility for giant pandas located near Chen...
