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August anniversary

Posted on August 15, 2011 @ 3:36 pm by massimo | Filed under: advertisement,bargain,blog,food,holidays,illustration,news,people,travel,wordpress

On August 13 morning, 1978, I woke up in  the ground floor dormitory of King George VI Memorial Hostel, Holland Park, London. I was very dizzy. The first thing I could see from my bed was a bunch of clothes in the middle of the room and my room-mates standing around it,  picking up their trousers and shirts…What the hell had happened was clear to me when someone told that burglars had entered the ground floor dorm in the nighttime, by an open window, sprayed the air with some funny sleeping gas, stolen everybody’s money. I was definitely broken! I went to the dorm upstairs where my travelling companion was, I talked to him and borrowed 30 £. All I could do with such little money was to buy a cheap ticket home. I went for Magic Bus. At their travel agency in  Shaftesbury Ave they told me that a coach bound to Greece was scheduled on august 15 at 8 pm; I was supposed to get off in Milan, where my dear aunty lived. The ticket price was 25 £! All I had to do was to survive until the bus departure. Friends of friends drove me in Weighton rd, Penge, where someone else lived in a squat. I was welcomed and I was suggested to attend the nearby Hare Krishna restaurant where I could get free vegetable soups. On august 15, the magic bus left from Charing Cross. I was on board, rather hungry, a Wimpy Bar sandwich in a box, 5 copper pence in my right pocket and the absolute certitude to be in Milan in less than 48 hours. The bus was overcrowded by last minute tourists, willingly looking their hot greece holidays. In a hurry, we all where positively hurry for some reason, but, alas! that bus company was really magic. As soon as we reached Chamonix Bus Station, on the French side of  Mont Blanc tunnel, the Greek driver asked everybody to get off:  a new magic bus would be arrived in half an hour and picked up all of us. It is a fact that after 6 hours no bus whatever was in sight yet! All The Brits where absolutely disgusted and very, very angry. I left them there , still waiting for their never coming bus, and I  caught an ordinary shuttle bus to Aosta, Italy. Once in Aosta I went to a police station, I showed my fully empty pockets, so getting a printed temporary permit to travel by train for free to Milan. Happiness and exctiment swelled within me: I felt so proud, I was just 18 after all…

Illustration friday topic is: swell

the temple of Apollo

Posted on August 10, 2011 @ 3:39 pm by massimo | Filed under: architecture,blog,fun,holidays,illustration,island,mediterranean,mythology,news,people,travel,wordpress

A very good reason for a cyprus holidays is to visit the archeological greek sites, particularly the temple of Aphrodite and the Sanctuary of Apollo Hylates.  Everybody who has been visiting some “special” archeological area, has experienced a very peculiar and powerful  feeling, something that really can project the visitor back in the past, making him almost able to be phisically in that very place many centuries ago, among the ancient inhabitants and their voices…I suppose that the temple of Apollo in Cyprus makes no exeption: about 2,5 kilometres west of the area of Kourion’s ancient city stands the temple of Apollo “Hylates”. In it -being one of the main religious centres of ancient Cyprus -pilgrims form all parts of the island arrived at the sanctuary of Apollo and entered in it through its two main gates…Can you figure this out?

Aphrodite

Posted on August 9, 2011 @ 9:58 am by massimo | Filed under: advertisement,art,beach,blog,holidays,illustration,island,mediterranean,mythology,travel,wordpress

A trip to Cyprus is also a trip back to greek mythology. According to the myth, Cyprus claims Aphrodhite’s birth from the island waters. The fact that Aphrodite, among hers many names, is also called Cypris (Lady of Cyprus), might confirm this thesis. Wherever she borned, the myth of her birth has been widely depicted by classical art history. Perhaps the most famous reperesentation is  Botticelli’s The birth of Venus, definitely an outstanding masterpiece. In my poor an imperfect illustration, Aphrodhite is giving her shoulders to Cyprus southern area where the Troodos volcanic chain culminates at nearly 2000 mt. This is an area covered by forest that is sometimes quite thick, hiding dozens of richly decorated chapels and small mountain villages. The road stemming from Paphos, on the western coast, crosses lovely mountain sceneries: you might need some car hire cyprus to fully enjoy a road trip to Troodos vallies: once in the area  you will be able to choose the footpaths that go into the forest…

Illustration Friday topic is: imperfect

narrow escape

Posted on July 29, 2011 @ 2:40 pm by massimo | Filed under: advertisement,beach,blog,boracay,cheap,fear,illustration,island,mythology,news,package tour,philippines,sailing,wordpress

Andrew was an Australian I met in Boracay. He lived in General Luna, Siargao Island main town, fronting the pacific Ocean. Andrew owned a paraw and he used to go sailing in the Siargao sea, among  unpolluted and enchanting islands: Dinagat, Dako, Anahwan, La Januza. ”An obsession!” he claimed. His tales were …

jam jars

Posted on July 24, 2011 @ 6:07 pm by massimo | Filed under: ancona,beach,books,cheap,croatia,food,holidays,illustration,island,mediterranean,news,politics,travel,wordpress

While reading an old guide book printed  by the former Yugoslavia Tourist Bureau in the mid ’70, I can’t avoid some personal memories.  My hometown Ancona lies on the Italian side of the Adriatic sea and, as a matter of fact, the Croatian coast has always been for us the very …

fusion food

Posted on July 21, 2011 @ 6:00 pm by massimo | Filed under: advertisement,ancona,beach,blog,food,fun,holidays,mediterranean,news,people,travel,ukiyo-e,wordpress

Among the  thousand reasons that make an Italy holidays very peculiar, there is food. Italian food is higly reputed due to  its traditional quality and variety. Yet, as for the rest of western or westernising  countries, (I apologise for my bizarre neologism) a new  cooking trend has gained little by little more …

books

Posted on June 15, 2011 @ 2:32 pm by massimo | Filed under: advertisement,africa,blog,books,flights,island,kenya,lamu,news,people,wordpress

Sitting on the terrace of the house in front of mine there is a blonde middle-aged woman who reads. Every night, before leaving my book on the big bench made of gray wooden planks and slowly going  to bed downstairs, I rest a mo men t to look at her… In …

safari

Posted on June 10, 2011 @ 10:05 am by massimo | Filed under: advertisement,africa,animals,another green world,blog,cheap,fun,holidays,kenya,news,wordpress

Kenya wildlife is the main attraction to many visitors. The country offers a wide selection of National Parks were it is easy to watch wild animals. Young travellers really on a shoestring might think to avoid them at first, due to the cost of lodging there. Moreover you …

migrants

Posted on June 7, 2011 @ 4:14 pm by massimo | Filed under: advertisement,africa,another green world,blog,fear,holidays,island,mediterranean,news,people,politics,wordpress

A Malta holidays presents an opportunity to discover a country and a different culture only a short distance away from Sicily. The island strategic position, in between Europe and Africa, half way Gibraltar and the Middle East made it a perfect stronghold for the consecutive colonizers. The Phoenicians, the …

Lamu night life

Posted on June 6, 2011 @ 5:51 pm by massimo | Filed under: advertisement,africa,beach,blog,fun,holidays,island,kenya,lamu,music,people,travel,wordpress

You might ask what on earth there is to do on an Islamic Island at night? The answer could be join a full moon party, a must almost for every tourist!  The party happens at the Shela beach and usually music is played by small  portable music systems. The …

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