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Dave Hippler

Dave Hippler

war bereits in 38 Ländern Weiterlesen🇺🇸Madison
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    • Dave HipplerReisenderEurope 2025
      Wow
      Balcony views everywhere111Monument to local boy Domenico Modugno, the singer of "Volare."Cantare...

      Polignano a Mare

      21. März in Italien ⋅ ☀️ 57 °F

      This town is even more picturesque than Monopoli. Most of the old town is on a cliff, and that makes for great photos. I'll let them speak for me.

      We also had a 5 star meal with fresh seafood, wine, dessert, and espresso. It couldn't have been better.Weiterlesen

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    • Dave HipplerReisenderEurope 2025
      Octopus reflection
      The Cathedral of MonopoliThe Cathedral of MonopoliThe Cathedral of MonopoliThe Cathedral of MonopoliCool organStuck in PurgatoryAt death's doorThe AdriaticThe British say "ABC" Another Bloody CastleThe Porto AnticoPorto AnticoPorto AnticoDo not pass GoSpritz time!

      Monopoli, Italy

      21. März in Italien ⋅ ☀️ 55 °F

      We went to Monopoli on a day trip from Bari. It's only a half hour away on a fast regional train. This is where we enjoy using our Eurail passes. Not that anyone checks tickets here! I think of about 10 train rides so far, we've only been asked to show tickets 3 times.

      It was a sunny day and walking through the old town was a delight. We stopped in the Cathedral, another Baroque one. It has several amazing varieties of colored marble lining the walls and columns. I've never seen such beautiful purple marble before!

      Then it was off to the sea for a walk along the coast. There are still fishermen working here and their brightly painted boats are moored along the coast. We met some nice Bulgarian ladies on vacation. There are lots of Eastern Europeans in Italy this time of year, especially Poles. We hear lots of "dobra" and "tak" (Good, yes) while walking around. 😁

      There wasn't a whole lot else to do, so we opted to head to Polignano a Mare for lunch. It's just 5 minutes away on one of the many regional trains.      Weiterlesen

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    • Dave HipplerReisenderEurope 2025
      Ole St. Nick. Crusaders stole his bones from Myra, Turkey and brought them here
      I happened upon a mass for St. Nicholas in the crypt. Those are probably Russian tourists.Palazzo MincuzziCastello Svevo di BariIn the crypt of Basilica San Nicola, with Ole St. Nick's bonesFresh pasta on pasta streetNo sitting on the cannonballs!A wine vending machine!The big balongnaInside Basilica Saint NicolaOne of two Opera houses hereFor some reason there's a fair amount of Western themed restaurants here.

      Bari, Italy

      19.–23. März in Italien ⋅ 🌙 46 °F

      Bari is in Puglia, on the Adriatic Sea and just across from Albania where we were last fall. It's been a major trade port for millennia, and was Europe's largest slave trading port in the past. Slav = slave and Turks and Arabs especially bought many conquered Slavs from here.

      Today, it's a large, modern city with the old city on a peninsula facing the sea. There's a well-kept castle museum that had great interactive videos to keep things interesting.

      Bari draws in Russian tourists who venerate St. Nicala, AKA Santa Claus. His bones were stolen from his tomb in Myra, Turkey by Bari sailors/ crusaders and brought here for some reason. They're now in a crypt under the Basilica San Nicola. I happened upon a mass full of these tourists. Check out the video.

      We've been to Myra in the past to see St. Nick's home town. He was a Byzantine bishop there and the stories of his giving to the poor led to him being canonized. I'm not quite sure how or why northern Europeans created the modern myth of Santa Claus.

      The old town is full of narrow, curved streets that are fun to meander through. One street has old ladies selling fresh pasta in front of their houses.

      We're using Bari as a base to visit about 3 other nearby towns on day trips. Once again, we found an amazing, newly remodeled apartment for under $70 in a convenient location. We definitely notice a difference from Sicily. It's cleaner here and a little less chaotic.😂

      More photos and videos are here.

      St. Nicola mass:
      https://photos.app.goo.gl/b4rN58YK1PFLEGNh8

      https://photos.app.goo.gl/yCHzDLRaVjVLYpbaA      Weiterlesen

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    • Dave HipplerReisenderEurope 2025
      That's the toe of Italy in the background. As seen from Messina, on the football
      The harbor1Living the sweet lifeThis shows how the railroad cars are loaded onto the ferries that cross the Messina straitsOur trip so farNeptuneI believe this is the original Neptune statue from the fountain1This is why we came to this museum. Love CaravaggioThe other Caravaggio hereThe CaravaggiosCinderella at her carriageAt the regional art museumAmazing work in WalnutAn ancient lead anchorNot Caravaggio: This one is just weird. Jesus squirting this guy with his blood?

      Messina, Sicily

      18.–19. März in Italien ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F

      Messina is the major port city of Sicily. Unfortunately, it's been destroyed a few times over the years including a major earthquake and tidal wave in 1908 and then damage from world War II when the Allies pushed the Nazis back to mainland Italy.

      That means there's not a whole lot to see for tourists. We spent the night here to break up our ride from Palermo. We're going all the way to Bari today which is in the heel of mainland Italy in Puglia.

      There is however, a nice art museum with two paintings from one of my favorite artists, Caravaggio. I need to read a book on this guy when I get back. He was on the lam for murder in Rome and escaped to Malta. While there, he got into a knife fight with a knight of St. John! 3 weeks ago we saw the prison cell where he was held at fort San Angelo. But he escaped and made his way to Sicily where he met up with friends and was commissioned to paint several paintings. The regional art museum in town holds two of them.

      We've got a 3-month Eurail pass and we planned to take the train from Messina to Bari today, but there's another one-day strike that caused us to buy bus tickets instead. Too bad because I really wanted to see how they load these trains on a ferry for the short crossing across the Messina straits.

      There really should be a bridge here because the straits are not very wide, but there's a lot of anti-bridge sentiment in Sicily. These ferries are slow and inefficient but provide a lot of jobs and I don't think they'll ever build a bridge. I included the satellite photo showing how the tracks lead right to the ferry. Instead, our bus will be loaded on the ferry and we'll be in Bari 2 hours earlier than the train.

      We had two wonderful weeks in sicily and I can't recommend it enough. The food is as good as it gets and there's something for everyone here.

      More photos and videos are here.

      https://photos.app.goo.gl/SJChZCcbLxwA4f4a7      Weiterlesen

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    • Dave HipplerReisenderEurope 2025
      Palermo Cathedral at night
      Chiesa del Gesu, the first of 6 churches I saw here!Bollerro market crazinessAt the Bollarro marketChiesa Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio (Chiesa della Martorana)King Roger II's big dis on the pope. He's being crowned by Jesus, not the pope.What a cool telling of Jonah and the whaleThe port of PalermoHoly Cannoli! It's the bakery inside the church courtyard of Santa CatarinaOutside the Cathedral of PalermoRoyal Palace and Palatine ChapelThe EU flag, the Italian flag, and the Sicilian flagOur apartment for 4 nightsTemple of Concordia at Agrigento, from afarA triskeles on 3,000 year old pottery. It's the symbol of Sicily and it's on their flag.Christ Pantocrator mosaic in the Cathedral of MonrealeMosaics at the Cathedral of MonrealeBiblical scenes at the Cathedral of MonrealeBaroque chapel within the Cathedral of MonrealeThe making of the Holy CsnnoliBar in the Kalsa neighborhoodThe heart of St. Louis. It's not the Cardinals, and it's not Soulard. His heart is in this tomb.

      Palermo, Sicily

      14.–17. März in Italien ⋅ ☁️ 77 °F

      If I had to stereotype Sicilians, I'd say "They all scream, but they smile while they do it ." They really do talk loud, with hands, and often. But they're a friendly sort. Palermo is wacky, but fun.

      Wow. Just wow. We're on our fourth and last day here and it's been amazing. Palermo is gritty like Catania, but I like it so much more for some reason. I'd sworn off going to multiple churches in a day but yesterday I went to five of them! There's so much history here that it's hard to pass up these Norman churches that had Arabic craftsman adding touches to the Norman design with Byzantine mosaics inside.

      Today I visited the cathedral Monreale, which is about 45 minutes outside of town. It's also a masterpiece with golden mosaics telling stories from the Bible all around the interior.

      Yesterday we kind of messed up and went to Agrigento on the last day of the almond festival. We thought we could see the ancient Greek ruins, which are about the best in the world including Athens, and then attend the cultural festival afterwards. Well, they closed the ruins early so they could put up a stage for the festival (which was sold out). We went to the nearby museum and we could see the temples in the distance but we couldn't get inside. We had taken a train from Palermo and that was 2 and 1/2 hours transportation each way. What a disappointment! I didn't have the energy to go back the next day, but Deanne did. I opted for Monreale instead.

      Palermo has a lot of immigrants including South Asians so there's no shortage of different types of food. But we're here for Sicilian food and we've been having great meals of course.

      Despite what the photos show, it wasn't all churches. They have a modern harbor with a promenade and walking through a street market and any street really, was a treat. I feel like we barely scratched the surface.

      Tomorrow we take a train back to Messina to spend the night before we head to mainland Italy. We just spent two wonderful weeks exploring the football of Italy and now we're going to go hang out in the instep and the heel, Basilicata and Puglia.

      More photos and videos are here.

      https://photos.app.goo.gl/W3M52TGhJjNkH3zg9

      And for those very few of you that can't get enough of Norman churches......

      Cattedrale di Monreale
      Duomo di Monreale
      https://photos.app.goo.gl/x4yLm8Zxr3zBF54ZA

      Chiesa del Gesù di Casa Professa
      https://photos.app.goo.gl/qfUNABewcJTS2ZQW8

      Chiesa Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio (Chiesa della Martorana)
      https://photos.app.goo.gl/UiAWgELCtgGjYWix6

      Church of Saint Caraldo
      https://photos.app.goo.gl/SKuuDJ7GxXAZo9RaA

      Chiesa di Santa Caterina d'Alessandria
      https://photos.app.goo.gl/RDYdYfAqAtLB6gRf6      Weiterlesen

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    • Dave HipplerReisenderEurope 2025
      The famous Byzantine mosaics in the cathedral of Cefalu.The train ride from Taormina to CefaluPortrait of a Man by Cefalu native Antonello da Messina. Inspiration for the Mona Lisa? He was firstAt the Porta Pescara, the fisherman's gate.The fortress-like Cathedral of Cefalu, built my Norman King Roger II.Inside the cathedral.Inside the library of Museo MandraliscaA cappuccino on the beach, but ALWAYS before noonThe ancient laundry, where a stream washed the water to the sea. Used into the 1970'sThe Cathedral with more sun.Picnic on the coastThe Lido. Scenes from Cinema Paradiso were filmed here.Bottarga. Not for the faint of heart.A vegetable vendor making his presence knownFront row seats at our favorite restaurant

      Cefalu, Sicily

      12.–14. März in Italien ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F

      It's pronounced CHEH fay LOO. Hard one to say, but Cefalu is easy on the eyes. It's set on a rocky point sailors call a "head" hence the name of Greek origin. (Cephalus)

      The train up to Messina was beautiful. It hugged the coast, so we made sure to sit on the right side of the train going north. We changed trains in Messina but had time to grab an espresso before we left and then settled in for a 2-hour ride to Cefalu. It also hugged the coast but we switched from the Ionian Sea on the east side of Sicily for the Tyhrennian Sea on the north side.

      We had leftover pizza and a half a bottle of Etna red for lunch. For dessert, we had a couple more almond pastries and tried an amazing new dessert (for us) full of sweet pistachio butter. I have no idea what it's called but I may have to go back to Taormina just for that.

      Between guide books, novels on our e-readers, and lunch, the 3 1/2 hour trip went pretty quickly. This is why we prefer train travel.

      Cefalu is a small town and not too busy this time of year. We absolutely love it here. It's a great change of pace from Taormina, which has hordes of clueless tour groups clogging the streets. Our apartment here, and its host, are amazing. He left wine and coffee and lots of recommendations for us. He personally greeted us to show us around the apartment. That's really rare these days.

      We easily saw all the sights in a day and a half. The Cathedral has incredible mosaics behind the altar. It was built by Normans, who settled from northern France, and they were only a couple generations removed from their Viking forefathers.

      We had warm, sunny days here and wandering the narrow streets was fun. Eating at restaurants all the time can be a drag, so we had a picnic with the wine and the meat and cheese we brought. We didn't need it on the train.

      Last night's restaurant was so amazing, I made a reservation for tonight when I paid the bill. We sat right by the kitchen and were fascinated by the calm demeanor and professionalism of the four chefs. I opted for gluten free pasta with Bottarga. Hoo Boy. That was a new one. It's a fish roe pouch that's a Sicilian delicacy. It's quite "fishy " but I ate it all. Move over, anchovies. It was still perhaps our best meal in Sicily and half price of what we paid in Taormina.

      The next night we went back and sat at the same seats. The head chef recognized us and comped us a starter of panelle (chickpea flour fritters) and cazzille (mashed potato fritters), both gluten free. This meal was even better. Cefalu is wonderful but 2 nights is plenty and for those with little time, you can do it on a day trip.

      Tomorrow, we go to Palermo, Sicily's largest city on a 10 am train.

      More photos and videos are here.
      https://photos.app.goo.gl/CRtsPxqVtbSLtJN57      Weiterlesen

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    • Dave HipplerReisenderEurope 2025
      Mt. Etna....finally!
      The Roman amphitheaterOn the train from CataniaTaormina at nightViews from Villa Comunale di Taormina parkArancinis are great street food snacks. Or lunch. Or dinner.Indeed. Especially the Pistachio flavors.Fine dining but we couldn't pass up fresh CalamariYour average Sicilian conversationOn a passeggiataCorso UmbertoLooking south from the Piazza IX AprileTaormina from the walk up to the Chiesa Madonna della RoccaThe Greco Roman amphitheaterAfter the long walk upChiesa Madonna della RoccaAn old carnival float in the city marketInside the Roman amphitheaterOur first granita, which is between a sorbet and ice creamAlmond sweets to die for

      Taormina, Sicily

      9.–12. März in Italien ⋅ ☁️ 57 °F

      Taormina is a resort town on a large cliff overlooking the sea. The rich and famous have been coming here for decades. While we aren't interested in the high end shops, the views are stunning and there's a huge, well-preserved Greco Roman amphitheater with seats pointing towards Etna in the distance. If you want to know what Taormina really looks like, check out Season 2 of White Lotus. It was filmed here

      We climbed up the long steps to a church built into a cave for the views. And we visited the amphitheater. Other than that, we just strolled the streets and soaked up the views while enjoying the local flavors (almonds and pistachios). We also tried our first granita, which in Taormina is between a sorbet and ice cream.

      Unfortunately it's been cloudy and we haven't been able to see Mt. Etna until the morning we left. The sun finally came out and burned off the clouds. A lot of people come here just for hiking or driving around the volcano. They make lots of wine and grow a lot of pistachios on those slopes. We've been fine with just chilling out and enjoying the clean and pleasant city but seeing it on our last day was a real treat.

      This will probably be the most expensive city on our trip in Italy and we're fine with a couple of fine dining experiences and also cooking in the apartment. Tomorrow we change trains in Messina and then head west to the port city of Cefalu.

      More photos and videos are here.

      https://photos.app.goo.gl/GVFV3TwGPXV4C2Y4A      Weiterlesen

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    • Dave HipplerReisenderEurope 2025
      Largest lemons I've ever seen
      Rabbit?Trancio, a spongy crust style of Sicilian pizzaOh my god. The fresh blood orange juice was the bestCatania's CathedralMy Spidey sense spotted thisPiazza del DuomoFontana dell'Elefante ('u Liotru)At Catania's train stationThe bells of Piazza del DuomoThe view of the bus and train station (and Ionian Sea) from our room.Scirocco fish labChiesa della Badia di Sant'AgataBasilica della CollegiataOpera fans, anyone? I don't know of him, but local boy did good apparently.And of course there's a Roman amphitheater here.

      Catania

      8.–9. März in Italien ⋅ 🌬 61 °F

      I figured one day is enough for this large city that many people fly into. And I was right. The historical center has lots of baroque churches and buildings (I'm sensing a theme, Sicily). But there's lots of trash everywhere and the rest of the city is pretty ugly. While waiting for a bus, I saw a local finish his lunch and then just drop his huge wrapper on the ground. I haven't seen that anywhere in years.

      After checking in our room, we walked to the nearby Allied Invasion Museum. It was huge and fascinating. D Day in Normandy gets all the press, but the US, British, and Canadians had a practice run here in July, 1943 when they invaded and pushed out the Fascist Italians and Nazis. They later crossed the straits of Messina to work their way up Italy.

      We made it to the center in time to see the famous fish market before it closed. It was boisterous and there's plenty of seafood restaurants in that area. We snacked on our first Arancini before we tried the seafood. It's a fried, stuffed rice ball and it was amazing.

      For dinner later we went to a popular street stall for fried mixed seafood in a cone and some fried bacalao (cod). I guess it was deep fry day, our first fried food of the trip. Most everything else on the trip has been slathered with delicious fresh olive oil.

      Then we joined the masses for the passeggiata, or evening stroll. Via Etnea is the place for that. And wow, I almost forgot that we got our first glimpse of Mt. Etna! It's cloudy today, but we got a peek. This is pistachio central, so grabbing a pistachio gelato for the paseggiata was a must.

      I scored a nice aparthotel room across from the bus and train station for the convenience. Those can be iffy, but this one is very nice and includes breakfast. And I used one of our credit card's travel site which reimburses the first $100 on hotel expenses per year, so it's basically free.

      Tomorrow morning, we take a train to Taormina, a resort style town up the coast a bit. Hopefully we'll l get better views of Etna.

      More photos and videos are here.

      https://photos.app.goo.gl/ihzL4Ro2rje4LJf69      Weiterlesen

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    • Dave HipplerReisenderEurope 2025
      Archimedes
      The Greek TheatreThe ear of DionysusThe Baroque Duomo of SiracusaDave, Derek, Louie, and DeanneThe fountain of DianaPuppetry workshops in OrtigiaThe temple of ApolloOur amazing apartmentView from my balcony at nightBasilica Santuario Madonna delle LacrimeThe symbol of Sicily above a door. The 3 legs represent Palermo, Messina, and SiracusaThe puppetry museumJust desserts

      Siracusa, Sicily

      5.–8. März in Italien ⋅ ☀️ 59 °F

      Namesake of Syracuse, NY, home of Archimedes, envy of ancient Athens and Rome and all around good time, Siracusa is a fascinating city on the SE coast of Sicily.

      This area used to be called Magna Graecia, or Greater Greece since it was a colony of Corinth. Archimedes is a fascinating character. He was probably the smartest guy who ever lived at the time in the 200's BC. He invented the first water pump, block and tackles, the theory of pi, exponential numbers, and many military war machines that helped defeat the invading Romans. He was eventually killed by a Roman soldier while working on a problem.

      You may know him as the guy who said "Eureka" while running naked in the street after coming up with his water displacement theory while taking a bath.

      Because the city was levelled by an earthquake in the late 1600s, much of it was rebuilt in the baroque style like neighboring Noto. And that means it's a joy to just walk around and soak up the sights.

      We're staying in a large remodeled apartment in Ortigia ( or TEE jee a), the small island connected by bridges to the main city. Crowds are low this time of year, but we are seeing large groups of university students around on tours.

      It's easy to get a seat at restaurants without reservations and the food is top notch. Swordfish is common on menus, along with lots of other seafood.

      There's a large archaeological park on the north side of town and it has one of the best and largest preserved Greek theaters in Europe. The nearby museum was exhausting. I love history and archaeology but there's so much history here (from the stone age forward) that the thousands and thousands of found objects in display cases just overwhelmed us.

      What we preferred much better was just strolling around Ortigia day and night and enjoying the architecture, the coast, and amazing food and wine. We have 3 days and nights here and it's plenty enough time. It's also fun to have Louie and Derek join us to explore the city.

      There's a 24-hour train strike scheduled for tomorrow. That's so common in Italy. We think we can get a bus easily to our next stop, Catania, which is just over an hour away.

      More photos and videos are here.

      https://photos.app.goo.gl/mXaorqRhBygVzCEx5      Weiterlesen

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    • Dave HipplerReisenderEurope 2025
      Our ferry to Pozzallo, SicilyLeaving Valletta, MaltaSomewhere over the rainbow. I love how it lined up with Deanne's bag strap.Arriving in NotoNot bad for $50/nightMonkfish for dinner

      Noto, Sicily

      4.–5. März in Italien ⋅ ⛅ 55 °F

      We took a very early ferry from Malta to Southern Sicily. This time of year it was mostly empty but we did see a beautiful rainbow on the way.

      Once in Pozzallo, we took a taxi to the train station and activated our 3-month, all Europe Eurail pass. This is our third time using that pass and we love it. It's probably only worth it if you're traveling for a month or more. The 3-month pass cost only $100 more than the 2-month pass. It was only a 30-minute ride to Noto, our destination for the night.

      Noto is famous because the center of the city is full of baroque architectural masterpieces. An earthquake in the late 1600s devastated the city and that was the style at the time when the city was rebuilt.

      Unfortunately a lot of the palazzos are closed for the season or remodeling. But just walking around is pretty enjoyable. Most tours do this on a day trip from Siracusa, but it's worth an overnight.

      More photos and videos are here.
      https://photos.app.goo.gl/qD6qSQxTUKJ9QJTH8      Weiterlesen

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