Taormina: sea, ancient ruins, and volcanic dust

It is so unbelievably sad that Italy is living through really dark times at the moment. For a traveler like myself it is double-fold devastating: only few countries can boast amazing landscapes, rich culture, and delicious cuisine compared to that of Italy. In these dire times, I would like to think about all the beautiful things that Italy is home to and celebrate its potential for cultural visits which we all can hopefully soon enjoy again.

This story is of a little town of Taormina which finds itself perched upon a tall rock on the Western shore of Sicily. Taormina is a tiny city and is probably not the first one that you think of when someone mentions Sicily. Most of the travelers use the town as the base for conquering Etna, one of the world’s most famous volcanoes, and, to be honest, so did we, but this little Mediterranean town certainly has a charm of its own!

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Paris: disappointments and discoveries

Having visited Paris in the end of March, I still cannot tell whether that was a mistake. On one hand, the high season is not there yet and the queus are tolerable. On the other hand, May or June could be a better time – Paris is full of gardens and parks and now I can only imagine how beautiful it is here when all those trees are blooming and there is a little green between the grey and intimidating palaces of stone. Well well, looks like I will have to come here again! Fortunately, the sightseeing checklist is already done, there will be no need to queue for random reasons, and I can just relax in parks and walk along broad Paris avenues.

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