Blogs from San Marino, Europe - page 4

Oh, San Marino. Since Michael had worked a week less than I had and was spending his last two weeks doing a microstate tour, we had to go to San Marino while we were in Italy. He had already been to Andorra, Monaco, Liechtenstein, and of course Vatican City. Not surprisingly, there’s really not a whole lot to do in San Marino. It’s a very tiny country with a population of only about 30,000. It is, though, up on a beautiful mountain and has three famous towers that you can hike to. Michael was very excited about these towers, but forgot to mention how much hiking would be involved in getting to them. Thus, he forgot to tell me it probably wouldn’t be a very good idea to wear a dress that day. Luckily though, I ... read more

No visit to Italy is complete without a side trip to San Marino, or so I thought, at least. But what exactly is it with this country? Many people, especially outside Europe, wouldn't even know what to make of it when asked about San Marino. But Sanmarinese claim that many Italians don't even realize that this tiny enclave is actually independent, and not a part of Italy. The Serenissima Repubblica di San Marino occupies 61km² in the Apennine Mountains, which makes it two and a half times smaller than Liechtenstein, but three times bigger than the island group of Tuvalu. A mere 10km away is the Adriatic Coast, but the Republic is landlocked and completely surrounded by Italy. The 30,000 inhabitants take great pride in the fact that their country is the oldest sovereign state and ... read more

MOSCOW MOSCOW... It’s hard to not hum the tune “Moscow Moscow......” when you’re here. One thing I do know, is that no one else is humming it. We arrived at Moscow station at 7.30 on Friday morning and were met by a rep from the travel company with whom we booked this section of our trip. The overnight train from St Petersburg was fun and hopefully a taste of something to come! We were booked into a four berth cabin, but were the only occupants. We were allocated a top bunk and a bottom bunk, but since we were alone we both took bottom bunks, much to the concern of the carriage attendant. She brought the guard along to show him - Fi was creasing the wrong sheets!. Luckily he did not seem to think it ... read more

San Marino is a fascinating stopover in the centre of Italy. I took a train from Florence, and then jumped on a connecting bus that gradually wound up to the summit of a hill where the tiny fortified republic lies. This tiny country swarms with tourists strolling the cobblestone streets packed with quality shopping, gorgeous cathedrals and stunning views of the surrounding Italian countryside from the citadel walls. San Marino is easy to get to, and definitely worth a visit if you are in the region. To recap from the previous journal, dear reader, I've been a busy adventurer since leaving Rome. I caught a train to Naples, which is a bustling city in southern Italy. The traffic is quite chaotic, and travellers really need to be alert when stepping out onto the streets, as the ... read more

Geo: 43.6577, 13.0972This morning I ate breakfast with the Spanish girl from my room. I told her my plans for the day and asked if she wanted to come along. She did, so off we went. We caught a bus into Rimini and then changed buses for San Marino. 30 minutes later we arrived there. The Republic of San Marino is Europe's third smallest state and San Marino is the capital. They have their own postage system and it is on a high cliff top. First thing we did was admire the view of the valley and mountains. Then we went to the Public Palace. Was a bit of a waste of money. There were two rooms open to the public and we were out of there 5 minutes later. We walked up hill. The streets ... read more