Flight over the French Alps

From My Bumpy Flight to Paris, to a Hop, Skip and a Leap Over the Alps

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May 9th 2012
It seemed almost a waste of good ink to receive a passport stamp from the French customs officials for such a very short layover within the confines of Paris' Charles De Gaulle Airport (especially since I did not visit customs upon arrival in Italy; I want my stamp!). Although I couldn't recognize it in his completely serious tone, I think the agent was teasing me for having not visited Ne ... read more

Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Florence

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Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the city-states of the peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under King Victor EMMANUEL II. An era of parliamentary government came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI establis... ... read more