Page 3 of Synnott Travel Blog Posts


Europe » Serbia » West » Belgrade August 6th 2011

Robert D Kaplan once said that "Defeat... has a name: Pristina" Marka McAdam now thinks that the Albanian flags in the city are flapping a new name: Change. At the end, Kosovo is the only country I have not visited in the Balkans. There were some protest at the Serbian border and we had to change our plans... again. Serbia, itself was exactly what I needed after Bosnia. I did not try to understand the whys and did not ask for their side of the stories. I wanted a war-free stay and almost got it. Instead of going to Kosovo, we went to Novi Sad. It is a shame we only miss the Exit festival by a couple of days. According to my guide book, Novi Sad is the place where hedonism meets activism. The old ... read more
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last gift from Sarajevo

Europe » Bosnia & Herzegovina » East » Sarajevo July 26th 2011

I have a confession to make... I have lost faith for a moment. After all, even the stars are going to die. I know your pain is real. I see it through your eyes every time there is a storm. Will the thunder always have this effect on you? It's a vicious circle when you pass by all those broken dreams each day. I see it myself, the city is just plain ruins. You are right when you say it will always need more than a bridge and two shopping streets to grow flowers. We could spend our life in the mosques and pray to all gods, shadows of the past will not die. Plastic flowers never fade. It will be great to see the kids smile at something else that a dive from the old ... read more
old bridge
half the country buildings have this sign
shopping street

Europe » Montenegro » Kotor » Kotor July 22nd 2011

Little after noon, I woke up in a bus going I do not know where. Again, a damn border control wasting my dreams. I felt asleep to my favorite song hoping I made the right choice. I will never get used to these slow Balkans bus. We were going up and down the mountains like in a roller coaster. To my right the bay full of small islands was magnificent. A boat was waiting for us to come we went around the two biggest islands and finally to the other side. I was once again losing my mind to the freedom feeling running in my vein. I am living for those moments. The time past and we arrives... nothing is better that walking out in a new country for the first time. The time froze and ... read more
Old town
over looking the city
during the day

Europe » Croatia » Dalmatia » Dubrovnik July 22nd 2011

I guess it is something hard to forget. The holes in the walls in front of me remind our host of what was being a kid and waking up in the middle of the night to the sound of an alarm and gun fight to hide in the basement. In Zadar, there is not many buildings full of what reminds some of the bad time. Most people never refer to the war, life in one of the most beautiful sun destination is too precious to spend much time reliving bad memories. The beaches, the amazing weather and the stunning Island would charm even someone allergic to the sun. Welcome to the Croatian dream. Zagreb, Zadar, Split and Dubrovnik in two weeks to make you learn a bit and discover some of the Croatian wonders. I do ... read more
old town again
where she deserve to be
lego type roof

Europe » Slovenia » Upper Carniola » Ljubljana July 17th 2011

Over some Pivo we look a bit confused watching some Slovenian debate about the Ex-Yugoslavia war. We are drinking Czech beer in a pale imitation of an Irish pub in Maribor. The Lent festival is on the agenda for later in the evening. I feel I have to drink a bit before attending the Slovenian literature/music concert our host has plan for us. Not too far from our table, on a small stage, a guy is doing covers of American top hits in Slovenian. We again are somewhere we were not supposed to be. Thinking of the plan, what a stupid idea of taking the train to Trieste instead of the free boat to Croatia or Greece! Just getting to Slovenia from Trieste was hard enough. We took a very early bus across the border ... read more
fire
and the river
ljubljana

Europe » Italy » Veneto » Venice July 5th 2011

Italy is a bit of a surprise pack. You know, the little candy bag every kid used to buy. I remember begging my mom for a bag and find out I did not like half the candies. Italy is a history lover paradise. Anywhere you look you see something to blow off your mind. From ancient civilisation ruins to architecture beauties, each square have this wow factor. I always love this country. I never dreamed of walking on the moon. I used to wake up in the middle of the night thinking I was in one of those great military victories or fighting the greatest gladiator in the Colosseum. Our first trip to Italy three years ago was a bit of a conte de fees. Spending time walking the lovely canals of Venice and the great ... read more
Colosseum
forum
The one and only time

Europe » Switzerland » South-West » Geneva June 12th 2011

There is always something crazy about Amsterdam. Even when you try to be straight and stay away from the unfamiliar, something is going to pop out. It is now the allergies season. We are on our way out of Holland when I have the smart idea to go to the toilette. My target: a paper roll. This is when I noticed a small pack of tissue in between the rolls. I decided to bring it back to our seat a bit proud of my catch. I give it to Chloe and she put it in our bag. An hour later, she started sneezing again and reached to her bag to get the pack. This is when she realised the bag smells marijuana. We are now passing the German border and the army is coming in the ... read more
Photo 31
how to kill urself
Gent canal


Hey folks, Once again in took me ages to give some news. Sorry mom and dad... and the five other people reading this thing. Not always easy to find the motivation to go inside an Internet Cafe when the weather is stunning like it was for the last month. We got one day of rain. Anyway, we are now in the beautiful city for the second time in least that a year. Some say it is the biggest tourist trap of Europe. Myself, I like to relate to Brugge has a big chocolate cake. I cant never get enough. Each time, you turn around you find something new, something that is blowing your mind even more. So. How did you guys get all the way to Belgium? Where you not in London the last time you ... read more
Classic pic once again
Calais beach
covent garden

Europe » United Kingdom » England » Greater London April 8th 2011

Hey Folks, I am trying to catch up. I feel bad being in an Internet Cafe when it is gorgeous outside. The weather of the last three days is crazy good (+20). Well, we are now in Reading waiting for some friends to finish work. The last time I wrote something we were on our way out of Dublin. This is what we did of our last month (almost)... We first made it to Galway. We both love this city, but we visited it over four or five times last year, we had nothing left to visit. The only reason we were coming there again was to catch a bot to the stunning Aran Islands. Inis Mor was splendid. We spend two days hiking around the biggest Island, having picnic on the edge of amazing dead ... read more
Nick 048
Nick 182
Nick 345

Europe » Ireland » County Donegal » Malin March 26th 2011

Hey folks, I am very late... again! We are now in Ballyliffin. It has been since we left Dublin. I will write about what and where we went since, in my next blog. This one is all about the greatest day of the year after Christmas. I should almost say a week. I have been to all sorts of festivals on four different continents, but I was really looking forward to this one. Did it match my expectation? Not really, alto it was great, but the parade was bad. Nothing is perfect though, the St. Patrick in Dublin is worth a flight around the world. For a really rare time, maybe the first time, I was well prepare. I booked a room at Isaacs for four nights, last year. But, before going to what seems like ... read more
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