europe on 15 espressos a day

Hello, and welcome to my travel blog, Europe on 15 Espressos a Day. I hope that you will find what I write here to be not only informative and useful, but also entertaining and worthy of your time. As for the title of my blog,  I will allow you to interpret any meaning to it that you wish. I am a coffee nut, I’ll drink any kind of coffee any time of day, and what better expression of Europe could there be but that wonderfully bold and arousingly aromatic beverage that originated in Italy and eventually became an icon of the continent. I like to use espresso as a metaphor for travel, adventure, and life.
My primary purpose for writing this blog is to share my knowledge, experiences, and passion for traveling in Europe with a focus on independent travel on a reasonable budget, and I hope to impart an appreciation for traveling as a traveler, not as a tourist. I will also be drawing upon my previous lives as an artist, architect, and college professor to share with you the many opportunities for enlightenment in art and architecture that are so available in Europe. This blog will be most useful for beginning and amateur travelers, and for those travelers who wish their travels to be more than just a vacation, for those who are looking for a more meaningful experience. Although I travel solo, and hopefully this will inspire others to feel comfortable with solo traveling, the information and tips I will be sharing should be of value to all travelers, whether single or traveling with a companion or group, and for travelers of all ages. Most of my travel in the last ten years has been in Italy and Spain, and I will begin this blog with Italy being as it has long been one of my favorite places and where I have had the most experience. I should point out that it is not my intent for this blog to be a travel guidebook. It will not include listings of hotels and restaurants, although I may occasionally mention one or two that I find to be outstanding. For that kind of information, there are many excellent guidebooks available and I recommend their use. I use them regularly, especially for information on accommodations, restaurants, and all the must-see sights. That being said, I hope you will find this blog as a friendly travel companion that can inspire you to be a good traveler and to have a meaningful and fun travel experience.
The information I will be sharing will be based on my personal experiences as a traveler and will include, but not be limited to:
• Suggestions for how to prepare for travel, including deciding where to visit, how to research, how to make reservations.
• Getting around especially without a car. I prefer to use the local public transportation and to avoid the cost and hassles of renting.
• Main sights and points of interest.
• Off-the-beaten-path, less touristy places, quirky places, hidden gems.
• Art, architecture, culture, cuisine.
• The benefits and possibilities of travel from the standpoint of a traveler, not a tourist, and how travel as an experience can be a catalyst for introspection, self-improvement, and even enlightenment.
My Process: I travel to Europe for five to eight weeks during the year, and, while traveling, I will be writing mostly short blurbs once or twice weekly about each place and my experiences there, all of which will be later developed into more refined and detailed article and stories which will be added to the blog every week or so after I return home.
To be sure, this blog is a work in progress and I am most excited to finally get it off the ground, and I am very anxious to see how it can grow and evolve. I hope you will grant me patience to develop this blog into a meaningful and mindful endeavor. Please feel free to add your comments, suggestions, complaints, or your own relevant experiences. And, just to let you know, I do not in any way profess to be an expert on travel or life, but, I just hope to provide a dialogue.
May all your travels be full of delight and passion!