Any Excuse to Travel

Stories from travels in

May 2015

An oasis of flair and precision

I remember when coffee came in two forms: black or white. I also remember the caffeine tidal wave that swept the world, with the success

There’s more to Parma than ham and cheese

The city of Parma, without the ham and the cheese, is more than just eggs. That said, it takes a little getting used to as

Twins, wheels, and hammers

I lived with a chap once who would throw up at the smell of Parmesan cheese. He hated the smell. Absolutely detested it. And this

packaged parma ham

Counterfeit ham in Parma

I’ve heard of fake Gucci bags, fake Rolex watches, fake tans, but fake hams? This was a first for me. In Parma, I had the

Neptune Cinque Terra

The price of popularity

I had my heart set on seeing Cinque Terre – the five villages on the Italian Riviera that belong on a chocolate box. They’re perched