I’m writing this message as I sit on the train that carries us away from Italy to Austria. Our last four days in Italy were great ones, with many memorable experiences in Venice, a city that I was apprehensive to visit. We arrived in Venice on the 22nd by train. The trip up from FlorenceContinue reading “Day 16, 17, 18, 19 – Venezia and Verona”
Author Archives: J. R. McConnery
Day 14, 15 – Fleeing Florence (Lucca, Siena, San Gimignano)
Okay, Florence wasn’t bad in any way, shape, or form, I just wanted to continue with the alliteration in a way that made sense. We made our last two days in the Tuscan region into day trips away from Florence, not because we were bored of Florence, but because these were great opportunities to seeContinue reading “Day 14, 15 – Fleeing Florence (Lucca, Siena, San Gimignano)”
Day 11, 12, 13- Finding Florence (and Pisa)
Apologies for this post covering so many days, but the wifi at our hostel in Florence was barely passable. We were also pretty busy throughout, so I had little time to write. Our first day in Tuscany was a busy one. We got into Firenze from Roma before noon and took the bus from theContinue reading “Day 11, 12, 13- Finding Florence (and Pisa)”
Day 9, 10 – A Stroll Down Memory (Not Mine) Lane
The Italian countryside between Roma and Firenze is whipping by as I write this. It’s only my second time on a high speed train, but the process is beginning to feel familiar. On day 9 of our trip, Cara, Erica, and I enjoyed a basic breakfast at the restaurant connected to our hostel (looking back,Continue reading “Day 9, 10 – A Stroll Down Memory (Not Mine) Lane”
Day 7, 8 – Walking Roma and Rainy Walking
Let me just say that I was in for a rude awakening at our second hostel. While conveniently placed, and shiny on the outside, our hostel was particularly bad (mostly because of a terrible bathroom). Call me soft I guess, but I’m glad we’re in our new place. On day 7 of our trip, CaraContinue reading “Day 7, 8 – Walking Roma and Rainy Walking”
Day 4, 5, 6 – Napoli to Roma
The air outside my window is buzzing with the sounds of a modern city. A dog barks somewhere far off, and someone walks down the hall outside my room. I have to remind myself that this city is thousands of years old, and some of the most iconic structures in the world are a mereContinue reading “Day 4, 5, 6 – Napoli to Roma”
Day 3 – Pompeii Scavi
Today, Cara and I went to Pompeii, the ancient Roman settlement buried by 6 meters of ash following the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79AD. The visit started with an interesting ride on the Cirumvesuviana train line to Sorrento. The train was an older one, covered in graffiti and packed to the walls. We alsoContinue reading “Day 3 – Pompeii Scavi”
Day 1 – Ready to Go
For those of you who didn’t know, Cara and I are leaving for Europe tomorrow. After roughly three months of dreaming and another three months of rough planning as we finished up our first year of medical school, we’re ready to take the leap and start our adventure. We’ve booked our flights, tried to thinkContinue reading “Day 1 – Ready to Go”
The Importance of Consistency
It’s been a long time since I posted. 8 months to be exact. A lot of things have changed in my life. Since my last post, I earned my undergraduate diploma, accepted an admission to medical school, and uprooted my whole life from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Toronto, Ontario. Let’s just say this: MEDICAL SCHOOLContinue reading “The Importance of Consistency”
PUB 101: Introduction to Indie Publishing for Indie Authors
Introduction I said I was going to do this, so here is the first in a series of posts on what I’ve learned in the process of self-publishing my first novel, Waking Woods. I’ll preface this by saying that I’m not a world renowned author. I’m still learning as I go, building an audience base, andContinue reading “PUB 101: Introduction to Indie Publishing for Indie Authors”
J.R. McConnery 