Recent Posts
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Corniglia – Cinque Terre Part 1/6
Cinque Terre is an isolated area encompassing 20 km of Mediterrannean coastline. The terrain is mountainous with terraces dug into the sides of steep hillside, above the cliffs over the Ligurian sea. Despite the isolation or perhaps because of it, the villages have become very popular destinations for hiking and swimming. I (Chris) first read…
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The Girl from Ipanema, Astrud Gilberto RIP
Astrud Gilberto (née Astrud Weinert) died a couple of days ago at the age of 83. We love Bossa Nova and were sad that a superstar forerunner like her passed away. She recorded the original “Girl from Ipanema” at 22 which became a big hit in 1963. The song earned a Grammy award for the…
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Road trip – from Genoa to La Spezia
After Genoa, we drove southeast for about 2 hours to reach La Spezia, where we spent two nights. From there, we explored Cinque Terre (“Five Lands”) by train and by boat. If you like to join us on this epic road trip from the beginning in Switzerland, click here for the first post of the…
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Network Effect by Martha Wells
Network Effect (2020) is the fifth book in the Murderbot Diaries series by Martha Wells. The science fiction series had since 2018 won the Hugo, Nebula, Locus and Alex awards. Network Effect was an enjoyable read. The story is fast moving and action-packed. I (Chris) found the prose a bit clunky in the beginning chapters…
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Random Moment #14 – All Around The World
This playlist features four jazzy pop songs by female vocalists – Corinne Drewery, Lisa Stansfield, Tracey Thorn and Basia. Notably, Everything But The Girl (Tracey Thorn) released a brand new album in April 2023 which debuts at No. 3 in the Official UK album chart. Their last album “Temperamental” was released 24 years ago (!)…
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Portofino, The Italian Riviera
Continuing with our boat trip from Genova to Portofino along the Riviera di Levante in the Golfo Paradiso (Gulf of Paradise) … If you like to join us on this epic road trip from the beginning in Switzerland, click here for the first post of the series. After our brief stop at Camogli, we continued…
