D + 2: Doria Castle and White Marbles
One of the few things I could never find out was how the Doria Castle in Porto Venere was linked to the Doria family – except for the...
top of page
Search
hbanziger
Jul 8, 20203 min read
D - 5: ! Olla on the Berber Coast
Ever so often, tensions flare up between Morocco and Spain over a few rocks in the Mediterranean or the towns of Ceuta and Melia....
7 views0 comments
hbanziger
Jun 29, 20203 min read
D - 12: What is a Giant 15inch Shell Doing in the Cathedral of Genoa?
When researching the making of Focaccia yesterday, I came across three more interesting stories which will be the subjects of my next...
14 views0 comments
hbanziger
Jun 23, 20203 min read
D - 19: The End of Their History
Did you ever wonder why the galleys, the Queens of the Mediterranean, suddenly disappeared in the 18th century? More than a hundred years...
12 views0 comments
hbanziger
Jun 20, 20203 min read
D - 21: What are Saracen Towers?
On our trip from Genoa to Tunis, the coast line changes constantly. The green Apennine Mountains accompany us first, the rougher peaks of...
150 views0 comments
hbanziger
Jun 16, 20204 min read
D - 25: Lancasters and B-17s over La Spezia
One of the advantages of sailing off the beaten track is getting off the beaten track. With a few exceptions, the places we visit did not...
104 views0 comments
hbanziger
Aug 9, 20192 min read
C + 15 : Changing the Flags in Zadar
It is change over day again. Team 2 had tanned so well that we needed to send them back to cloudier parts of Europe and America - too...
10 views0 comments
hbanziger
Aug 4, 20192 min read
C + 10 : Josip's Bunkers
Engines started today at 5 am to get us to the island of Vis where we had tickets for the Blue Caves at 8 am. The caves are inside/below...
3 views0 comments
hbanziger
Jul 31, 20193 min read
C + 6 : Catholic in the East - Orthodox in the West - Crossing Religious Borders Several Times
Last night we anchored close to a place called Stari Milni (Old Mill) under an impressive range of lime stone mountains. When we woke up...
4 views0 comments
hbanziger
Jul 27, 20193 min read
C + 2 : Taking Shelter in Epidamnos (Durres)
Seeing that the pentacles of the European Cyclone will reach Durres this afternoon with wind speed of 45 knots, we decided to start our...
8 views0 comments
hbanziger
Jul 26, 20192 min read
C + 1 : Suleyman's Harbour
This morning we set sail at seven for Vlore and shipped around the Karaburun Peninsula which was dotted with hundreds of Enver Hoxha's...
2 views0 comments
hbanziger
Jul 22, 20193 min read
C - 7 : Harassing Venice on the Cheap
When flying from Vienna to Venice, book an F seat on the right hand side of the plane. About 10 minutes before lnding, look out of the...
8 views0 comments
hbanziger
Jul 22, 20193 min read
C - 3 : More Alternative History
Imagine the year 1246. You are standing at the sea gates of the imperial palace in Constantinople - just south of the Hippodrome -...
6 views0 comments
hbanziger
Jul 15, 20193 min read
C - 9 : A Fleet for the Emperor
We are not only going to see lots of tourists during our trip. There are also plenty of shipyards we are going to sail past - Bay of...
3 views0 comments
hbanziger
Jul 5, 20192 min read
C - 20 : Josip's Toys
For most of you, the name Josip Broz Tito still rings a bell. Indeed, he was the Croatian Partisan Leader the Nazi Germans never managed...
8 views0 comments
hbanziger
Jul 1, 20194 min read
C - 22 : Memories of Languages
When sailing up the Dalmatian coast we will hear the cacophony of tourist chatter but only one domestic language: Croatian. Architectural...
14 views0 comments
hbanziger
Jun 29, 20194 min read
C - 24 : Alternative History
Can anyone guess how the following three pictures are related to each other? Mone Lisa from Leonardo da Vinci The town of Herceg Novi The...
17 views0 comments
hbanziger
Jun 28, 20193 min read
C - 26 : Yugoslav Civil War 1991 - 2001
The older amongst you may remember the civil war in Yugoslavia from 1991 to 2001 which followed the break-up of the republic after the...
35 views0 comments
hbanziger
Jun 27, 20194 min read
C - 27 : Asymmetric Warfare in the Adriatic
On C + 4 the Dragonfly, our sailboat, will reach Ulcinj in Montenegro, the (in)famous pirates' nest. It was a thorn in the flesh of the...
24 views0 comments
hbanziger
Aug 22, 20182 min read
B + 24 : An Encore - Herodium Visit
Yesterday was supposedly my last blog but I have my boarding pass already for the afternoon flight to Switzerland. How am I going to...
6 views0 comments
bottom of page