Folksy Travel by Bill Smale • Click on "Menu" below to search Country or City or to see Country Guide. Tip your phone sideways and you will see all aspects of the site.

July 12, 2026July 12, 2026

Beaches on Crete

I came to Crete because it’s one of the major islands and I thought it was a good place to start some island hopping in Greece. The highlights of course of these islands are the beaches and some amazing scenery. Since this is a volcanic area you recognize right away how rugged the terrain. I rented a car and as soon as I started driving it became very clear I was going to find some pretty steep and windy roads which is what the island is pretty much made of. But people drive slowly so it’s pretty easy to make your way down a road which is the width of one car while having another car come at you. People cooperate and they make it work.

A lot of the advertising photos of Greece are the clear blue Aegean waters. You will see some of that along your journey on Crete but many of the beaches are like others around the world with a lower visibility of a few meters to maybe 5 m. But I have been in several beaches where the visibility is maybe 30 to 40 m which is very good. For you people from the US 1 m is approximately 1 yard. My first stop was two nights in Chania at Kosmoss A. G. K. The people there are exceedingly helpful, nice and the accommodation was just fine. Within a few minutes walking distance you have a choice of a few beaches which can get crowded in the afternoon but it seems the tourists here prefer starting their beach and sunbathing exercises at about 11 AM and finish about 5 pm or so. So if you go earlier or a little bit later you can beat the crowd and sometimes have a beach all to yourself. The two beaches I went to within walking distance are Yannis beach and Iguana Beach. There is a larger beach at Golden Bay.

Iguana Beach Beaches on Crete — Iguana Beach

Then I traveled along the road looking for a good fish restaurant and this name came up on the map in Kissamos, Akrogiali seaview rooms and restaurant. When I arrived there were no restaurants open even after 1 PM but their were a few people in the water. Even though the beaches was small stones you take a few steps and you are in deep enough water to have a good swim and you won’t have many people around. The second day I went there and I was the only person.

Seitan Limania Beach Beaches on Crete — Seitan Limania Beach. The speech seems to be pretty famous but it is a little difficult walk all the way down to the beach. I didn’t go, too much work.

The next day I wanted to try the famous Falasaena beach. When I got to the southernmost point there was a huge parking lot for five euro and I couldn’t believe that I would have to pay to park a car to walk to a beach so I went farther north, found a free parking place and walked down to the beach and took a short swim. It was very nice but it was around some old broken down coral heads so I had to be a little careful where I was swimming so I wouldn’t bump into these old coral formations. I would not recommend this place if you have kids. There’s two much stuff to bump into and cut them or scratch them. So i was not really impressed with this arrangement at the beach.

Falasaena beach Bill Smale — In the distance here you can see the Falasaena beach Area. The large beach is accessible from a free parking area but you might have to walk a little bit. Actually, you actually have to walk a little bit if you park in The 5€ Area as well.

The next day I went south along the west side of Crete and I was told that Elafonissi Beach was really superb and I had to go there. When I arrived I was waved into a five euro Parking place. But the strange thing was they wouldn’t let me continue down the road. They stood in front of my car and insisted that I go into the five euro parking area. I thought this is such a famous beach I have to try it so I parked there and I walked down 100 meters and there was a not full three euro parking lot, actually two of them. As I walk further down the road there was a souvenir shop where you could park for free if you were going to buy something. Walking down a little bit further there was a minimart where you could park for free if you were a customer. None of these parking lots were full. So you can figure out the appropriate word for this kind of behavior. Anyway, to walk to the beach it was about 1 1/2 km or about 1 mile which I found to be too much for me in the hot sun but since I paid five euro for parking I decided to continue. I got down to the beach and there were thousands of people. I got down to the water and there was nobody anywhere at that beach in water above their pelvis. It was a child beach area. If you’ve ever been to a decent beach before that had any depth you would recognize this as the child’s pool at the hotel. I found this very strange because I have never seen this before. I have seen very shallow beaches but I could never imagine adults going in. And I have never seen a shallow beach that was the shallow for such a distance. But I guess Europeans are OK with hanging out for hours at a very shallow beach which I should add has pretty nice sand for a European beach. It was definitely not my cup of tea so after about a half hour in the water and cooling off in the hot sun I walked all the way back to the parking, getting way too much sun on the way and not really happy with that venture.

That evening I drove for a one night stay in Palaiochora which is a nice little town and if you have extra time you might want to stay there a couple nights. It’s very relaxing with many restaurants and bars, it’s very low-key but it’s a cute little town and it has nice beaches. The most popular and biggest beache is on the west side which tends to get pretty crowded. It’s a nice Sandy Beach. I was staying on the east side and while it was more of a large pebble beach, once you get in the water you get some depth and it’s quiet water so it’s very good swimming. I went in the early morning for a swim and there was only one other person there at 8 AM. I stayed in the water about an hour and during that time a few other people showed up, setting up their beach equipment and umbrellas. The waters were extremely clear and calm.

My last beach stop was yesterday at Plakias. There evidently are some very nice beaches around here but I don’t really need to be around hundreds or thousands of people and difficulty trying to find some space to sit down my sandals and small bag. Within about a five minute walk there is a nice entrance to the town beach which I went to at 6:30 in the morning and there was nobody there. The sun was still behind the mountains. The waters were extremely clear and calm. I stayed for about a half hour in the water, nobody else showed up, and I went back to get a shower and some breakfast. So that’s the extent of my beach experiences in Crete. My next stop is Santorini

Plakias Bill Smale — Plakis from The drive down

It seems that many of the tourist are interested in setting up equipment or lying in a lounge chair with an umbrella for the day. Many of them also are sunbathing. Living on the beach for almost 15 years I don’t find either of those activities interesting or healthy for me. After eight years in a diving business and getting too much sun it’s now important to protect myself so I tried to be pretty careful. My best time at the beach is always in the water with the sun behind me.

Plakias Beach where I was swimming this morning

July 9, 2026July 9, 2026

On the road

these are just a few photos I took first stopping in Terni for a couple days and then going to the airport in Rome to take a flight to Athens.

Nice technique On the road — a pretty interesting image, the technique is unusual

Pride flag On the road — A pride flag hanging over a parking lot

Gelato Bill Smale — It was mango and coconut and limone

Town information Bill Smale — Here you can read about the town of Terni

Decent pizza Bill Smale — The pizza at the hotel by the airport was not bad

Campari spritz Bill Smale — they also made a decent Campari Spritz

Nice sunset Bill Smale — At the hotel it was a nice sunset

Engine oil gin Bill Smale — This airport shop is selling gin in a can usually identified with engine oil

Old Fiat Bill Smale — And of course one of the vendors at the airport needed an old Fiat for promotion

July 9, 2026July 9, 2026

Uffizi Firenze

This is a very beautiful museum to visit and highly recommended. One thing I keep getting reminded of when I enter a cathedral or visit a museum of ancient art, at certain periods of history the money was in religion and religious art. I don’t know how many museums I’ve been in since I started visiting areas in Europe including Ireland and the British Isles but I think my senses have become jaded by the overflow of religious art. I recommend when you want to visit this museum or any other it might be a good idea to read a little about the different artist displayed and what to look for that makes them stand out over the others. I think that will help give you a little more sense of excitement and anticipation at the detail, technique and display.

Sign over the entranceway Uffizi Firenze — at the entrance you see this over the door. You can do your own translation. That numbering system is different from what I learned.

A little crowded Uffizi Firenze — The entrance. It was fairly crowded but not too bad

The story of the birth Uffizi Firenze — there are various stories and interpretations. What I have come to understand is that some scholars from Persia were early astronomers and they saw an alignment of stars indicating they should look for someone special. So they went looking and found a baby that was born on the day this alignment started. But don’t take that as the gospel.

Botticelli painting Bill Smale — This painting I have seen several times and it’s stuck in my mind. I think it’s because the artist is recognized as someone truly excellent.

Venus Bill Smale — This one is extremely famous

Piece of statue Bill Smale — Many statues crumbled and were found in pieces. Many were put back together under supposition, what they were probably intending to show. But some pieces just kept hanging around without a main edifice

Power without clothing Bill Smale — he looks very triumphant. Recently I came to understand gods and extremely strong and capable heroes, male and female, were often depicted without any clothing. The reason was pretty simple. They were so powerful they did not need any demonstration of power or position, something clothing very much indicated at the times the statues were created.

Beautiful ceiling — When you walk through the museum make sure to look around and up at the ceiling as well. It’s a very beautiful building

Ponte vecchio — Ponte Vecchio seen from the museum

Looking through the window — what interested me in this painting is the sense that you are really looking through a window at something happening outside. It just struck me as a unique presentation

A good catch? — The action here is interesting. He is going for a good catch?

Boring — This was not as boring as it seems

July 9, 2026July 9, 2026

Amazing Firenze

I would prefer to see people refer to the city by its real name and not by a name created in English. Actually I did some research into the name and it turns out that the name Florence comes from the old Latin name for the town which was Florentina. But in any case the correct Italian name should be used to avoid any confusion and to be respectful of the Italian people. My last time here was 2010 when I went to a restaurant for my first Meal in Italy, three courses. After the dinner a few older gentlemen were amazed when I complimented the bottles of wine with labels of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Francis Ford Coppola. That we all sang together and old Dean Martin favorite, Volare. That got me a few free shots of Grapa. This city will always be Amazing Firenze.

Flying tiger Amazing Firenze — People work gathered around some musicians and the restaurant. This restaurant has confirmed That tigers can fly

Peaky Blinders fan Amazing Firenze — It’s nice to see a fan of Peaky Blinders

Strozzi castle Amazing Firenze — I stopped for a fairly expensive cup of coffee in this palace. My great aunt changed her name to Strozzi From Strotz claiming we are the family of the great second family of Firenze, Great and close friends of the Medici. Kay Was an actress and it’s pretty clear she wanted to improve her public relations standing by changing her name. No one in the family has been able to show the lineage from the Strozzi Family but people keep searching.

The castle Bill Smale — The castle from the outside. It has these rings secured to the outside walls for horses to be tethered to

My standard coffee Bill Smale — My standard cup of coffee with Aqua Fizzante (sparkling waterj

Little Italy Bill Smale — This is not related to the palace. Actually this is my friends restaurant menu from Gila Bend, Arizona. He makes real Italian food. He and his wife are from Sicily, Sicilia. You can see their prices are very reasonable and gourmet pizza is Italian style pizza, not American style though the other pizzas are American style. Next time you’re in that town look up Little Italy restaurant and say hello to Nino and Antonella.

Jazz band Bill Smale — An old time jazz band

Duomo. I did not go in this time. It seemed to be a little bit too crowded

Behind Uffizi Galleries

Second David statue — This is not the real David statue. You have to go to The **Accademia Gallery of Florence** To see the real one

Interesting fountain animals — Interesting animals surrounding the fountain

Of course you need to have a Borsalino store

New trains — What amazed me is the trains now seem to run pretty much on time, not like even six years ago. And the new trains are all made by Hitachi.

July 7, 2026July 7, 2026

Mediaeval Assisi

Mediaeval Assisi definitely a place you need to visit in Italy especially if you’re interested in Saint Francis at his live nature and animals. His tomb is here in the large basilica so you can come and visit or pay your respects or whatever.

Bus station Street Mediaeval Assisi — After you get off the bus you walk down this narrow street to a small Piazza

Narrow streets Mediaeval Assisi — Since this city has been around for many hundreds of years the streets are very narrow

Interesting opening Bill Smale — This is one of the first things you see when you enter this church. I’m not quite sure what it is but it looks like something leading down to the original structure or something meant for some purpose and it’s no longer used

Wax candles Bill Smale — If you are interested in lighting candles for some blessing you will notice that some of the churches in Italy have installed electric candles. That way you pay some money and an electric candle lights up. But many of the churches still have wax candles

Carlo tomb is here Bill Smale — This fellow I saw promoted in a church as a recent saint. I’m sure it’s important to keep things current in the Catholic Church and so this fellow is very greatly revered. one thing I did not realize before coming here is that this is the actual church where he is entombed. you’re not supposed to take a photo of the tomb out of respect. Above his remains is a glass box where you can see a wax replica of him lying down

John Paul presentation Bill Smale — I’m sure this pope is very prominent in this hallway presentation because he visited

Respect for nature — This city is organized around Saint Francis so you will see a lot of attention paid to nature. This is just someone’s yard

Road to paradise — It’s interesting to note this is the road to paradise

Rocca maggiore — This is the Fortress on top of the hill which has been here for as long as the Romans were here

Famous artist — so this famous artist had an exhibition here

Permanent design — This is his signature design and this one seems to be permanent just below the castle

South American project — This is in the mountain South America, a project he was commissioned to do

Verona Arena project — This was done in the arena in Verona

Outer space project — he got somebody in outer space to do this for him

Hidden Borsalino — There is a hidden Borsalino here

Chiesa di Santa Maria Sopra Minerva

on this site was a Roman temple to Minerva and on top of that a church was built.

You can see the columns of the Minerva temple which were rescued from the ruins

The tower — Next to the temple is the tower.

128 steps up — Before ascending I asked how many steps. The answer was 128

Clock backside — This is the first time I’ve been on the backside of a clock

Changing the guard — The former king of Italy comes to pay respects to the town as it changes guardianship from the Vatican to the nation of Italy

Beautiful view from the tower — The tower has a beautiful view

The Bell striking mechanism — Here you can see a metal ball and a mechanism which allows it to strike the bell

There are many interesting remains from excavations of Roman artifacts

Abandoned shoes — Back down in the town near the station of Assisi you can see that not only people choose their shoes but here you can see the shoes will soon choose the person

Interesting artwork — Some interesting artwork

July 6, 2026July 6, 2026

Relaxing Arezzo

Arezzo is one of those small towns in The Central part of Italy which can give you a good rest from the famous big tourist cities. I highly recommend just taking a break and try Relaxing Arezzo.

If you want to know something about music like Doremi Faso la Ti Do. Then you should know about This guy. Click here for more information about Guido.

Fruit and vegetable shop relaxing Arezzo — Everywhere you go you see beautiful tomatoes if you go to the private stands. You also see giant garlic. You may not find as fresh fruit and vegetables in the large chain markets. Venture into the private Small vendors.

Post and telegraph office Bill Smale — Before the Internet there was a telegraph and so the post and telegraph in many countries became one of the largest government services and as a result the buildings were also massive. They still have some of these in Italy which I find pretty interesting

Old pharmacy Bill Smale — I just like this old pharmacy

Red currents Bill Smale — These are very popular, red currents. They are sour but kind of interesting

Darrell Street — The narrow streets going up and down hills are really fun to visit

Old Fiat panda — And here is an old Fiat panda

Cigar shop — I was tempted to go in but I’m cutting down on cigars and my tendency is for the smaller cigars like the Toscanello

Gelato — And of course I had to have peach or mango on top of coconut on top of chocolate

Interesting building — Just an interesting building

Screenshot

Big organ — That’s quite a dual set of pipes

Sugar Shop — This is an interesting name and theme for a restaurant

Not expensive — As you can see the prices are half of what you pay in a tourist city

Speedy coffee shop — Nice name for a coffee shop. I came here for some coffee. It’s a good local place where people meet to relax and talk

Coffee shop — This was also pretty good cappuccino with a pistachio croissant

Nesting pigeons — While I was having coffee the pigeons were flying right over my head, creating some small turbulence in my face and nesting above. So they would come down, search for twigs for their nest and then fly back up here to create the nest.

July 5, 2026July 5, 2026

Enjoy Parma

When We think of Parma we need to focus on the fact that it is one of the most important cities and areas in the world. This area around the city brings us Parmesan cheese, prosciutto, Lambrusco wine (like champagne), tortellini soup, Balsamic vinegar, Baloney, Bolognese sauce (ミットソース) (Ragu sauce), Ferrari, Lamborghini and Maserati. What other area of the world has brought us so much?

Amazing library Bill Smale — An amazing library we were not able to enter since they are working on it

Mannequin Bill Smale — You can see how many of the statues were not marble or even completely clay. Many of them were filled with wood and sticks to create a basic form and then with a plaster over them

These are the different types of Italian mayonnaise which I found interesting

Vegan mayonnaise — Heinz was there with a vegan mayonnaise

Taking a break — It’s important to take a break at the end of the day

Hat stand — It’s nice to have a place to put your hat

Pigeon house — The pigeons have a pretty big house

Renovating a building — This building is being renovated

Old style electric buses — It’s nice to see electric buses

So a spritz in Parma has balsamic vinegar. Maybe I should’ve tried that

Asti wine — This is a nice wine for the evening even after dinner

A lot of people sitting around the Palazzo

You can tell this is Parma. They’re selling Parmigiano Reggiano And salami along with their small food and coffee shop

July 3, 2026July 3, 2026

A Day in Marseille

a friend who lived and worked in this area for several years told me there are three things to see in Marseille and then you can leave. one is the basilica on the hill, the other one is the old port and having bouillabaisse soup and the other one is maybe less interesting but probably the beach area. For me the soup was something I had been looking forward to for more than 16 years. The first time I tried to get to Marseille from Barcelona the whole country, France, shut down due to a strike against the Social Security system, if I remember correctly. So there were no toll roads or trains or buses or control towers working. So I missed my chance. But I finally made it and I will say the soup was very delicious and very interesting.

Toast in the soup A Day in Marseille — The waiter was very exciting and excited. He showed me how to eat the soup. The first thing you do is spread the cheese on top, dipped the toast in the yellow sauce and then dip the toast with the sauce in the soup, eat the toast and then enjoy the soup

The Bill A Day in Marseille — This was the total for the lunch. It was well worth the adventure

Political commentary Bill Smale — Some political commentary, cover of a magazine, paste it on the wall

Used bookstore Bill Smale — Used Book market

Good coloring Bill Smale — I like the way they just colored everything. It’s very attractive

This is the famous Basilica on the hill, one of the things you need to visit

Curve to building — I like the way they curve the building to use the space available

People swimming — People were enjoying the swimming

Armistice memorial — Attribute to the armistice in 1918, World War I

John Kennedy memorial — a tribute to John Kennedy

Interesting Shop — This was an interesting shop which sold some very strange and interesting things

Graffiti — of course people need to put graffiti everywhere

Palais Longchamp — I thought this was a museum or exhibit but there was really nothing open, just the outside and then the back area which was being set up for a concert

June 30, 2026June 30, 2026

Park in Empoli

The reason I recommend you “Park in Empoli” is the location of this town. You can spend a day going around and seeing almost everything there is to see inside Empoli. but what I found to be something really attractive about this city is its location to some of the interesting places in this area. You could take a bus for about 45 minutes to the birthplace of Leonardo da Vinci, a town called Vinci. Within 40 minutes train ride you can be in Firenze (Florence). within an hour and a half train ride you can be in Siena, an amazingly interesting UNESCO heritage site. The other attraction of this city is the cost of living which is as much as 1/2 the cost of staying in Firenze. so you can spend three days staying in Empoli, spend the morning you arrive going around the city, the next day you go to Vinci. and two days after that you spend some time in Firenze. one night. if you do that it would be good to stay four nights in Empoli. if you don’t want to stay in Siena add another night or two. after all, what is a visit to Italy if you don’t get to see the birthplace of Leonardo, the beauty of Firenze and the medieval atmosphere of Siena?

Riding a lion Park in Empoli — During the daytime you never know who’s going to want to ride one of the lions

Firenze architecture Park in Empoli — So much like the architecture in Firenze

Jim Croce home Bill Smale — If your music habits were from the 1970s you will remember Jim Croce. I highly suspect his family came from this area generations ago

Jazz festival Bill Smale — And of course this small town has some very good entertainment

Salt warehouse Bill Smale — This is the local museum highlighting they well-known glass manufacturing industry of the town and it used to be a warehouse for salt

Dual container Bill Smale — So you have two contents possible in this container. Could it be for vinegar and oil?

Famous glass manufacturer Bill Smale — They were a famous glass manufacturer in this town

June 27, 2026June 27, 2026

Pisa Museums

Right around the famous tower there are a number of museums containing history of the importance of this city to the main city of Firenze. it’s good for you to take some time and to look around these museums and get a feeling of the history and the importance of this city and area to the economy of the northern part of Italy.

Sinopie museum Pisa Museums — Screenshot

Look at the concept Pisa Museums — You can make out the general concept and then look at the reproduction picture below

Huge frescoes Bill Smale — These frescoes are really huge

Incredible artwork Bill Smale — There is some incredible artwork to be discovered here

Part of the Camposanto — These frescoes were part of the Camposanto

Camposanto courtyard — a reproduction of one of the frescoes showing the courtyard in the Camposanto

Artistic license Bill Smale — Just like with books like the Bible what you see is an original here and then if you look down below at the reproduction you see they have taken off this fellow’s beard. This is artistic license which was so prevalent long ago as it is today

The whole complex — The shows the whole complex

Baptistry

Cathedral

Burial site — This is a huge building which is actually a burial site for famous people

God holding up the universe — What do you see here is God up above, behind the whole circle holding up the universe

Well preserved fresco — A well preserved fresco

Fibonacci — Any computer scientist knows this guy

Artifact museum

Incredible artwork in the hymnal — The artwork in this hymnal is incredible

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