Sean Zarinegar in Rome

Can you believe it folks here I am in Rome! This is where a lot of history starts, a place where many battles have been fought and many ceasers made their homes. There are a couple of spots I want to hit up while here in Rome, one being the Vatican. I don’t think that you can come and visit Italy, much less Rome and not go to the Vatican. Although I have heard that the people there can be very special in regards to letting tourists just wander around, yet I’m sure I’ll be able to see some impressive sights.

Just walking through the streets of Rome I could see the massive amount of culture and history seeping through every single rock that makes up this beautiful city. There are tons of medieval churches around here, to many to name! It seems that when you walk down the streets here that you are walking in one gigantic museum, I mean there are so many statues all around that it is a photographers dream come true. I found this amazing Lion fountain at Piazza del Popolo. This was truly a work of art, I think I easily stood there for about 15 minutes just staring at the thing. I could also feel that I was in a different country now, the culture and the people are very different than in France and England. In fact if I have to think about it, that even though it felt like merely crossing a state border, the culture completely changes.

I also visited some art museums here in Rome and I must say, top class paintings! There are so many different local artists here that paint some of the most beautiful artwork my eyes have ever seen. When I eventually made my way to the Vatican I could see hordes of people walking in the same direction. You folks must understand that it is not only a tourist spot, but more importantly a religious capital of the world. This is sort of like Mecca, but the Roman-Catholic Mecca…Rome!

My eyes almost fell right out of their sockets when I entered into the Vatican. It seemed like a piece of heaven fell out of the sky and became Rome. I could also see a darker history behind it, since I have studied a bit on the Roman empire and the Roman Catholic church. I myself am not a very religious man, but one must admire such beauty and magnificence. When I saw the artwork on the walls and the golden decorations all over the place I simply shut up, you cannot imagine the wealth of objects there is to find in the Vatican. I think I could spend years here in the Vatican to simply scrape the surface, but I do not have that much time. In fact I think I’ll be moving out of Rome soon and go to my next city.

Many people told me here that the nightlife in Rome is something special, so maybe tonight I’ll be wandering around the city and seeing what mischief I can get myself into. I know that my coverage of Rome could have been a bit more complete but I need to get a move on, and right now it is merely putting my foot on the Italian soil. There still is much more to cover in other cities and time is breathing down my neck. I mean seriously folks, I have a job back home and even though it doesn’t always require me to be there, I need to check what’s happening.

Anyway, the blog post was long I know, but I tried to get everything in one blog. I’ll most probably be doing that from now on to make it a bit easier on myself. Tonight I’ll be heading into town to see what the night scene is all about, and then I’ll be moving to my next location. For now this is Sean Zarinegar, about to paint the town red!

Sean Zarinegar enters Italy

Well folks I’m finally here in the boot of Europe, Italy. Sean Zarinegar is completely overwhelmed by the marvels of this country. I’m sure I’ll be learning a great deal about the history of the world while in Italy. Just think about it, in this country is where one of the world’s greatest empires came to existence, where the coliseum is at, the Vatican and so much more. Sadly my Italian is as good as my French so it will be somewhat of a struggle, but I’m sure I can pull it off. I am very excited to see what Italy will have in store for me, and if it is anything like Ireland or England or France then I’m sure I’ll enjoy the heck out of it.

I only entered into this country a few hours ago and am merely starting to settle into my hotel room, so once I’m done getting ready I think I’ll go have a nice hearty breakfast and go about my business. I just want to thank you folks for keeping me company through my travels, it had been hard at times here in the lands of ancient history and constant strange faces. I think it happens to everyone that travels for an elongated period of time, home sickness. But nonetheless I am determined to finish my quest, and Sean Zarinegar never walks out of his story. So you’ll folks will have to bear with me a while longer, because the next on our map to explore is this beautiful country…Italy. I think that is room service now, I’ll be munching away and then take a shower and get on with the adventure. Sean Zarinegar about to eat, “chow”!

Sean Zarinegar goes to Burgundy

I simply had to come to Burgundy do to its fame, historically speaking of course. Burgundy is also known for its wines, but also for its historical battles. I decided to skip the winery this time around even though my tongue was craving for some fine French wine. Sean Zarinegar needs to be focused and after the last winery in Champagne I felt it the next morning. I’m not as young as I use to be.

Either way here was much to cover, there are so many fortresses and this place has been written down in history books for many centuries. I had to go and visit the old houses of the Dukes of Burgundy. They have tours there where you almost walk into the 15^th century, or at least that is how it feels.

Amongst that I had to try the several French cafes they had spread out all over the place. That is where I was able to write you fine folks back home. There were many spots to see and I obviously couldn’t see them all, since I’m thinking of getting out of France and moving onto my next destination. I simply had to come here though, I don’t think it would have been right for me to be in France and not come to Burgundy. That is precicely why I came here, to be able to leave Europe satisfied, even though at this moment I have enough memories to last me a lifetime.

But there is a little voice inside of me that is budging me along, so I think here in Burgundy I will spend my last days in France and then move on to Italy. Can you folks believe it, I am about to enter into my fourth country over a relatively short period of time, even though it feels like I spent ages within each country. There still is much to do and I will have to be going if I want to keep on track. If you folks back home want to hear more about Burgundy, just ask away and I’ll send you back some more stories. For now this is Sean Zarinegar saying goodbye to France, for now!

Sean Zarinegar and his Champagne

Well it really isn’t my Champagne, but rather a region in France where you guessed it; Champagne comes from. I decided that while in France it is absolutely essential to check out a winery, I mean it is only one of the world’s leading manufacturers of wine and champagne. Thus Sean Zarinegar decided to go to Reims.

I have been on several wineries before but let me tell you folks the one here in Champagne was something quite exceptional. I got to try a bunch of different wines but had to stop after a while because it started going to my head. One thing Sean Zarinegar is certain of is that you shouldn’t be losing your head when you are on a journey of such magnitude. Besides I wanted to be fresh to explore some other regions within Champagne.

From what I heard there was also a Gothic style Cathedral here in Champagne, so I decided to head over there. Let me tell you folks it was truly something impressive, the tower was kept in the same manner since the 12^th Century. There are so many historical artifacts all over the place that I almost felt like I was walking with the Goths.

There are a bunch of mansions from the 17^th and 18^th centuries. It almost felt like I was warped back in time and walked around in history. I could definitely write a book here, since your imagination is always on the go. The entire landscape looked like something out of a novel, I was completely stunned.

Now you folks know that it isn’t easy leave Sean Zarinegar speechless, but here in Champagne I was without a word. There were so many things that went through my mind that it completely blocked my mouth from uttering a single word. I must have been the only tourist walking with a gaping mouth, it was that beautiful.

Either way I decided to not stay in this picturesque place and was ready to go to a new place, not because there wasn’t anything to do, but because I am feeling the press of time on my journey and I know I still have lots to cover. Traveling is all fun in the beginning, but eventually you begin to miss your own comfortable bed. But I am still moving along strongly, and my mission isn’t over until it is over, so for now this is Sean Zarinegar signing off!

Sean Zarinegar’s last day in Brittany

My stay in Brittany would not have been complete if I did not visit the mammoth aquatic park called Oceanopolis. The sheer amount of species you can see in this place is quite astounding; I got to see a bunch of Giant crabs too. I imagined if Sean Zarinegar would eat some giant crab one day, but when I accidentally said that aloud many people turned and looked at me funny. I guess thinking on eating a giant crab is one thing, but actually doing it is a whole different ballgame. Sadly though there were many different movies I could watch, but they all were in French, which made it a bit difficult to understand.

The park itself is divided into three parts, and luckily I went early so there weren’t too many people around. I easily spent a good part of the day just admiring what happens beneath the oceans, and with a guided tour all the information is a lot more concise. In the end I found that my time here in Brittany was exceptional and I would definitely come back here some other time.

My time in Europe has taught me a lot so far, and Sean Zarinegar still has many stops to make. I mean I only have entered into three countries so far and there are a lot more on my list. I might even have to make my France trip a bit shorter than I initially expected but I still have time to go and see some other unique and wonderful spots here. This will be my last day here and tomorrow I will be traveling to a different area of France. I think I will only have time to do two more stops here in France before I head over to Germany. There is still so much to learn and do and I am still very enthusiastic about the entire ordeal. For now this is Sean Zarinegar, bidding farewell to Brittany.

Sean Zarinegar and his Castle obsession!

WOW! I cannot tell you guys how impressed I was with this sight, not only does Brest have one of the best natural ports in all of Europe, the castle is amazing. I think it will a difficult procedure to list which is my favorite castle in Europe, but this one surely will make it to the top three. This castle has so much history that I don’t think I’ll be able to explain it all. It took me several hours to explore the rocky fortress and I even walked around the exterior. This place screams battles from every era known to man, it is even said that there were occupants of this place since way before the Roman Empire even existed. Although; the Romans did make their way to this natural harbor because of its defensive stance. I was completely taken away by the sight and definitely recommend this to you folks.

I can just imagine how marvelous this thing must have been back in the day, when people from all over came to visit. I can almost smell the battle in the air on how many people wanted to sack this place, but here it still stands in all its glory. This truly was the highlight of my trip to Brittany, but I think there is still so much to see. I know that my obsession for castles has taken the best of me, but seriously folks, if you come to stand in front of such a magnificent structure you too will be mesmerized. Just take a walk down the dungeons and you’ll see that our modern prison system looks like a vacation compared to those conditions.

My entire day was spent in the Castle and I got back to my hotel room tired and needing some serious rest. There is so much to see and do when you are in Europe that it boggles the mind. For now I’m going to get some shuteye because tomorrow will be my last day here in Brittany. For now this is Sean Zarinegar, signing off!

Sean Zarinegar in Brittany

Many people have told me that I should absolutely go to Brittany, due to its rich historic background. Sean Zarinegar always heeds the voice of his followers so that’s what I did. Brittany reminded me of Asterix and Obelix those two cartoon characters. This place has been populated since before 600 BC by the Gauls and has counts of stone statues, altars and menhirs all over the place. As history would tell you that both the Romans and the Celts came and claimed this place to be theirs.

I decided to take a bus tour, which luckily was translated into English and I had a chance to bask in the wonderful scenery of the Atlantic Coastlines. I could see that this place is a fishermen’s paradise, but I was also told that this part of the ocean is quite something and it requires a master fisherman to be able to deal with the tide and currents.

I could see that the culture here is very influenced by the Celtics, and that even their music still reflects that of ancient times, obviously there are more modern stuff to look at, but I think it is in Sean Zarinegar’s best interest to check out the roots. Either way I decided to go to the several surrounding villages and move away from the beachfront. I travel to a country to see the locals not the tourists from all over the world!

I was told that there is also a castle here dating back since the 13^th Century, but I think that I will take on that beast tomorrow. The entire day today I have been soaking up rich culture dating back for thousands of years, and I think that a good night’s rest will do me well. Tomorrow I will be venturing towards the castle to see if it will make the Sean Zarinegar Castle list. People, I can only tell you that this trip has been amazing so far, and that I hope to come back and explore more of these sights with more time on my hands. For right now this is Sean Zarinegar signing off!