19 Days After Quitting: The UK, France, Italy and Egypt
April 2023, right after I left my job: back to my old homestay in Bournemouth, then London, Nice, Milan, Venice, Florence, the Amalfi Coast, a rain escape to Egypt, and Rome once more, in eight parts.
Reading Path
Bournemouth Travel 01: A Same-Day Ticket via Dubai, and Back to My Old Homestay
April 2023: I quit my job, bought a ticket that day and flew that night. Emirates via Dubai, a Megabus, and the homestay where my English began.
London Travel 02: One Packed Day, from Red Phone Boxes to Big Ben and a Soho Pub
April 5, up from Bournemouth to London after four years: a laughing halibut, swans and blossom in St James's Park, Big Ben, then Chinatown and a Soho pub.
Nice, France Travel 03: Three Trips to the Same Beach, and Chagall's Saint-Paul-de-Vence
April 2023, my first look at the Mediterranean. A first day in Nice spent bouncing between a pebble beach and Place Masséna, then Chagall's hilltop village.
Milan Travel 04: From the Duomo on Easter Morning to 74,742 Fans at San Siro, Visited Twice
April 2023, where the Italy stretch begins: the Duomo on Easter Sunday, Sforza Castle, aperitivo on the Navigli, and AC Milan vs Napoli at San Siro.
Venice Travel 05: Walking the Grand Canal, Climbing the Tower Opposite, 235 Shots in Burano
Venice, April 10–11, 2023: evening light on the Rialto Bridge, the view from San Giorgio Maggiore's bell tower, then Murano and color-switching Burano.
Florence Travel 06: Four Skies in One Day, and a Rain-Soaked Pompeii and Positano
April 2023, the second half of Italy: from Florence's Duomo to a Guinness on Piazzale Michelangelo, a flooded Alexander Mosaic in Pompeii and a grey Positano.
Sharm El Sheikh Travel 07: Escaping Rome's Rain to the Red Sea, With Zero Research
A week of rain forecast in Rome. One search for a country with no rain, a flight to Sharm El Sheikh. A surprise visa fee, an ATM wad, the Red Sea, the desert.
Rome Travel 08: Rome Again, Everything I Ate in Italy, and Home via Taipei
The final part of my 19 days after quitting: a rainy last night in Rome after Egypt, every Italian dish from Milan to the airport, and wonton noodles in Taipei.