Tremiti Islands are Incredible

This video basically says it all; this is one of those places I’d recommend you all visit if you ever get the chance. The Tremiti Islands are off the coast of Gargano, Italy in the crystal clear Adriatic Sea.

Good day,

Here are some photos from my trip to the Sanctuary of Monte Sant’ Angelo in Gargano, Italy. It’s located at the very highest point in Gargano and attached to a quaint little village of sorts.

In ~490 or so an angel came and told a bishop to “dedicate this cave to christian worship” so that’s just what he did. Since then pilgrims have been coming all over the world to appreciate and pay their respect. It’s a world heritage site but not by itself, it’s part of the Longobards in Italy – Places of the Power (568-774 A.D.).

If in the area with others, I’d go back as I’d like to see the views on a clear day.

Tips hat,

Greetings from Milano,

What a city this is but more on that later. After the last post it was off to Foggia from Rodi del Gargano which is roughly an hour or so but only takes 45 minutes when you’re flying 160+. Arrived slightly early and the train was late which supposedly is quite common. Roughly 7 hours, 2 gigabytes of data and 2 sore thumbs later I arrived in Milan.

The train station is chaotic and you quickly realize you’re in the fashion capital of the world, or one of them. I was wearing all these old clothes with clashing black hues; yeah it was special. I was going to buy tickets to Bologna as I’ve got two rounds of golf their next week but there were all these creeps hovering around. It’s the pickpocket game.

They have NO reason to be there and come offer you help using it while someone else swipes you or the like; that’s not gonna work on this old dog. Hit the metro, then a bus, then got lost and found myself in a skate shop. He hooked up the directions and then I was there. I’m in this apartment with some other bloggers with 20+ foot ceilings overlooking some square whose name I have yet to research.

This is an interesting city and I’m going to by some new shoes. Shoes are a theme here, yes? I used to collect Jordans but the Shoe Gods have cursed me. I always buy shoes that fit amazing when in the store and five hours later stretch out too big. Life is too short to wear ill fitting footwear. That or I buy ones that feel tight and figure they’ll stretch but they never do, why?!

You can drink beers on the street here and everyone seemed incredibly helpful. Supposedly Rome is the city of churches and Milan is the city of banks. Someone mentioned that and I’m seeing banks everywhere and I mean you go to one machine and it doesn’t work, fear not there is another across the street. The fridge has lots of cured meats and I’m far from cured when it comes to my salty meat addiction.

It’s late and this Italian beer is near done.

Below is a glimpse of Gargano, Italy as seen through my instagram account. These are just the tip of the spur on the boot(literally) but will give you an idea. I’d go on but I’ve got to hustle to Foggia to catch a train to Milan where I’ll be spending the next two weeks.

All is great but in true SHABL fashion I forgot I was charging my GoPro so when I picked up my laptop it dropped and naturally, right on the lens. This has to stop happening…

I’ll be back in Gargano at some point, of that I’m certain.

I butchered this quasi decent short video with the music but such is life. Forget that and just get a glimpse of one of my favorite main squares in Europe. It’s massive and was never bombed during WWII so it’s one of the most intact. There are literally beer gardens of sorts which some would call bars and cafes lining the entire square and a pint is roughly ~2E; can’t go wrong.

It’s also got some great nightlife and somewhere worth checking out if you’re in Europe. I was there a few months ago to visit an old friend who I hadn’t seen in ages. I met her in 2010 at a beach club in Hoi An, Vietnam and decided to go back to a favorite city of mine. It was different this time and the air quality is some of the lowest in Europe which I recently found out so not sure I’ll be back in a real hurry as LOTS of other Polish cities to explore.

Supposedly Wroclaw is off the hook and a mini Berlin but who knows, right? If you haven’t been to Krakow and you’re touring Europe, I recommend it; it’s one of those cities people keep talking about even when they’ve been to lots of cities type thing.

In more recent news, Italy is insane and I’m so full my stomach feels like it will explode. I’m also incredibly short on time and haven’t had much net access but hope to update you soon on the happenings here in Gargano, Italy. I went to the Tremiti Islands today, unreal but more on that later.

You can read about some previous adventures in Krakow here.

This will be brief as I’m off to dinner in a few minutes but I wanted to tell you that TODAY, 5 YEARS AGO I left my job for the VERY LAST TIME EVER. Yes, I walked out and almost ripped the steering wheel off my Mercedes on the way home because I was literally as manic as I’ve ever been and let me tell you…

Five years of total freedom because I was willing to take everything I have, put it into one stock and leverage the shit out of it. This whole trade aka my life isn’t done yet so maybe I’m a stock that’s doing well now and I’ll crash? That said, I also might BTFO and I really enjoy the fact that my life is like a stock. Before that, I was doing a vanilla job in a government town aka my life was like some guaranteed investment fun which pays crap and is for those with zero risk tolerance.

I’ve seen six continents in style, I’ve met 1000’s of friends and had too many times to even count. When people ask me a favorite place or time I can’t even think of one because my mind is like that wheel on Wheel of Fortune and everything I think of is pretty good. That said, everything is definitely not perfect, it never is. I just have different problems and one of them isn’t boredom.

I made a video I’m going to upload so I’ll publish that in a day or so but just wanted to share this. Lots of people I knew were shorting my stock silently before I left almost laughing in one of those smug “Who does he think he is, you can’t just leave”. If you’re a PPT member, go to the forums in 2009 where I asked if anyone had ever done something like this.

I think in the next few years, this will be increasingly popular. I’ve dove down the rabbit hole and there is NO GOING BACK. I’ve been a dog without a leash who figured how to jump on planes and has sniffed others around the world, going back to a leash or worse, a cubicle cage is a fate worse than death at this point. It’s good and bad. Good because it keeps me motivated, bad because if things fail… I’m $@#$Ced.

So yeah, if you leave your life behind and casually toss a hand grenade over your shoulder as you take that last step crossing the bridge, the world awaits. Anything can happen but never go somewhere to think you’ll have it different. Whatever you have now is a result of your thinking, go somewhere else and similar scenes, characters and outcomes will happen. If you’re a winner, you can win on any court around the world; if you’re a loser, expect to get dunked on and lose your kicks.

I’m off to some dinner and loving Italy. I find this place inspiring and I like the language; hell I like all the romantic languages. The food here is fantastic and the people are quite friendly besides this old a$$hole selling hot chilli’s who freaked out on a lady I know from Norway. Besides that though, all is good.

Long story short, take risks confidently and commit. Oh, what’s kinda weird about all this is that I held my job for 5 years after university so every day now, I’m actually doing what I’ve done most of my adult life… I scratch my head sometimes at how all this happened because I’m just some guy from a government city who wanted more and was passionate about wanting to see the world. Lots of characters I met when I started have all let the dream die, if you have something burning in you that no rainstorm can extinguish, I suggest you pursue it…

Life is short, make sure it’s SHABLesque(sic).

Tips hat,

P.S: Photo is mid-September 2009 in Vancouver, where SHABL started.

Greetings,

I’m writing this to you from my room not far from the Adriatic Sea in Gargano which is a region in Puglia, Italy. I’ve only been here a day but already been busy and eating pork products like I was the Wolf of Wall Street only my game was being bearish on the pig populace. That and seafood, stupid amounts of seafood. I’d take seafood over pork anytime but I digress…

Anyways, we went to the highest point in all of Gargano today which is basically at the Monte St. Angelo which is a Unesco Heritage Site as supposedly this archangel came and visited the site four times in ~490AD or so. It was pouring rain and generally miserable weather when we got there so not a lot of photos from the scene.

I’d go on but I’ve got to meet people in a few minutes for cocktails.

I like being back in Italy, same same but different from Spain.

Greetings,

I’m off to Italy in an hour or so, I should be packed or doing something productive but here I am updating this blog. Spain was good times, not so much productive times but I did get done what I set out to do. I will note that it’s hot here and the whole siesta lifestyle isn’t a joke, even if you opened a store during siesta you’d get no customers as well, everyone is taking a siesta.

I’m just getting used to this whole siesta phenomenon.

I’m flying into Rome later this morning; waiting for a bit and going to Puglia which is region along the Adriatic Sea. Supposedly it’s relaxed and has delicious treats for your mind, eyes and taste buds. I’m glad to be going back to Italy and once I’m done in Puglia, it’s off to Lombardy where I’ll be based out of Milan for ~two weeks.

After that, things get a bit crazier.

Lots of trips and this and that in the pipeline which is cool. This was like a vacation of sorts if that makes sense. I got here ready to do this and that, got ill and met a crew. Turns out everyone here was basically on vacation and it’s as though I came into this life of “Spanish Dubz” where I had friends I’d known my whole life and lived in a small village. I had an experience you can’t buy on a tour or find on page 142 of a guidebook.

It’s a good life but the show must go on.

I need to start packing and stop sweating.

Tips hat,

In late 2010 I went to Arusha, Tanzania for the wedding of a friend.

I ended up staying a while and these are photos from the streets.

Found these and lots of others from my time in Tanzania.

Good day,

The video above is a short ~2 minute video I put together from a random stroll around the streets of old town Budva, Montenegro in July, 2014. In the start it’s sorta like a walk through of the area or a taste, near the end you get a bit of a better idea about the scene. I’m in Spain now and I’d definitely rather be back in Budva; loved that place.