Introducing Gadling’s newest blogger, David Breisch.
Where was your photo taken? Piazza San Marco, Venice, Italy. I somehow managed to take a picture of myself, with the pigeon sitting on my shoulder. I figure I’m either very good or very lucky… and most likely not the former.
Where do you live now? Moline, Illinois – part of the beautiful Midwest and one of the cultural capitals of the world. Or something like that.
Scariest airline flown: Thankfully I have yet to travel on a truly sketchy airline. There was one US flight where the turbulence was so bad my drink fell off the tray table and there was a good dip in the sky that caused a number of passengers to scream – even my friend, who’s even more of a hardened air traveler than me (and most everyone that I know.)
Favorite city/country/place: I think I would have to say London, England. I lived there for a month during a study abroad program, and the city is just absolutely amazing. Ultra-modern yet charmingly historic, massively big yet easy to get around, ridiculously crowded yet plenty of open space. There’s so much to do that you could easily be occupied for months, which is not something that I can say about some of the other international locations that I studied in. Unfortunately, also rather wallet-breaking, at least with exchange rates the way they are.
Most remote corner of the globe visited: Okay, admittedly not as remote as some of the others around here, but I’m going with Siena, Italy. It’s a teensy bit touristy, but not very much so, and you don’t have to go more than about five minutes out of the city proper before you hit the breathtakingly gorgeous (and also amazingly peaceful and dead-silent) Tuscan countryside. I actually went about ten minutes out of Siena to a tiny village called Vagliagli, and how can you not love that name?
Favorite guidebook series: Probably the internet. While studying abroad I found almost everything I needed for day trips online, and then printed-out for easy reference. I have to say, though, that those small flip-open, pop-up maps are incredibly useful.
Connected or disconnected? I am almost ashamed to say “connected.” I know there are a lot of people out there that relish getting away from cell phones, the internet, and other modern life, and in a lot of ways I wish I could be one of them. But, after having grown up in tandem with the development of the Net and the growth of the cell phone, it’s just too hard to stay away.
Favorite means of transportation: Well, if you’ve read any of my posts, then I would say that you can probably guess my answer. And you would be correct. The train! That’s not to say that I don’t like flying – I do – but there’s something special about cruising across the open landscape, watching the mountains and forests zip by, perhaps enjoying a meal or laying in bed while doing so. Plus, passing through small towns along the way gives you a real sense of the heart of the country.
When I’m not writing for Gadling, I’m… Webmastering. Photographing. Writing. Video-gaming. Um, that’s about it in a nutshell. Officially I’m a web manager for a smallish non-profit organization; I studied Business, Math and Computer Science in school; and I love to do photography, learn about new technologies, blog, and otherwise write. I guess you could say that I have somewhat diverse interests.