The Sojourner 3: Coming up for air

Reeka · 02-20-2001, 12:00 AM

Glad you're enjoying Italy! One of my favorites. Happy travels!

Yorick · 02-20-2001, 10:12 AM

Whew, no net for four days or so! Actually that was far from the worst of it. Had a lot of fun over the last couple of days but also some mighty frustrations. Frustrations are ok unless they mean you lose heaps of money which then negatively impacts on your abiltiy to keep moving. I had a few of those, but hopefully the worst is behind me.

Italy.
I must say I love Italy. The food, the people, the environment. Very intoxicating. I somehow seem to end up in non-tourist areas in my travels. The bad thing about that in Italy was no money changing, few english speakers and the worst... NO MAPS. For my entire time in Italia I was unable to purchase one map from anywhere, I managed to spend a few precious moments pouring over one at one stage, but take it away with me? No. The result I shall deal with later.

I decided to hire a car. Right hand drive. No worries. I've driven left all my life. Total brain re-adjustment. There was only one time I drove on the wrong side of the road. I pulled over to look at a magnificent mountain, and with no other cars around to pull me out of my daydream hurtled down the road until another car raced into view. It was a while before I registered, so I can just imagine him thinking
"What a nutcase! What an absolute nutter!"

Oh yeah, and I almost went round a roundabout the wrong way.

Anyhow I found the Italians to be extremely hospitable, friendly and beautiful.

I stopped at one village asking if there was somewhere I could buy a coffee. Yes there was. So I got out of my car and they led me down narrow cobblestone streets to the village cafe. The proprietor was an old guy who'd had an operation on his throat so used a machine held to his throat to talk.

One of my three guides decided to have a cappucino too, so I paid for it as well as mine. Well, I was promtly invited back to their house, introduced to the whole family, invited to a beautiful traditional Italian long lunch complete with pasta, hams, breads and cheeses, a very fine red wine, some sweets and black coffee. I was proudly shown the 'Super car', a Ferrari look-alike sleekmobile, artwork one of them drew and a keyboard. I obliged by practically giving an impromtu music lesson to the owner of the keyboard, gave them a CD of mine and engaged in some fantastic conversation, some in my vocabularically limited Italiano, and most in one member's broken English.

I had a ball. It's amazing how a positive experience like that can shape your perspective of a nation. Thus I smiled and greeted pretty much everyone I passed by, and was met with smiles and greetings back.

I ended up in another town, a bit larger this time and was trying to call a train station to get to Zurich (and return my car). No luck. I did manage to end up talking at this bar to the two people that were helping me wade through the recorded messages blocking my phone-path. One of them owned the bar, so I decided to buy a drink as thanks (another wine). Did I get to pay for it? Of course not. No chance, not for his 'Australian friend'. So I thankfully accepted and ended up talking in English to a Swede who'd lived in Italy for the last 30 years. The goodwill in that bar was amazing, more than a few of them wishing me well when I left.

My lack of a map, local or nationwide, and lack of luck in finding the information I needed (I was told there was a trainstrike) meant I decided to drive to Zurich... the long way round via France. (D'oh!)
50,000 lira for the tunnel to France, two 7,000 lira tolls in Italia and three or four hefty tolls all through France left me feeling a little light in the back pocket. What I did see though were incredible mountains. The alps viewed from that direction are quite simply something else. Such self-dwarfing majesty is truly aweinspiring. I felt like a child who saw the ocean for the first time. Don't get me wrong, I've seen mountains before, just never at that relative height.

I also got glimpses of Genéve, Lausanne etc, and got to listen to French, and Swiss radio. Important for a musician feeding on influences. The French can sing I tell you what!

Switzerland is an enigma. Three languages in one country. Why the respective areas united together instead of with the other speakers of their language is something I'd like to find out. Certainly at the moment they seem to be a model for racial harmony. Maybe the tri-racial element is why they remained neutral in times nearby wars. Preserving interracial harmony. Who knows.

Well, quite a long post eh? And there is still much to tell. I hope we find the other posts as I forgot to copy them into my email for posterity (puns everywhere it seems).

Thanks for the wellwishers all. I'm having a ball. Catching up with a very old friend here in a town just outside Zurich by a very pretty lake. Walked around the old town centre, the old Castle (they're everywhere in Europe it seems) and stopped by at the first internet cafe I'd seen in days.
Hope you guys are all well.
Cheers

WOLFGIR · 02-20-2001, 10:25 AM

Hi Yorick!
Great to hear from you! Everything seems to be well with you, as it should be! Hope your travels keep giving you nice memories! And please, keep us updated!

Jerome · 02-20-2001, 10:29 AM

We all hope for continued good luck on your travels yorrick.

and if you ever find any extrordinary beauties on your way you know where to send em.

Cloudbringer · 02-20-2001, 10:38 AM

Yorick!

Hail Sojourner. You've been well missed by this board! But it seems you are having an interesting, albeit slightly frustrating, time. As for all those inconveniences, well I'm guessing they make the really good people-moments feel a whole lot sweeter, hmmm?

Maps, who would have thought that would be a problem?! I am still envious, oh Bard of ours! Such a wonderful trip and stories/experiences to last a lifetime!

Whither wanderest thou, next?
Oh, and stay on the right side of the road...er 'the correct' side, then!

Cloudy

Cloudbringer · 02-20-2001, 10:40 AM

Wolfie...whew! BIG wolf, there!

Cloudy

Yorick · 02-20-2001, 10:45 AM

Thanks Wolfie Jerome, will do.
Hail caller of the rains, after resting my bones in this Alpine abode, I shall venture southwards into the land of the Franks, once known as Gaul.

WOLFGIR · 02-20-2001, 10:49 AM

Cloudbringer.Well, my self portrait may be alittle..off, but I like it I still be nice from all thoose scritches and scratches..
hehe, and if someone is nasty to you I´ll bite them for you... I got teeth mistress

Lord of Alcohol · 02-20-2001, 11:16 AM

Hey Yorick, Glad to see things are going well. Except for all those tolls! That must have hit the wallet hard. I know what you mean about driving on the other side of the road. Crashed into a car in Japan because of that. My fault entirely too. Anyway glad to hear about your trip. Its interesting reading and good luck on getting your music out. Hey, maybe you join the Ozfest tour this summer

Lord of Alcohol · 02-20-2001, 11:24 AM

By the way, nice signatures Wolf and Cloud! Very cool!

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02-20-2001, 12:00 AM	#1
Reeka Ma'at - Goddess of Truth & Justice Join Date: March 2, 2001 Location: Birmingham, Alabama, USA Age: 70 Posts: 3,255	Glad you're enjoying Italy! One of my favorites. Happy travels!

02-20-2001, 10:12 AM	#2
Yorick Very Mad Bird Join Date: January 7, 2001 Location: Breukelen (over the river from New Amsterdam) Age: 52 Posts: 9,246	Whew, no net for four days or so! Actually that was far from the worst of it. Had a lot of fun over the last couple of days but also some mighty frustrations. Frustrations are ok unless they mean you lose heaps of money which then negatively impacts on your abiltiy to keep moving. I had a few of those, but hopefully the worst is behind me. Italy. I must say I love Italy. The food, the people, the environment. Very intoxicating. I somehow seem to end up in non-tourist areas in my travels. The bad thing about that in Italy was no money changing, few english speakers and the worst... NO MAPS. For my entire time in Italia I was unable to purchase one map from anywhere, I managed to spend a few precious moments pouring over one at one stage, but take it away with me? No. The result I shall deal with later. I decided to hire a car. Right hand drive. No worries. I've driven left all my life. Total brain re-adjustment. There was only one time I drove on the wrong side of the road. I pulled over to look at a magnificent mountain, and with no other cars around to pull me out of my daydream hurtled down the road until another car raced into view. It was a while before I registered, so I can just imagine him thinking "What a nutcase! What an absolute nutter!" Oh yeah, and I almost went round a roundabout the wrong way. Anyhow I found the Italians to be extremely hospitable, friendly and beautiful. I stopped at one village asking if there was somewhere I could buy a coffee. Yes there was. So I got out of my car and they led me down narrow cobblestone streets to the village cafe. The proprietor was an old guy who'd had an operation on his throat so used a machine held to his throat to talk. One of my three guides decided to have a cappucino too, so I paid for it as well as mine. Well, I was promtly invited back to their house, introduced to the whole family, invited to a beautiful traditional Italian long lunch complete with pasta, hams, breads and cheeses, a very fine red wine, some sweets and black coffee. I was proudly shown the 'Super car', a Ferrari look-alike sleekmobile, artwork one of them drew and a keyboard. I obliged by practically giving an impromtu music lesson to the owner of the keyboard, gave them a CD of mine and engaged in some fantastic conversation, some in my vocabularically limited Italiano, and most in one member's broken English. I had a ball. It's amazing how a positive experience like that can shape your perspective of a nation. Thus I smiled and greeted pretty much everyone I passed by, and was met with smiles and greetings back. I ended up in another town, a bit larger this time and was trying to call a train station to get to Zurich (and return my car). No luck. I did manage to end up talking at this bar to the two people that were helping me wade through the recorded messages blocking my phone-path. One of them owned the bar, so I decided to buy a drink as thanks (another wine). Did I get to pay for it? Of course not. No chance, not for his 'Australian friend'. So I thankfully accepted and ended up talking in English to a Swede who'd lived in Italy for the last 30 years. The goodwill in that bar was amazing, more than a few of them wishing me well when I left. My lack of a map, local or nationwide, and lack of luck in finding the information I needed (I was told there was a trainstrike) meant I decided to drive to Zurich... the long way round via France. (D'oh!) 50,000 lira for the tunnel to France, two 7,000 lira tolls in Italia and three or four hefty tolls all through France left me feeling a little light in the back pocket. What I did see though were incredible mountains. The alps viewed from that direction are quite simply something else. Such self-dwarfing majesty is truly aweinspiring. I felt like a child who saw the ocean for the first time. Don't get me wrong, I've seen mountains before, just never at that relative height. I also got glimpses of Genéve, Lausanne etc, and got to listen to French, and Swiss radio. Important for a musician feeding on influences. The French can sing I tell you what! Switzerland is an enigma. Three languages in one country. Why the respective areas united together instead of with the other speakers of their language is something I'd like to find out. Certainly at the moment they seem to be a model for racial harmony. Maybe the tri-racial element is why they remained neutral in times nearby wars. Preserving interracial harmony. Who knows. Well, quite a long post eh? And there is still much to tell. I hope we find the other posts as I forgot to copy them into my email for posterity (puns everywhere it seems). Thanks for the wellwishers all. I'm having a ball. Catching up with a very old friend here in a town just outside Zurich by a very pretty lake. Walked around the old town centre, the old Castle (they're everywhere in Europe it seems) and stopped by at the first internet cafe I'd seen in days. Hope you guys are all well. Cheers

02-20-2001, 10:25 AM	#3
WOLFGIR Bastet - Egyptian Cat Goddess Join Date: March 1, 2001 Location: Sweden Age: 50 Posts: 3,450	Hi Yorick! Great to hear from you! Everything seems to be well with you, as it should be! Hope your travels keep giving you nice memories! And please, keep us updated!

02-20-2001, 10:29 AM	#4
Jerome Knight of the Rose Join Date: January 8, 2001 Location: Scotland Age: 38 Posts: 4,418	We all hope for continued good luck on your travels yorrick. and if you ever find any extrordinary beauties on your way you know where to send em.

02-20-2001, 10:38 AM	#5
Cloudbringer Ironworks Moderator Join Date: March 1, 2001 Location: Upstate NY USA Posts: 19,737	Yorick! Hail Sojourner. You've been well missed by this board! But it seems you are having an interesting, albeit slightly frustrating, time. As for all those inconveniences, well I'm guessing they make the really good people-moments feel a whole lot sweeter, hmmm? Maps, who would have thought that would be a problem?! I am still envious, oh Bard of ours! Such a wonderful trip and stories/experiences to last a lifetime! Whither wanderest thou, next? Oh, and stay on the right side of the road...er 'the correct' side, then! Cloudy

02-20-2001, 10:40 AM	#6
Cloudbringer Ironworks Moderator Join Date: March 1, 2001 Location: Upstate NY USA Posts: 19,737	Wolfie...whew! BIG wolf, there! Cloudy

02-20-2001, 10:45 AM	#7
Yorick Very Mad Bird Join Date: January 7, 2001 Location: Breukelen (over the river from New Amsterdam) Age: 52 Posts: 9,246	Thanks Wolfie Jerome, will do. Hail caller of the rains, after resting my bones in this Alpine abode, I shall venture southwards into the land of the Franks, once known as Gaul.

02-20-2001, 10:49 AM	#8
WOLFGIR Bastet - Egyptian Cat Goddess Join Date: March 1, 2001 Location: Sweden Age: 50 Posts: 3,450	Cloudbringer.Well, my self portrait may be alittle..off, but I like it I still be nice from all thoose scritches and scratches.. hehe, and if someone is nasty to you I´ll bite them for you... I got teeth mistress

02-20-2001, 11:16 AM	#9
Lord of Alcohol Xanathar Thieves Guild Join Date: January 8, 2001 Location: Charlotte,NC Age: 60 Posts: 4,570	Hey Yorick, Glad to see things are going well. Except for all those tolls! That must have hit the wallet hard. I know what you mean about driving on the other side of the road. Crashed into a car in Japan because of that. My fault entirely too. Anyway glad to hear about your trip. Its interesting reading and good luck on getting your music out. Hey, maybe you join the Ozfest tour this summer

02-20-2001, 11:24 AM	#10
Lord of Alcohol Xanathar Thieves Guild Join Date: January 8, 2001 Location: Charlotte,NC Age: 60 Posts: 4,570	By the way, nice signatures Wolf and Cloud! Very cool!

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