A Collection of Daily Wisdom by Dennis Sylvester Hurd since September 2003.

Tuesday: Not 1929 Years Ago.  Naples is my kind of town.  Somewhere south of Rome, when coming here, our train apparently left Europe!  All the things you might have heard about this city are right.  Naples is a little rough.  One does take one's life in one's hands when crossing the street.  The city center might not be a place to bring children but that's exactly why I like it.  It reminds me slightly of a mix between the Middle East and Mumbai.  It might be a bit rough but it's vibrant and full of life.

We were pleasantly surprised by the continental breakfast at our hotel.  It was filling enough to get us off to a good start.  We had to find the local rail lines which are located just on the other side of the main railway station.  We bought tickets to go to the stop Ercolano.  It's an easy place to find buses that shuttle visitors to Mt. Vesuvius.  Although our guide books were from 2008 all prices are higher than published.  The tickets to the park itself are Euros 6.50 and the combined bus trip right up to the main parking lot and access to the rim are another 10.00 Euros.  It seemed like quite a ways.  It definitely wouldn't have been possible to take public transit to the base as it's many kilometres up the hill to the place to start the little hike.  The sky was blue and although the sun was hot down in Naples it was pretty cool up there.  We had about an hour and a half to walk the last 1.5 kilometres to the crater.  It really was up.  The views were pretty stunning both towards the crater and the sea.

After, from the Ercolano station it's only about a half kilometer walk to Herculaneum.  Both this city and Pompeii were covered in the big explosion of the mountain in 79 A.D.  On the way we stopped for more pizza.  (That food is beginning to be a habit.)  We decided to forgo going into the excavations and save 11.00 Euros and focus just on Pompeii on another day.  We might take three or four hours to see it.



With plenty of extra time, we boarded the Circumvesuviana train and continued further south.  The line ended in Sorrento.  That is the more polished resort for people who don't want to really get involved in the confusion of downtown Naples.  Things were expensive.  Tourists were aplenty.  And we were not impressed.

Tomorrow we'll either visit Pompeii or the Isle of Capri depending on the weather.  Let's hope it stays as nice as today has been.

Labels: Italy 2008, Q3_2008

Monday: In Napoli.  It was a long day on the train; in fact, the longest of our trip.  We did get up earlier than on any other day of our journey so far too.  The ICplus from La Spezia to Naples went via Rome.  In total it was supposed to be about six hours but by the time we actually got here it was closer to seven.  If I had been writing on a subnote, I would've pulled it out in our compartment so as to write about the other six passengers.  Maybe there's something about train travel which makes me think of a who-done-it novel.  There was a fat, elderly lady who wanted to gossip during the whole trip.  We had a gypsy fellow who was harassed by the police when they noticed his face.  There was a demure coughing woman who spilled her whole life and family trouble to the fat, elderly lady.  The young, cute mousy girl with a classic face brought along her own white sheet so she wouldn't have to place her head on a possibly dirty train seat.  It didn't matter as the coughing lady sat directly across from her.  The last fellow got off in Rome.  He spent the entire four hours playing with either his iPod or notebook computer.  He must have had the extra duty battery.

Anyway, the change of scenenery from north to south was interesting.  The whole day was sun until just before pulling into Naples.  There were gray clouds.

Today, although we spent around the same 70 Euros as ever, we're staying in a very nice 3-star called the Eden Hotel.  It's about the second hotel from the station.  It has wifi, although not free.  Hence an entry today!

Tomorrow will depend on the weather.  Perhaps we'll do Pompeii.

Labels: Italy 2008, Q3_2008

Sunday: Doing the Five Villages.  We had the pass.  We had had bread, jam, cheese, and juice in the room.  We were ready to join all the other tourists who'd already headed onto earlier trains.  It was after nine o'clock.

We figured it'd be easiest to start from this end.  So we disembarked in Riomaggiore first.  We walked back to the inital part of the town through a tunnel and explored by walking the sea-side trail back.  It was nice, but we'd already been spoilt by the next town.  We decided to walked the lower trails to Manarola.  This was definitely the 'fat tourist' part of the trail with easy broad hard paths.  The reason so many decide on this part of the route to experience the view is that it was only a 20 minute walk.

As long as we weren't winded, we figured we'd take on the next village.  A brochure said it would take one hour and ten minutes.  The path was a little more like I expected a path to be.  Still, it was not at all difficult in sandals.  We found that Corniglia was a hill top town.  We walked to the station area right when a bus was due to take tourists to the top.  I'm not one to ignore fate.  The pathways between buildings in Italy are by now nothing new.  I still found them interesting between the buildings nestled together at the top of a mountain facing the sea.  It was, by then, after 1:00 pm.  We were ready for something to eat.  Oh mama mia, a shared pizza was masterfully created before our eyes.  We also availed ourselves of reasonably priced gelato.  Everybody was; it was warm outside.

At last, to board a train seemed like the right thing to do.  The trail to Vernazza would have taken too long.  I was impressed with the easily accessible station and the picturesque walk to the harbour.  This place had a small beach making it perfect.  I'd probably have to vote for this town or Manarola as those I'd like to see again. 

We continued back to Monterosso just to make it all Cinque Terre towns in one day.  It has extensive beaches but it a little too crowded and new.

Coming back was a bit of a zoo.  The train was late in arriving so the tourists got backed up.  As it was the weekend, there were many local Italian visitors making enormous crowds today.  By the time we got through all five cities were were nearly an hour late.  We're back now and have eaten.  We even paid for the hotel tonight, so we won't have to goof around in the morning.  We have reservations on the train to Naples.  It leaves at 7:59 the earliest we've had to be on the road on this vacation so far.

Labels: Italy 2008, Q3_2008

Saturday: Southward.  We slept very little and poorly last night.  Our hotel room overlooked not the main road where I figured we'd hear traffic.  Rather, we were nearly three floors above an alley way which, unfortunately, had a rather popular bar.  The Friday night revellers were out in force.

Nevertheless, the were up early enough to have breakfast at the hotel and walk a block and a half to the Genoa Principale for the 9:13.

It was a nice train heading to La Spezia down the coast.  We saw lots of tourist at some stations and wondered it being the weekend if we'd have trouble finding a hotel there.  It wasn't really, although Jay walked around a bit before we checked into the Albergo Parma.  It would not be mistaken for a 4 or even a 3 star hotel but it is sufficient.  The station is literally a two minute walk across the street and up some stairs.  We got a city map.

We walked to the sea.  On the way we made our way through a Saturday farmers' market full of fruits, fresh cheeses, and the such.  On my map things looked closer and I suggest we walk to places which were definitely too far.  We had kibabs on our way back to the hotel.

We went back up to the station to get some information about seeing Cinque Terre.  For some reason we thought we'd have to take a train from somewhere else.  Then we noticed the names of the five cities of the National Park.  We had already been through those stations prior to getting off the train here!

We took our map and knew we still had the day left on our train passes.  Which city did we want to see first.  Rather than starting with the closest we went to Manarola.  I thought I remember the name as a picture of the city is on my home computer as Vista wallpaper.  After we get back, I'll know.



Knowing that most of the cities are only five minutes by train, after walking around Manarola we decided to go all the way up to the final town on  Monterosso.  It was getting late but the sun really set behind a mountain there rather than over the water.  We did buy some goods for breakfast so as to avoid paying the hotel 5 Euros for breakfast.  The train from there back to La Spezia took approximately a half hour.

We had dinner not far from the hotel and a nice pizzeria.  Imagine, Jay looking forward to pizzas now!  It's so nice to have a wine or beer for the same price as a Coke.  We got our Cinque Terre Park cards at the train station for 8 Euros.  They allow one to walk any of the trains as well as unlimited train travel within the park.  That's how we'll spend the whole day tomorrow.

Labels: Italy 2008, Q3_2008

Friday: Tripping Up.  The 9:12 arrived about fifteen minutes late into Torino but it was still just a bit after 11:00.  As long as we were in this neck of the woods and are unsure when and if we'll return, we wanted to take in Turin too.  We got off the train with no clear clue as to what to do or see.  As we really hadn't planned on seeing this city, we, or I should say Jay, didn't do the usual planning.

The early morning overcast skies were turning blue.  We stepped across the road from the station and continued in a straight line.  Several, large tourist signs showed many plazas in a straight route to the former royal palace.  Shopping flanked the pedestrian ways.  We enjoyed simply seeing the people about their activities.  Once up by the palace, we walked to the left side.  By fortunate chance, Jay spotted a cathedral.  On walks in Europe it's usually impressive and relaxing to walk into them as one passes.  This one, however, houses the famous Shroud of Turin.  It's the cloth which could have been used for burial after Jesus' crucifixion.

We were hungry and got two whole fast-food pizzas trying to stay authentic to the trip.  Then on the way back we located the Museum for artifacts from ancient Egypt.  In the decade after the turn of the last century many Italian archeologists were uncovering ruins from the upper and lower sections of the Nile valley.  Therefore, many antiquities have ended up in the city. 

We took too long to get aboard the 3:20 back to Genoa.  We got on the regional 5:20 which didn't get into our local station until 7:35.  I'm still impressed with kilometre-long tunnels on the route here.

It was nice to walk to the hotel knowing that our stuff was already safely inside.  We, then, went to get something to eat although we weren't too hungry after the earlier pizzas.  We got several chicken kebabs.  The Moroccan seller was very friendly and we spent more time guessing each others' countries than for him to get the sandwiches ready.  His brother teaches plasma physics in Reno, NV.  He hopes to immigrate to Canada.  This parents and immediate brothers and sisters have lived in Genoa for nine years.  He's Muslim and went on the Haj in 2005.   Everybody has a story.  Some people have many.  Travel is interesting as one's path cross with so many more than during an ordinary day in one's life.

Labels: Italy 2008, Q3_2008

Thursday: Slight Adjustments.  We scanned the train schedules at the Milan train station yesterday.  We found two options:  an 8:14 timing as suggested by the info desk and a 9:14 which had a tight connection through Genoa.  Naturally, by the time we had eaten breakfast and checked out out of the hotel the first wasn't a possibility.

We walked the about three blocks to the station.  We wondered why everybody had seat numbers and even spent a bit of the trip in different compartments as people came in for specific seats.  Then, when the conductor looked at our pass, he informed us we owed another 13 Euros each.  We were in an ICplus train rather than simply an ordinary Intercity.  They require reservations which can be had at the station for 5 Euro with our passes.  When purchased onboard there is an extra charge based on the distance travelled.  That was a lesson learned.

It appeared our connection wouldn't be possible, so when we got into Genoa, we saw that the next train to La Spezia was in a little more than an hour.  That was enough time to pop out and look around.  The sun was bright and things seemed beautiful.  Genoa hugged the side of a mountain from here.  We quickly decided that it'd make a nice stop.  So, I sat with the bags in amongst the scooters in front of the station, and Jay ventured out to see if there were any close-by hotels.  He found a clean and reasonable place just a few steps away.  It cost just 50 Euros per night but includes phone, TV, and the best towels we're seen in Italy.  For some reason, the average bath towel in this country is more like a super-sized kitchen towel.

Jay paid ahead for two days at the hotel. We were all checked in at a little after eleven.  Next, we started walking up the steep hillside with a tourist map in hand.  We puffed our way too far up.  The advantage of having a map when walking is that even if there's a language barrier, it's pretty easy to indicate that one wants to know where they are at that time.  We were so far off, we bought bus tickets to get back to the hotel area and a very late lunch.



In the evening we found the correct way to the shopping area.  It leads down to a modern waterfront where there is a very large aquarium.  As the sun was going down I thought how very nice this city is.  Of course cities with a waterfront do seem to often make my list of favourites.  We were hungry and ordered whole chickens at a restaurant down in the area.  Lots of immigrants were selling goods in the actual stores and on the pavement.  I'm not sure how many of them are here legally.

Tomorrow, as we have extra time before going south, we'll take a morning train to Turin.  It takes about two hours on a train that will be free with our passes.  We'll just spend a bit of time there and come back in the late afternoon.

Labels: Italy 2008, Q3_2008

Wednesday: The Big City.  Yesterday, we bought breakfast things at a supermarket.  So, we ate bread, jam, and bananas after getting up.  Then, we went right to Central Station to get a 24-hour Metro pass.  The main cathedral and famous covered market were just a few stops down the Yellow Line.  We paid the 5 Euros rather than 7 to be able to walk up on the church which has hundreds of statues with dozens on each spire.  Somehow, without the effort of climbing two-hundred-something twisting stairs, the experience wouldn't have been earned.



Milan seems like a very big city.  It has a big city feel but few things for tourists.  Later in the day, we used our Metro tickets to board trolleys and busses.  From the windows most of the streets looked frighteningly similar.  The only standard conception we brought along might have been true.  The people here did look more stylishly dressed.

In the late afternoon we made use of Uno Club card by spending time at the Royal Hamam.

We'll head off towards the west coast tomorrow.  Most probably we'll go all the way to La Spezia for a subsequent day seeing the cities of the Cinque Terre.

Labels: Italy 2008, Q3_2008

Tuesday: Go West, Young Men.  We filled up on breakfast and walked aboard the 9:14 to Milan.  It was an IC (Intercity) train but getting here seemed to take awhile.  I know there were sections where we were roaring along at 140 kph because as I could see the rail speed signs along the way.  Our car was comfortable with separate six-passenger cabins.  They always remind me of how train travel should be.  They're the type where short fiction takes place or the scene from a movie occurs.  Nothing dramatic happened on our way here though.

Although we got into the Milan Central Station at 12:45, it took a while before we found a hotel.  Things seem more spread out.  The station itself is undergoing reconstruction but is quite awesome.  I'll have to research on the Internet after I get home to find out its history.  It obviously was built to impress.  Mussolini era?

We're in a hotel called Charly.  It's two blocks to the green line on the subway.  I guess we'll hang around tomorrow and see several famous things, like cathedrals.  Milan feels a little more typically European. 

Labels: Italy 2008, Q3_2008

Monday: Not Merchants of Venice.  We were tourists for the whole day.  This hotel started our day off with a nice spread for breakfast.  I'm even happy knowing that's how we'll start before tomorrow's travels towards Milan.  We had to take the train to the end at 1 Euro.  Then we started by buying 14 Euro water taxi tickets at the terminus.  These tickets were valid for unlimited travel for 12 hours.

We stopped at the Rialto stop and walked around.  Eventually, we, as all tourists, ended up at San Marco.  The lines were long and the pigeons thick.  We bought tickets for the Campalini bell tower.  During today there were a few times when whispy clouds could be seen but overall it was a mostly blue-sky day.  The view from the tower was great.

The rest of the day is rather a blur.  We first walked around, then rode around on the boats.  Luckily we took more than the standard boat route 1 and therefore spent time on the island of Mirano too.

We finally called it a day after ten or so hours.  We trained back to Mastre and bought beer, juice, bread and cheese, yogurt, fruit at a supermarket.  That was dinner.

Maybe we'll stop in Verona on the way across the north tomorrow.  I doubt we'll bother to see Romeo and Juliet's balcony considering the play was a work of fiction and the prized landing just a clever tourist trap.  We don't know if there's much to bother with in Milan.  Yet, we'll decide more as the days come to pass.

Labels: Italy 2008, Q3_2008

Sunday: Regional Trains to Venice.  There's something else on my list that people should do if they have a chance.  The list has things on it such as to stand on the edge of the Grand Canyon, look at the Mona Lisa in person, and drink a huge glass of beer in Munich.  Today, I have added a new one but not until after we did it.  The newest thing on the list is to get lost in Venice.

To use our rail passes we must stick to regional departures.  That meant to get from Florence this morning we had to board three trains.  I am appreciative actually.  We went up into some hills which we never would've seen on the Express routings.  We left a 8:36 and got to Mestre station at 1:55.  We're staying here rather than on any of the islands mainly for cost but also for convenience.

After a late lunch we took the last 10 minutes of train ride left to the station in Venice itself.  Rather than buying tickets on the public boat to San Marco Square, we walked.  We followed the twisting pathways following the signs when we spied them.  It was very nice and a feeling I've not really ever experienced.  I never really thought the people should live in separate dwellings in the suburbs.  If I had the chance I'd much rather live in between walls and alleys.



We're  back at the hotel in Mestre.  We ate in Venice and didn't get here until after 9:00.  We'll probably spend the whole day tomorrow getting lost in Venice.

Labels: Italy 2008, Q3_2008

Saturday: A Tower and a Beach.  We made use of the regional train system without using a day of our train passes.  This hotel is so convenient.  We finished our breakfast, walked across the street into the station, and boarded a waiting train for Pisa.  By 10:20 we were walking through the market in Pisa towards the famous tower and cathedral.  It was impressively crooked in person.  We took the silly, must-do photos of each other appearing to be holding it up.  We paid to go into the church but did not wait and pay 15 Euros to go up the tower.  In this one site, it's not the view from the top that's prized; rather, it's the view from the ground which is important.  We bought souvenirs when leaving.  Now to match the crystal laser blocks of the Eiffel Tower and the wheel in Vienna, we've got the matching Colosseum in Rome.  Jay got a small Leaning Tower as well.

It was time for lunch.  At the other exit, we walked what we figured we the the alternative way back to the train station.  It was.  Eventually, we made our way back but were quite far down the river.  I am sure we walked more than five miles.

Jay was also interested in visiting the beach as long as we were closer.  He'd read of a resort called Viareggio.  It had a completely different feel than places we'd been.  We literally walked around for hours.  We could have spent more time looking around the area but we wanted to get back to Florence.  It was about a 2-hour trip back, but interestingly not via Pisa.  So, we saw different scenery.

Getting to the station felt like home.  We will be leaving tomorrow though.  It is hard to think we will have been in this hotel for three nights tomorrow.

Just like last night, we went to a supermarket next door.  Inside, there's a deli where the staff will make sandwiches by slicing off pieces of any type of bread and adding anything.  Did you know that Swiss cheese goes very well with roast beef?   I had a beer.  A tiny can of Pepsi is 1 Euro but my local 660 ml bottle of local beer was only 15 cents more.

Labels: Italy 2008, Q3_2008

Friday: Hey, David.  It was pouring when we woke up.  It was pouring after breakfast.  It was pouring when we walked outside.  So although I brought along an umbrella, Jay bought one for 3 Euro in front of the train station.  We retraced some of last night's walk and found the line at the Galleria Dell'Accademia.  We didn't leave our names as graffiti while waiting although years of people had.  It wasn't long before we paid 10 Euro to enter.  Our 2008 guidebook had said it was 6.50.  I wouldn't have missed it for anything.  I sneaked several pictures that'll be on Flickr even though it was not allowed.  I think the restriction is just for silly people who do not have camera on which the flash can be controlled.  It was tricky hiding Jay, so he could get a few seconds of video.



After we walked around more of the city.  By the time we'd crossed the Ponta Veccio, it was time for lunch.  We ate an Italian 'tourist special' near the bridge which was actually Pakistani/Indian/Mediterranean.

After going back to the hotel and having a nap, the sun had come out again.  We walked around more.  Eventually towards 7:00 we came back to the hotel area.  We bought dinner at a supermarket deli where an Italian guy made sandwiches for us.  I drank the bottle of wine that was in the Rome hostel and which I'd put in the luggage.

We heard about six of nine labour unions which have not agreed to Alitalia's bailout.  Now we're hoping that the airline will still be solvant enough to have our Rome to LA flight operating on October 5th.

Tomorrow, we plan to go to Pisa for a day trip.

Labels: Italy 2008, Q3_2008

Thursday: The Slow Train to Florence.  We got up a few minutes earlier than the alarm clock.  This must surely be proof that we've now on this time zone.  We went back to the main building of the hostel, ate breakfast, and checked out by 8:30.

Our Italian Rail passes allow unlimited daily travel for eight days.  We are using the first allowance this morning.  The train was at the station when we arrived and after a few minutes it was ready for boarding.

The trip lasted from 9:12 to 12:51.  It seemed as if a quarter of the trip was through tunnels.  They must have some of the most qualified tunnelling engineers in the world!  We passed some hill towns along the way. 

By 1:20 pm we were all checked into a nice little hotel close to the train station.  Twenty minutes later, we were eating kabab plates at a Lebanese restaurant.

We then walked along the tourist filled streets.  Heading to the Duomo was easy as one could easily peek at it between the narrow streets.  We headed towards it and leisurely around it.  Next, we stood in line for a few minutes in order for tickets to climb it.  There were 436 steps and a closer view of hell inside the dome.  The outside view of the whole valley was fine!



A planned nap at nearly 5 o'clock turned into a three-hour sleep.  We got up after that and went out to the well-lit streets.  We patted the bronze pig statue in the market and found the building where David is.  We passed so many hotels; it's clearly a city set up for tourists.

We picked up a few calzone for a dinner / snack.  We went back to bed at 11:00.

Labels: Italy 2008, Q3_2008

Wednesday: Roman Holiday.  After seeing so much yesterday, we knew today would be less intense.  We got up, again, at about 7:15 and walked to the main Freedom Traveller Hostel building for breakfast at 8:00.

Then we took our little blue cards and headed for the Vatican.  Little did we know it was going to be an extremely busy day for the Wednesday audience.  We waited in a line up in the middle of the square for several hours in total.  Nothing was very well organized and most people didn't know which line was going where.  We did sneak into different lines that made it through security but not into the hall.  Still, there were no announcements nor any other way to figure out was was going on.  I guess over twenty-five thousand had shown up when there was only room for six thousand.

The Protestant in me finds being there a little disconcerting anyway.  I respect people's religious beliefs but, to me, it hardly seems much like a holy place.  The hierarchy and obvious politics keep rearing their heads.  Such art doesn't belong in a place of worship.  It was just a way to keep the masses enthralled before the coming of performing arts and mega sports events.  Still as an institute its done a lot of good work as well as not.  I respect the believers but not the beliefs.

Knowing that it would be too crowded to see the museums and all, we left.  We decided to do an extra day in Rome before our return flight.  We stopped at a few new subway stops.  Once back to the Trevi fountain and another at Popolo. 

In the evening we went to a sauna club.  In addition we activated our Italian Rail Passes.  We are going to bed  relatively early as we're checking out in the morning and hopefully will be on the 9:12 train to Florence!

Labels: Italy 2008, Q3_2008

Tuesday:  Real Roma!  It was remarkable how deeply I was able to sleep last night.  It wasn't without interruptions but it definitely was able to dispel that sick-in-the-gut feeling one can get when overtired.  The watch alarm rang at 7:15 and it did seem like a perfect time to get up.

By the time we were done shaving, washing, and brushing, it was after eight.  There were three girls in the adjoining room and only one bathroom for us all.



Breakfast at the main Freedom Travellers isn't gourmet but it was enough to get started.  We walked towards Republic Square to buy Metro day tickets and the Colosseum was only a few stops away.  That's where we started.  Entrance cost 9 Euros.  It was stunning walking up to the second floor.  We had that feeling that we must've been here together in ancient days and had to fulfill a destiny.  Those sort of feelings come when there's such an abundance of history around.

We walked directly up the hill of the Palatino and over and around the the Forum.  When walking out onto the streets, we ended up seeing the pedestrian walkways.  We though the Trevi Fountain would be far but were there in no time.  The same thing happened again.  This time we were at the Pantheon area.   It was getting on toward 2 pm and we were hungry enough to eat lunch.  After finishing we went inside the Pantheon.  Next, the signs pointed us in the direction of Piazza Navona and its three fountains.  Only two were on as the middle one with the Egyptian hieroglyphs was under re-construction.  After that, we walked along the river up to the area of the Spanish steps. 

The sun was hot.  We were thirsty.  At 5 o'clock we wanted to be at a Santa Suzanna Church as we had arranged to have tickets for the Wednesday morning public audience of the Pope.  The tickets were waiting to be picked up but the time was now only after four.  We finally got back on the Metro and went the the Central Station and had ice cream cones at a McDonalds.  By the time we'd found the chuch near Republic Square, it was about the right time.  The father came late but we got them by 5:15.

We slowly walked back to our hostel as they have free beer and pizza on Tuesdays at 6:00.  It was good.  It was strange to see Jay eating pizza.  It would've been weirder seeing him drink beer but he didn't.

Time to go back to our room.  I felt the need for a shower.  To kill a few minutes we went back down to Circus Maximus and walked to see the Colosseum at night.

It's only quarter past nine but for some reason I'm tired.  Perhaps it's because we just walked all over most of Rome by foot!

Labels: Italy 2008, Q3_2008

Monday:  When in Rome ...

We made it.  Getting here seemed even more tiring than any of the trips we've made across the Pacific.  I'm typing this in our room.  These private rooms of our hostel are in a different building.  There are just two rooms in sort of like an apartment.  It has a kitchen and the Spanish girls next door are quiet.

Our flight from NYC was two hours on the ground waiting for clearance to take off from JFK.  The pilot made up an hour, but we were still an hour late getting in.  That was no matter, really.  We got the Express train to the Central Station in Rome.  It costs 11 Euros and took a half hour.

Our room wasn't ready upon arriving although by that time it was 1:30.  We went to eat and checked in after coming back.  The guy had to walk us to this apartment by a ten-minute walk.  We easily got our bearings of this end of town.

I was so ready for a shower!  Air travel is dirtier nowadays as people cannot bring their liquids onboard.  We were also very tired and slept from 4:00 to 7:30.  That shouldn't interfere with tonight's sleep as I think by being so tired we're going to get on Rome time easily.

I haven't decided whether to eventually put in photos during the vacation or just try to text the entries and add pictures later.

More later ...

Labels: Italy 2008, Q3_2008

If you note the time of this entry, you'll see that we got off to a very early start today.  I have no idea what the border wait will be like two o'clock in the morning.  We'll see.  We are going to leave the truck at SeaTac Park for three weeks.  That's where we're headed in a few minutes.

Our flight to NYC should take off from SeaTac at about 7:40 am.  After a few hour on the ground, we will then fly directly to Rome.  That flight is due to arrive at FCO at 10:00 am tomorrow.



(Europe is nine hours ahead of Pacific Time but I'll use Vancouver time for all blog entries during the trip. Add 9 hours to the subsequent entry pisting times.)

Labels: flying, Italy 2008, Q3_2008

The weather today can only be described as gorgeous.  I jokingly said in one of my Flickr pictures that September is the new August.  It's true!  Whereas there always seems to be a storm that interferes with August's big PNE fair, Septembers in Vancouver in recent years have not failed to seem stunning.  I wondered just how true this is, so I ventured back into my photo archives to see if the theory held up.

There were certainly lots of blue skies in the digital photo collection.  The digital files go back to my first Olympus camera and the first September I owned it was in 2002.  Interestingly, I found this photo from that year.  It was taken in Surrey, BC.  The reason I had on a sports jacket on a Saturday was for an occasion.  Six years ago this week, I took the oath of Canadian citizenship.

Labels: British Columbia, digital camera, Immigrating to Canada, Q3_2008, Surrey, weather

Music was always a commodity. As kids we'd put quarters in a jukebox to get it. It could be bought on 45's or LP's. In the mid-1970's, I even joined Columbia House and for a penny got twelve 8-track tapes of it. For these reasons, to this day, I labour under the misconception that it's necessary to possess it. I have an external drive with over 50 GB of music files. My computer outputs DTS and has an optical cable running into an Onkyo receiver. Even poor quality stereo mp3 files sound acceptable when coming out of five speakers.

Not all music had to be physically in one's possession though. Before the Internet, another option for listening to music was, of course, radio. That system worked well for the first three-quarters of my life. Music companies needed stations to advertise their catalogs. Listeners could get music for free by simply putting up with radio station's advertising.

The Internet replaces the free experience of radio with many improved twists. I've owned computers since before the days they had on-board sound cards. I can recall playing with the first version of RealAudio at the Higher Colleges of Technology in Dubai in the mid-1990's. I strongly felt the bandwidth reqired to stream live broadcasts over the Internet was very extravagant. Imagine using a continuous 12 kbs! Over the years the pipes got bigger but I still found no easy interface to make listening simple. A number of encouraging websites came and went. Regular online listening always seemed more trouble than it was worth.

Yesterday, I heard reference to AOL Radio on one the podcasts I regularly listen to. If one wishes to stream rather than consider podcasting, it really is the way to go. I am sitting here at the moment listening to Super 70's and some of the very same tunes I once played on the Clarion, 8-track player I installed in my Ford Pinto in high school.



The greatest benefit seems to be the way it can expands one musical experience. Maybe it's time to switch to Pop: Fresh 100, Acoustic Blues, or a real CBS affiliated station from any major US market. Try clicking the graphic to load the page and listen up for yourself.

Labels: Dubai, Internet, music, New Hampshire, Q3_2008

I've visually scanned the weekend circulars and found that there's no mini-note in my immediate future.  At this point I'm using that term.  I'm not sure what we'll eventually call this new genre of machine, perhaps sub-notebooks, netbooks, or cloud PCs.  Of course they are the hottest market segment; in fact, they're so hot that companies cannot crank out enough of them.  They seem cheap but one still gets a lot more bang for the buck with an inexpensive 15.4 inch laptop.  Mini-notes do not even come with optical drives.  Yet, there are so many occasions in which people need less.  Much less.  Therefore, I, for one, would be pleased to pay $400 for a little device for very routine tasks and web browsing.   In a way, it's a relief there's nothing available right now as I'll have to wait until later in the fall when there are more options and better prices. 

The trip to Italy which begins on Sunday sure as hell would've been a perfect test for one of the new little devices.  Unfortunately, as it doesn't look like it's in the cards, I am readying my old Gateway dinosaur. I was tempted to run off with nothing but three weeks seems like a long time to have to rely on mere chances of finding Internet cafes.  I will tote this extra five pounds around the entire country, I guess.

I am getting things ready now.  I generally only use my Gateway at BCIT.  I can get wireless access in any classroom on campus.  An extended trip requires other software.  For example, I loaded ZENcast Organizer just to be able to easily pull in the hourly CBC news podcasts while away.  It's 'politicking' time in Canada.  The process is a whole lot less expensive, more condensed, and a bit less exciting than the electoral zoo in the US.  Still we'd like the ongoing info to be ready to vote the week after getting off the flights from Rome.  On the computer, I had to make sure all email accounts were accessible.  I also had to make sure I could download digital pictures and videos off my cameras.

Just as importantly, I will be using Windows Live Writer to keep drafts of blog entries.  The good thing about it is even if I don't have access to free wireless, I can type out my entry.  It'll then be waiting for upload the next time I get near a little bandwidth.

Labels: blogging, government, netbook, Q3_2008, travel planning

Just as almost every autmun in recent memory, we'll be taking our vacation as a new season of television is getting started. The old electonic software timers are still active on the Bell ExpressVu PVR. I hope it picks up the beginning of my must-have series. The only new show that has shown up so far is shown in the graphic above which I captured.

I watch a fair amount of TV although many people don't. That's fine. I'd never suggest that everyone's interests should be the same. Yet, those who don't watch had better not suggest that the reason is because there's nothing on nowadays, at least they'd best not say this within earshot of me.

There are many times when I'm absolutely floored by the quality of programming for television. The production values on many top shows are better than can be found in commercial cinema. If one goes and spends even ten minutes with so-called classic TV, one cannot help but see that most of it was childish, superficial, and ultimately of little lasting value.

Television today is much more professionally-produced, thought-provoking, and entertaining than in any previous decade. Oh, and if not viewed in high defintion, as we have for about two years, then one is not really seeing what the medium has to offer.

Labels: HDTV, Q3_2008, television

On any given day there are literally dozens of things I consider blogging about. Most get forgotten well before I get to the keyboard. Today, I think I might add something about a shopping experience.

I walked uptown to the London Drugs. If you're not from around here, you might not know that name. In other locations they might be similar to a Walgreen's or CVS Pharmacy but have successfully ventured into photographic, electronics, appliances, and even furniture sales. Walking up the hill is quite a task but I was pleased to find that their self-administered blood pressure machine showed 118 / 69. Good for me.



The reason for this is not so much as to talk about the company but my very pleasant experience with one cashier today. She was nice and genuinely asked each customer how they were. The amazing part is she listened to the answers. She helped the elderly lady with the cane with helpful banter and a smile that wasn't just for appearance sake. I didn't think to actually take a mental note of her name tag, or I would be more than happy to share it with the world.

If one is going to be facing customers, one might as well take on the role with gusto. I waited on tables when in college. I always considered the role as an actor would. With a few people one could actually feel a connection of sorts that made the experience pleasurable. I can understand that for many, customer service jobs might not be what they desire. Still, if I had to be there for hours, I'd want to suck it up and make it a little fun.

I knew British expats from work in the Middle East who'd often spend their holidays in North America. They said it was fairly cheap to rent a car for weeks and travel around. What kept them coming back, they said, was how waitresses, hotel clerks, and even gas station attendants seemed to honestly enjoy the jobs they did. After a few days spent in the Slovak Republic last year, I also can understand the opposite too!

Anyway, although I don't know her name, just thinking about the lady on register 3 still makes me smile. I wish I could thank her for just being my cashier today.

Labels: errands, New Westminster, opinions, Q3_2008

I was rather exited about coming through the border and being able to declare goods purchased in the US. Shopping isn't really a hobby. I think that people who think of it as recreation should really stop to reconsider their lives. However, there are, undoubtedly, better deals on lots of goods in the States. I usually combine larger purchases with a vacation so as not to incur the collection of duties. I think the duty-free allowance is $750 if out of Canada for a week.

Anyhow, I was prepared to actually admit to the border office that I'd bought a mini-notebook. I talked about it here the day before yesterday. I was curious as to what paperwork is required. Unfortunately, Best Buy in Bellingham, WA did not have a single Acer Aspire One in stock. A pimply kid said they had sold out a few hours after arrival. The US website shows they do not have any to ship to online buyers but it surely appears as if they had 'em at the store. It was just poor website implementation, I guess. So, I didn't get to declare any purchases.

However, Jay took a paid sick day. As it is his birthday, he got a free lunch at the Country Buffet at the Mall.

What a mess the Peach Arch border crossing is. We had to wait 45 minutes to go south. It was 11:15 on a weekday morning but construction has forced the opening of only three lanes. I guess things will be finished for the 2010 Olympics. With such a wait, maybe we'll wait until then to drop down to Bellingham for our next brief, pop-across-the-border trip.

Labels: food, netbook, Q3_2008

Fruits are kind of like nature's sluts. Plants which create seeds in order to reproduce have a number of choices. Some have come up with ingenious methods to launch them to be carried easily on the wind. Others have designed seductive, colourful flowers to entice insects to come and do the job.



Yet, fruits are more blatant as they create delicious, succulent meat to tempt animals to carry their seeds far and wide. Fruits act like fleshy tarts ... and are sometimes even made into them.

Labels: food, Okanagan, Q3_2008

I just finished reading an Internet article discussing generational differences in the concepts of online privacy. Have you noticed how many newspapers are now starting to offer article forums in which people can comment? I generally kick myself for actually going through the paragraphs written by all those informed readers. Most opinions are not worthy of the time they take to read. I already have an opinion or two on almost everything and someone else's is not likely to affect mine. I was contemplating adding my own thoughts on the topic here but why bother? It just makes my head hurt to think about it.

Rather than that, I'll briefly mention the potential purchase I'm wavering over. Next Sunday, we're off to Rome. Although the past two times to Europe in 2005 and 2007, I took along my notebook, this time I am unwilling. It simply weighs too much. I don't want to carry around five pounds of extra luggage as we're pretty good at going lite.

A mini-note would be perfect for a trip. I have progressive lenses, so I could make due with a screen less than nine diagonal inches! I became interested in the Asus last fall and thought getting one would be great. Then, the HP 2133 showed up this summer. The keyboard was perfect but in this first incarnation, they used an underpowered processor. Next, I became very excited about the Acer Aspire One. There are several models and XP is an option. I wanted to wait until I saw what Dell was to release. I was disappointed to see during last Friday's launch that they're currently only using solid state drives. One reason for taking a mini-note along on a journey would be to dump pictures and video onto it in order to not have to buy extra memory cards.

Okay, so it looks as if I really want one now, it'll have to be the Acer. Unfortunately, in Canada the model is only released with a damned bilingual keyboard. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against some additional markings on my keys as I don't look anyway. However, they have had to modify the keyboard on the bilingual version to fit in a few extra keys and vary the placement of others. Yuk. As it is, the Acer is nearly too narrow for comfortable typing in the best of conditions.

So I guess if I run to Bellingham, WA and pay taxes twice, I can get the US model for about the same price. For some reason the Best Buy there has it $50 cheaper than can be found in Canada. But I'd have to pay Washington state tax, and then turn around at the border and declare the GST and PST too. So, it comes out as a wash. I am leaning to the notion that it'd be worth the hassle.

Or, more appropriately, I could simply take along a $1.99 paper notepad and pencil on the trip to Italy.

Labels: computers, netbook, Q3_2008, technology

One benefit of being a long term Telus ADSL customer is ... well ... nothing. In fact last week, after I happened by their website, I found I was paying much more for access than current rates.

Angrily, I tried to contact customer service by phone. Over the course of three days, I spent at least three hours on hold. Among other services, Telus is a telephone company. I find it more than a bit ironic that it was impossible to contact them by phone.

Eventually, I got hold of a customer representative. Why was it my responsibility to have to contact them in order to get my bill adjusted to reflect current rates? As a reward for five years of service, I was getting ripped off. They would have happily overcharged me forever, I must assume. Anyway, my bill is now $5 plus taxes per month less than I was paying. This is even reflects a change to their Extreme rather than the old Enhanced high-speed ADSL. The customer service representative effectively upsold me to the plan which promises more robust connection speeds. After using it for a week, I cannot really see that much difference but I suppose I'll feel a whole lot less guilty about downloading numerous torrents now.

Let's see I have had mp3 files for the original Boston for a long, long time. Now, can I find the Don't Look Back album?

Labels: complaints, Internet, music, Q3_2008, telephone

We've been members of zip.ca for a very long time. We watch quite a bit more than typical, run-of-the-mill fare. It'd be impossible to pick up the wide selection of films at any local video store; therefore, we're grateful for the Canadian equivalent of Netflix service. The convenience is that fact one adds all movie selections via the website to a secure, personal online list. As soon as a disc is returned by post, a new one is sent. We always have between thirty and fifty movies on that list. Sometimes that means we're a little late in watching some DVD releases.

I'm writing this only to say how I was fascinated with Atonement (2007). I like most recently-done historical dramas. I like period pieces when it feels like one is participating as an audience member. I feel I could be a step closer in understanding London before and during WWII. This surely had the earmarks of being a big production. The thing I liked the most is how clever it is. It makes one run to the Internet to see whether it is true or not. I felt the abrupt inclusion of an older Briony was superb. Then, one sort of plays mind games with the details after the credits roll.

Labels: movies, Q3_2008, stars, zip.ca

If you look at a map of BC's Lower Mainland, you'll find New Westminster smack dap in the middle. The city's not very big. Once upon a time, people would come from far and wide to shop downtown New West. Then from the 1960's everybody's focus moved uptown. Given the elevation, downtown really is down. After decades of neglect it nearly become economically out as well. It was just a busy route on which commuters sped past.

The central street is called Columbia. When we moved here in 1996, it was a bit seedy and run down even though they'd been trying to revitalize it for years. Over the last decade and especially the last five years, lots of new development has started taking place along Columbia Street. As recently as this summer, municipal road crews have turned the street back to two lanes with back-in parking. A bike path has been added and sidewalks near corners have been widened.

As a downtown resident, I often walk outside and have snapped quite a few photos. I have arranged them from the most recent taken today back to August 2005. To see a slide show containing nearly 150 photos along Columbia Street just click. (It may take up to thirty seconds to load the data.)

Labels: Columbia Street, Flickr, New Westminster, Q3_2008

It seems strange starting off a new year of my eJournal and images. I made no secret yesterday that I have been doing this for a very long time. I don't think there's been a great deal of emotional payoff for all this effort but I continue to think doing this makes an interesting hobby. It does happen to combine things I like: using computers, thinking historically, manipulating images, and writing stuff down.

I do have a platform in which to say anything and I know that Internet search engines will come around and scoop 'em up. I'm still amazed at the different routes I could take with this. For example, I have never included any literary writing here. I could pick almost any topic and work on it in a daily public way. I probably won't. More likely, I'll just continue as I have been. Namely, that means writing accounts when on trips, complaining about things I find offensive, and sharing interests in things such as movies, or my work.



My first real entries on September 2, 2003 included the photo above. I went back and re-sized the original in order to remind me about when I started here. In September 2003, Jay had flown back to Sri Lanka as his mother had become terminally ill. My sister had flown back to Iowa after visiting the west coast for the first time. I snapped the shot to show her how the photo shirt of us had come out. I was preparing to send it to my dad in New Hampshire. Without this medium, I could not have so quickly nor easily placed these events into context.

Five years ago, things were not as they are today. They will not stay the same for tomorrow either. Maybe this is one reason I plan to keep on blogging. At least I'll have some sort of personal record of it.

Labels: blogging, Laurie, Q3_2008

Here's the math:

365 x 5 = 1825 + 2 (leap years) + 1 (today) = 1828 Days of Blog Entries

Labels: blogging, Q3_2008

Rather than being late adding an entry due to being busy, it's quite the opposite. What a lazy day for the middle of a long weekend! Going uptown for a few errands is hardly news.



Tomorrow, we've decided we will visit the Museum of Anthropology at UBC. We've long talked about going but have never seemed to get there. It houses a well-respected collection of First Nations cultural artifacts. Labour Day is the last day it'll open before undergoing six months of renovations. It will be expanding. I expect we will have seen some similar exhibits at the BC Museum in Victoria.

Just think, kids are dreading the upcoming week as many have got to head back to school. How sad for them. I will be lounging around until the start of our trip to Italy on the 14th.

Labels: British Columbia, Q3_2008, Royal City Mall

I've been faithful for years. I never could quite understand why, even though it was free, users would bother to download an alternative browser. MS Internet Explorer, although not groundbreaking, always updated just frequently enough to keep it from becoming irrelevant. I have been a computer user long enough to remember first using Netscape and then eventually settling on whatever was the current version of IE. Most recently, I remember downloading IE 7 while it was still in beta.

For some reason, still unknown even to me, I just switched to Firefox 3. I had the older version on my computer and it recently updated itself. I had always kept two browsers on my system primarily to see how my site looks in both screens. I am always surprised that pages rarely render identically. For example, I like how IE 7 shows my picture in the right column of this blog. For some reason, when one makes the screen smaller using Firefox, my photo can appear larger than the column. Something small like that doesn't really interfere with usability; yet, it's annoying nevertheless.

On a lark, I wanted a change. I completely made the switch, insofar as I see a new icon wherever I used to see the familiar old one for IE. I weeded out and exported my favorites, ahem, bookmarks. Anyway, I've endured the hour of pain involved in learning how to accomplish familiar things in a slightly different way. Firefox seems faster. I have to admit open source software can implement browser changes more quickly than can be done with the staid, old albatross of Microsoft.

I crave venturing away from the routine with computers and this was much cheaper than buying a new laptop.

Labels: Internet, Q3_2008, software

The PNE must be on. It's still raining and the weather has been really quite awful since yesterday. July can be nice and often September and October is. It does seem, however, that in mid-August a few big storms line up in the Pacific. They can keep the climate wet and grey for a number of days. That's what's on at the moment. It has been like this from the time I woke up yesterday morning. One could easily mistake these days for being in February by just looking out the window. It's a fair bit warmer than that though.

It's okay. This weather arrived at the right time for I don't mind sitting around inside. In the past three months, I was only under contract for five weeks. After a hectic start to the year, it always takes me quite a while to get into this comfortable frame of mind.

No, I've not painted the living room walls. No, I've not yet cleaned the inside of the truck. I still haven't taken the winter blankets up to the laundromat for washing either. Yet, these things aren't nibbling on the back of my consciousness. I don't feel bad about any of it. I can keep myself occupied. I spent a good portion of yesterday afternoon making changes here. For example, the little screen-shot image points to my modified archive page. As my eJournal and images turns five years old on Labour Day, I decided that I needed to make accessing the wealth of my personal thoughts a tad easier. Click the little image to see the results of my efforts. I bet you didn't even notice some of the wording under my photo to the right on every page had changed.

There was time in the afternoon to make tea and curl up with Jumper by Steven Gould. I generally make use of our city library by checking out CDs, DVDs, and travel guides. When at the library recently, I thought it was time to pick up a few science fiction titles.

Labels: blogging, Q3_2008, relaxing, weather

The world is such a smaller place nowadays. Really. In the early 1980's going overseas was more of a commitment. This was due to a much less developed adoption of communication technologies. When I went to Kuwait after graduating from college, I had a very immersive experience. International telephone calls home were, of course, possible but expensive. Writing a letter to America was easy but receiving the response took at least a month. Now, it's quite possible to exist in one place but have a virtual presence elsewhere.




Today, the Internet makes so many thing much more accessible. For example, I mentioned Iftah Ya Simsim in yesterday's entry. Now, we can travel not only in space but in time. I would like to thank the people who took the time to upload these decades-old clips from the children's TV program. It was only a vague memory until I found these examples on YouTube. I had to include a few here.

I'm still able to follow the entire clip found on the bottom left. However it's a little embarrassing that afer all those years in the Gulf, my Arabic never got beyond simple addition and subtraction with oranges.

Labels: Internet, Kuwait, Q3_2008, television

I'm a little too old to have been affected by the television content of Sesame Street. It must have played in the house when my sister was small. Or perhaps, we used to watch it in the dorms at college. I'd say it's fairly safe to assume that most folks have heard of the Cookie Monster or Bert and Ernie. The show afffected countless people. In fact, I remember finding it fascinating seeing an Arabic-language, localized Iftah Ya Simsim co-production on Kuwaiti television in the early 1980's.

The only reason I'm bring this up is I recently spotted the series on the PBS HD network lineup. It seems that everything, except the local CTV news, has gone high definition.



Technology changes but things do tend to repeat. I grew up with TV but remember the first sets in our house as being bulky boxes with many tubes. Importantly, they only showed black and white. We had relatives who must have had one of the first colour sets I can recall watching. I remember my father in the mid-1960's remarking how quickly things were changing. He was amazed that even the news program had, at the time, begun being broadcast in colour. Remember, that's when most viewers were seeing NBC's peacock in lovely shades of grey.

Now four decades later, I marvel that even Sesame Street is available in high-definition! In the 2040's will people be installing some type of interactive holographic receivers?

Labels: