Another day travelling. Alilaguna water bus to Venice Marco Polo, surely the only international airport named after a t-shirt. Thence to Düsseldorf, my first time in Germany. Terrific to see the Alps, snow-capped even in late June (but for how
Europe 13 – Yellow Peril
Piazza San Marco, Venice, towards midnight Our hotelier – a very handsome and fashionably dressed young man – looked at my passport and asked me, “You are of Israeli extraction?” He had just finished explaining that he despised “southern Europe
Europe 12 – In the Blink of an Eye
This morning I lay and watched my older son struggle to find a comfortable position in dreamworld and was struck, as never before, what an arrogant act his creation had been. With what unconcern I had been complicit in the
Europe 11 – Under the Appenines
Audio: Stazione Firenze SM Novella A last poke around Florence. Plans to get over the Arno to the Piazzale Michaelangelo foundered on the rocks of the Florentine bus system. After ten minutes sitting on a stationary bus, the driver arrived
Europe 10 – You’ll Uffizi and You’ll Bloody Well Like It
Some more random observations on Florence and/or Italy: We live at Via della Scala 41. Like all civilised places, Florence numbers its streets so that all of the odd numbers are along one side and the even ones the other,
Europe 9 – La Ricerca dei Giardini
Further observations about Florence: Trees are too good to waste on the poor. At a certain point today, the need for some sort of greenery got to us all, but especially Anna. The map suggested that a large garden –
Europe 8 – But Mostly Couture
A harried morning getting on each other’s tits in Rome was followed by our first high speed train ride, the Frecciarossa, which was followed by a harried evening getting on each other’s tits in Florence. At one point Seb ran
Europe 7 – Cathedrals and Couture
Audio: Saint Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City Right then, not going to spend another day deciding the queues are too long, so it was up at can, military precision, breakfast, street, bus, at St Peter’s Basilica only minutes after the target
Europe 6 – An Embarrassment of Basilicas
In the game CivCity Rome, one attempts to grow a Classical Roman settlement, striving to meet the needs of the electronically generated populace to keep them happy and thus breeding (or immigrating – the mechanism of increase is not clear:
Europe 5 – A Roma
A two hour flight takes all day, of course, or at least well into the evening. Within thirty minutes of landing in Italy, I know two things. At the airport (!) an espresso costs €1.10. Also, these people have completely