Ham tacos and the toilet isn't sucking mud
Oct 18th, 2000, 06:19 PM
#25
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I was gone 6 weeks - the week in Venice with the Loons, and 5 weeks in Paris on my own. <BR> <BR>I'm glad I've entertained you all with my report - and encouraged at least one of you to try the boating experience - and at least one woman (or man) to try something s/he's never done before. <BR> <BR>Lots of time for reflecting, and a thought came to mind: whether traveler or tourist, we go off on our trips not only to explore and see new things in places, but to explore and see new things in ourselves and others. I never knew I liked being on a boat - the motion when the wakes rock it from side to side, the sound of the water slapping against the hull - who knew? Watching the other Loons work as a team, exhorting each other on, collapsing in gales of laughter at our misadventures, seeing the quiet, gentle one - Photog - put herself at risk to save the little dory, then eat a whole octopus! Would not have missed it for the world. I came back packed so full of 'stuff' that I'm happy I had a place to share it. <BR> <BR>Now, the five weeks in Paris... hopefully I can condense into a reasonably-sized report for you all. Let's just say it was the best five weeks of my life...
Oct 18th, 2000, 08:02 PM
#26
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"Travel does what good novelists also do to the life of everyday, placing it like a picture in a frame or a gem in its setting, so that the intrinsic qualities are made more clear. Travel does this with the very stuff that everyday life is made of, giving to it the sharp contour and meaning of art." <BR> <BR>Freya Stark <BR> <BR>...Elvira, I'd love to sit around a campfire with you!
Oct 19th, 2000, 08:37 AM
#28
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Can anyone find the "Elvira tours Parliament" posting that was mentioned above? I've tried a Search but it didn't come up. <BR>Elvira, I'm thinking of having your reports bound in leather so I can devote a bookshelf to your collected works. <BR>And Bill Bryson thinks HE's funny.
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Oct 19th, 2000, 02:45 PM
#35
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This has nothing to do with changing maritime law, not that the law does not need changing. But it does have to do with Unix and very bad error message. <BR>One night we were wrestling with a balky <BR>computer that was a sick puppy. <BR>About 3 AM after much expenditure of effort and the generation of near intolerable frustration, we received an error message that was at least definitive, if not totally informative: <BR>"Shut 'er down Clancy. She's pumping mud." <BR> <BR>Any systems programmer types and system administrators out there who read this will well know what I mean!! <BR>There is a travel tie in: that was the night I decided that retirement so I could travel was a better option. I just needed to build a little more equity in the retirement system!!
Oct 21st, 2000, 08:02 AM
#38
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i knew this was going to be good when we heard elvira was going. thanks, elvira, for the girltrip INSPIRATION. i'm not able to go to Venice this coming summer as i had planned but someday i will & i'd now i'd like to go over to Chiogga for a sidetrip!
Oct 22nd, 2000, 04:56 PM
#40
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To kk: <BR> <BR>If I had had your email address, I would have contacted you directly, but here's the info on the Palladian villas we visited: <BR> <BR>Both are in Stra, and are within walking distance of each other. You can do both in one day. First was the Villa Pisani, which is spectacular. The amusing thing is that the horse stables are more elaborate than the house. Seems the family got a little carried away, and didn't have the lira to continue the grandiose plans once the stable was built. There's a wonderful maze in which you really and truly do get lost; in the center (once you find your way) is a tall tower, and everyone starts hollering directions to you (in German, Italian, Croatian, you name it) and it's all really a lot of fun. There is a guide who will come and rescue you if you need it (ahem, uh, we did). The grounds are just beautiful, and the gift shop has a great selection of books, postcards, prints, etc. of the villa. <BR>The other villa was villa Foscarini-Rossi; it is now a place for business conferences, balls, and special exhibits. Though little furniture remains (compared to the Pisani), the frescoes, ceiling paintings, carvings, etc. are still plenty to see. We made sure we visited it because there was a special exhibit of...shoes. Yes, that's my dirty little secret, I love shoes and have way too many. The exhibit was terrific - everything from Anne Klein to Andy Warhol. There was a room set up with all the paraphernalia for shoe making (sketches, lasts, what have you). The villa and grounds are quite beautiful, but unless there's an exhibit that interests you, there are other villas that would probably be better to visit. There wasn't a gift shop, so unless you take your own photos, there's no way to capture the beauty of the interior for your memory book. There's a regular 'city' bus that runs along the Brenta Canal so you can visit the villas you want (there's pretty good signage pointing to the villas along the road); it's also a reasonable bicycle ride. Between the 'public' villas are many, many privately owned villas that you can gawk at from their gates. The Brenta Canal boat tour went by us a few times while we were in Malcontenta, so that's an alternative to the do-it-yourself method (and some of the villas only open for the boat or bus tours).
