(I took a trip from our little town in Tuscany to Sarasota, Florida this week. Along the way, there was much to observe. I thought I’d share some of what I experienced along the way, rather can give you my weekly dose of well thought out Notes. (You are looking at a ‘Local’ inhabitant…if you think the photo is a little fuzzy; I did not want to get too close))
- The first thing I did was get on the wrong train from Florence to Rome. The one I wanted was ‘Express” and the conductor found I was on the ‘Local’ ((3 hours longer). He charged me a 60 Euro fine…so I probably won’t do that again. There were 4 elderly Americans sitting across the aisle from me. I listened closely to see it they were Trumpers, or not. I can’t remember what the decoding was, but I figured it was safe to talk to them. They were from Ohio and were going to work for the Democrat Party when they got home. They think Harris is going to win. We got along.
- I got lost in Rome trying to find my hotel. No taxis. No help. How I eventually found my hotel – I do not know. I went to the airport 5 hours early.. Arrived at Gate after 1 1/2 hours of ‘Security’ controls. You do not have to take your shoes off in Rome to get through Control. That is an improvement. Sat in a lounge chair for 4 hours. Emptied my mind of all concerns.
- The flight to Charlotte is over 10 hours long. I sat way back, on an aisle seat…told the man sitting next to me the book I was reading was hard & painful & good…and he told me he has been reading only one book over the past 60 years: the Bible. I braced. Something made me bring up my thoughts on the 1o Commandments in the school rooms and we had a great conversation. Lord God Almighty, it turns out he was an avowed anti-Trumpet…and we had a good time of it. The ‘Vegetarian’ meal I had was the best damned meal I ever ate…The steward thought I was being sarcastic; but it was a fact.
- Sat at the Charlotte airport for 4 hours. You still have to take off your shoes to clear customs in America. We still don’t trust each other, and neither do I, I guess. Th coffee and muffin were extraordinarily good – even though it cost me $9.50, before the suggested tip. (I was surprised how good it was…since I have grown accustomed to the Italian Espresso.
- The man I sat next to on the way to Sarasota’s a successful Tekkie Salesman. I did not understand many words he had to say on his professional lief…he is big on Blckchains and Sublimation…if you understand these things you would have been better in my seat. Asked him what he would say if a young man came to him today with the old Horace Greeley question of where he should go to make his future and Greeley responded “Go west young man”…my new Tekkie friend said he is advising his sones to take on a trade, like plumbing or mechanics of some sort…people will always need them…Ai will be able to do everything else. Nice man; hope he is wrong about the future. (N.B. he was also an Anti-Trumper…3 for 3 – if you are taking a poll.)
- 22 hours, point to point. Jet lag and some other kind of lag coming. $700 one way ticket, $28 for Rome train ticket, $60 fine for being on wrong train, $108 hotel charge, $5 Rome tourist city tax, $65 taxi to Rome airport, $19 for 2 coffees and 2 banana muffins…Total:$984 divided by 6 pleasant people to talk with, =’s $164 a chat. Not bad, if you look at it that way. You could go to Walmart and get verbally beat up by the guy behind you because he did not like the way you look and you only pay $8 for the beans and it took you a mere ten minutes to find the beans and slide them over the electronic self-serve register. I did that and I think, in the long run, the 22 hour trip was the cheaper.
I will be back next week with a ‘regular’ version of “The Notes From The Room Of Wonder” – but as I was not in The Room of Wonder all week I felt it would be dishonest to write otherwise. No?
Some quotes:
- “Not all those who travel are lost.” -J.R. Tolkien
- “A ship in the harbor is safe. But that is not what ships are built for.” -John Augustus Shedd
- “The world is a book and those who do not travel only read one page.” -St. Augustine. ( I Read ten pages of my book while on the ten hour flight to Charlotte)
- “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” –Mark Twain…(I guess I need to travel more than I do.)
- “Two roads diverged in a wood and I – I took the one less traveled by.” –Robert Frost (That’s what I’m going to do next time…take the one less travelled by)
- “If you are going through Hell, keep going.” -Winston Churchill
- “Take only memories, leave only footprints.” –Chief Seattle
Until then, then…and a fond “Hello” to La Pamela, wherever you are.
