Wednesday, May 19, 2010

You can't get there from here.

This is how I got from Verona to Rimini - more or less. One thing I've found, in Italy, you can NEVER just go around the block. If you miss a turn, or make a wrong turn, it will take you a kilometer and 20 more turns to get back to where you were. It is an insidious and perverse strategy to confuse any invader. Most of the routes I post are pretty accurate. In Verona, Ravenna, and Rimini, I have gone places I have no idea how to find again, and I have no idea where they are on a map. I pride myself on not getting lost, on knowing where I am, always. The Italians have got me beat. I've reached the point where I just wander for a while, having fun just going, until I'm far enough gone to ask where I am and how to get to my destination. Thank God I have no schedule and no plan, or it would drive me crazy. I'm just laughing at the chaos of it all.

http://www.mapmyride.com/route/us/ca/san%20diego/218127425361685110

 Rimini harbor. The light was flashing on and off. Dunno how I caught it on.

Rimini beach.
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2 comments:

  1. UnknownMay 19, 2010 at 7:46 AM

    gee, maybe I should have come along. I NEVER get lost, everybody tells me where to go! The nice once even give me directions.

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  2. Travelin' TomMay 30, 2010 at 1:24 PM

    S'mee -
    Yeah, yeah. that's what I've said all my life - I never get lost. There's this innate sense of direction you get after years of scouting, map reading, military maneuvers, etc, as well as simply paying attention to where you are and where you've been. So, it's weird when you _know_ where you are, where you want to go, but you JUST CAN'T GET THERE FROM HERE! It's just down the block there, but you want to be a good citizen and not get busted for going the wrong way on a one way street, so you do the right thing and keep going. The next turn takes you farther away, and the next, even farther. If you don't break the law, the next thing you know, you've done 3 lefts (more or less, none were 90 degrees,) and 4 rights (none 90 degrees.) Since it's hazy with no shadows, and the buildings are tall enough to blot out the sun, it's impossible to tell if you're still heading in the same direction, or done a 180.
    But even if you kinda know where you are in relation to where you want to go, there's no way to tell what turns you need to make to get there.
    Tonight, I had a map. I knew exactly where I was and where I wanted to go. It was 2 blocks. I asked a pretty young lady for directions and she said it was much easier to do a big loop around the neighborhood, than to try the short way.
    I still think it's a conspiracy to confuse invaders.

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