May 5, 2006

"The bull did not charge me, the trail did not exhaust me, the Mafia did not shoot me..."

"... and eventually a kind soul, out for a breath of night air, directed me to the most beautiful farmstead I have ever seen."

13 comments:

SippicanCottage said...
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Ann Althouse said...

If I was driving around lost in rural Sicily, after dark,and I finally found someone to ask, and it was a guy who not only didn't try to figure out how to help me but glared at me, I'd be terrified. And writing it up as a blog post, I'd definitely make a crack about the Mafia. If Sicilians want tourists to visit -- she was looking for the local inn -- they ought to be a little nice to people who are obviously tourists. Don't make thoughts of the Mafia spring to mind by being scary. Try to help people who are looking for directions. You don't have to understand much of the language to figure out what people like Nina want in that situation. Really, I'm sure many tourists avoid Sicily because of the Mafia association. Nina didn't.

Anyway, I note that the people at the inn sound great. And it seems crazy to me to put yourself in a situation where you are looking for a country inn after dark in a very unfamiliar place. Nina's travel writing is fun to read in part because she's always at the edge of disaster -- or so it sounds. All thouse great pictures -- and I don't even feel the slightest bit jealous.

Ann Althouse said...

All thouse?

It's like I'm dying to type my last name.

All those....

Laura Reynolds said...

I like traveling with precise plans, so being "at the edge of disaster" is not my style. But I can enjoy the pleasant parts of the story and great pictures without the sense of anxiety I surely would have felt. Maybe 25 years ago..

SippicanCottage said...
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Ann Althouse said...

Please, last time I was in Italy, I was robbed by gypsies....

... recovering from bad memories ....

You're right about how Nina looks. And you haven't seen Ed. He's way over 6 feet tall. Maybe the Sicilian guy really was afraid of them.

SippicanCottage said...
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Ann Althouse said...

Sippican: No, I've never been victimized in the U.S. No one ever approaches me on the street. I don't have that vulnerable look at all. In Rome, I just was obviously a traveller, and I got surrounded on a crowded train. We caught the culprits, but the damned police let them go, because they were children.

SippicanCottage said...
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Ann Althouse said...

Only in private settings. On the streets, I'm "stinking white bitch."

SippicanCottage said...
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amba said...

Do mention in an update to the post how glorious the photos are!

SippicanCottage said...
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