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Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 19,579 Likes: 13
Top 10 Poster
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OP
Top 10 Poster
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 19,579 Likes: 13 |
Hi Folks,
We're in the French Riviera in a small town called Villefranche. It's between Monaco and Nice (very close to nice.. 5 minutes away). We have a cool room with a view of the Meditteranean that didn't break the bank. We had a "veg" day today where we did mostly nothing but hang in our room on the balcony all day, call family and friends mostly for free (through Skype which is amazing!), and watch the Indianapolis Colts go 7-0 with the game against the also undefeated Patriots coming next week.
We had mixed feelings about most of Italy. It certainly has the most impressive history and ruins.. but it's current day incarnation was very disappointing. Remove the ruins and you have an industrial and impoverished society with high crime, high pollution (and a totally reckless abandon towards it.. several cities were the most polluted I've ever seen by perhaps 2-3 fold over the worst I've ever seen in North America or Europe) and a lot of poverty. The infrastructure is crumbling in all but the busiest tourist areas (where even they were crumbling in most places) and people view petty crime as completely expected and accepted and serious crime as only a minor surprise. As one native told me, they are more surprised by honesty and lawfullness than the opposite. Sad.
Driving wasn't actually as bad as folks led up to, but the roads, when you weren't on the oppressively expensive Autostrada, were a nightmare. Fitting current vehicles into ancient cart paths just doesn't work well. And no one even thinks about following ANY traffic laws or signs. It's more dangerous to go the speed limit, stop at lights, or NOT cut people off than it is to do he wrong thing. If you act rude and obnoxious at all times while driving, then you'll do just fine and fit in with everyone else.
I found most of the people to be nice one on one, but very rude to each other as a group. It wasn't that they were rude to us, they are simply rude to everyone by default. When we actually treated people nicely and with respect, we got it back nearly every time. But they were surprised we actually cared what they thought and wanted to hear what they had to say.
It is a beautiful place. Western Style democracy was born there. Many of the political and judicial tenants of a free society got their start there. But it seems like most of the positive things stopped with the fall of the Roman Empire and the parralels to the western world today are pretty frightening and eye opening if you care to look. We sure seem to be on the same pathways today that led Europe into the dark ages where everything regressed back centuries and knowledge and advancement ceased for centuries and had to be rediscovered all over again. Yikes.
That said, it was still magical. That's how real life is. If you see the truth around most things, you'll see as much ugliness as beauty. Learn from the bad and appreciate the good. That was my experience in Italy.
Now we're into France for the final 2 weeks of our trip with a possible side trip to Switzerland.
Brian
Brian Austin Whitney Founder Just Plain Folks jpfolkspro@gmail.com Skype: Brian Austin Whitney Facebook: www.facebook.com/justplainfolks"Don't sit around and wait for success to come to you... it doesn't know the way." -Brian Austin Whitney "It's easier to be the bigger man when you actually are..." -Brian Austin Whitney "Sometimes all you have to do to inspire humans to greatness is to give them a reason and opportunity to do something great." -Brian Austin Whitney
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Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 4,389
Top 100 Poster
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Top 100 Poster
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 4,389 |
I HATE YOU!!{LOL} And I hate the Colts too! Seriously, that has to be SO awesome! {Your Colts are world champs, while my Bengals are stinking up the place}, and you're galavanting all over EUROPE!...Sucks to be you!!
Last edited by Bob Cushing; 10/30/07 05:10 PM.
bc
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Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 171
Serious Contributor
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Serious Contributor
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 171 |
I would mostly agree with your assessment of Italy....impressive in parts yet strangely disappointing in a lot of ways too. Milan was so polluted when I visited (it was some years ago so maybe things have improved), and the level of graffiti defacing Rome was almost as bad as Berlin where I was last week.
The south of France, though, particularly around Provence, is probably my favorite place in the world (northern California runs it close) so I'll be most interested to hear how you assess that region.
Keep enjoying the trip!
G.
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Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 29,275
Top 10 Poster
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Top 10 Poster
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 29,275 |
HiDee Brian!
Yeah, Villefranche, best I recollect, is a breath of Fresh (Affordable) Air after ya wheel around the Yacht Basin/Casino areas of Monaco & head East.. We spent an AM lyin' on the Topless-Beach there a few years back...before headin' over to Italy & up to Milan. Which was no bargain, but the Spaghetti Dinner in one of those Ancient Arcades was fascinatin' as the Modelling Set wandered all over the marble-floored digs gettin' Photoed while we munched away.
IF ya head over to Switzerland: Geneva's Pricey but beautiful...Neuchatel's less-expensive..(Both have their Lakes/nice Shopping Districts.)(Visited the Olympics Museum there once-upon-a-time..in Lausanne...some Great Modern Sculpture on the Grounds!)
My Wife's Hometown is La Chaux-de-Fonds, 30 minutes North of Neuchatel, where Switzerland's More-Industrial Watches (Like SWATCH) are produced. The International Time Museum's there..one of Europes BEST Watch/Clock Museums, if you're Horologically-Inclined. A Mile Down the Hill is Sister-City Le Locle, where the Droze Automatons are in a Museum, along with lots of Music Boxes. There's skiing in the area, as well (You're in the Pre-Alps.) Montreaux is not Too-TOO far away..big Jazz City annually..& it's fairly Warm...60's-70's..even into winter months..thanks to its Microclimte. Hopefully ya drive thru the Alps en route back to France..it's beautiful if it's cleared/not snowing too-heavily.
Have Fun, Amigo...know ya are!!
Big Guy-Hug, Stan
Last edited by "TampaStan" Good; 10/31/07 10:44 PM.
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Joined: May 2006
Posts: 4,507
Top 100 Poster
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Top 100 Poster
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 4,507 |
Brian, I'm a wee bit jealous and whole lot happy for you guys. Monaco, how cool is that, you'll have plenty of stories to tell for some time I'm sure. Best of luck for safe travels; met any future stars in Europe?...Moker
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"If one man can do it, any man can do it. It is true. But the real question is, if one man did it, are you willing to do what it takes to do it as well?" –Brian Austin Whitney
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