Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Italia

Back in Italy for 4 days of client visits.
Monday: Rome
Tuesday: Rome-Venice-Trieste-Rome-Genoa.
Wednesday: Genoa, Livorno/Leghorn
Thursday: Genoa, Monte Carlo, Nice

Tuesday was a bit nuts, but it worked. After a spring-ish day in Rome on Monday, Tuesday was bitter cold with lots of wind. In Trieste the Buro winds off the Alps were blowing up to 70mph. Taking off from the airport in that was ..... "exciting". Today at least we didn't have to fly. A couple of owner visits in Genoa to start. In the square just outside the offices of a couple clients is one of the old Genovese city gates (see attached). If you look at the building to the right you'll see a very small stone/brick house in front. This is where Christopher Columbus was born.















Spent the afternoon driving 2hrs south to Livorno (also known as Leghorn in English) in Tuscany. The autostrada runs between the coast and one of the Apennine mountain chains. These are some very respectable peaks. In the 2nd attached pic you can see that the peaks are snow capped. The white down low is not snow, but rather some of the famous Italian marble quarries.














Got passed by a police car chasing someone on the highway. The police car was a Lambourgini. Only in Italy.

Livorno is a neat old seaport. Lots of old fortresses around the city and an extensive canal system like venice. It was just clear enough to see Elba island on the horizon, but couldn't quite see Corsica out there.

TWG
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Via Blackberry

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Oslo















Finished the business day with a touch-and-go visit to Oslo before heading home. Attached is the harbor in downtown. Cold and more snow falling. I like all the traditional sailing vessels, but this was a really quick look today as the wind was blowing in off the fjord. Next time I'm bringing boots.
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Via Blackberry

Too Clever















Bathrooms in Bergen, Norway airport.
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Via Blackberry

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Stavanger















Cold, unusually white day in Stavanger, Norway. Being right on the sea it's very unusual to have snow in Stavanger despite the latitude. Usually get a few inches now and then that disappears quickly. There's now better than a foot on the ground and it hasn't been above freezing yet this year. So much for global warming.
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Via Blackberry

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Flying Low II

~200 mph on the Eurostar coming back from lunch date in Paris (I know, I know - but you can actually do it). Nothing much to look at, but the speed is incredible, and what a civilized way to go. 2:15hrs door to door. Not sure what format the attachment is, but it's a video.
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Via Blackberry