Holiday Snaps!

Here are some photos I took while in Italy... hope you like them!

Venice - Bridge of Sighs

Venice - Somewhere off the beaten path

Cortina - From the top of Mount Faloria

Cortina - Street in Cortina

Verona - The Arena


Verona - Juliet's Balcony

That's all for now!

Holiday Report!

Here is the full holiday report from my exciting adventures in the Italian Veneto and beyond:

Lido di Jesolo

We were staying at the seaside resort of Lido de Jesolo on the Ventian Riviera. About 20km from Venice, with a 15km long golden beach and with temperatures in the 33-35*C region the first week and more like 35-37*C the second week. You can of course imagine my disappointment on returning home to find out that it has been raining almost constantly for the duration of our absence.

The resort itself was very busy, with I'm guessing about 50% German tourists, about 40% local Italians and the rest, pretty much a cross section of Europe and beyond.

Of course though, beaches aren't really my thing, more of a last resort for when there's nothing else to do, so we booked ourselves day trips to Venice, Cortina, Verona and Lake Garda shortly after arriving. I was particularly looking forward to Venice and it didn't disappoint.

Venice

We travelled into Venice by boat from Punta Sabbioni (about 50 mins). Spectacular views of the islands on the way. It was also hot, very hot! We disembarked near the Bridge of Sighs and then arrived in the Piazza di San Marco. A beautiful square with a smaller square off to one corner, but it was very crowded as you'd expect. We went for a little wander for 2 hours down some off the narrow lanes, then had a guided tour (including a quick scoot around the Basilica), followed by the highlight of the entire holiday, the water taxi cruise down the Grand Canal. It was absolutely amazing and "I got it all down on videotape". The Gondola ride was an anti-climax after the water taxi. With some time left we then took the lift up to the top of St. Mark's Tower, from where we had a great view over the whole of Venice.

Had an interesting converation afterwards with our tour guide Alessandro, after I asked him which house on the Grand Canal was the oldest, to which he replied "the Ca' Da Mosta". Anyone keeping up will recall that I mentioned before travelling, the television program "Italy, Head to Toe" fronted by Francesco Da Mosta, which I identified as part of the driving force behind my desire to visit Italy.

I would love to go back to Venice sometime and spend a week or so there just wandering around, preferably off season when it's not so warm or crowded.

Cortina

We visited the Winter resort of Cortina, once again accompanied by Alessandro, stopping along the way at Lago di San Croce (Lake of the Holy Cross). On arrival we headeh straight for the cable car which took us up Mount Faloria. Once again I videoed the experience for posterity. This was followed by a jaunt around the lovely village of Cortina and a short trip further into the Dolomites to visit Lago di Misurina (Lake Misurina). It was of course very hot again, but there was a cool breeze which made it tolerable on this occasion.

Verona

Off to Verona and with a different Tour Guide, Luigi, who like Alessandro, also spoke very good English, and was an absolute mine of information. Verona was hot, 35*C apparently, but I must have been acclimatised by then (or so I thought, see Lake Garda) because it didnt feel too bad. We walked around the outside of the Arena then went to see Juliet's balcony and statue. Yes, I know Juliet is a fictional character, but the Capulets existed and the balcony is part of the house where they once lived. We made a quick visit to the Castle and famous bridge, before heading back to the bus where I had a conversation with Luigi about Umberto Eco, The Name Of the Rose in particular and also Manfredi, as I'd just finished reading "The Tower".

Lake Garda - Sirmione

If Verona was 35*C then I have no idea what the temperature was in Sirmione, because it was killer. First we went on a boat trip around the tip of the peninsula, taking in some wonderful views including the majestic ruins of the oldest Roman villa in Northern Italy, built by the poet Valerio Catulus in the 1st Century B.C. Coincidentally, I had just finished reading Robert Harris's "Imperium" the day previously, in which the Catulus family feature. Serendipitous!

We then climbed to the top of the castle tower before exploring the little village. The heat was intense and sweat was pouring off me. I went to seek some shelter in the shade of a tree and got several mosquito bites on the back of my legs as reward. The only time I was bitten on the whole holiday.

Other

Besides the day trips we also visited several attractions in Lido de Jesolo; A wonderful sand sculpture exhibition based on the Wild West. I forgot to take my camera, but I'll look for links later. We also went to Aqualandia for a day, seemed like fun, but it was just too hot to spend the whole day in the sun. We also went to Pirate Adventure Crazy Golf where we all got burned (did I tell you how hot it was?) All in all we had an excellent time!

Resumption Of Activity!

I'm back, revitalised and ready to go. Did you miss me? Holiday report and photos to follow, once I get my car working again and get some food in the house!

Interruption To Scheduled Blogging!

We are sorry for this interruption to the scheduled blog posting. Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible! We regret to inform you that any delay in the resumption of blog activities is unavaoidable, indeed delays should be expected, owing to unfavourable blogging conditions!

What's In A Name?

What's In A Name? I'm going to be referring mainly to Scottish Surnames here, but you might have one of those even though you live in a land far, far away, because what was formerly called the British Empire, was largely created by Scotsmen and Scottish colonists. And, you don't necessarily have to have a Surname beginning with Mc or Mac for it to be Scottish. If you thought that was the case then you have been misled by popular culture.

Scottish Surnames fall into several categories:

• Patronymics - Taken from the fathers forename, for instance, where the father was called Donald, the surname derived from him could be; McDonald, MacDonald, Donaldson or just Donald.
• Occupations - Examples are; Wright (Carpenter), Skinner, Baxter (Female Baker) and the most common of all, Smith (Blacksmith).
• Place Names - Scottish Surnames derived from places near where I live include; Cullen, Fordyce, Keith and Findlater.
• Physical Charcteristics - Primarily hair colours such as Reid, Brown, Gray and Black or the Gaelic: Bowie - Blond or fair-haired and Duff - Black. Names such as Campbell and Cameron are supposed to translate as Crooked Mouth and Crooked Nose.

Of course there are other Scottish Surnames which do not fall into those categories, but in general most do. Also, should you find that you do have a Scottish Surname and particularly one which is fairly common, do not assume that you are therefore related to everyone who shares that Surname, because the same name may have several origins. For instance, my own Surname, Wilson, is believed to be derived from an Earl of Innes named William way back in the 14th or 15th Century. Yet, the name also originated in Caithness with the Clan Gunn, and other instances of the name originate early on in Glasgow, Dundee and also down in England.

My wife also has the rather rare Surname, Maver, the origins and meaning of which are highly questionable, but her family has been in Scotland since at least 1440, and yet the same name is prolific in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovakia, with apparently no connection whatsoever. Very odd!

The Waiting Game!

I'm sure everyone else reading this is just like me, always waiting for something to happen. The expression "I can't wait" suggests more than mere anticipation, it also reflects how uninterested we become in our lives between major events. The lulls are interminable. Whether it's waiting for better weather (this year has been awful, see picture for details), waiting for the holidays or waiting to attend some important event with family or friends. You'd probably just rather skip the time between now and then... yes, you are wishing your life away, and you're definitely not the only one!

Me, I'm waiting to go on holiday to Italy, I'm waiting to go to Uni for Teacher Training, I'm waiting to get out of this God forsaken town. Heh, this reminds me of that Adam Sandler film "Click". I better be careful what I wish for, it's the in-between times that are important. Don't really want to fast-forward my life!

Luckily for me, unlike some, I'm not up to my ears in debt (apart from my student loans, obviously). Some people spend there whole lives waiting for some sort of miraculous event, which will never happen. They think that there luck is going to change, that they'll win the lottery or receive an inheritance, with which all their problems will be sorted. I guess some people do get lucky, but it's not usually people who desperately need it, is it? That sort of waiting I can do without.

The Rise and Fall Of Communism!

Last night, Battlefield with Peter and Dan Snow returned, having been rudely interrupted by I'm not sure what, but it wasn't on the last 2 weeks anyhow. This time around they were casting a wistful gaze over the Tet Offensive, a pivotal point in the Vietnam War. My knowledge of the Vietnam War, I'm afraid to admit, up until this point, extended no further than; M.A.S.H. , Platoon, Hamburger Hill, We Were Soldiers, Good Morning Vietnam, Air America, Casualties Of War, Deer Hunter, Jacob's Ladder and The Killing Fields. All well and good, but films don't give you a very good perspective of events in terms of the broader picture.

So now I know that the US were in Vietnam, supporting the South Vietnamese in order to stem the rise of Communism. The North Vietnamese (NVA), backed by the USSR and China, were the principal enemy, further supported by the Viet Cong (VC's) who would be termed insurgents nowadays. The NVA launched the Tet Offensive, when the South Vietnamese army had been sent home to celebrate the festival of Tet with their families, believing that the festival would mark an unofficial ceasefire.

Parties of VC's, who had been stockpiling munitions and supplies all over South Vietnam for months (via the Ho Chi Minh trail), launched attacks all over South Vietnam and even into Saigon itself, while the US soldiers and airforce were busy fending off a diversionary attack by the NVA at Khe Sanh camp, near the Vietnamese border. Meanwhile the VC's had captured a major part of the US embassy in Saigon, images of which were beamed into US households.

The next major battleground was the city of Hue, where US marines had a major task on their hands in driving out the VC, who had entrenched themselves in the city's ancient citadel. Not until the South Vietnamese authorised the use of artillery and air-strikes, were the VC's reduced to rabble. At this point, the Viet Cong had been fully committed to battle and having been overturned on all fronts, no longer represented a viable fighting force. In the North of the country the US soldiers had also repelled the NVA.

The American Generals thought they were well on their way to victory, but back home things had taken a bad turn. The US public had seen enough footage on TV to convince them that things were going very badly. They'd seen executions and dead US servicemen lying in the street. They gave the President Lyndon B. Johnson no option but finally to withdraw all American forces from Vietnam. Despite the US then training and equipping the South Vietnamese Army, South Vietnam fell to the Communists in 1975.

But, despite the victory of Communism in Vietanam, as we now know, there were other battlegrounds between Democracy and Communism, Afghanistan being one instance. Communism however, ran its course and even China it seems, buoyed by a booming economy, cannot remain a Communist country for much longer. Now the attentions of the West are focused on a new enemy, the invisible force, the terrorist, who has no specific nation or race, and who can pop-up anywhere at any given time. Here is the final irony. In order for Western nations to combat terrorism, our glorious leaders request that we kindly surrender our civil liberties. In doing this, they increasingly use Big Brother tactics not entirely unlike those formerly used by the Communists.

History Is All About Blood!

Terry Pratchett has a point in Hogfather when he says that history is all about blood, don't you think? What's more, that definition can be deduced in several ways;

• History is all about blood-shed
• History is all about bloodlines
• History is all about genetic traits

Which ever way you take it, there is a definite ring of truth. The expression "History goes to the victors!" is one with which I would definitely agree, because it is clear to me that many of our accepted views of historical events are false, precisely because it is the accounts of the victors which we rely on, when events were entirely different to what was actually recorded. For instance, Hitler didn't ensure that accurate records were kept for posterity regarding the genocidal atrocities, which he had ordered. Had he been victorious we might never have known other than in rumour.

Many other historical events follow the pattern whereby there is no external verification of events, such as Tacitus' account of Gnaeus Julius Agricola's defeat of the Picts at the battle of Mons Graupius. Julius Agricola was the father-in-law of Tacitus, so clearly had a vested interest in promoting the achievements of Agricola. It is actually debatable whether the battle even took place, and little evidence to suggest that the Romans managed to cross the River Spey, which presented a formidable barrier, especially if the Picts held the opposite bank. However, Tacitus knew that the Picts could not relate their version of events and so history tells us only what he, Tacitus, had to say.

As far as blood-letting effects history, you might suppose that War can have a positive effect on society because the superior force would win. However, using the First World War as an example, it could be suggested that the War set Britian back hundreds of years, because the majority of its brilliant young minds were needlessly killed. Meanwhile, back on the farm, the half-witted labourers spawned the next generation. A serious setback for the gene pool.

Blood-lines have played a significant part in the history of the UK, for over 1000 years this nation was controlled by an elite, who largely inter-married with each other and held on to titles, vast tracts of land, wealth, and small armies of servants. In this respect, they held what they did by virtue of blood.

How can genetic traits influence the course of history. As an example of how inter-breeding can impact heavily on society, I would highlight the Roman Emperors and the Pharaonic Dynasties. Doubtless, the irrational and often insane behaviour displayed by many of them was a direct consequence of incest. Obviously, I'm focusing on the negative viepoint here, but conversely, a broader gene pool does result in more intelligent offspring. Anyone with a broad spectrum of ancestral origins, I'm sure will quite clearly demonstrate proof of what I'm suggesting!

The Sacred Art Of Keeping A Secret!

Secrecy! Every family has its secrets! They may be dark and sinister, or they might be stupid and pointless like the ones my family have. Over the years I've managed to prise some family info out of my Grandmother which she was sworn to secrecy over, probably 60 years ago or more. But, the world has moved on since then! Yes, it appears my Great Grandfather had a child by another woman before he was married. My Grandmother knows the identity of the child, but cannot reveal it. Honestly, the World could end if she were to reveal this terrible secret which has been her burden for so many years.

The other big family secret is the identity of my Grandfather. I started researching our family tree when I was about 19 and immediately questioned my father who said he had no idea. When he was away to work I went looking in his desk and found a piece of paper with a little family tree sketched out on it. It said my Grandfather's name was Eric Boon/Boone. I'd never heard the name before that day. I questioned my father further and he said I'd have to ask my Grandmother. When I broached the topic with her, to say she was reticent to talk about it would be an understatement. My Father is a product of the post-war celebrations, in my mind anyhow.

The story, as far as I could make it out, was as follows: My Grandmother was 19 and in the ATS (Auxiliary Territorial Service). The year was 1946 and she was stationed at the Bridge-of-Don barracks near Aberdeen. There she met the dashing (5 years older) Eric Boon, Tank Seargeant, who had seen service all over Europe during the War. I'm sure she said North Africa, Italy and France. Anyway, he'd sweet-talked her with marriage proposals and all that and she got pregnant. Then she found out he'd been seeing other women as well, fell out with him, he still wanted to get married, but she gave him the brush off. Besides that, all she knew was, that he came from Leeds and he was about 25 at the time.

Anyhow, several years later, when quizzed again, she tells me, his name was actually John (as is my fathers) and that Eric was just what they called him, because there was a famous boxer called Eric Boon, at that time. It was suggested that the boxer Eric Boon may have been his Uncle. There isn't much to go on there really, I don't even want to meet my Grandfather, presuming he's still alive. It's just that as a genealogist, it's tracing the line that gets my interest. The challenge of tracking back the family line, and believe me I've tried numerous avenues with no success, which suggests to me that perhaps even what little I've been told isn't entirely true, or essential details have been omitted or corrupted.

Anyway, that's just my family. My wife's is far worse when it comes to secrets, but if I start writing about those I could land in big trouble. So, if you have a dirty family secret, please feel free to leave a comment about it, so that the rest of us can know that it's not just our families that are weird!

Damn Those Eyes!

I reckon I have a pretty accurate ability when it comes to being able to judge a person's character instantaneously and on first impressions alone, and I don't think I've ever been wrong in my judgement. An individual says a lot without even talking, and I would never judge someone just on what they actually say, it's their facial expressions and body language which speak volumes. I find that the eyes in particular tell me what a person is like, especially if they're nasty, the eyes give it away so clearly. It's got to be said, I've seen total strangers in the street, caught their gaze, and been very frightened by what I've seen there. Many of you might know exactly what I mean, they have what you can only call "The eyes of a killer"! Whether they have killed, or only have the potential to kill is questionable, but certainly their eyes say that they're more than capable of doing so.

I probably lied when I said I don't judge people based on what they say, I do, but as a secondary objective. Rather than revealing what is hidden, as the face does, the voice (and what they actually say) is more indicative of how intelligent a person is, but can be deceptive, as an intelligent person can quite easily portay themselves as less intelligent than they really are on first meeting, if they think it could be advantageous in some way, later!

The reason for this waffling, in case you were wondering... well, I read in some newspaper yesterday, that some young lad had pitted his intuitive skills against several psychics (if I could find the article it would have taken up more of this post) and demonstrated more accurate results than they had. This young fella, had been teaching himself how to read body language, since he was a kid, and could infer shedloads, even from the most miniscule of signals. Apparently, the amount of information he could detect from a stranger, was phenomenal, and he made the psychics look like total frauds. I'm sure this guy will earn a lot more attention in the near future, so I may well come back to him then, whoever he is!