Category: General Silliness
-
The Joys of Being a Foreigner – Paying Online
This is really nothing new, as it has bothered me for a couple of years now, but since I’ve ended up doing a series of Being a Foreigner posts, I can just as well toss in this grievance too. I have a Vodafone number on my phone, on a prepaid contract as they won’t make…
-
The Joys of Being a Foreigner – Cittadinanza Digitale
The Cittadinanza Digitale – digital citizenship – is a very laudable project of the City of Venice with the scope of bringing fast wireless internet to all citizens for free. As far as I have understood, the project started when the city got the chance to buy a optic fiber network which covered most of…
-
The Joys of Being a Foreigner – Opening a Bank Account
When I decided to stay here in Venice for good, one of the first things to do is to open a bank account. You can only have your money lying around in envelopes for about so long 🙂 I went to one of the local banks, the Banco San Marco, and they were very nice…
-
The Joys of Being a Foreigner – Telecom Italia and Alice
Living in another country always causes problems of one kind or the other. Both public administration and private companies are geared towards the citizens, not foreigners, and justly so. Yet at times you run into problems so stupid its hard not to get a bit annoyed. Telecom Italia is the largest provides of telephony and…
-
Skim Kayaks suspends production
I’ve just received a message, in Swedish, from Skim Kayaks stating that they’re suspending production and sales because they’re having problems making ends meet economically. Its sad because the boats are fantastic. I have paddled a Skim Distance around Sardinia, and will take it around Sicily in March, and I have recently bought a Skim…
-
Crab jumping for it’s life
Yesterday I was paddling around Venice with a German couple and their daughter. The girl was almost mesmerised by the crabs scuttling around on the walls and steps on the rii, so daddy picked one up to show her, then put it down on the kayak so it could get on with its life. I…
-
Bridge of the Skies
They’re restoring the back side of the Palazzo Ducale and the corresponding side of the Prigioni Nove, both facing the Rio Canonica. The Bridge of Sighs connect these two buildings across the canal. To get funds for the restauration works they have sold advertising rights to the façades being restored, and the sponsor have clad…
-
Severe warning
Most mooring places in Venice are given in concession to private or commercial users by the Magistrato delle Acque, the magistrate of the waters, and they’re not supposed to be used by any others. This is not always respected, and the concessionary of this space have had enough of free riders. The sign reads: “Don’t…
-
A room with a view
Houses are close to each other in Venice, and apartments often a bit dark because of the narrow streets. Here’s the view from my bedroom. The salizada below is even rather wide compared to many calli around the city. (view out, view left, view right)
-
Phone unloaded
I have a quite decent camera in my mobile phone, and often take photos where I go, but I also often forget to download them to the computer. I did that today, and here’s a selection of point-and-shoot photos from we left Denmark in early April until now here in Venice. The phots are in…
-
Dear Venice, happy 1588th birthday
On Annunciation Day in AD 421, on the 25th of March, three Roman tribunes from the nearby Roman city of Padova participated in the consecration of the St. Giacometo church at Rivus Altus in the Venetian lagoon, thus formally founding the city of Venice. In the years that followed the Roman Empire broke down and…
-
III Symposium Internacional de Kayak de Mar
So, now we have signed up for the symposium in Spain – the III Symposium Internacional de Kayak de Mar – held in Llança/Port de la Selva in Catalonia on April 4-5-6 followed by additional activities in the following week, until April 12. We’ll be going to Spain by motorcycle through Germany and France and…
-
Ancestors: Wils
My mothers maiden name is Wils. The name is of Dutch origin, and I’m the descendent of a poor Dutch immigrant to Denmark in the early 19th century.
-
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT1 camera
I got a very nice email yesterday, from a PR represetative of Panasonic Nordic, with an offer of lending me a Lumix DMC-FT1 (TS1 in the USA) camera as soon as they get the first test cameras to the country in late March. The deal is that I will test the camera in real life…
-
Grandma’s wine glasses
When my uncle died last year, Valentina and I were offered the old wine glasses my uncle had inherited from my grandmother. They have been in the family since long before I was born, and my guess is that they were bought in the 1930s or 1940s. They’re handmade, blown, faceted with an hexagonal stalk,…
-
Books are so expensive in these times
Like this one – it looks normal – but apparently isn’t. It does help a bit with the discount. Amazon.com: BlackWind: Charlotte Boyett-Compo: Books