7th December

Up at 7am, away at 8.30am and on the road to Bari. Nothing to do with Bob Hope (that was bali).

My Tom Tom is fantastic. If I had my time over again I would marry it/her. Her name is Jane, and she is the perfect woman! She is always polite, discreet and invisible and I am never accused of something I haven’t done, or accused of something I have done.

She never finds fault and never answers back. Even when I cock up or fail to listen to what I am being told (a male failing apparently).

She is always in the background – working quietly away never complaining always achieving! Even when I lose it she never takes it personally or argues back or turns any of my failings (minor of course) into a major argument. How Columbus found America without one I’ll never know.

Two other observations I noticed - you see post persons everywhere in yellow and black, bright yellow vans everywhere but if you try and find a post office they are invisible! almost impossible.

I know as Iv’e tried several times. There are very few, a bit like ours will become I suppose, and you have to use a tabacchi a (tobacconist) who sell everything including stamps but not postcards. I haven't found any post cards since Verona and I couldn’t buy that, because there was nowhere to park!

The concept of breakfast - as in substantial, is unknown here for a country that prepares, concocts and eats superb food. Apart from the hotel ibis in padova the usual cheese sausage etc, all you are offered here are pre-packed baby rusks, fruit juice or chocolate pastries, sometimes croissants but that's it.

Italian is such a lovely language in its pronunciation and softness, even asking for a carrier bag sounds sexy!

The van in English is called "the black pig" in German it is "der schwarz schwein" in Italian it is "la peccorino nero" - so much nicer.

Not much to do today, on Sunday everything closes, all the shops, very few fuel stations and only on the motorways.

Music; oddly enough they are all short ones, Dean Martin (sorry) singing "how do you speak to an angel" an absolutely haunting melody of the 30s/ 40s era words are:

"How do you speak to an angel
I’m completely in the dark
when you know that you've just met an angel
is there a proper remark
we were alone for a moment
why was I lost in a cloud
do you speak to an angel in a whisper
or do you just say I love you out loud".

Old friends by Simon and Garfunkel (all to close i fear)
And the other is of course Barclay James Harvest singing “galadrial”

Words are;

"She comes up with the morning sun
and tells me life has just begun
oh what it is to be young
and in the early evening light
she brings me flowers for the night
oh what it is to be young"


Very 70s and haunting

I just took a break by the shore, thinking about things and music is one of those things I have been able to lose myself in - but it is such a personal choice so I shall say no more except listen to barbers violin concerto, pictures at an exhibition (having read the case notes first) and of course pacibels kanon

Arrived at Bari, tried 3 camp sites, the book says apert gates say chuiso
Eventually found a nice hotel Marci 7. It's better than it sounds but I arrived late and went straight to bed so I can be away by 8am - so much for Bari