h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

'Lontano, nei dimenticati spazi non segnate delle carte geographiche dell'estremo limite della Spirale Ovest della Galassia, c'è un piccolo e insignificante sole giallo.
A orbitare intorno a esso, alla distanza di centoquarantanove milioni di chilometri, c'è un piccolo, trascurabilissimo pianeta azzuro-verde, le cui forme di vita, discendenti dalle scimmie, sono così incredibilimente primitive che credono ancora che gli orologi da polso digitali siano un'ottima invenzione'...

(And if any mods out there are really expecting me to translate - or, actually, back-translate - this quote, they are showing a certain lack of common sense. Because most chances are they have the original within reach. )

One of my favourite aquisitions during this trip - a copy of 'Guida Galattica per gli Autostoppisti'. Not that I've actually read it, but it's just really neat to have it, and make comparisons from time to time.


Some other notes from the Italy experience, in no specific order:

- Italy has the cutest cars I've ever seen. As well as the largest number of straight guys wearing pink.

- It's hard to get used to the regular (or non-Italian, anyway) keyboards again, after I got used to the Italian ones. I have to keep reminding myself that slash is NOT shift+7... I'm getting better though. Good thing I can't do blind typing, or I'd have been completely confused.

- You _can_ pick up a language in four weeks, especially when you are surrounded by it; I got to the school with zero Italian, and am now capable of making simple conversation. I might make mistakes, but I'm understood. That's pretty cool.

- Gelati. Enough said.
Actually... after a pretty thorough survey, I believe that I found the best Gelateria in Firenze. All gelati is great, though. It's just a matter of telling between places that are really great and places that are good but not worth the money.
Oh, and I also know the best place in Firenze to buy phone cards for the US. used up quite a lot of those.

- Europe rocks!!! Literaly... over the course of one weekend, I've been to two really awesome rock festivals, one in Milano and one in Bologna. Saw Social Distortion, NOFX, All-American Rejects, Queens of the Stone Age, The Bravery, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, and a whole bunch of other bands; so many bands, in fact, that in order to remember all the names I need to look at my festival t-shirts ( well, I also didn't get much sleep that weekend).
We just don't have that kind of stuff back home!

- It's enough to _know_ you're staying somewhere for a longer time for you to be able to feel a bit more like a local; for instance, to look at all the tour-groups in downtown Firenze and think 'Ach, tourists!'.

- Nice people are everywhere; and if you're friendly and talkative enough, you have a good chance to run into some. I met quite a lot, some of which I now consider among my best friends.
And it's the people you meet that make the trip what it is, in the end.



Had a great time. Glad to be back.
Still got some backlog to look at, and a Hey-Everyone-I'm-Back-Home email to write, and my pictures to put online (once I get them on a CD), and unpacking, and whatnot... but other than that, yeah, sono sicuramente tornata [=I'm definitely back].

Welcome back! We're glad that you're back! Enjoy your trip? And don't forget to vote in the h2g2 election.

Aaah someone else to advertise to! vote me A5889261 ! and welcome back

Yael!

Great you're back!

>>You _can_ pick up a language in four weeks<<

Yeah - if you're prodigiously gifted with languages, you can

Everywhere I go! Politics I won't fight Yael's loyalty to you Jack

But I will need to ask her about the comic charecter possibility.

Hi all.


Jeez, I really need to catch up on things...

But just to clarify: I'm not gonna vote for anyone.
For once, I intend to enjoy the ability to ignore an election without feeling guilty about it.
So there!

nuff.

Welcome home! After all, 'home' is where the heart is...in any time, space, or country...or even hootoo! So, welcome home!

If home is where the heart is, that'd make mine on the other side of the world...

But thanks anyway. Like I said, good to be back!

Awww

Come on! You gotta rock the vote!

At least Indie rock the vote.

Singer-songwriter the vote?

...how exactly does one 'rock' a vote?

Whatever. Welcome back.

Could I folk-song the vote?

Welcome back

Welcome back. I've been a good boy while you were gone.

(Except for anti-semitic weekend.)

Hmm; never could understand why people get so upset by having houses joined together meself...

Welcome back Yael, now, gotta make sure you keep practising all the new found lingo; yes, you can learn a language in a lot less than 4weeks, but if you don't keep it up, you lose it...er....maybe i should rephrase that

zdt

Welcome back!! And thanks for the gorgeous post card!

Straight guys don't wear pink.
Pink is not the new black.

They weren't straight.

1.) They were European
2.) They were _Italian_
3.) They wore pink

Not straight.

Just sayin'.

Welcome back!

Welcome back Tim. The above quote in Italian means "my hovercraft is full of eels" doesn't it?

I just accidently erased everything I wrote... grr.

Now I need to remember it all again!

Um, so, yeah Terri, I know what you mean. I'm hoping to take courses in Uni next year, and sorta trying to practise it occasionaly.
Like by translating 'My hovercraft is full of eels'... un minuto, devo trovare il mio dizionario [I need to find my dictionary]


Allora,

'Il mio hovercraft [nope, no special word for that - how disappointing!] è pieno di anguille'.

Ta-da!

What else was there?

GB, anti-semitic weekend? Damn, I miss all the fun...

And Dan, I agree that the fact a guy is making out with his girlfriend doesn't necessarily mean he's straight, but you have to admit it somewhat increases the odds, no? *shrug*

*Copying before I do anything stupid, this time...*

*Post Message*

You mean "girlfriend"...

Sorry. I guess I'm just remembering some of my own experiences in Italy.



*looks for mouthwash, and something to stop the bad memories*