Perhaps it would have been more fitting start for a trip to Sicily to take Mr. Ruby to the airport on the back of a Vespa instead of a minivan but there are times when practicality trumps romance. And so his adventure began.
An hour later I received a call: “My flight’s been cancelled”. I wondered what that meant for the train he’s supposed to catch out of Rome to Messina where (I think) he’s renting a scooter to tour the island for a couple weeks.
Mr. Ruby is nothing if not always ready for an adventure. He tells me he’s going to post to his blog about it all.
I suspect Mr. Ruby wants to experience the real cafe lifestyle in Italy rather than live only for Saint’s Cafe on Sunday mornings despite how pleasant the experience. Steaming hot tea and a warm bagel is a far cry from a Mediterranean existence.
Paul arrived with his new Fuji Finepix X100 camera purchased specifically to undertake the digital version of a Cartier-Bresson life on the road. It’s an impressive piece of technology and a damn fine camera too. I actually want one of these, a digital replacement for my idle Leica M6…
I’m looking forward to living the adventure vicariously through Mr. Ruby’s pictures.
I picture days on the Vespa interrupted by conversations in cafes. Mr. Ruby will bring his own unique reflection of America to Sicily. In uncertain Italian mixed with English he’ll attempt to bring the unsuspecting inhabitants under his spell.
Mr. Ruby has the power to mesmerize, use slight of hand and misdirection to bend those of weak mind to his will. The perfect combination for a man on a Vespa traveling through the rolling hills once haunted by Romans and Greeks in antiquity.
So his adventure continues tomorrow as he attempts departure in the snow…
Hmm. You’ve set the bar pretty high. I was going to Italy to meet hot Italian babes and drink excessive amounts of Chianti. Didn’t know it was suppose to be some kind of transformative spiritual and cultural happening.
; – )
Seriously: It’s funny how you see man’s deepest desires represented in this exploration of S. Italy. I didn’t realize what was at stake until I read your blog. Let’s see if it unfolds as you predict. Paolo
Paul:
can’t wait to see photos of “your” hot babes. better yet, bring your assistant Steve along to document your journey, then he will have an excuse to purchase that X100s. He is yearning for warmer weather
bob
Riding the Wet Coast
Steve:
I actually pre-ordered and received my Fuji X-E2 before Christmas BUT our son liked it too much and I have not even had a chance to even HOLD it. Rather than purchase a duplicate one I bought an RX100M2 instead.
I am more of a 28mm shooter so that rules the X100s OUT. I used to carry around my M6 with 28mm as I find 35mm perspective too telephoto
bob
Riding the Wet Coast
Very cool and thanks for the blog link….Sicily on a scooter, what a great idea.
How tantalizing, Paul sharing an Italian vacation on his blog. Hopefully he’ll more forthcoming than his coverage of the Cape Cod trip.
I did find his account the Florida outing oddly satisfying.
I’m definitely waiting for more.
Paul: Before we can deconstruct your motivations and experience you need to get on a plane. Two days, two flights cancelled. Maybe you should change your plans and visit Bellefonte…
bob skoot: I would just cramp his style. Best to leave me behind.
I’m looking harder all the time at the new non-DSLR cameras. So far, aside from the Canon G15, I’ve not found the perfect digital camera for use in my world of personal photography…
Charlie6: Sicily on a scooter does sound fun doesn’t it! I’m trying to picture Sicily by URAL…
Sicily by Ural? That wouldn’t only be fun, it would be epic!
David Masse: I’ve bugged Paul about posting as he goes but he doesn’t have blogging or social media in his blood. We’ll have to wait and see.
Good Luck to Mr. Ruby … hope he finally/actually gets on a plane whatever his intent on arrival.
Susan and I, our three kids, and two SOs are spending a week in Tuscany in late May.
I’m already checking out Vespa rentals. There’s a shop in Pontedera that rents Vespas at 65 Euros a day, and includes a visit of the Piaggio museum. It’s about 45 minutes from the place where we’ll be staying near Lucca.
The website says “helms included” and by that I hope they mean helmets and not that it’s the handlebars that are included.