Horizons

Posted by Alex | | Posted On Tuesday 26 October 2010 at 14:15

There are two big things looming on the horizon right now:
1. My week off, which commences next Monday.
2. NaNoWriMo.

I've probably already blabbered on about the second one to anyone who will listen, so in short: NaNoWriMo is the month when aspiring novelists spend most of their waking lives writing utter nonsense in the hopes that finally they will have a novel before them by the end of the month. As it stands, I have no plan; no plot outline; no character profiles. I am afloat on a piece of driftwood, waiting for a luxury ocean liner to materialise from the haze and whisk me off to Barbados...

Back in the real world, however, I am busy planning out the rest of my days of chillin' out maxed, and relaxin' all cool (sadly there will be no shooting of b'balls outside of the school). I've worked out that, thanks to the wondrous three-day weekends bestowed upon me by the University (and that would make it my first ever three-day weekend in three years of studying!!), that I can travel around Italy and see the sights properly. I've managed to work out prices to Parma, Genova, Mantova, Venice and Ravenna. Anything more than €40 and I refused to pay -- so, sorry Tuscany, unless you can provide me with a cheap, cheap service to Firenze, I'm not coming near you until next summer.

At this point, I'd like to add: "I have a free week. Why aren't you visiting me!?" before I come to the realisation that you did, after all, only want to sleep on my floor -- something which we all know is not happening...stupid rules.

Back on track, here's how I hope this will all pan out:
Next week, I hope to go to Parma. I think the lecturers might be coming out, but I'm unsure. If they're not, then next Thursday will definitely find me in Emilia-Romagna!
Erasmus grant and weather permitting, the week after I'm going to head down to Genoa, because I seem to be the only person to have not been there.
After that, I might take a week off, and then, grant permitting, try a weekend on the east coast. Essentially, Venice on the Friday, Ravenna on the Saturday, maybe even going so far as to hit up San Marino on the way.


Admittedly, that only takes me up to mid-November. I have, of course, considered Switzerland, but that seems to be a €50 round trip to Lugano, and an indeterminate amount to Lucerne. My personal preference is Lucerne, because it's in 'real Switzerland', rather than just over the border. Plus, I've already had the pleasure of driving over Lake Lugano between Melide and Bissone. The only problem with the Lucerne plan is, beyond the obscene one-way cost, I'd also have to change in Arth-Goldau and get on a nice transalpine train...to travel all of three miles. Perhaps I should save Switzerland for later life, when I can just plant myself amongst the majestic mountains...and never move.

On the note of moving...I'd best start shifting my carcass. Letteratura Italiana soon! For two hours. Then an apparent dinner party at around 19.30, which last night seemed a brilliant idea, but right now just seems like a hindrance to my plan to get an early night ready for some Storia dell'Arte Medievale tomorrow...

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