Signs of Life: Part 36

© 2024 Rex Jaeschke. All rights reserved.

From time to time during my travels, I come across signs that I find interesting for one reason or another. Sometimes, they contain clever writing, are humorous, or remind me of some place or event. Here are some, mostly from time spent in Italy (Milan, Florence, and Sorrento) in March and April of 2019.

 

From a Brussels Airlines napkin.

 

There I was strolling the streets of Milan, when I came across this sign. My first reaction was, "I'm on the road to Hell!" However, it was only the road to Purgatory, and it's important to understand the difference.

If you like a western movie with a twist, take a look at "Purgatory" from 1999.

BTW, you might be interested to know more about the old proverb, "The road to hell is paved with good intentions."

 

Hey! Has anyone seen my motocycle helmet?

 

"Keep off the grass," that is, at least until March 31.

BTW, Firenze is Italian for Florence. Those foreigners have words for everything!

 

A mobile phone accessories shop.

 

I understand the first three, but what's with granite? Apparently, it's not a piece of stone in a glass! According to Wikipedia, "A slushy is a type of [Italian] beverage made of flavored ice and a drink, similar to granitas but with a more liquid composition."

 

You know how sometimes you get so bored; there is nothing to do? Well, here you are simply not allowed to do anything in/near the Milan Duomo (main cathedral), including flying your drone!

 

La signora goes shopping at Cartier in her Ferrari!

(What is truly remarkable about this photo is that 99+% of the car is inside the parking place lines, something I've hardly ever seen in Italy!)

 

A store for an Italian fashion brand of that name. Afterall, 60 is the new 40, right!

 

I spent some hours walking in the mostly excavated town of Pompei.

When I came across this 2,000-year-old intersection, my first thought was, "Those are some serious speed bumps!" Of course, back in 79 AD, carts and wagons were built high off the ground, so they could pass right on through. The actual reason for the stones is to allow pedestrians to get from one side of the street to the other without having to step into a (possibly deep) pool of sewage in the street.

BTW, as I toured the old city, I kept my eye on Mount Vesuvius, sitting off in the distance. You just never know when the Gods might be angered next!

 

A pizza place in Sorento.

 

Apparently, this food chain is based in Naples. According to their website (as translated by Google Translate), "Those who have had the good fortune to visit Amsterdam carry with them the memory of an extremely vital city, with an absolutely cosmopolitan atmosphere, a city that lives in its narrow streets, where you can admire the suggestive canals and above all taste one of the musts of international street food: the Dutch fries. It is from here that, at the beginning of 2014, Queen's Chips was born with the mission of spreading the Dutch style throughout the world, through franchising, adding to it particular attention to the authenticity of raw materials such as to offer an experience linked to a concept of genuine street food."

"Street Food Style, il gusto che fa tendenza." (Street Food Style, the taste that sets trends.)

So, if you are wondering around Italy and are tired of Italian food, it's good to know you can get some good old Dutch (French) fries!

 

Another pizza place in Sorento.

It took me a bit of digging to try and find some meaning in the use of UNESCO, which many of us understand to mean "The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization."

Apparently, UNESCO has an Intangible Cultural Heritage program, and they can even assign a "Creative City of Gastronomy" designation.

My guess is that this pizza parlor is trying to infer that its pizzas are dannatamente buono; pretty darned good, that is.

 

Very clever!

I think there's actually a wrinkle in my irony!

 

When I saw these posts and wooden disks near Williamsburg, Virginia, I had no idea what they were. Do you?

Look below.

 

If native Americans can invent lacrosse for warriors to work off their frustrations during peacetime, I guess some entrepreneurial Viking warrior could start a chain of Axe Ranges.

For more than you wanted to know about axe throwing, click here.