Her name was Anticipation ...

Her name was Anticipation ... Miss Anticipation I believe, since she always came on her own. However I did not know much more about her. She would just call without notice and she would invite herself for dinner before you could say a word. Like that relative of yours you have never met before and you only know from some gossip your cousin shared with you a long time ago. That relative of yours who one day 'happens to be near by' and 'decides to pop in to say hello and stay for lunch'. But unlike this newly found relative, there was some logic in Anticipation's arrival. You could almost expect her a few days before a trip, or an important event. She would knock on the front door and she would stay with you for days and days.

She was not such a bad guest after all. Often optimistic, very curious, and ready to 'go and do' anything anywhere and at anytime. And what a joyous companion she was, always expecting to be amazed, to be surprised, in wonder of the things to come. Ready to share a smile, to laugh at a bad joke, and to do all the little chores in the house no one really wants to do. Well, not really the later, but it felt like it to me.

A bit mad she was too ... as she would shift from readiness to uncertainty at any second. You could almost 'see' those little, dark doubts crawling towards her from all corners of the room, from the shadows underneath the table, from behind the TV. And then, as suddenly as those doubts brought a frown to her otherwise bright forefront, some invisible force pulled her back to normal.

And here she is today, my guest at home. And she will stay overnight, will take me to the airport in the morning, and will wave to me goodbye ... because tomorrow I will go travelling again.

Countdown to day 1 ... in Venezia!

It is crazy how many people post on the internet. From short comments in (travel and other) forums to long essays on their trips holidays. And, I am really sorry, but most of them are dreadfully boring! And generally too long.

However I found today an interesting blog on an exciting adventure. Its title was: 'El blog mas frio del mundo' (which means, for those who don't speak Spanish, 'The world's coldest blog').
http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/blogs/2006/expedicionantartida/index.html
Short. Specific. With some nice pictures and graphs. On an interesting topic. Worth a look (if you like adventurous travel an).

It is not my intention to add to the world wide web just for the sake of adding content. So I will try to be specific and brief. Today is 'day minus 2' ... and counting. In 48 hours I will be in Venice. Venezia! Even the name sounds romantic ... So I thought it would be an interesting exercise to compare my thoughts before going to Venezia and afterwards. Will Venezia live up to my expectations?

• The Venetian atmosphere (the light reflections on the water, the mist over the lagoon, the hopefully 'milder' smells of Venice in Winter)
• The Italian 'way of life' (more relaxed perhaps?) and the Italians themselves ...
• Italian food (although I have not read many good critics about 'Venetian-food-for-tourists'!)
• The piazza San Marco (will it be flooded at thi time of the year?) ... strolling along streets, canals, buildings ... witnesses of Venice's history
• The Grand Canal, the Rialto bridge, all the other smaller bridges here and there, the palazzi (as if emerging from the waters of the lagoon) ... the great Venecian architecture (after centuries of merging doses of Western and Eastern influences in an unique mix!)
• And of course the fireworks over the lagoon on 31 Dec at midnight!

Let's see!

Why having an opinion is such a rare quality?

Today, how many times did you say 'in my opinion ...' or 'from my point of view ...'? How many opinions (of your own) did you share? And how many of those did not relate to trivial topics (like the weather, for example)?

We live in a society where those with their own opinion are a minority, part of an engangered specie. Having an opinion is becoming the exception, instead of the rule. In fact, people willing to 'share' their own point of view are few and far between. But it is the ability to 'have' our own viewpoint, the ability to differ from the mass, the ability to be right or wrong, what I believe is on its way to disappearing.

Why are we so scared of being wrong, of being politically incorrect? Are lawyers (and legal fees) to blame? Perhaps polititians? We love blaming polititians!

At this point you will be wondering 'what has any of this to do with travelling?' ... Well, I am planning a city-break in Venice to see 2006 off and welcome 2007. As a first-time-visitor to the city, I have been doing quite a lot of research. Deciding on how to travel there or what to see is always the easy part. Choosing where to stay is relatively more complicated, but still within reach of any traveller. But how many of you have struggled with finding credible recommendations as to where to eat?

I have probably looked at all the most-common guidebooks in the market. Even some of the specialised ones. But all I can find are lists of bars and restaurants with more or less factual information. And in most cases all the names in the lists are the same ... and all descriptions useless. All you get sometimes are rankings of bars (based on what?) or star-ratings. Why can't a guidebook stop being so factual and give me some opinions? Is it so difficult to say 'friendly service and fantastic pasta'? Are the authors fearful of my 'vendetta' if I disagree with their views?

Following the steps of Phileas Fogg?

It all started back in 1872, the late 19th century. Just as the Franco-Prussian war was reshaping Europe and new ideas about colonialism were about to come to life. New inventions were changing daily life in Europe, and the world had never been so much in reach of curious travellers.

Needless to say that I never met Phileas but, who has not read about him and his trip around the world in 80 days? I am sure most of us can relate to Phileas Fogg's thrilling sensation hours away from starting such a incredible adventure!

Who knows how and when monsieur Jules Verne thought of Phileas Fogg. Did he wake up one morning and started to write 'Le tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours'? Probably not, since the idea of a tour round the world was not new. Several books with similar names were written throughout the 19th century and adventurous travellers were exploring all corners of the world (including the first ever around the world tourist trip organised by Mr Thomas Cook in 1872!). I wonder if monsieur Verne had heard of the American traveller, Mr William Perry Fogg, who wrote about his trips around the world between 1869 and 1872.

And why would a French writer tell the story of an English gentleman? Why not a French explorer? I would have thought that, after the collapse of the Second French Empire, the country would have welcomed a new national hero.

Nevertheless, ever since I read Verne's book as a child, I have dreamed of following Phileas' steps around the world. Travelling has become my passion. Exploring new places, meeting new people, learning about new languages and ways of life ... And in this blog I would love sharing my experiences with you and gathering your thoughts and opinions.