Arrived in Parma
Mar. 3rd, 2013 06:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dagibbsI am, now, safely ensconced in my hotel room.
The drive was, mostly, pleasant -- and some sections of the Alps were beautiful. Unfortunately, it was hazy for the first half of the trip through the Alps, so I couldn't see as well as I would have liked.
I made a couple navigation errors getting here -- one due to some toll booths being closed, so I accidentally exited the toll road, rather than continuing. The other due to an exchange having been rebuilt since my nav data was created.
I also decided to find the route from the hotel to where I would be training when I got here, since I didn't entirely trust the directions, or finding the right building, since it was on a university campus, and from experience I know that finding the correct building on a university campus can often be tricky. I am glad I did, because it seems that I had another out-of-date navigation error problem, in that there appears to have been a new freeway and bridge built that totally screwed up my navigation. I found an alternate way, then a better alternate way, and think I'll be able to do fine tomorrow morning.
My hotel is in a small town outside Parma, so much of my route is on one lane wide (though 2-way traffic) back-country Italian roads. I expect that, by the end of the week, I'll be very tired of tiny Italian roads.
Also, holy tolls, Batman. I need to collect all the receipts together and add them up, but I'm positive I've spent more in tolls than I did in gas. And gas isn't cheap over here, either.
My hotel seems to have an attached bath/hot springs. This means there's a lingering smell of rotten eggs/sulfur everywhere, but I may get a chance to relax in the baths a couple of evenings. I think I'm too late this evening as they close at 7pm, though.
Also, the outlets are different here than France/Germany, but it seems they're compatible for non-grounded plugs, so I'll survive. Yay.
The drive was, mostly, pleasant -- and some sections of the Alps were beautiful. Unfortunately, it was hazy for the first half of the trip through the Alps, so I couldn't see as well as I would have liked.
I made a couple navigation errors getting here -- one due to some toll booths being closed, so I accidentally exited the toll road, rather than continuing. The other due to an exchange having been rebuilt since my nav data was created.
I also decided to find the route from the hotel to where I would be training when I got here, since I didn't entirely trust the directions, or finding the right building, since it was on a university campus, and from experience I know that finding the correct building on a university campus can often be tricky. I am glad I did, because it seems that I had another out-of-date navigation error problem, in that there appears to have been a new freeway and bridge built that totally screwed up my navigation. I found an alternate way, then a better alternate way, and think I'll be able to do fine tomorrow morning.
My hotel is in a small town outside Parma, so much of my route is on one lane wide (though 2-way traffic) back-country Italian roads. I expect that, by the end of the week, I'll be very tired of tiny Italian roads.
Also, holy tolls, Batman. I need to collect all the receipts together and add them up, but I'm positive I've spent more in tolls than I did in gas. And gas isn't cheap over here, either.
My hotel seems to have an attached bath/hot springs. This means there's a lingering smell of rotten eggs/sulfur everywhere, but I may get a chance to relax in the baths a couple of evenings. I think I'm too late this evening as they close at 7pm, though.
Also, the outlets are different here than France/Germany, but it seems they're compatible for non-grounded plugs, so I'll survive. Yay.
