Finding Nino by Marc Llewellyn

My taste for travel narratives is starting to wane a little now.  With the words ”A Seachange in Italy” on the front cover of this book, I felt compelled to read it in light of our trip.  It was okay.  Perhaps I’ve been reading too many of this style of book, or perhaps I just didn’t connect with a lot of the themes that Llewellyn identifies.  Perhaps I shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.  

Nino, the older Italian neighbour who, in a way adopts Llewellyn and his family, is a classic.  By far the most enjoyable chapters are those which detail bread making-village style, and those which describe working the land at different times of the year for various foods.  The way European provincial living relies on reading weather patterns and observing superstitions is rather insightful, and at times quite funny.

A pleasant piece of escapism if that’s what you’re in search of.

Europe08: 8 weeks to go

Opportunity presented itself on Thursday night last, when JB managed to get out of working both Friday and Saturday nights.  That meant Friday night comprised of packing boxes of non-essentials that we could transport to my mum’s in the country, while simultaneously tuning into Paris: An Insider’s Guide.  It’s a delightful series currently screening on SBS at 7.30pm each Friday.   

Arriving home on Sunday afternoon to a half empty lounge room that now echoes, felt quite strange.  One less couch, no books (I’m really struggling with this!!) and half empty wardrobes are a daily reminder that the winds of change are upon us.  Home as we know it, is no longer.

Although our lives have become one long “to do” list we managed to take a bit of time out on Sunday night to view a bootleg copy of In Bruges.  As our travels will take us through that part of the world, we were both keen to see it.  I gave up about 45mins in, JB ever the stayer, got through to the end but wasn’t overly impressed. 

54 days to go.

Europe08: 9 weeks to go

Reading through the Saturday papers it was difficult to ignore the full page Kathmandu advertisement featuring 70% off merchandise.  It’s the type of sale that impending travelers, on a budget, just cannot ignore.

Walking into the store to see an ocean of red sale stickers and 2-for-1 signs was pure therapy considering I’ve been resisting shopping urges for some 6 months.  I moved methodically from stand to stand, accumulating goods until my laden arms ached.  Fortunately JB was on my tail, so that whenever I picked up something and turned to seek his point of view on whether I should buy, he gave me the no-headshake. 

Me: A microfibre towel?  It packs up small, might come in handy?

JB: Nup, we got towels.

Me: Earplugs?  Prue bought some when we were out a few weeks back and she reckons they’re GREAT for blocking out Gareth’s late loud television noise!?

JB: Nope, you sleep well enough without them.

Me: A cooler bag?  Could be useful if we decide to carry any food with us?

JB: Not going to carry food.

Me: Hey look at this – a radio especially for traveling!

JB:  (yawns and looks at the register) Can we go yet?

61 days to go.

Europe08: 10 weeks to go

Well, the excitement level has just moved from first gear into second.  Two and a half months still sounds like quite a while, although preparations have commenced.

On Sunday JB and I filled our backpacks with clothing, shoes and books, put them on and walked over to Brunswick St oval for a walking trial.  Regardless of the odd stares we received as two apparent backpackers and their dog locked their front door and walked up the street, we persisted.            

JB estimated that we were each carrying in the order of 20-25kgs, which I figure to be about right for the impending trip.  Considering it will be winter, weather jackets and a few extra layers will be handy.

Compulsory viewing in our household each night has been the Tour de France and to think that in a few months we’ll be driving through the same terrain makes the heart skip a beat. 

68 days to go.

When in Rome by Penelope Green

Because we’re traveling later in the year I’m reading as many travel narratives as possible – particularly for the countries we’re visiting.  So a few weeks back, one Sunday afternoon down at Readers Feast in Bourke Street I scanned the first few pages of When in Rome and headed to the register.

It chronicles the journey of Penny Green – a Sydneyite in her late twenties, with a good job – who is seeking the elusive ’something more’.  So she ventures off to Italy where she studies, waitresses, freelances and generally spends time awaiting for some life direction to come her way.

It’s not a ground-breaking read nor particularly profound but it ambles along at a nice pace and offers insights into what life as a young female foreigner in modern day Italy is like.  Although I’ll be traveling Italy with JB who is of Italian background and who I will probably rely on to do most of the communicating, the observations and little tips are interesting and will hopefully be useful.

Comfortable and uncomplicated, this is a nice little travel narrative.

Jonestown by Chris Masters

If you have ever had the opportunity to view a Chris Masters report on Four Corners this book is well worth a look.  Written in Masters’ inimitable style, this story is so thoroughly researched, drawing on a multitude of sources, that at moments I found myself questioning how on earth he managed to secure some of the on-the-record interviews. 

It charts the life and times of Alan Jones, a perplexing and interesting character.  Being Melbourne based, I have to say Jones is not really part of the psyche here; Jones’ two major claims to fame are rugby coaching and as a broadcaster in Sydney; yet there would be few Victorians who could say they have not heard of him. 

The controversy that surrounded the launch of the book- Masters’ initial publisher refused to publish at the eleventh hour on legal grounds – seems to have been a little sensationlised in retrospect.  This biography introduced me to a lot of information about Alan Jones that I had no idea of, but it doesn’t really defame him; rather it’s more like reportage.

Just for the amount of detail, humour and thoroughness of research this is a quality read.