8:30am (2:30 am NH time) and ready for the road! |
Now that we're back, and our traumatic driving experiences are beginning to fade into memory, I want to revisit an earlier portion of our trip. During our many hours of driving in the Tuscan countryside, closely scanning the surrounding landscape for clues as to where we were or bystanders from whom we could ask directions, we had the opportunity to observe a lot of road signs. The Italians seem to really like signs (though not signs that tell you useful things like "Rt 55 North"). Here are some of my favorites.
This set of five signs, depicting various road hazards, appeared approximately every 50 feet in Tuscany. If the Italian government could just tell everyone, "Look, anywhere in Tuscany, at any time you're likely to encounter sharp turns, skidding cars, rain, snow, gracefully prancing animals, and falling rocks," they could save themselves a lot of time and trouble. The "winding roads" one is particularly comical to anyone who's every driven in Tuscany.
Also, fleeing tourists! No, wait. We eventually figured out that this sign was for a school bus stop. |
Also, what's that up and down arrow thing on the bottom supposed to mean? Speed limit is 30, more or less? |
These are the girls' "alarmed" faces. |
This one I never figured out. We saw it a lot. Sometimes there was one lump, sometimes two.
And I've saved the best for last. We came across this one in Florence. I have absolutely no idea what it's supposed to represent, but I'll offer an award for the best guess. (Without the strange blue man and the hearts, it would be a standard "do not enter" sign in Italy.) Anyone?
And lest you should think that cars have all the fun, here's the type of warning sign that you'll see in car-free Venice. There was actually a fair-sized series of signs where a winged lion was stopping tourists from doing something stupid. At least it's not just the Americans that they think are stupid. That's not even our flag! It's the BRITISH people who are stupid.
P.S. And when we got home, this is who was waiting for us at our neighbor's house. 4 out of our 6 new additions have been named in honor of our Italy trip: Siena, Lucolena (for the village nearest our villa), Joya (for the villa dog), and Pulcina ("chick" in Italian).
Love, love, love you guys! Jen, you crack me up! Glad you made it back safely, now you and Bob need to write the book that you have in your souls! Miss ya, neighbors, keep writing, love reading and viewing your photos, PAVLIKS! Rock on!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Heather -- I love seeing your gorgeous desert pictures when we're buried in snow! :) Hope the family is well.
DeleteLoved the blog so much too! I can't wait to hear in first person about the trip! Glad you are home safe and enjoying the beautiful spring we are having. Hope to see you soon!
ReplyDeleteLast sign guess- hospital?