BITS & PIECES OF A MISLAID LIFE: TRAVEL #3

In the 17th century,Sir William Brereton published his Travels in Holland, etc, (1634-1635), and alas! he was not so enamored of the household smells of the good citizens of Edinburgh:

                  "...their houses and halls, and kitchens, have such a noisome taste, a savour and that so strong, as it
doth offend you so soon as you come within their walls; yea, sometimes when I have light from my horse, I have felt the distaste of it before I have  come into the house; yea, I never came to my own lodging in Edinborough, or went out, but I  was
constrained to hold my nose...."
**

ON THE AIR IN IRELAND

When Lady Cateret expressed her admiration for the quality of the air in Ireland, Jonathan Swift responded,

"For God's sake, madam, don't say that in England for if you do, they will surely tax it,"

**

REMEMBER THIS PASSWORD?

“ Dildano's password, "Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch", is the name of a real village in Wales, United Kingdom. It's also the United Kingdom's longest place name.”


iDMb trivia to Barbarella (1968)

**

JOHN JAY AUDUBON TRAVELS THROUGH FLORIDA

“At Indian Key I observed an immense quantity of beautiful Tree Snails of a pyramidal or shortly conical form, some pure white, others curiously marked with spiral lines of bright red, yellow and black. They were crawling vigorously on every branch of every bush where there was not a nest of the White Ibis. Wherever that bird nested not a live snail was to be seen; hundreds lay dead underneath.”

John James Audubon
**
ON STAYING AT THE RIOT HOUSE IN LOS ANGELES

"...we checked into the legendary  'Riot House' on the
Sunset Strip . This Hyatt House hotel  had earned it
sobriquet from the destruction wrought in it by visiting
English rock stars such as Keith Moon, who threw
television sets out of its windows and drove cars into
its pool. We were soon leading lives of careless abandon
in the California sunshine. Graham legendarily took a
limo to a restaurant just across the street. He hadn't 
realized it was that close...

*we--The Monty Python players
Graham -- Graham Chapman 


Eric Idle. Always Look on the Bright Side of Life: a
Sortabiography (New York: Crown Archetype, 2018)

**

YUMA ARIZONA IN THE MID 1940's

"Yuma grinds out marriages the way Detroit turns out cars,
some of them defective. Since the town is tucked  away
close to the Mexican border, most of the ceremonies are
performed at night, performed being the telling word. 
The main street is theatrically lit with lofty neon signs advertising its marital wares -- license,minister, 
appropriate bridal music, witnesses if you need
them, beds if you want them, even rice throwers -- 
all in one 'hallowed hall.'"

Howard Koch. As Time Goes By (New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1979)
**

HERMIONE GINGOLD TRAVELS ON THE ORIENT
EXPRESS FROM  PARIS TO HUNGARY

So off to Paris I went to board the Orient Express, a 
train full of elegance, glamour, and orchids. Passengers
sipped champagne and changed into full evening dress
to eat a six-course meal, served by white -gloved  waiters.
while a pianist tried to drown out the train's rattling as
we sped across Europe into Hungary. It was a divine trip
marred only by the fact that they served sterilized milk
with the coffee; but I dare say it's not the only time sterilization has been used to overcome a difficulty."

Hermione Gingold. How to Grow Old Disgracefully
(New York: St. Martin's Press, 1988)
**

DO NOT SAIL ON THE CHANNEL BETWEEN CAPE
MALEAE AND THE ISLAND OF CYTHERA


"The channel between Cape Maleae, the southernmost tip of Peloponnesus, and the island of Cythera was famous was famous for treacherous wind, giving rise to the proverb, 'When you double (Cape) Maleae, forget your home.' The risks were so great that shipowners preferred to have the cargoes of larger vessels unloaded and transported across the isthmus, a distance of less than five miles where other ships would be waiting. Light boats could be hauled from one sea to the other on moveable trolleys across the Diolkes, a paved road going from the

Corinthian and Saronic Gulfs."


W.L. Lane. "Corinth"in Major Cities of the Biblical
World ,1985.

**
SAILING DOWN THE RIVER AMUR

Sailing down the River Amur,
I started to dream of Dorothy Lamour.
I cried out: “Leave her alone, Bob Hope.”
“Wake up,” my wife sd, “and quiet down, you dope!”



LJP