"some questions inspired by my Trip to Italy" Topic

I have returned from a week-long whistle stop tour of Northern Italy, and I have a couple of Travel-inspired questions. Some of these are even a bit Wargame related. One _may_ cause controversy – I can't know ‘til I post it. I will try to be careful.

1) The Duomo in Florence. My question is – ? That's one lovely piece of Architecture. I now think everything should be built like the Duomo. And Pisa badly needs to be besieged by Orcs.

2) The rest of Italy is ver' nice. I think I should give it all up and become a street-arab in Italy. It's such a lovely place. You Italians do not deserve Italy all to yourselves.

3) Alsace and Lorraine. I passed through these for the first time, and was struck by how very German it looks and feels. I know in '45 there was a problem when the French Govt prosecuted rankers from 2 SS panzer for the massacre at Oradour, and they had to drop it as they were now Frenchmen, and it was causing a ruckus in Alsace. Given the way the region has been wrenched back and forth between Mr Germany and Mrs France like the kids in Kramer V Kramer, is there still residual bitterness? Or are they content to be French? I saw no Graffiti of the type you see in Macedonia f'rinstance.

4) 95% alcool. This was in the local supermarket, at €6.00 EUR a bottle of 190 proof grain spirit. What? WHAT? Is that some sort of plot to prevent alcoholism by making your winos explode if they walk under an electricity pylon? in what world would you drink 190 proof alcohol for FUN? I was tempted to assume it was for stripping paint, especially as the label had a picture of a flmaing mug and a 'Danger – flammable' warning, were it not for the fact the label also said 'Buon Gusto!' in big cheery letters. Sure. Buon Gusto and kiss reality goodbye.

5) hookers. I was staying in a tiny northern town, and there were hookers everywhere. In Leeds the Hookers look like drug-addled wrecks, in tracky bottoms and sweatshirts. These looked like the Director of 'Pretty Woman' had hired them to stand around looking gorgeous by the hour, just to beautify the town. I kept stopping and going 'Crikey' so much my eldest daughter advised my wife not to let me have any Euros. Where do you get them from? They really were all nice looking gals, and clarly had made a real effort to look hot. Are they just Tourist-attractions that get taken down and stored in a Warehouse in the off-season, like the Tower of London and The Queen over here?

Pat

oh – and the Pyramid of Cestius Gallus – is that the SAME guy who lost all those men in Judea?

Pat

95% alcool. This was in the local supermarket, at €6.00 EUR EUR a bottle of 190 proof grain spirit. What? WHAT?

You guys don't have that in the UK?

Here in the States, we have Everclear – 100% pure grain. Usually used in punch, or by drunks, or injected into fruit so that you can bring it to High School… Think of it as Vodka, w/o that pesky hint of flavor.
-Kle.

And I was taught that 100% alcohol is impossible to make. America – truly a land of wonders

A more complicated question than I would have ever guessed – link

Ex Barman you see – I know my proofs. I even used to know my USA proofs, but gave it all up. I can remember when Polish Spirit was risque, but in the UK that's only about 75-80 ABV. This stuff was 95% ABV and would almost certainly have all the properties of Mr Muscle, without the Flavour.

That everclear looks suspicously like the same product, but in Americlish rather than Italian.

I was impressed that I was sufficiently mature to resist buying 6 to take home, contenting myself with a bottle of cheap Grappa. What I have always liked about Grappa is that it's still on the cusp of respectability. Yes, it's made out of distilled leftovers. Yes, it tastes like floor-polish disolved in dettol. YES if you hold some in your mouth your fillings start picking up Radio Caroline. but its ETHNIC and regional, innit? the taste of Venice.

Wish i had bought some of that 95% stuff though.

Pat

The strong alcohol is mainly used for preserving seasonal fruit.

The hookers may have been there in anticipation of a "presidential visit".
Could be Italians, Croatian or Slovenian, though apparently a lot of higher grade escorts are entering the country from Russia with work permits as "Ballet Instructors" on strength of their Cyrillic certificates earned at primary school.