The Taming of the Shrubbery

From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel

Its a day for double-posting.

I met my neighbor today. Turns out she is a tour guide - she runs a tour guide agency. She confirmed a thought that had crossed my mind before, that the strong Euro/weak Dollar was having a severe impact on the tourist industry. That a few years ago, the same sights I am seeing would be miserably packed. That I should have waited two hours to see the Vatican museums, etc. So, my bank account weeps itself to sleep, but there's an upside. There's always an upside to bad news.

For example, I went to some churches this morning then went to check out a wine bar for lunch. It was absolutely fab. I finally tried that notorious Roman speciality: tripe. It was great, actually. I had no trouble getting a table, and the place was quiet... I'm sure today would have been a miserable slog with a strong dollar.

Song of the day: War - The Cisco Kid (Live).