Simon and Simon

From the archives

Recap of my Bike Trip in Italy

I never got around to telling about my Italy experience, so here goes...

First, you can see all my pictures (and a few videos) from Italy here: http://web.mac.com/davidhphillips/Site/Bike_Tour,_Italy/Bike_Tour,_Italy.html

I basically planned my entire Europe trip around this bike tour. A company called Blue Marble organizes guided bike tours all over Europe, and I chose the "Italian Lakes" tour (Provence was a close second). I liked the bike trip idea because it was different; hearing myself say "yeah, I just finished a week of riding along lakes Maggiore, Lugano, and Como" sounded appealing to me. So, I ponied up the money and went for it.

On June 13, I took a train from Granada to Madrid (4 hours), metro to the Madrid airport (45 minutes), plane flight from Madrid to Geneva, Switzerland (2 hours), and another train from Geneva to Brig, Switzerland (~3 hours). The train from Geneva to Brig was an experience... coasting down the shoreline of Lake Geneva with the mountains in the background, eventually carving our way through the mountains around sunset. I was definitely feeling the "independent Euro traveler vibes." I got into Brig just before the restaurants close (at 11:00 in Switzerland, unlike the 2:00 closing time in Spain). The hotel was nice (no hostels in Brig), and I was very glad to sleep in a clean single room after 3 weeks of being in a hostel. I watched Swiss German TV for an hour and then conked out.

Observation: On my trip, I was fascinated by cultural differences. I never got tired of asking "what do [Germans] think of [this]"? I spoke with Germans about WWII's legacy, learned that many Australians have a great sense of gratitude toward the US for coming to their rescue in WWII, discussed why Australians travel in great numbers, how the French and Spanish have a definitively relaxed pace of life (contrast to Americans and British), and so on. Stereotypes and generalizations don't hold true all the time, but when they do it's 1) hillarious and 2) hillarious. For example, there were more than a few Italian news anchors that wore skinny jeans on air. How funny is that? I digress...

The following afternoon at the Brig train station I met up with my traveling companions for the next week: Mike (a political journalist from Australia), Doug and Jen (a couple from Colorado), Barry (a friend of Doug’s from Colorado), me, and Catherine, our wonderful tour guide from NYC (but who lives in Bologna, Italy these days). Without a doubt, getting to know these people was the highlight of the bike trip.

I won't give a play-by-play account of what we did, but here are some highlights:

Here's our itinerary: http://bluemarble.org/RteItLakes.html
Day 1: Through the Simplon Pass from Brig to Domodossola
Day 2: Through the Ossola Valley to Pallanza on Lago Maggiore
Day 3: Rides around Pallanza, stayed at the (very nice) hotel a second day.








Day 4: Took a ferry across the lake to Laveno. Had lunch near the weekly market in a small town, took a swim in the lake, crossed to Switzerland for a bit, took a train to Lugano for the night.
Day 5: Amazing cycling along Lago Lugano. The last few km were rough before getting into Como.














Day 6: No biking today. Took the ferry to Bellagio for the afternoon, then the slow ferry back in late-afternoon.
Day 7: Dropped off our bikes and said goodbye at the train station. I stayed another night in Como with Barry, Jen, and Doug. Barry and I woke up early to take a train to Milan, from where we went back to the States.

- The first half-day was almost all downhill through the Simplon Pass. We pedaled along a river that traces through mountain ravines, and descended onto a large, flat valley across the Italian border.
- The first night in Italy, the town was having some sort of festival. I witnessed one of the funniest things of the trip: Ty, an American who works for the Blue Marble company, was likely the only black man in the entire town, or so we thought. Then an older couple in full African dress walked by Ty, at which point they gave each other the silent "recognition head nod of acknowledgment." Of course we all stared at Ty and asked slyly "dude, what was that about," to which he replied sarcastically, "Hey, we made it!" We all laughed.
- Far fewer people than expected in Italy (at least the areas where we traveled) spoke English. I had assumed that Spanish and English would get me around, but I felt severely handicapped by not knowing Italian. Cate, our tour guide, was fluent in Italian.
- You might be wondering - how did they carry all their gear? We each had panniers (bags on the bike) to carry our stuff from town to town (on average, panniers w/ gear weighed 25 kilos or so. Every 3 days we'd have access to the rest of our luggage. So, we only had to carry 2 days of extra clothes/gear on the bike.
- The routes weren't too challenging, but we definitely got a workout. It was neither all flat nor all hilly. I got stronger as the trip went on, which was encouraging.
- We'd usually start around 10:00 in the morning, ride for a few hours, have lunch, then ride again until 5 in the afternoon (give or take).
- The scenery is exactly like I pictured it: countryside with old villas and small towns surrounded by mountains, large lakes with beautiful (and expensive) villas on the perimeter.
- I ate very, very well on this trip. We had gourmet food every night. A lot of it.
- While in Pallanza, the US soccer team was playing Italy (in South Africa). I thought it would be a huge deal in Pallanza and that the Italy fans would be at bars getting rowdy. I was mistaken. I, an American, was obviously the one person who cared most about the game. I walked to a couple bars, none of which were showing the game. Realizing the game was about to start and that I was far away from the only place I knew was showing the game, I took off my sandals and ran about 2-3k on the street/sidewalk back to this particular restaurant. All for a 3-1 loss.

Well, those are the highlights. Again, the best part about the trip was our group - everyone got along very well. Here's some random photos. To view them all, go here:

US Soccer History

There’s much discussion going on about who will make the 2010 World Cup roster for the US Men’s National Soccer Team. I’ll leave 2010 for another day, but I thought it would be interesting to go through the US’s rosters for previous World Cups. Ahh memories.

Apologies for the crude formatting. I obviously cut and pasted from other websites…

2006
Goalkeepers (3): Marcus Hahnemann (2006), Tim Howard (2006), Kasey Keller (1990, 1998, 2002, 2006)
Defenders (8): Chris Albright* (2006), Carlos Bocanegra (2006), Steve Cherundolo (2002, 2006), Jimmy Conrad (2006), Cory Gibbs (2006), Eddie Lewis (2002, 2006), Oguchi Onyewu (2006), Eddie Pope (1998, 2002, 2006)
Midfielders (8): DaMarcus Beasley (2002, 2006), Bobby Convey (2006), Clint Dempsey (2006), Landon Donovan (2002, 2006), Pablo Mastroeni (2002, 2006), John O’Brien (2002, 2006), Ben Olsen (2006), Claudio Reyna (1994, 1998, 2002, 2006)
Forwards (4): Brian Ching (2006), Eddie Johnson (2006), Brian McBride (1998, 2002, 2006), Josh Wolff (2002, 2006)

2002
Goalkeepers (3): Brad Friedel (1994, 1998, 2002), Kasey Keller (1990, 1998, 2002), Tony Meola (1990, 1994, 2002);

Defenders (8): Jeff Agoos (1998, 2002), Gregg Berhalter (2002), Frankie Hejduk (1998, 2002), Carlos Llamosa (2002), Pablo Mastroeni (2002), Eddie Pope (1998, 2002), David Regis (1998, 2002), Tony Sanneh (2002);

Midfielders (8): Chris Armas (2002), DaMarcus Beasley (2002), Landon Donovan (2002), Cobi Jones (1994, 1998, 2002), Eddie Lewis (2002), John O'Brien (2002), Claudio Reyna (1994, 1998, 2002), Earnie Stewart (1994, 1998, 2002);

Forwards (4): Clint Mathis (2002), Brian McBride (1998, 2002), Joe-Max Moore (1994, 1998, 2002), Josh Wolff (2002).

1998
GK Brad Friedel 18 May 1971 (aged 27) Liverpool
MF Frankie Hejduk 5 August 1974 (aged 23) Tampa Bay Mutiny
DF Eddie Pope 24 December 1973 (aged 24) D.C. United
DF Mike Burns 14 September 1970 (aged 27) New England Revolution
MF Thomas Dooley 12 May 1961 (aged 37) Columbus Crew
DF David Regis 2 December 1968 (aged 29) Karlsruhe
FW Roy Wegerle 19 March 1964 (aged 34) Tampa Bay Mutiny
FW Earnie Stewart 28 March 1969 (aged 29) NAC Breda
FW Joe-Max Moore 23 February 1971 (aged 27) New England Revolution
MF Tab Ramos 21 September 1966 (aged 31) MetroStars
FW Eric Wynalda 9 June 1969 (aged 29) San Jose Clash
DF Jeff Agoos 2 May 1968 (aged 30) D.C. United
MF Cobi Jones 16 June 1970 (aged 27) Los Angeles Galaxy
MF Preki 24 June 1963 (aged 34) Kansas City Wizards
MF Chad Deering 2 September 1970 (aged 27) Wolfsburg
GK Juergen Sommer 27 February 1969 (aged 29) Columbus Crew
DF Marcelo Balboa 8 August 1967 (aged 30) Colorado Rapids
GK Kasey Keller 29 November 1969 (aged 28) Leicester City
MF Brian Maisonneuve 28 June 1973 (aged 24) Columbus Crew
FW Brian McBride 19 June 1972 (aged 25) Columbus Crew
MF Claudio Reyna 20 July 1973 (aged 24) Wolfsburg
DF Alexi Lalas 1 June 1970 (aged 28) MetroStars


1994
1 GK Tony Meola 21 Feb 1969 (no club) 1990
2 DF Mike Lapper 28 Aug 1970 (no club)
3 MD Mike Burns 14 Sep 1970 (no club)
4 DF Cle Kooiman 04 Jul 1963 Cruz Azul (MEX)
5 DF Thomas Dooley 12 May 1961 (no club)
6 MD John Harkes 08 Mar 1967 Derby County (ENG) 1990
7 MD Hugo Perez 08 Nov 1963 (no club)
8 FW Earnie Stewart 28 Mar 1969 Willem II (NED)
9 MD Tab Ramos 21 Sep 1966 Real Betis (SPA) 1990
10 MD Roy Wegerle 19 Mar 1964 Coventry City (ENG)
11 FW Eric Wynalda 09 Jun 1969 FC Saarbrücken (GER) 1990
12 GK Jürgen Sommer 27 Feb 1969 Luton Town (ENG)
13 MD Cobi Jones 16 Jun 1970 (no club)
14 FW Frank Klopas 01 Sep 1966 (no club)
15 FW Joe-Max Moore 23 Feb 1971 (no club)
16 MD Mike Sorber 14 May 1971 (no club)
17 DF Marcelo Balboa 08 Aug 1967 (no club) 1990
18 GK Brad Friedel 18 May 1971 (no club)
19 MD Claudio Reyna 20 Jul 1973 (no club)
20 MD Paul Caligiuri 09 Mar 1964 (no club) 1990
21 DF Fernando Clavijo 23 Jan 1957 (no club)
22 DF Alexi Lalas 01 Jun 1970 (no club)

In Search of Dignity

Here's a great article on how the denigration of some social norms has made us less civil (or "dignified", as David Brooks says):

In the article, Brooks references George Washington's rules for comportment - worth skimming.

Maybe it's the southerner in me, but I really like Washington's rules. Some rules that many would benefit from learning (including myself):

In the Presence of Others Sing not to yourself with a humming Noise, nor Drum with your Fingers or Feet.

Shift not yourself in the Sight of others nor Gnaw your nails.

Spit not in the Fire, nor Stoop low before it neither Put your Hands into the Flames to warm them, nor Set your Feet upon the Fire especially if there be meat before it.

Shake not the head, Feet, or Legs roll not the Eyes lift not one eyebrow higher than the other wry not the mouth, and bedew no mans face with your Spittle, by approaching too near him when you Speak.

In other words, quit checking your blackberry:
Read no Letters, Books, or Papers in Company but when there is a Necessity for the doing of it you must ask leave.

Run not in the Streets, neither go too slowly nor with Mouth open go not Shaking your Arms kick not the earth with R feet, go not upon the Toes, nor in a Dancing fashion.

Gaze not on the marks or blemishes of Others and ask not how they came. What you may Speak in Secret to your Friend deliver not before others.

Put not another bit into your mouth till the former be swallowed. Let not your morsels be too big for the jowls.

Guest Blogger - Mike Phillips

Before Sunday's US - Brazil game, here's my brother's reaction to the US - Spain game:

Wednesday's first half was the first complete effort I've seen from them in a long, long time. They kept the ball on the ground, let Bradley be the maestro (which should be his role in every game) and let Donovan create. In my opinion, the biggest thing to come out of this tournament is Onyewu's progress. He effectively can't be beaten in the air. It is so critical to have a guy like that back there to clean up all the mess. He is finally finding his form. I love having Demerit back there as well. I've also always been a fan of Spector, who continues to play solid. I also like Charlie Davies up top. He lost some pace in the later part of the game, but definitely created chances and wasn't afraid to run. The most disconcerting thing about the first two games of the tournament was our team's seeming lack of desire to chase balls, get back on D, etc. Clint Dempsey may be the most guilty of this. At times, he looks as though he's completely immobile defensively (after the 65th minute in each game). Personally, I was surprised he wasn't substituted on Wednesday, but the plan obviously worked. Here are a few other observations:

- Clark - I'm still not sold on his composure. He is a warrior defender, but he is making Midfielding 101 mistakes (e.g., turning to the middle without checking a shoulder, tricky passes in the defensive 1/3, etc.). However, I love the enforcer/maestro midfielder combination so I hope he can step up his game so we can keep that dynamic.

- Feilhaber - He is good. It's bizarre to say that one of our most skilled, composed players struggled to make the now relegated Derby bench, but he did. He's Bradley #2, in my view. He really created the 2nd goal.

- Donovan - He is finally everywhere on the field. Like it or not, he has to do this every game to stir things up.

- Casey - Yes, he is brought in to keep the ball, but he doesn't play with any purpose. He is on for 10 minutes a game and I've yet to see him sprint. Under no circumstances should he be our #1 target guy. I saw him play when he was on the u-18 national side, and he was very impressive (partially because he was built like a 25 year old). Despite his solid MLS season, I'm not sold on him. More importantly, does Casey drink Guiness on the sidelines?

Torres/Adu - I want to see more of these guys in the Gold Cup - hopefully starting. I actually think that Adu could serve a solid purpose in the midfield. He plays like Bradley with more speed. Torres has great touch, but is a wuss of a defender.

Davies - I want to see more. He could be a good Rooney/Tevez wannabee.

MJ

My favorite MJ songs. God bless.

Man in the Mirror:


I Want you Back (Jackson 5)


Don't Stop

Hatch Show Print

Tonight I went to a talk by Jim Sherraden, who runs the Hatch Show Print shop in Nashville. They make extraordinary concert posters the old-school way: with a that you've all seen (click here to see a video of Hatch, and click here to see examples of their posters). They've done posters for Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Elvis, and Eddie Vedder... really cool stuff. Jim said that he was amazed by the demand for his Eddie Vedder poster: "I think the guy's pretty good, but the day after the concert I had hundreds of fanatics calling up the shop and wanting posters. Only Bob Dylan's fans were crazier." This makes me proud.

Let's not get carried away

The US soccer team advances, but one win and two losses is nothing to
be happy about. Competing with the likes of brazil and Italy is the
goal, not beating up on CONCACAF and Egypt. A few observations from
the two games that I watched (Italy and Egypt):

the US team still hasn't found an identity, by a long shot. The
reason there was excitement about the 2002 team was because the team
had potential... It was easy to get excited about guys like donovan,
beasley, and obrien because they had room to grow. In contrast, the
current side is a confusing mix of "just good enough" veterans
(bocanegra, cherundolo, ching), inconsistent youngsters (feilhaber,
edu, kleistjen, adu, bornstein, davies, rico clark, Spector), guys
that are frustratingly close to becoming very good but never get there
(gooch, donovan, Dempsey), and one burnout (beasley). Out of the
current player pool, only Howard, donovan, and Bradley can be counted
on for consistently good performances... The rest are still
experiments. So what's the right mix?I have no idea, but Id like to
see a bit of a youth movement. Torres, altidore, Spector, and
bornstein are all first teamers in my opinion. I'd like to see benny
get more playing time, bit until he gets more pt with his club team
then he deserves to be on the bench.

Apologies for spelling errors. I'm on my iPhone.

US soccer lucks out

I'm in the Philly airport and wanted to watch the US - Egypt soccer
game. I went to two bars - one was full of baseball fans and the other
was prwtty much empty and had six TVs tuned to the mens golf US Open.
I asked the bartender to turn ONE of the TVs to the soccer game, and
he gave me the typical look of "you've got to be kidding me... Nobody
cares about soccer.".

So I went to another bar, got a tv turned to the game, and a bunch of
guys who knew nothing about soccer started watching the soccer game.
Just shows that Americans will watch soccer if there isn't an ignorant
bartender/sportscaster standing in their way.

Think Giuseppe Rossi regrets his decision? Probably not, but who cares.

Sent from my iPhone

Last thoughts on Granada

I intended to stay in Granada for three days, but ended up staying three weeks. Why did I stay? A practical reason... to take Spanish classes. Why is it going to be hard to leave? Because of the friends I´ve made. Yes, I know - cue the violin, but it´s very true. I´ve made the Funky Backpackers hostel my temporary home, and gotten to know all of the staff quite well (I doubt that they´ve had many others to stay as long as I have). The Escuela Montalban school made me feel like I had been a student for years. Most importantly, my classmates for two weeks - Stephanie from Atlanta, Eva from Switzerland, Mika from Japan, Regis from Belgium, and Felix and Sebastian from Germany (not to mention many many others) make it really hard to leave. Well, more on this later.

Tomorrow (rather... in 5 hours) I´ll take a train to Madrid, find my way to the airport, fly to Geneva, then take a train to Brig, Switzerland.

An ATM ate my debit card and Bank of America is being extremely unhelpful in getting me some quick cash. I have 15 euros in my wallet, a credit card, and nothing else. This will need to last me until I get to Switzerland and the banks open on Monday (thank god for the Swiss and their plentiful banks). To bed.