If like me you have spent your life reading philosophy, you can treat each revelation as an adventure which opens up new aspects as you move forward. What other people have thought and what they are thinking now, is always a delight to share. Ideas in the mind are always an adventure in the same way as brave travel is an adventure.
What I would like initially is to hear some ideas and speculations from anyone who is listening?
Is there anyone out there??
With the Greeks we all move forward through the ages, carrying on the search for answers to the mystifying problems of the Universe from Socrates to Sartres. Of course there was much before Socrates, and much since Sartres. I have a great affection for the pre-Socratics, and for philosophy since Sartres, but for the sake of alliteration we have to start somewhere. Give me a thought on Wittgenstein, or Plotinus? Or whatever makes you happy? It will make me happy to hear from you. Or is not happiness important? Tell me, what is important Why is it important?Philosophy is an adventure! be brave and let me hear from you! I want to KNOW what are you thinking now? Take what you will from the past and we will go into the future together.
Those of us who have got an interest in philosophy, came into it by different routes, some specialising in different philosophers or different schools of thought, Aristotelian, Scholastic, Cartesian, Utiltarian, Existentialist, whatever. Some more concerned with aspects like Metaphysics or logic, Epistemology,Ethics and so on, but whatever your driving force, we are all in it together. Positivist, Thomist or Marxist, we all share one thing in common, belief in the development of ideas and their communication.
For my part, I have been mainly concerned with the history of Western philosophy, and this has helped me to become acquainted with, all sorts of thinkers, some good, some bad? But I do not think there is such a thing as a bad philosopher, some may be weak and ineffectual, but not necessarily bad. Not in the sense that Plato's Thrasymachus or Machiavelli might be considered less than perfect ? But even that is debatable?
Somewhere in the world, whether it be Europe, America, or Asia there are human beings who are concerned with speculative projects, and it is those I would like to hear from. Life is not unending and being 87 years old I would like to end my days, with a little a'priori(or not) conversation with others like myself, and also up and coming younger thinkers.
Thursday 15 January 2009
Tuesday 13 January 2009
The Travelling years
,They say the past is another country, and although we lived it, we lived it in different ways. The most unique memories that I have of the past are those of mental travel and those of physical travel.The mental travel is philosophical and the best of my physical travel was driving around Europe in the 60s and 70s in what was for me the most impressionable period. . Discovering the best in countries like France, Switzerland. Austria and Italy and driving over those glorious mountains, the great passes, the lakes, swimming in the the seas and meeting wonderful people from different cultures. I have shared my experiences with my family,and now I want to share it with , I hope, other new friends.
We started off quite modestly in the early sixties, taking the car across the channel and into Europe, not knowing exactly what was going to happen next, but with a rough guide and plan as to what we hoped to accomplish. The roll on-roll off ferry was quite exciting in those early days, and on the ferry we shared our expectations with other travellers like ourselves, who were going to different places in all parts of Europe.
This first trip was just a little taster. We drove down the motorway through to Brussels, and between Brussels and Louvain we stopped at a cafe where there was a half starved looking dog in a cage, which aroused our indignation, and we felt quite upset that people could treat animals.
like that. Continuing on through Liege to the German border, crossing over the Rhine and into Aachen where we stopped and looked around. The cathedral there was of particular interest because of it's association with Charlemagne.
Back on the motorway by-passing Cologne, Frankfurt and Heidleberg we came eventually to Ulm, a little town on the Danube, where we stopped for the night. The folowing morning after a look around the delightful place we motored on through Kempten and Fussen into Austria, stopping at Obsteig. The surroundings there were a revelation. Pretty little coloured houses and beautiful countryside all combined to make an impressionable start to Austria. Coming next to Innsbruck, the pleasure was intensified by the beauty of this little town overlooked by mountains. We were to come to Innsbruck many times in future years, but it never lost it's charm.
Then over the Brenner pass into Italy, followed by glorious drive through the Dolomites, with an overnight stay in the lovely town of Cortina, with it's ski lift and Chrystal mountain. Another break further on at Sante Croce del lago and then into Lido di Jesolo near Venice, where we stayed for a few days. From here we made three separate trips into Venice, which was almost unbelievably amazing. Apart from exploring Venice we took a trip by train to Padua which was full of history and which I will deal with Later on. Another interesting trip was to Trieste, visiting Aquileia and Montfalcone on the way. In Trieste we left the car in a car park and took a trip around the harbour on a patrol boat, and also visited Miramare castle.
While in Jesolo we spent some time on the beach and enjoyed some swimming. Then after a few days we drove back home the same way.
It might be said that this trip was a bit superficial, but as I have aready pointed out it was just a taster, and the following year we went by a different route out and a different route back.
This first rather superficial atempt at travelling abroad, taught me a number of things. One, was not to be afraid of trying to speak in a foreign language, because however sketchy one's language is, it is always appreciated by natives of the country. It was decided that if the last trip was a hors-d'oeuvre the next one would be a main meal. To do this needed more brave and bold decisions about our route,going to the same place, but by a different route, and coming back in an unusual way. In the event we decided to go to the same place once again but by this different route, through alternative countrys, and returning in a completely unplanned way.
In our normal way we drove from our home in Chippenham to my parents home in Brighton, where we left our cat . Then to Dover where we sailed to Calais on a 'Free Enterprise' Ferry.
From Calais we took the N43 sign posted St Omer and Bethune. Note! I shall be including the names of all the places we passed through for two reasons. (1) Many of them might be known to those interested and provide a talking point. Many of them we revisited separately in subsequent years. (2) We spent a lot of our time on future occasions travelling, particularly in France, visiting Cathedrals, Abbeys and Religious Houses(a special interest), and we criss-crossed many of these places.
On our way to Arras we stopped at a little place called Liller' where festivities were taking place.
We watched a procession of girl's in white robes and various other things. It is always worth stopping for an hour our two when coming across anything of cultural interest when travelling.
From Arras we passed through Bapaume, Peronne, St Quentin, and Laon. Passing many war graves evocative of the slaughter in the first world war. Coming to Rheims which had special memories for me in the second world war, as I was stationed nearby, attached to a Fairey Battle squadron with the RAF/BEF up to late May 1940.
By-passing Rheims we took the Chalons-sur -marne road and near Verzy we stopped at a relais routier for the night. After chatting to the other occupants in the bar (something I always found rewarding) we had an early night, and left early in the morning, stopping at Chalons-sur-marne for a delicious French breakfast. Nothing used to be comparable to a warm stick of French bread.
We motored on through Vitry-le-Francois, St Dizier, Joinville, Chaumont and Langres, stopping for lunch at Gray in Burgundy. It was a delightful spot, the restaurant being actually on the bridge over the river Saone. Proceeding towards the Jura we passed through Besancon and stopped for a while at Ornans, an enchanting little town. After exploring and walking about for a while we drove on to Pontarlier, another fascinating town. In the winter this is a well known sports resort. It has a very wide road through it's centre with an 18th centuryt Arc de Triomphe spanning the broad thoroughfare.. We then came across the Swiss customs at Vallorbe, and drove to Le Sarraz descending through pine forests and picked up wider roads that led to the approaches to Lausanne.
Coming into Lausanne we saw the first distant views of the snow capped mountains on the far side of Lake Geneva. Then we descended to the lake itself and motored along the gaily coloured promenade pausing for a stop at Vevey where we rested, took some snaps, and walked about for a while.Then, driving towards Montreux we noticed the impressive castle of Chillon.
At Montreaux we booked in for the night at the 'Motel de Rennaz' where we spent a very comfortable night. The next morning after taking snaps of my wife against the backdrop of mountains, we set off again.
This time towards Martigny and the upper Rhone valley through Sion and Sierre to Brig. Brig which is at the foot of the Simplon pass and the gateway to Italy was a very clean and pleasant Swiss town. We noted that they were now speaking German instead of French.
Driving over the Simplon pass proved to be quite a challenge to me and quite exciting. Being quite early in the year there was still a good bit of snow about and Swiss passes need a fair bit of concentration. The car behaved very well, and although in future years I was climb over all the highest passes in Europe, this was a first, albeit an easier one than some. On the top we took some pictures of the ten feet walls of snow, and wonderful views of the Bernese Oberland.. On the rather precarious descent we heard the rumble of snow movements. After a while the countryside began to take on a different aspect, we went suddenly from late spring to high summer. Everything was greener and more advanced . We came into Italy at Domodossala and continued our descent to the beautiful Lake Maggiore, where we picnicked on some sandwiches we had bought in Montreaux. Looking out across the islands it was very peaceful and relaxing.
We resumed our Journey through Stresa and Arona trying to avoid the motorway. However as much as we tried, we found that difficult. The congestion on the minor roads was incredible and included everything from donkeys, Bullock carts, washing across the road and anarchic minor traffic. Much as we enjoyed this sort of exhilarating atmosphere which seemed to belong to a by-gone age, we were obliged to slip on to the autostrade at Gallarate and continue on to the Milan intersection. From here we took the Venice route bypassing Bergamo and Brescia to arrive at a gloomy Mestre in the rain. It was becoming very dark and thundery on the last stretch as we took the Trieste road as far as the Jesolo turn off . We encountered a maze of roads around various lagoons until we arrived at our destination. We had previously advised our hotel that we would arrive about four P.M. and it was now past six oclock. However we received a very warm welcome from the staff.
We did most of the things we had done the previous year with many visits to Venice. We did however take the train from Venice to Verona instead of Padua, and drove round to Caorle instead of Trieste.
After a good ten days here we returned across Lombardy via S.Dona Piave, Conegliano, to Vittoria Veneto and stopped at Ponte Nelli Alpi for a rest and a snack before crossing the Dolomites. Stopped again at Santo-Lago-di-Croce for some more refreshment and again at Longerone. Mount Toc looms over the town and just before our last visit a landslide from the slopes of Mount Toc crashed into the local reservoir,Lake Vaiont, creating a tidal wave that killed 2000 people.
We continued through Pieve di Cadore and Brunico , and crossing the Brenner Pass we took the old rather difficult descent into Innsbruck. (The new highway had not yet been built).
We stayed with a dear old Austrian lady (who we stayed with in future years), whose house was opposite the ski run . As I mentioned last year, Innsbruck was a beautiful town surrounded by mountains and was the capital of the Tirol. We explored it thoroughly and enjoyed every moment of it.
When we left Innsbruck we made our way up the Inn valley to Berchtesgaten where we stopped for a while. In the summer it is a delightful resort surrounded by mountains, lying in a basin. It is a good wintersports centre, but our chief interest was in it's association with Hitler. We saw the Eagles nest and various other things, and then made our way to Salzburg which was only a short distance away. In Sazburg we were given leaflets about Mozart and the Sound of Music, but due to heavy rain we were unable to see much apart from the cathedral and a few other sights,
In fact our proposed trip for the next day to go to Vienna or at least Linz was put on hold, due to the weather.
In the event we left Salzburg by way of the autobahn passing the long stretch of the Chiemsee on the way and eventually arrived at Rosenheim where we stayed the night, the weather having improved. As elsewhere we looked around noticing the characteristic arcades under the houses and the elaborate bow windows peculiar to this area. There was also a splendid view from the Schlossberg. We stayed at the Poste house, and below us, they were singing German beer songs far into the night.
The next morning we drove along the autobahn to Munich, where we stopped for a while, and then continued on our way, bypassing Augsburg, Ulm, Stuttgart, Pforzheim, Karlsruhe and left the autobahn at Ludsvighaven taking the road to Worms and Mainz. After stopping by the bridge over the Rhine at Mainz, we drove up the Rhine valley to Bingen, where we found a nice hotel for the night overlooking the Rhine. The next morning we followed the Rhine valley back to Koblenz, and back on the autobahn,
On the autobahn we bypassed Cologne and Konigswinter and stopped in Aachen where we changed some money. Then back through Leige, Louvain and Brussels, but were unable to find the cafe that we had been in the previous year with the dog in the cage. On to Ostend, and round the back of Ostend and along the coast, stopped at a small customs post and then Dunkirk for the night..
Next morning we picked up a young school teacher and gave her a lift into Gravelines. Then on to Calais where we caught the Ferry back to Dover.
On this trip we learned a little more. One thing I intended to do in the future was to integrate more closely with the people I meet when travelling around. Also to ignore the weather? If I had gone to Vienna it would probably have cleared up. Make more plans for my next trip.
We started off quite modestly in the early sixties, taking the car across the channel and into Europe, not knowing exactly what was going to happen next, but with a rough guide and plan as to what we hoped to accomplish. The roll on-roll off ferry was quite exciting in those early days, and on the ferry we shared our expectations with other travellers like ourselves, who were going to different places in all parts of Europe.
This first trip was just a little taster. We drove down the motorway through to Brussels, and between Brussels and Louvain we stopped at a cafe where there was a half starved looking dog in a cage, which aroused our indignation, and we felt quite upset that people could treat animals.
like that. Continuing on through Liege to the German border, crossing over the Rhine and into Aachen where we stopped and looked around. The cathedral there was of particular interest because of it's association with Charlemagne.
Back on the motorway by-passing Cologne, Frankfurt and Heidleberg we came eventually to Ulm, a little town on the Danube, where we stopped for the night. The folowing morning after a look around the delightful place we motored on through Kempten and Fussen into Austria, stopping at Obsteig. The surroundings there were a revelation. Pretty little coloured houses and beautiful countryside all combined to make an impressionable start to Austria. Coming next to Innsbruck, the pleasure was intensified by the beauty of this little town overlooked by mountains. We were to come to Innsbruck many times in future years, but it never lost it's charm.
Then over the Brenner pass into Italy, followed by glorious drive through the Dolomites, with an overnight stay in the lovely town of Cortina, with it's ski lift and Chrystal mountain. Another break further on at Sante Croce del lago and then into Lido di Jesolo near Venice, where we stayed for a few days. From here we made three separate trips into Venice, which was almost unbelievably amazing. Apart from exploring Venice we took a trip by train to Padua which was full of history and which I will deal with Later on. Another interesting trip was to Trieste, visiting Aquileia and Montfalcone on the way. In Trieste we left the car in a car park and took a trip around the harbour on a patrol boat, and also visited Miramare castle.
While in Jesolo we spent some time on the beach and enjoyed some swimming. Then after a few days we drove back home the same way.
It might be said that this trip was a bit superficial, but as I have aready pointed out it was just a taster, and the following year we went by a different route out and a different route back.
This first rather superficial atempt at travelling abroad, taught me a number of things. One, was not to be afraid of trying to speak in a foreign language, because however sketchy one's language is, it is always appreciated by natives of the country. It was decided that if the last trip was a hors-d'oeuvre the next one would be a main meal. To do this needed more brave and bold decisions about our route,going to the same place, but by a different route, and coming back in an unusual way. In the event we decided to go to the same place once again but by this different route, through alternative countrys, and returning in a completely unplanned way.
In our normal way we drove from our home in Chippenham to my parents home in Brighton, where we left our cat . Then to Dover where we sailed to Calais on a 'Free Enterprise' Ferry.
From Calais we took the N43 sign posted St Omer and Bethune. Note! I shall be including the names of all the places we passed through for two reasons. (1) Many of them might be known to those interested and provide a talking point. Many of them we revisited separately in subsequent years. (2) We spent a lot of our time on future occasions travelling, particularly in France, visiting Cathedrals, Abbeys and Religious Houses(a special interest), and we criss-crossed many of these places.
On our way to Arras we stopped at a little place called Liller' where festivities were taking place.
We watched a procession of girl's in white robes and various other things. It is always worth stopping for an hour our two when coming across anything of cultural interest when travelling.
From Arras we passed through Bapaume, Peronne, St Quentin, and Laon. Passing many war graves evocative of the slaughter in the first world war. Coming to Rheims which had special memories for me in the second world war, as I was stationed nearby, attached to a Fairey Battle squadron with the RAF/BEF up to late May 1940.
By-passing Rheims we took the Chalons-sur -marne road and near Verzy we stopped at a relais routier for the night. After chatting to the other occupants in the bar (something I always found rewarding) we had an early night, and left early in the morning, stopping at Chalons-sur-marne for a delicious French breakfast. Nothing used to be comparable to a warm stick of French bread.
We motored on through Vitry-le-Francois, St Dizier, Joinville, Chaumont and Langres, stopping for lunch at Gray in Burgundy. It was a delightful spot, the restaurant being actually on the bridge over the river Saone. Proceeding towards the Jura we passed through Besancon and stopped for a while at Ornans, an enchanting little town. After exploring and walking about for a while we drove on to Pontarlier, another fascinating town. In the winter this is a well known sports resort. It has a very wide road through it's centre with an 18th centuryt Arc de Triomphe spanning the broad thoroughfare.. We then came across the Swiss customs at Vallorbe, and drove to Le Sarraz descending through pine forests and picked up wider roads that led to the approaches to Lausanne.
Coming into Lausanne we saw the first distant views of the snow capped mountains on the far side of Lake Geneva. Then we descended to the lake itself and motored along the gaily coloured promenade pausing for a stop at Vevey where we rested, took some snaps, and walked about for a while.Then, driving towards Montreux we noticed the impressive castle of Chillon.
At Montreaux we booked in for the night at the 'Motel de Rennaz' where we spent a very comfortable night. The next morning after taking snaps of my wife against the backdrop of mountains, we set off again.
This time towards Martigny and the upper Rhone valley through Sion and Sierre to Brig. Brig which is at the foot of the Simplon pass and the gateway to Italy was a very clean and pleasant Swiss town. We noted that they were now speaking German instead of French.
Driving over the Simplon pass proved to be quite a challenge to me and quite exciting. Being quite early in the year there was still a good bit of snow about and Swiss passes need a fair bit of concentration. The car behaved very well, and although in future years I was climb over all the highest passes in Europe, this was a first, albeit an easier one than some. On the top we took some pictures of the ten feet walls of snow, and wonderful views of the Bernese Oberland.. On the rather precarious descent we heard the rumble of snow movements. After a while the countryside began to take on a different aspect, we went suddenly from late spring to high summer. Everything was greener and more advanced . We came into Italy at Domodossala and continued our descent to the beautiful Lake Maggiore, where we picnicked on some sandwiches we had bought in Montreaux. Looking out across the islands it was very peaceful and relaxing.
We resumed our Journey through Stresa and Arona trying to avoid the motorway. However as much as we tried, we found that difficult. The congestion on the minor roads was incredible and included everything from donkeys, Bullock carts, washing across the road and anarchic minor traffic. Much as we enjoyed this sort of exhilarating atmosphere which seemed to belong to a by-gone age, we were obliged to slip on to the autostrade at Gallarate and continue on to the Milan intersection. From here we took the Venice route bypassing Bergamo and Brescia to arrive at a gloomy Mestre in the rain. It was becoming very dark and thundery on the last stretch as we took the Trieste road as far as the Jesolo turn off . We encountered a maze of roads around various lagoons until we arrived at our destination. We had previously advised our hotel that we would arrive about four P.M. and it was now past six oclock. However we received a very warm welcome from the staff.
We did most of the things we had done the previous year with many visits to Venice. We did however take the train from Venice to Verona instead of Padua, and drove round to Caorle instead of Trieste.
After a good ten days here we returned across Lombardy via S.Dona Piave, Conegliano, to Vittoria Veneto and stopped at Ponte Nelli Alpi for a rest and a snack before crossing the Dolomites. Stopped again at Santo-Lago-di-Croce for some more refreshment and again at Longerone. Mount Toc looms over the town and just before our last visit a landslide from the slopes of Mount Toc crashed into the local reservoir,Lake Vaiont, creating a tidal wave that killed 2000 people.
We continued through Pieve di Cadore and Brunico , and crossing the Brenner Pass we took the old rather difficult descent into Innsbruck. (The new highway had not yet been built).
We stayed with a dear old Austrian lady (who we stayed with in future years), whose house was opposite the ski run . As I mentioned last year, Innsbruck was a beautiful town surrounded by mountains and was the capital of the Tirol. We explored it thoroughly and enjoyed every moment of it.
When we left Innsbruck we made our way up the Inn valley to Berchtesgaten where we stopped for a while. In the summer it is a delightful resort surrounded by mountains, lying in a basin. It is a good wintersports centre, but our chief interest was in it's association with Hitler. We saw the Eagles nest and various other things, and then made our way to Salzburg which was only a short distance away. In Sazburg we were given leaflets about Mozart and the Sound of Music, but due to heavy rain we were unable to see much apart from the cathedral and a few other sights,
In fact our proposed trip for the next day to go to Vienna or at least Linz was put on hold, due to the weather.
In the event we left Salzburg by way of the autobahn passing the long stretch of the Chiemsee on the way and eventually arrived at Rosenheim where we stayed the night, the weather having improved. As elsewhere we looked around noticing the characteristic arcades under the houses and the elaborate bow windows peculiar to this area. There was also a splendid view from the Schlossberg. We stayed at the Poste house, and below us, they were singing German beer songs far into the night.
The next morning we drove along the autobahn to Munich, where we stopped for a while, and then continued on our way, bypassing Augsburg, Ulm, Stuttgart, Pforzheim, Karlsruhe and left the autobahn at Ludsvighaven taking the road to Worms and Mainz. After stopping by the bridge over the Rhine at Mainz, we drove up the Rhine valley to Bingen, where we found a nice hotel for the night overlooking the Rhine. The next morning we followed the Rhine valley back to Koblenz, and back on the autobahn,
On the autobahn we bypassed Cologne and Konigswinter and stopped in Aachen where we changed some money. Then back through Leige, Louvain and Brussels, but were unable to find the cafe that we had been in the previous year with the dog in the cage. On to Ostend, and round the back of Ostend and along the coast, stopped at a small customs post and then Dunkirk for the night..
Next morning we picked up a young school teacher and gave her a lift into Gravelines. Then on to Calais where we caught the Ferry back to Dover.
On this trip we learned a little more. One thing I intended to do in the future was to integrate more closely with the people I meet when travelling around. Also to ignore the weather? If I had gone to Vienna it would probably have cleared up. Make more plans for my next trip.
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