Signs Along the Way
Always watching © A. Harrison
There's something about signs as I travel. it's just not the language. The imagery, the way a sign is displayed; all remind me that I'm in a far away place.
Such as the blue-eyed optometrist in Naples. The eyes followed me as I continued down the street.
Street signs reflect my navigation skills too frequently to be a coincidence. This one in Florence, which left me wondering if I had wandered into the pages of Dante's Inferno – entirely fitting, as I was walking the streets of Dante's Florence, the beloved city he never saw again after his banishment.
Such an elegant entrance to a restaurant © A. Harrison
I have no idea what this restaurant is advertising. I feel, however, that should I wander in, I’d discover a world where, after a day of battle, samurai sit and, in between sips of sake redolent of apricot blossom, write haiku.
Italy has some of the best signs. Of course a sinistra means 'to the left', but I think it works best at face value. The ramp leads little to the imagination – and then there’s one at the bottom of a very steep street (which fortunately I came across after walking down from San Miniato, not up):
Exactly how I’d feel at the thought of climbing the road © A. Harrison
Some signs offer philosophical advice. I'm glad Godzilla has finally found the peace he deserves. Like all monsters, he is merely misunderstood.
What else can I say? © A. Harrison
Here are a few more philosophical ones I’ve come across. A few which I simply don’t understand (and as these two were in Melbourne, Google translate can’t be blamed!)
Finally, the sign for a local supermarket, which I truely wish was my local:
A perfect place to shop! © A. Harrison
Enjoy my writing? Please subscribe here to follow my blog. Or perhaps you’d like to buy me a coffee? (Or a pony?)
If you like my photos please click either here or on the link in my header to buy (or simply browse) my photos. Or else, please click here to buy either my poetry or novel ebooks. I even have a YouTube channel. Thank you!
Plus, this post may contain affiliate links, from which I (potentially) earn a small commission.
Some of my other blogs you may enjoy
Bikes are everywhere in Vietnam, from pushbikes ambling along a river to a sea of motor bikes bearing down as you try to cross the road.